The Martians invaded in the late 19th century, and they were defeated by germs that humans take for granted. This has been the premise of so many alternate histories that I'm starting to believe it actually happened. For the most part, though, those who play around in the territory of H.G. Wells's War of the Worlds have turned in imaginative and entertaining stories exploring the rich potential in a world that has survived hostile contact with an advanced alien civilization, and Scarlet Traces is no exception. Edginton's story is a mystery set against an exotic backdrop, which is brought to stunning life by illustrator D'Israeli, and it's a fascinating read for those who like steampunk, mysteries, speculative science-fiction or any combination of the three.
The strongest point of Scarlet Traces is probably the imaginative exercises that Edginton and D'Israeli have gone through in crafting their world. Taxis and military units in biomechanical walking machines make for an interesting stylistic touch, and the use of the Martians' deadly heat rays as not just weaponry but environmentally sound heating devices or the existence of flying machines so far in advance of the ones in our own world show that all of England, not just the military arm of it, has been changed by the technological discoveries from Mars. D'Israeli's portrait of England carries with it the character of the nation, with crowded street design and an industrial feel, but it also has an exotic, alien quality thanks to the Martian influence.
Into this unusual landscape Edginton introduces three rather interesting protagonists. One is an English gentlemen and a veteran, one who lives in society but whose kindness to the "underclass" speaks to a more generous nature than most of his peers. The other is a Scottish manservant who served under the gentleman in the wars, and whose defining quality is his loyalty and strength of body and will. And then there's the homeless man whose own history has some surprising nobility, who provides a key connection in the investigation as well as a bit of physical backup for the heroes.
The weakness in Scarlet Traces actually lies with the mystery. Edginton has an interesting plot here, exploring the notions of the greater good and presenting some truly horrible villains who are doing some truly horrible things in the name of that greater good. Unfortunately, any astute reader will have put together most of the plot within the first half of the book, which means the big reveal loses a bit of its punch, even if the motivations behind the villainous doings is a little more ambitious than I would have guessed otherwise. It's not that the story suffers deeply from being put out front so clearly at the very start, it's just that I think the story could have been more engaging and certainly more suspenseful if Edginton hadn't laid all his cards on the table quite so quickly.
That said, Edington provides a dark ending that makes Scarlet Traces as much a horror comic as it is a mystery, and there can be no doubt that the work is terrific, a great blend of strong writing and beautiful art. I wish that the extras, or even a foreword, could have spelled out more clearly the origins of Scarlet Traces, which seems to have started life as an Internet serial, but the extras that we get are pretty impressive, with some beautiful design sketches and even a deleted scene. Wrapped in a hardcover package and featuring strong production values to match the strength of the story, Scarlet Traces is a great read, and those currently enjoying another Englishman's take on War of the Worlds speculative fiction in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen would be well advised to give this one a look as well.
