"Serious literary fun as Mark Hodder vaults to the front of the new steampunk writers pack. Elaborately researched and name-checked, THE SECRET OF ABDU EL YEZDI races Victorian explorer Sir Richard Burton through a diabolically baffling maze of historical possiblities -- plus there's corsets and airships. Hard to imagine any lover of alternate British empires not being thoroughly amazed and entertained" (K.W. Jeter) "Great fun, thought-provoking, highly literate and beautifully written" (Daily Mail)