In the year 2646, Clayton Wade serves as the gun deck officer on the space ship Argo, a fearsome 48 gun Man O’ War that serves to protect galactic trade routes from the Scavengers, part of the Hinn, a merciless pirate coalition who are seeking to decimate the struggling allied space forces. The Argo is modelled on the frigates of the 18th century though solar sails drive the ship and its guns blast galactic energy rather than cannon balls. In keeping with their ship’s traditional stylings, Wade and his fellow officers dress as gentlemen in frock coats and cocked hats with swords at their sides. As the battles with the Scavengers escalate, Wade and his trusted companion Ensign Samuel Maury must decide whether to stay on board the Argo in the face of interference from the Defense Ministry or leave the fleet. But these are loyal, noble men who will not submit to the dark forces of the Hinn without a fight.

WADE: A Novel of The Argo is a short novella set in a futuristic world that uses elements of traditional sailing lore and the terminology of historical fiction, echoing particularly Patrick O’Brian’s Napoleonic Aubrey-Maturin series. This juxtaposition of old and new works very well and the similarities in astronomical navigation techniques across centuries as well as the practicalities of human interaction with troublesome technology of whatever vintage are well drawn. Author Noah Hartley provides a glossary and a brief disclaimer suggesting that the reader needs to ignore their ideas of the rules of physics and logic before climbing on board his ship but this seems entirely unnecessary. It takes no great leap of imagination to buy into the world of the Argo and Hartley so wholly commits to the internal logic of his creation that any confusion or queries as to the practicalities of gigantic space frigates soon fade as the energetic and propulsive narrative starts firing with all guns blazing.

Hartley has previously published The Argo: 50 Short Stories of Gentlemen, Galaxies, and Gallantry, a collection of short fiction set on the same ship. This extended tale is well written and suggests that the author could be well on his way to developing an engaging series.

Noah Hartley’s WADE: A Novel of The Argo is a thoroughly entertaining escapist yarn that never takes itself too seriously, recalling the classic 1950s pulp era where sci-fi writers would blend genres just for the hell of it.

~Kent Lane for IndieReader