THE FIVE STAR REPUBLIC

Janeen Webb and Andrew Enstice

IFWG, RRP $29.9

One of the joys of an alternate history is watching real identities strut across the imagined stage, and seasoned collaborators Janeen Webb and Andrew Enstice mine a rich vein here. A highlight is Lola Montez, bringing a welcome dash of colour and sass to the push for independence of the gold-rich colony of Victoria. The movement, gaining ground in the aftermath of the Eureka Stockade, is propelled by a consortium of wealthy men emboldened by support from America and an opportune economic crisis hitting Britain. This is no War of Independence, but rather a backroom drama played out over luncheons with peripheral dashes of sex and violence. American heroes, bold women, cutting-edge inventors and a villainous priest are among the cast caught up in the plot that stretches from Ballarat to Melbourne and overseas. Plans for a solarpowered city add an exotic touch that, with the hint of the Empire’s inevitable reprisal, lays the groundwork for the promised sequels.

JASON NAHRUNG

VERDICT: A Eureka moment in the making