Reviews

The Venusian Gambit 

The first review for The Venusian Gambit was a doozy: Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review. “Overflowing with complexity and eloquence, the conclusion to Martinez’s Daedalus Trilogy (following The Enceladus Crisis) seamlessly blends popular elements from science fiction and fantasy, producing a work that raises the bar for both. …[Martinez] skillfully handles the intricacies of characterization and the many moving parts, building to the trilogy’s utterly satisfying and quite epic finale.” Read the whole review here. (March 30, 2015)

Over at SF Signal, Paul Weimer said The Venusian Gambit has “…exciting action and strong diverse characters; good use of asynchronous time streams in character development…. A fine end to the trilogy that has grown along with the author…. The Daedalus series is a fun and entertaining science fantasy series that is compulsively readable. With a clear maturing of the author’s characterizations, in addition to his refinement of his sense of plotting and action in the concluding volume,  I look forward to what Martinez’s pen will bring us next.” Read the whole review here. (May 5, 2015)

Tracey “TrinityTwo” of the Qwillery had this to say: “Part of the beauty of this series is that it’s not simply sci-fi, it’s also daring exploits, nail-biting espionage, brilliant war tactics, and mortal danger experienced by characters the reader truly cares about. In short, it’s kick-ass action with great human drama…. The conclusion of the series is very satisfying; the conflict is resolved in an explosive burst of action with results that made me a bit emotional. I was honestly sad to reach the last page. I will definitely miss reading about Jain and Weatherby’s exploits. The Venusian Gambit is truly sci-fi magic that you won’t want to miss.” Read the whole review here. (May 6, 2015)

Amazing Stories‘ Matt Mitrovich praised The Venusian Gambit: “The Daedalus series was a fun mash-up of different genres and The Venusian Gambit managed to have a satisfying conclusion while leaving us with just enough uncertainty to keep it realistic. Will Martinez write more books set in his multiverse? I don’t know, perhaps I will ask him when I get the chance, but whatever he writes I am sure to pick up a copy.” Read the whole review here. (April 21, 2015)

Joe’s Geek Fest reviewed The Venusian Gambit and said very nice things indeed. “Once again, I cannot recommend the Daedalus series and The Venusian Gambit in particular, highly enough. A well-written adventure over sea and space on a grand scale amongst many cultures and worlds with fascinating characters, the best of whom exhibit exceptional honor. What’s not to love?” Read the whole review here. (July 1, 2015)

Luther M. Siler on Infinite Free Time loved the sense of adventure in The Venusian Gambit. “Gambit is stuffed with enough fun for any four normal books of similar length, and I have the feeling that Martinez was cackling to himself as he devised some of the things that happen to his characters at the end of the book.” Read the whole review here. (Sept. 14, 2015)

The Enceladus Crisis

SFSignal reviewer Paul “PrinceJvstin” Weimer was first out of the gate with a review of Enceladus and gave it four out of five stars. He wrote: “…the sequel continues the first novel’s mix of alchemy, intrigue, mystery, science fiction and high adventure into an entertaining package. Mike Martinez’s The Enceladus Crisis avoids some of the pitfalls that many second novels face by trying some new things, and giving us some new facets of his interesting universe.” Read the whole review here. (Feb. 12, 2014)

Publishers Weekly gave The Enceladus Crisis a very nice write-up, calling it “riveting” and saying “readers …will be rewarded with a uniquely imaginative science fantasy tale.” They also quoted directly from the book, which is always awesome. Read the whole review here. (March 3, 2014)

GeekDad‘s James Floyd Kelly is digging The Enceladus Crisis: “Martinez delivers again…. This isn’t steampunk, okay? This is something new and unique and completely entertaining. Hard science fiction in one corner and Alchemy in the other. And the best part is when the worlds and characters come together…you’re in for a wild ride.” Read the whole review here. (April 29, 2014)

Abhinav Jain, a.k.a. Shadowhawk, says The Enceladus Crisis was better than the first book. “As far as I’m concerned, The Enceladus Crisis is definitely a superior novel to The Daedalus Incident and that deserves note. Michael has clearly improved his craft going from his debut to his first sequel, and it is a change that I approve of wholeheartedly, both as a reader and a blogger.” Read the whole review here. (May 30, 2014)

Over on the Qwillery, reviewer Trinitytwo says, “Book Two revs up the intensity and action a few notches, and it transformed my perception from a fun read to a book I couldn’t put down.” And adds: “The Enceladus Crisis … packs an astounding wallop of adrenaline. This is a smart, well-written and outstanding series; no sophomore slump here, Book Two is even more exciting than the first one.” Read the whole review here. (July 10, 2014)

Joe’s Geek Fest weighed in on The Enceladus Crisis with a lovely review: “His characters and their relationships are even more fully flushed out, his dialog, description of action (Ilove the first battle scene) and overall handling of the narrative is, if anything, tighter and better…I once again am slightly embarrassed at having waxed rhapsodic over another Michael J. Martinez book, but I cannot help myself. It’s that good.” Read the whole review here. (May 20, 2014)

Luther M. Siler over at Infinitefreetime.com thought the first book was merely OK, but The Enceladus Crisis might just prompt him to read The Daedalus Incident again. On the second book, he says:  ” It is awesome.  It is action-packed and exciting and creative and fresh and original (no, seriously, space galleons powered by alchemy) and unlike the first one he’s clearly got a contract for another book now so it ends by nicely setting up the next book without feeling like it was written as the middle book of a trilogy.” Read the whole review here. (June 1, 2014)

Amazing Stories‘ Matt Mitrovich, who also runs the Alternate History Weekly Update, said the writing in The Enceladus Crisis “improved dramatically” and generally liked the book a lot, saying, “It was a great adventure tale that combined elements of a spy thriller with that of a space opera, with a bittersweet ending reminiscent to The Empire Strikes Back. I recommend Enceladus, and the series as a whole.” Read the whole review here. (April 15, 2014)

Tor.com‘s Stefan Raets said the four plotlines of The Enceladus Crisis could be confusing, but noted, “Even though it has some issues, The Enceladus Crisis is worth checking out, especially if you enjoyed The Daedalus Incident. After all, there aren’t many books out there that manage to move, in just a few pages, from explaining the ultra-dense polymers used in radiation shielding to magic and alchemy.The Enceladus Crisis also sets everything up for a third novel that promises to be spectacular…” Read the whole review here. (May 7, 2014)

Reviewer Caleb Flanagan on 20four12.com says, “Everything about what Michael J. Martinez is doing with these books delights me, and this second book in the series was no disappointment.” He also went on to say many other nice things. Read the whole review here. (June 16, 2014)

The Daedalus Incident

Library Journalnamed The Daedalus Incident the science fiction/fantasy debut of the month for May 2013. In the starred review, Jackie Cassada wrote: “Martinez’s debut is a triumph of genre-blending, as steampunk adventure merges with modern space opera. With a cast of superbly drawn characters, Martinez’s title is a mesmerizing tale of two universes that briefly cross paths, leaving both worlds forever changed.” Read the whole review here. (May 13, 2013)

Stefan Raets over on Tor.com called The Daedalus Incident “a well-executed debut” as well as “adventurous, original, and a blast to read.” He gave a very fair, nuanced and well-rounded critique of the book, and while he dinged me on a few things — as is his right and duty as a reviewer! — he liked it quite a bit. “This is a fast-paced and smooth read from the very beginning, and towards the end Martinez builds up the suspense and urgency like a pro.” Read the whole review here. (June 3, 2013)

GeekDad reviewer James Floyd Kelly says The Daedalus Incident “on a five star scale, gets six.” He went on to say that the book “has so many things going for it: ship to ship battles, swordplay, pirates, aliens, and even a solid whodunit. Coming in at almost 400 pages, it is one of the most enjoyable reads I’ve had all year.” Read the whole review here. (Oct. 10, 2013)

Dan Hanks over at Fantasy Faction gave The Daedalus Incident nine out of 10 stars: “The HMS Daedalus sails a ballsy, brilliant and at times breathtaking universe and you get to tag along for the ride. I can’t speak highly enough of what the author has created here. Don’t hesitate in signing up.” Read the whole review here. (April 22, 2013)

Paul Weimer of SFSignal called The Daedalus Incident “an ambitious and fun romp,” and said in his four-out-of-five-star review that the book is “entertaining and fun to read and despite its delays in publication, I hope it reaches its deserved audience, and that the author has the opportunity to explore the universe of the Daedalus, especially, much further.” Read the whole review here. (June 24, 2013)

In a “not-review” on Staffer’s Book Review (and occasional musings) Justin Landon nonetheless “really enjoyed” The Daedalus Incident and says it’s “the right kind of novel to be the first from the new publisher of Night Shade titles. It is representative of the kind of fiction the list has been known for in the past, and hopefully will to be known for moving forward.” Read the whole not-review here. (June 25, 2013)

The Founding Fields was first out of the gate with a review of The Daedalus Incident: “In a time of SFF that is often serious and cerebral, The Daedalus Incident takes a step back to focus on the most important reason any reader picks up a book – to read a story that is plain good fun and adventure and that does not get bogged down into complexities of the world. A highly recommended debut.” Read the whole review here. (April 14, 2013)

Mogsy  over at the BiblioSanctum gave Daedalus four out of five stars, and recommended the double-timeline story to fans of cross-genre fiction. She writes: “What do these two disparate timelines have to do with each other, you ask? Now that’s the million dollar question of the day. The answer is a journey that will take you beyond the limits of time and space, introducing you great characters you’ll care about and fantastic new worlds to boot.” Read the whole review here. (Feb. 21, 2014)

The “Airport Reads” feature on CheapOair’s travel blog had very nice things to say about The Daedalus Incident. Reviewer Hannah Winsten writes: “Daedalus is a wildly unique story that moves at a break-neck pace…a true page-turner.” Read the whole review here. (Jan. 8, 2014)

Trinitytwo of The Qwillery gave The Daedalus Incident a great review, saying: “I thought this book was unique in many ways and I can honestly say it was my pleasure to read. I am looking forward to reading The Enceladus Crisis and The Gravity of the Affair. Michael J. Martinez has created a sci fi adventure that is just too good to miss, so make sure you don’t!” Read the whole review here. (Jan. 31, 2014)

Amazing Stories reviewer Matt Mitrovich praised The Daedalus Incident for its avoidance of SF tropes and its setting, and went on to say:  “Although a part of me wonders whether Napoleonic history will give away the ending of the sequel, The Enceladus Crisis (due out next year), I still recommend this fun adventure story that was a solid debut for the author.” I promise, no spoilers in the book, or the review for that matter.  Read the whole review here. (Nov. 19, 2013)

Club Fantasci posted the first video review of The Daedalus Incident, and it was a great hour-long discussion of the book. They took on everything from character, plot and setting to voice and point-of-view. Overall, they thought the book was very original and liked it quite a lot. The video is linked to this page. (Nov. 8, 2013)

Edi’s Book Lighthouse, run by European book blogger Michael Below, had this to say about The Daedalus Incident: “This amazing mix of alternate history, science fiction and mystery is highly entertaining and stands out like a lighthouse in the fog of books.” Read the whole review here. (June 16, 2013)

Joe’s Geek Fest, run by J.T. Frazier, put up an extraordinarily awesome review of The Daedalus Incident, calling it “masterful” and a whole bunch of other very nice things. I got some serious warm fuzzies after reading this one. Read the whole review here. (Sept. 17, 2013)

Feliza Casano, editor-in-chief of Girls in Capes, took to her personal blog to review The Daedalus Incident, giving it four out of five stars and recommending it for “people who enjoy both science fiction AND fantasy, accessible language that’s not pretentious, and action-driven stories with interesting and relatable characters.” Read the whole review here. (Sept. 24, 2013)

Beth Cato over at the 50 Book Challenge enjoyed The Daedalus Incident, saying: “Oh, this book. It’s wacky and awesome and I loved the heck out of it. It’s science fiction plus alternate historical fiction plus magic.” And she wants to nominate it for awards, even, which is really rather awesome.  Read the whole review here. (Dec. 28, 2013)

Blogger and author David Agranoff wrote a nice review of Daedalus as well: “I love super weird science fiction. This is just that, but it is also very smart. It is clearly well researched and thought out, not just in plotting and characterization but also in its take on the fake history. I believe this is a debut novel, it is a strong debut. I can’t really think of another novel just like it.” (Dec. 31, 2013)

Caleb Flanagan of the book review blog 20four12 took a look back at 2013:“The Daedalus Incident was an absolutely spectacular debut for Michael J. Martinez, so much so that I’ve added him to my “must read” list already. He took some amazing chances with his storytelling and put together a tale that is unlike anything I’ve seen.” Caleb also put Daedalus on his top-ten list for the year, and it’s among some amazing company. (Jan. 3, 2014)

The Gravity of the Affair

Joe’s Geek Fest was first out of the gate with a review of my novella, The Gravity of the Affair, and liking it pretty darn well. “What I love about this novella is that it beautifully distills Mr. Martinez’s take on Horatio Nelson’s character depicting his bravery, chivalry, hubris and ego through battle both in the Void and the courtroom. It’s done through story, not monologue. We have an opportunity to see Nelson’s willingness and humbleness to take to heart the lessons learned while not dampening his patriotism.” Read the whole review here. (Dec. 16, 2013)

Trinitytwo, writing on the Qwillery, calls the novella an “excellent companion to Martinez’s series and gives readers a glimpse into events that shaped Nelson’s destiny before he became renowned as Britain’s most heroic sailor.” Read the whole review here. (July 10, 2014)