While running away from home for reasons that are eminently defensible, Emilie's plans to stow away on the steamship Merry Bell and reach her cousin in the big city go awry, landing her on the wrong ship and at the beginning of a fantastic adventure. Taken under the protection of Lady Marlende, Emilie learns that the crew hopes to use the aether currents and an experimental engine, and with the assistance of Lord Engal, journey to the interior of the planet in search of Marlende's missing father. With the ship damaged on arrival, they attempt to traverse the strange lands on their quest. But when evidence points to sabotage and they encounter the treacherous Lord Ivers, along with the strange race of the sea-lands, Emilie has to make some challenging decisions and take daring action if they are ever to reach the surface world again.

 

 

There are 350 pages in this book. This book was published in 2013 by Angry Robot .

Martha Wells is the author of several fantasy novels that have been published by Tor and HarperCollins, including Death of a Necromancer, which was a 1999 Nebula Nominee. Publishers Weekly has said of her work: "Wells continues to demonstrate an impressive gift for creating finely detailed fantasy worlds rife with many-layered intrigues and immensely personable characters. " And she has been lauded by authors such as Anne McCaffrey and Robin Hobb. Her books have been published in eight languages, including French, Spanish, German, Russian, and Dutch. Her most recent novel, The Cloud Roads was released by Night Shade Books in 2011. The sequel The Serpent Sea is forthcoming in 2012.