3.5
Arabella and the Battle of Venus
ByPublisher Description
“Arabella embarks on another entertaining quest in an imaginative setting that combines 19th-century seafaring with pulp-style space adventure.” —Publishers Weekly
Though happy to be back on her home planet of Mars, Arabella’s peace is shattered when she receives distressing news. Her long-absent fiancé Capt. Prakash Singh, commander of the Honorable Mars Company airship Diana, has been taken as a prisoner of war on Venus, the very planet where the exiled Napoleon has fled.
Desperate to rescue Singh any way she can, Arabella pays off the gambling debts of a rakish privateer captain in order to arrange passage on his vessel. But when they’re captured by a French squadron and taken to Venus, Arabella finds herself reunited with Singh, as a captive in the same brutal prison-camp.
In a spacefaring adventure filled with interplanetary espionage, cosmic combat, and mind-blowing inventions, Arabella finds herself torn between two very different—yet ultimately courageous—men. Together they plot a daring conspiracy to expose Napoleon’s dangerous plan: the building of a secret weapon that would make the French emperor virtually unstoppable.
Praise for Arabella of Mars
“If Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jules Verne, and Patrick O’Brien had sat down together to compose a tale to amuse Jane Austen, the result might be Arabella of Mars. So. Much. Fun!” —Madeleine Robins, author of the Sarah Tolerance Regency mystery series
“A fanciful romp through a cosmic 1812, Hugo Award–winning Levine’s first novel is a treat for steampunk fantasy fans.” —Library Journal (starred review)
Though happy to be back on her home planet of Mars, Arabella’s peace is shattered when she receives distressing news. Her long-absent fiancé Capt. Prakash Singh, commander of the Honorable Mars Company airship Diana, has been taken as a prisoner of war on Venus, the very planet where the exiled Napoleon has fled.
Desperate to rescue Singh any way she can, Arabella pays off the gambling debts of a rakish privateer captain in order to arrange passage on his vessel. But when they’re captured by a French squadron and taken to Venus, Arabella finds herself reunited with Singh, as a captive in the same brutal prison-camp.
In a spacefaring adventure filled with interplanetary espionage, cosmic combat, and mind-blowing inventions, Arabella finds herself torn between two very different—yet ultimately courageous—men. Together they plot a daring conspiracy to expose Napoleon’s dangerous plan: the building of a secret weapon that would make the French emperor virtually unstoppable.
Praise for Arabella of Mars
“If Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jules Verne, and Patrick O’Brien had sat down together to compose a tale to amuse Jane Austen, the result might be Arabella of Mars. So. Much. Fun!” —Madeleine Robins, author of the Sarah Tolerance Regency mystery series
“A fanciful romp through a cosmic 1812, Hugo Award–winning Levine’s first novel is a treat for steampunk fantasy fans.” —Library Journal (starred review)
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3.5

Erika Reyes
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SHANNON
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Star.reads
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Andrea Lage
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Jessica Davies
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“I don't know what it was about this book, but it took me forever to get into it and to enjoy the story. I found the writing to be a bit of a slog - there was a lot of unnecessary detail and description and to be honest I skimmed about half of the book...I just couldn't read every word - it would have taken me another week to finish this.
I really enjoyed the actual plot of this story, and Arabella and Singh's relationship - however I did find the addition of Captain Fox to be a little annoying, and contrived, but ultimately it did make sense for the situation. Because of the writing and style of this series, I do however, find it hard to really connect with Arabella and understanding her feelings towards Captain Singh - they don't feel deep and the connection seems strained at times, but overall I can understand their feelings for each other.
Overall, once you can get past the overly descriptive writing , this is a fun adventure story and I quite enjoy the concept of the airships and the backdrop of the Napoleonic war.”
About David D. Levine
David D. Levine is the author of the Andre Norton Award–winning novel Arabella of Mars, sequels Arabella and the Battle of Venus and Arabella the Traitor of Mars, and more than fifty science fiction and fantasy stories. His story “Tk’Tk’Tk” won the Hugo Award, and he has been shortlisted for several other prizes including the Nebula, Campbell, and Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Awards. His short fiction has appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Clarkesworld magazine, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Tor.com, numerous anthologies, and his award-winning collection Space Magic. His latest novel is The Kuiper Belt Job.
Other books by David D. Levine
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