A resident of Boston in the morally conservative Republic of Newingland, Margaret is locked in an unhappy marriage with industrialist (and sometimes criminal) Barran. But when Barran drags them both to Europe while he finalizes a trans-Atlantic deal, Margaret sees the freedom she could have in other parts of the world—and seizes the opportunity to take it.
Peter Hargraves’s SAFE HAVEN is a snappy steampunk thriller set in a near-future where genetically modified cats are at war with humans in North America, but its greatest strength is a deeply human premise: a woman forced to choose “either living a life with [a husband], comfortable in many ways but subject to his random violence, or venturing into the unknown to attempt a more authentic life on her own despite the risk.” Margaret’s story is gripping because it’s simply relatable; the steampunk trappings of the world aren’t crucial, but they do form specific, intriguing sets of obstacles that must be navigated for her to escape her circumstances. Though the premise can be stressful, the narrative itself is often full of joy—especially in early sequences as Margaret explores the little German town where she’s been dumped by her husband, wandering by “half-timbered fairy-tale confections that [pass] as houses.” The emotional arc here—recognizing beauty in the world, and building up the courage to pursue one’s freedom—is both the spine of the narrative and also the great joy of reading this book.
SAFE HAVEN does misstep somewhat in its world-building. The single biggest example is the Catamounts, a race of genetically modified cats who survived the downfall of their technologically advanced human precursors and who have now established their own society with technology outstripping that of their human peers. Simply put, the fact that they’re hyper-intelligent, English-speaking cats has no bearing on the story; it’s a somewhat bizarre, unnecessary addition to otherwise clear, excellent worldbuilding. The Catamounts could just as easily have been a society of culturally distinct humans, but the text does derive some pleasure and interest from their presence—like a few fun reflections on language (“They had picked up the metaphor smell a rat from humans, but they used it to mean they’d sensed an opportunity, because rats weren’t a bad thing; in fact, they were good food”).
Overall, SAFE HAVEN remains clever, thoughtful, well-paced, and gripping from start to finish.
Peter Hargraves’s SAFE HAVEN is a brisk, charming, action-packed steampunk adventure.
~Dan Accardi for IndieReader