“I read a book right on the edge of Covid. It’s a piece of historical fiction called The Great Eastern, and it’s fantastic.
It’s great. It’s been my favorite read of the year so far.”
Keegan-Michael Key, in The New York Times

“Howard Rodman’s swashbuckling adventure pits Herman Melville’s Captain Ahab against Jules Verne’s Captain Nemo in a very real struggle for the future.”
Walter Mosley

“Howard Rodman’s powers of invention, connective synthesis, and grim humor are matched only by his literary ventriloquism and psychological insight.”
Steven Soderbergh

“A historical phantasmagoria and ripping adventure done as a game of hide-and-seek. It’s like twelve of your favorite movies at once, in full sensurround.”
Jonathan Lethem

“Three cheers for Howard Rodman’s ripping steampunk adventure, The Great Eastern! A tour de force fantasy where science meets human obsession.”
Janet Fitch

“Surprises on every page. A splendid and notable achievement.”
Ricky Jay

“Not another scrivener alive or dead but Rodman could have charted let alone helmed this singular, exhilarating flying-dutchman of an epic.”
Steve Erickson