Daedalus and the Deep (Book Review)

As with the last book review this is posted in full on http://thefoundingfields.com/ and this is simply a preview. If you want to see it in full then please follow the link through to there.

One of a number of books with significant fantasy elements in the manner of The Thousand Names, Daedalus and the Deep is a fantasy tale which cloaks itself with genuine knowledge and information of the age. Once the feeling of realism and accuracy is established, it only then proceeds to introduce ideas of a more fantastical world.

Based around the reports of the real HMS Daedalus which reported sightings of a sea serpent in 1848, the tale follows the crew in their efforts to find the creature. Having replaced her dead brother and disguised herself, we see events largely unfold through the eyes of Midshipman Colyer as a driven, half mad captain hunts down the serpent. Abandoning their task to destroy slaver vessels and piracy across the South China Sea, the ship charges after the monster in the name of scientific progress and personal glory. However, the serpent is no dumb beast and it soon becomes clear it has an agenda of its own…