An Absolutely Outlandish “What if?”

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What if—

Ben Franklin was electrocuted by that famous lightning bolt? 

What if—

Thomas Edison and Robert Fulton’s experiments led to horrible deaths? 

What if—

Electricity and internal combustion were forbidden dangers, and civilization ran on wind-up power—a watchmaker’s world of cranks, gears, flywheels, and mainsprings?

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And what if a noir detective murder mystery was set in that world?

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“Joshua Mertz once again delivers a joyride of imagination, combining the maddest of mad premises with a hard-boiled story that would have even Chandler nodding his head in appreciation—even as the worldbuilding would leave him laughing in disbelief.”

—Michael Mayhew


Editor, Harvest Tales & Midnight Revels