In a growing panic, Ambrose ran pell-mell down the length of the observation deck. He practically dove down the steep stairs at the end. Pausing at the bottom only long enough to take one, much-needed breath, he then dashed down the hallway to his stateroom. Fumbling with the key in his haste, he finally managed to unlock and fling wide the door.
The satchel lay open on the floor and there were his documents strewn about the stateroom. Someone, and Ambrose strongly suspected the midshipman, had rifled through the papers, perhaps taking pictures with one of those new-fangled, tiny cameras. They were another piece of otherworld knowledge.
As he stared at the mess in dismay, Ambrose heard the distant cry of someone above, shouting, “Man overboard!”
Crossing to the port window, he was just in time to see what looked like a large, billowing, white sheet descend out of sight, disappearing below his field of view. Ambrose had no illusions about what this meant. The culprit was absconding with photos of Her Majesty’s top-secret documents.
And so starts Ambrose's adventure into the parallel universe of Victoriana, ally to his own world against the Great German Empire and "the Hun" who seek world dominance. But events don't seem to get better for Ambrose.
After his documents are stolen while aboard the airship, he then meets the beautiful Lady Permellia, a government diplomat. As if a woman in government isn't strange enough for him, there follows a succession of stranger events. Their train to London is sabotaged. They are taken captive by a motor pirate. And through it all, Ambrose is at a loss as to what is really going on. But when he learns there are various factions, that the war his government is fighting is spreading up and down the world lines, Ambrose must make a series of difficult choices.
And through it all, there is the enigmatic Lady Permellia and her strange sidekick, Bertie, a hulk of a man. Just who are they? What is their involvement in all this? And just which side are they really on?
Ambrose must find answers to all these questions, for the sake of his own future, that of his world, and countless others. And then there is the slight problem of his falling in love with the Lady Permellia...
Engine Of The Gods is a complete story, one set in the Crown And Empire Worlds War series. A fast-paced, adventure-filled tale, it is done in the true style of steampunk, with great care taken to make the background settings historically correct and lavish in detail. Even references to motor pirates have a basis in fact. Carefully woven, this tale is an exciting and fun story.
Engine Of The Gods, A steampunk novella.
