• Some lovely acclaim for The Great Eastern in The New York Times! In his year-end Top Ten list, Keegan-Michael Key says “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. There was a civil engineer in the 19th century in England by the name Isambard Kingdom Brunel. And he helped build the tunnel underneath the Thames, and he did all this in the 1850s, 1860s. A ship called the Great Eastern suffered from an explosion. That’s all historical fact. But Howard Rodman, the author, what he did is you find out it was actually a terrorist attack. A gentleman blew up the ship, and then kidnapped Brunel. And you find out, through the story, that the person who kidnapped him is Captain Nemo. It’s great. It’s been my favorite read of the year so far.”

• Brian Evenson’s review of The Great Eastern in The Los Angeles Review of Books is now up! Says Evenson: “The Great Eastern is a pastiche in the best postmodern sense: it’s intense, invigorating, and faithful to the originals while still breaking new ground. It is, as well, rigorous in its use of 19th-century language and attitudes. Even with its combination of actual events, fictional characters, and slightly altered history, it’s more convincing than most historical novels.

“Ultimately, The Great Eastern reads like a sprawling 19th-century novel that rollicks with the sense of adventure and mystery that so informs Verne’s best work. It is an engaging tale, a kind of return to what adventurous literature used to be that never loses sight of where literature — and its most complex, unforgettable characters — can still go.” Read the entire Evenson/LARB review here.

• An interview with the author of The Great Eastern, entitled “Gleeful Abandonment of Restraint,” can be found here.

• The Great Eastern has been selected as one of “The Summer’s Best Books: Stuff Your Beach Bag with These Compulsive Reads” by the Toronto Globe and Mail.

• Jay Gabler of The Tangential reviews The Great Eastern: “If you’re the kind of steampunk who wears a striped tank suit and a monocle on vacation, this is the beach read for you…  A rich, ripping yarn.”

• Lovely reader reviews for The Great Eastern on Amazon: “By the time it’s over, you’re having such great fun you don’t want it to end. The totally original premise—two of 19th century literature’s best known characters mixing it up with real-life British engineering genius—is propelled by an absorbing plot and a wonderfully sepia-toned narrative style. Call it historical-science-literary fiction. One of the most enjoyable novels I’ve read in a long time,” says Stefania. The Group W Bench calls the novel “deep and delicious… illuminating, moving, referential, reverential, meticulously researched, and imaginatively daring. Nothing more compelling than a bold artist allowing characters to be driven by their own separate destinies which brilliantly and catastrophically cross on the high seas. A grand adventure deftly told. Bravo!” Says Avid Reader, “Howard Rodman is a magician in all the best meanings of the word.“

• First UK review for The Great Eastern: “A cornucopia of contrivance and creativity that revels in mingling history and science with flights of fancy, whim and whimsy to stunning effect. You will be surprised and then seduced by this novel, and by the end you will have been royally treated to a festival of fun.”  The review continues, “This is a novel that should have a wide appeal, certainly not the preserve of steam punk enthusiasts alone, it will delight nineteenth century adventure buffs and lovers of perfectly executed pastiche too. The prose has a rhythm that is almost sing song and fizzes. Turn a page and meet a new adventure. This is a party on the page.”  It concludes, “This is a fantasy that cleverly opens up our understanding of the age it is set in. I will have nothing but warm, fond memories of The Great Eastern.”  Read the full review from the literary quarterly NB here.

• Hear author Howard A. Rodman discuss The Great Eastern and more on the Liar’s Club Oddcast.

• The Great Eastern has received its first review! Says John Huff, “I would say great American novel but The Great Eastern is more than that. It’s world class. Pantheon literature.”  He adds, “This is a midnight oil read. It’s beautiful and it hurts.”  Read the full review here.

• The Hammer Museum launch event, featuring a wondrous conversation between cultural critic Virginia Heffernan and The Great Eastern author Howard A. Rodman, was captured on video, and can be found here for your viewing pleasure.

• You can now find The Great Eastern on Goodreads.  A reader praises the book’s “outrageous linguistic brio” and adds, “I could not read fast enough.”

• A Spotify playlist of music from and inspired by The Great Eastern can be found here.  And a catalogue raisonné for that playlist, giving explication for each and every song — why it was included, what it evokes — can be found here.

• The Great Eastern has been optioned for a feature film, and author Howard A. Rodman has been hired to adapt.