Eden’s Voice by Catherine Stein is a steampunk fantasy set in Ann Arbor, Michigan in autumn of 1904. It’s the advent of the 1900s with a bustling University of Michigan campus, a new invention called motorcars, and this odd sport known as “American football.” This isn’t, however, historical fiction, so the world is also full of mechanical dragons, biomechanical engineering, and steam-powered gadgets.
Bruce Caldwell is a writer who covers athletic events, and the book starts with him writing about the 1904 Olympics. Eden Randall is a young lady fascinated with football, rooting for her favorite team—the University of Michigan Wolverines. Eden also speaks her mind freely and doesn’t care about 1904 manners. The novel does a lot with Eden’s frankness and unwillingness to abide by societal norms.
Bruce is sent to cover the Wolverines for a season and meets Eden watching the mechanical mascot on the sidelines. From there, the story evolves into equal parts romance and adventure.
The novel shines as a romance. Forget your preconceived notions of how it will evolve, it will go in a completely different, and delightful, direction. Following Eden navigate the adult world of romance to apply her matter-of-fact scientific method is hilarious. Eden is spunky without knowing it. In fact, she thinks she’s the weird girl, but it’s easy to see why so many men are attracted to her. Bruce is an interesting foil for Eden’s antics and is a solid second-hand narrator. Because of Eden’s personality, the story takes a new angle on the out-of-town boy meets the sassy girl.
The adventure, while fun, is less engaging than the romance. In many ways, it’s there to serve the romance of the novel and support the excellent cast of characters Stein has created.
Another wonderful aspect of Eden’s Voice is its setting, especially in terms of time. While certainly geographically accurate, the time is standard for steampunk fare but doesn’t exist in some fantasy version of an unknown country, New York, or London. This is a small Midwestern city centered around a college campus, and things like bonfires and football games add to the “magic” that is a university.
In the end, Eden must make a decision, but it’s not the choice the reader will anticipate at the start of the book. When the ending comes and Eden must choose, it’s a powerful scene and it’s pulled off well by the author. The reader will feel pathos for the characters when it happens, and it completes the narrative on a strong note.
Overall, Eden’s Voice is a book with charming characters, a unique setting (both place and time), and a well-incorporated use of steampunk. The elements come together to reward the reader with a fantastic, independently-published novel.
Note: The fact the reviewer is a University of Michigan graduate in no way influenced this review…much.