Arabella of Mars by David D. Levine came out in hardcover from Tor Books in mid-July, and has made quite the satisfying splash with a starred review in Publishers Weekly, and both a starred review and “Debut of the Month” in Library Journal.

I’m always a little nervous about reading new works from good friends of mine – what if I don’t like it? Or I like it myself, but don’t think it would have enough general appeal to sell well? It can make for dicey conversation down the road.

Lucky for me, and all of us, that’s not the case with Arabella of Mars. A straightforward action-adventure in the classic style, with lots of Hornblower-like maritime details and a scattering of maybe-yes maybe-no romantic possibilities. I can see it being successfully marketed in the Young Adult section, if you wanted to highlight the age of the main character, or staying solidly in the main Science Fiction section.

A fun read, and likely to accumulate even more interest and notice as the year goes on.