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Though I could have gotten away with making this two reviews, I'm reviewing these two books together, as they were originally published as a single novel in the UK. I'm not sure why the US publisher split it into two books, but I suspect that money was a motivating factor. As the two books together represent a more whole story arc than either of them alone, I feel it works best to review them together.
The Family Trade and The Hidden Family introduce us to one Miriam Beckstein, who starts out as a journalist in the bio-tech industry, but doesn't remain one for long. Losing her job is the least of her worries, as she soon finds herself traveling to alternate versions of Earth and getting far more involved in local politics than she'd like, due to being a long-lost heiress. However, being the sort of tough and smart heroine that a reader can really get behind, she quickly works to turn the situation to her advantage. Along the way she finds love (or something like it), adventure, and unlikely allies as well as devious enemies.
These books have several good things going for them. The biggest plus is that Miriam is a likeable character; she's believable in both her strengths and her weaknesses. When she comes up with a plan, it's appropriate for a woman of her skills and experiences. When she makes a mistake, it's fitting with her personality. She's likewise surrounded by a cast of believable characters, all with their own motivations, personalities, and quirks.
I found myself sucked in by the plot and pacing, which kept me turning the pages and guessing as to what would happen next. There's a lot of political intrigue going on, as well as some corporate intrigue. Plays for power and assassination attempts abound. People have allegiances both open and secret. At times I felt like I needed a flow chart to keep track of what was going on, and a few revelations caught me by complete surprise.
Points must also be given to the books for not pulling punches. Things aren't all sunshine and daffodils for Miriam; her plots don't always work out as she had hoped, allies sometimes turn out to not be such good friends after all, and people around her die. It adds more of a sense of realism to the story.
My one complaint would have to be that at times the dialog felt a little stiff and unrealistic. The characters usually talk like real people, but every now and then there's an awkward segue, or turns of phrase that I can't imagine anyone using in real life. In a lesser book this would really irritate me, but the likable characters and compelling story caused me to shrug it off and keep reading.
To elaborate a bit more on the plot, Miriam discovers that she is part of a family of "world-walkers" who can shift to an alternate world. This ability is apparently limited to a few families and is carefully cultivated by them. The world that they live in is currently at a medieval level of development, but the members of her family have television, running water, and significant wealth due to their drug-running operations and other devious uses of their powers. Miriam sets about plotting better uses for the family ability, as well as ways to bring about social change, plans that not everyone appreciates (most of them being very comfortable with the status quo).
Of course, things get very interesting (to me at least) when Miriam stumbles across a third version of Earth with a definite steampunk vibe. Not only did I enjoy the Victorian fashions and airships described in these chapters, but I liked the fact that the technology was not straight-up Victorian era. In some ways they were more advanced (with developments that we didn't come up with until the 20s and maybe even the 40s in some cases), and in other areas they were lagging behind. This world also has its own political intrigues which Miriam finds herself wrapped up in when she starts making waves.
Due to the world-walking abilities of Miriam's family, these books are being marketed as fantasy, but for the most part they're very grounded in reality. There's no other magical powers, no fantastic monsters, nor any of the other usual trappings of a fantasy novel. Miriam spends about as much time in our Earth as in either of the other two Earths. In some ways, it's more like a crime/detective/intrigue novel than a fantasy or sci-fi, so this may be a good book to give to readers who usually shy away from more fantastic works.
Over all, I'd strongly recommend these novels to anyone looking for a fun read that is brisk without being fluffy. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series!
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