Reviews
“Hieber’s formidable imagination is given free rein in this smart, boundlessly creative gaslamp fantasy. She blends historical fact and paranormal fiction with ease, creating a world that is lush and fascinatingly strange, and reveals her secrets sparingly, keeping fans on edge for more information about these intriguingly powerful characters and the ties that bind them together. Patient readers will be well rewarded for letting this haunting novel unfold around them.”—RT Book Reviews (4 stars)
“Rich in conceits as anything from Alan Moore, Hieber’s novel mixes action and the emotional lives of its characters into a fascinating stew. Anyone who enjoyed Paul Cornell’s London Falling will certainly cozy up to Hieber’s parallel depiction of questioning savants and heroes versus the forces of anarchy and despair.”—Paul Di Filippo in Asimov’s Science Fiction
“Extremely descriptive; the supernatural plot is intriguing. The author has offered up a rainbow of characters, from the guilt-ridden to the intellectual to the satirical, which will have readers chomping at the bit for more.”—Suspense Magazine
“The alternating plotlines seem equally urgent, riddled by murders and bearing the taint of madness. Both settings take the time to introduce a fascinating array of offbeat characters (many but not all Gifted): circus performers, a few surprisingly sane politicians, strong-willed women, and male sensitives. Quests to find ways around death – whether to renew life, or find new ways to kill – keep getting stymied.”—Locus
“Excellent first installment in a unique new series. Hieber expertly blends intriguing supernatural elements and interesting, quirky characters in an authentic historical setting. Readers who enjoy a skillful mixture of history and paranormal elements will be well-pleased with the terrific The Eterna Files.”—Bitten By Books
“Hieber’s alternate history/steampunk world is well drawn, and her characters, though numerous, are fully realized.”—Historical Novel Society