Three Princes: A struggle to finish

Three Princes by Ramona Wheeler

Ramona Wheeler came up with a great setting premise for her novel Three Princes: an alternate Earth where neither the Egyptian nor the Incan Empires ever failed. Now, from their center in Memphis, Egypt rules an enormous swath of land across Africa, Europe, and Asia, though not all are happy with said rule, especially a resistance group led by Otto von Bismarck. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, the Incans rule most of that area, which they crisscross in their Quetzal airships, the secret of which they closely guard. When rumors arise of an Incan attempt to land a rocket on the moon, two royal agents of the Egyptian Empire, Lord Scott Oken and Professor/Captain Prince Mikel Mabruke are sent across the wide ocean to investigate.

Like I said, it’s a great setting premise, one refreshingly distant from the usual European-based background. Unfortunately, though Wheeler flashes some moments, the setting and premise are mostly missed opportunities, thanks to a host of issues.

Plotting is mostly weak, relying on coincidences and conveniences, perfectly timed arrivals and departures, and too many people knowing just what to do too often. The action is episodic in nature as Scott and Mik travel from place to place, but it all feels a bit disjointed and removed and I can’t say any of it is all that exciting or even interesting. Too much feels random or without sufficient explanation/motivation, while other plot points are dropped in or dropped out.

The characters are pretty pallid and all too simplistic, either all good or all bad. Mik, for instance, has this magical charisma that charms everyone immediately, while one of the villains is a raving maniac, literally. Not to mention nearly everyone Scott meets is beautiful and full of “presence.”

Wheeler does a great job on several occasions in describing physical surroundings and settings, conveying that sense of different cultures I was so looking forward to. These moments were also the only times the prose really rose above merely adequate. But despite the vivid descriptions, say, of the Queen Mother’s estate, an Incan air terminal, the streets of Memphis, at times one wants more of a sense of difference as well; the cultures, despite their technology, feel strangely entombed.

In the end, the originality of the premise, while promising, could not overcome the weaknesses in plotting and characterization that made Three Princes a struggle to finish. Not recommended.