Long Ago and Far Away

Even in the wild wild world of e-publishing books have to have something of a return in order for a series to continue, and apparently Evan Currie's alternative history tale Steam Legion never quite demonstrated the legs to get anyone to invest in continuing the series. Which is too bad because it's a neat twist on both the alternative history and steampunk genres, offering a simpler and more realistic outing in the one and welcome new ground for the other in 2012's Steam Legion.

Dyna of Sparta studies under Heron of Alexandria in the first century Roman Empire. The long-simmering revolt of the Zealots in Judea has spilled out into other provinces, endangering the Egyptian city and its fabulous library. While the Spartans of her day are more of a joke than the feared fighters of legend, Dyna is of the line of Leonidas and is not about to abandon her teacher, his work or the knowledge the library contains to mobs operating under cover of devotion to their monotheism. As a Spartan noble she has some authority under Roman law and she marshals the few Roman soldiers still on station. They use working models of Archimedes' steam cannon built by Heron to repel the invaders. But enough escape to link up with other Zealot forces, and they will be back. Dyna, the Roman commander Cassius and Heron have only a brief window to put more of Heron's test models to work and help them defend the city before a Zealot army returns to destroy them all.

Currie has fashioned a straightforward story to introduce his planned series and he gives it very little distracting adornment. In our history, the city of Alexandria faded into obscurity despite its famous library, as partial destruction by Julius Caesar and neglect gnawed it to a slow death. The first Jewish-Roman war, unaided by secret Roman political manipulation, did not spread from Judea into Egypt. He tweaks history just slightly to rope in the city and library so he can introduce Heron and the obviously-destined-for-greatness scholar/warrior Dyna. As befits the intended first volume of a series, the characters are only partially developed outside the broadest strokes. Dyna carries the shame of the pale reflection her people are of their past as it spurs her to guard the honor of the line of Leonidas even more resolutely. Cassius is not at all sure a woman is the right person to follow into battle -- even more when she insists on working with the philosopher/artisan Heron and his contraptions -- but the results speak for themselves.

What Currie had planned for his cast following Steam Legion isn't clear, although they've drawn the attention and ire of some high-level plotters against the emperor Nero by thwarting their plans to foment unrest and their peaceful return to the Library seems unlikely. It works as a stand-alone, though, because his character development is organic as well as incremental; it serves the purpose of the story it's in as well as setting the stage for possibilities later. His battle scenes, including the fearsome new steam cannons, hit with force and reality and he's well-capable of accent spots of wry humor here and there to counter the potential ridiculousness of taking the story too seriously.

Since 2012 Currie has busily written a few series and a handful of stand-alone novels. They are surely genre fiction and don't aspire to be more than good diverting yarns with interesting situations and characters to root for. Steam Legion fits well within that category and has the advantage of being significantly better done that a lot of its competitors in the field.

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Just about anyone who knows the words to the "Marine's Hymn" knows that it includes the phrase, "on the shores of Tripoli." The actual battle involved is the Battle of Derna, originally planned to be one piece of a plan to put an American ally -- Hamet Karamanli -- on the throne of the Pasha of Tripolitania. The Pasha was one of the many Barbary states leaders who pirated shipping in the Mediterranean Sea and the United States had an eye on his removal and replacement with someone less predatory. Kevin Emmet Foley offers a slightly fictionalized version of the battle and its lead-up in his 2016 historical fiction novel Fort Enterprize.

The plan begins when American diplomat William Eaton heads to Egypt in 1804 to meet with Hamet and persuade him that with American help he can regain the throne from his brother, the usurper Yusuf Karamanli. Hamet recruits mercenaries to his cause, and US Navy Commodore Samuel Barron commits some small ships to provide shore bombardment when the invading force attacks cities. He also provides a small detachment of US Marines, led by 1st Lt. Presley O'Bannon, to help the land-based forces. They will have a long march overland from Alexandria to Derna but if they take it they will be within striking distance of Tripoli and be able to free captured American sailors.

Foley uses O'Bannon as his focal point, with a brief framing narrative about a writer distantly related to him who interviews him not long before he passes in 1850 to get the "true story" about the affair. Through interviews and some books O'Bannon has on the history of the Tripolitan conflict, we see the story unfold of Eaton's original plan, the suffering of the captive sailors, the long and hard march from Alexandria to Derna (called "Derne" by Foley) and the swirl of martial prowess undercut now and again by greedy and incompetent diplomats. Foley works to make his style have a Victorian air and influence with moderate success and he takes just enough liberties with history to make his story better. He also, in the framing narrative, highlights what O'Bannon's experiences with Barbary states slavery make him think of the somewhat milder but still repugnant version he finds when he returns home.

Enterprize clunks in some places -- the circumlocutionary style of the Victorian era or antebellum South is not easily mastered and there are places where the seams show. Better editing would help as well; "gentile" and "genteel" may resemble each other aurally but they differ widely in meaning. The aforementioned impact of O'Bannon's view of slavery is a nice touch in explaining how his story has an impact on his great-nephew, but we don't really find out why we should care.

The Battle of Derna is one of only two named locations in the "Marine's Hymn," representing the first time an American-led armed force ever captured an enemy stronghold on land and the first time the American flag flew over eastern hemisphere soil. Although negotiated settlements would eventually free American captives and undermine the work done by Easton, O'Bannon and the others, the Corps considers it a great marker in their long and proud history. Foley's book may not be the best historical fiction to cover the march to Derna and subsequent battle, but it's certainly an honorable homage and a reasonably enjoyable read.