Rowany de Vere And A Fair Degree Of Frost by Chaz Benchley (book review).
Rowany de Vere is a secret agent working for the Colonial Service in the British Empire’s Mars colony. ‘It was the second Christmas of the year’ is a good opening; like the clocks striking thirteen in ‘1984’, it tells you straight off that you are somewhere different. It’s a Mars of canals, steam trains and zeppelins in a universe where Britain is still the top nation, respected by all. Glory days!
On her first solo mission for the service, Rowany is tasked with meeting Mister Leonov, a Russian with some crucial information, and taking him to safety across a frozen cityscape. Leonov is not impressed that they sent a girl, as he wanted to meet Colpert, the almost legendary number one spy of the British Empire. She mollifies him enough that he goes with her, and a chase across Marsport ensues as they are pursued by other agents, presumably Russian. This gives us a chance to explore the setting, which is well realised and entertaining. Mars is shown to be a dangerous place populated by tough people.
‘Rowany de Vere And A Fair Degree Of Frost’ is a hundred-page novella that feels more like an introduction to a series than a complete story, although it does conclude neatly, and hopefully, more installments will follow. Author Chaz Brenchley has a series of books about a girls’ boarding school on Mars in ‘The Crater School’ series, and this seems to fit into that milieu. It’s an enjoyable romp. Rowany’s character and the Mars colony setting reminded me inevitably of works by a science fiction author of a bygone age, but he’s unmentionable now, and modern authors resist any comparison to him, so I won’t do it. Irrelevant anyway. ‘Rowany de Vere And A Fair Degree Of Frost’ can be enjoyed on its own terms, like a fine wine.
Eamonn Murphy
June 2025
(pub: NewCon Press. 114 page A5 paperback. Price: £ 8.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-914953-91-0)
check out website: www.newconpress.co.uk
