Wizard’s Tower is delighted to announce the acquisition, via the John Jarrold Literary Agency, of a new novel of the Red Raj from Chaz Brenchley. His Martian Apprentice expands the British Empire on Mars setting familiar to fans of the Crater School books, but with very different characters.

Christian Priest was an orphan street urchin in Marsport until he fell foul of the law. Luckily for young Christian, his talent was spotted by Mr. Garrard, owner of the somewhat notorious Blue Dolphin Hotel. Now Christian works as a page boy, with a sideline in gathering as much information as he can about the clientele, for the benefit of his boss.

Gathering intelligence is something that Christian is very good at, and it is this that brings him to the attention of an elderly London gentleman recently retired to Mars for the sake of his health. He has used young boys as assistants before, and the Martian lad is exceptional. Christian knows little of London and the famous people who live there, but the work of a Consulting Detective comes naturally to him. If he can live up to the exacting standards of his new master, a life of adventure that will take him far beyond Marsport beckons.

Brenchley said, “The essential rubric of the Red Raj stories has always been ‘If Mars were a province of the British Empire, then [so-and-so] would absolutely have gone there,’ where [so-and-so] is anyone from Rudyard Kipling (who went everywhere) to T E Lawrence to Oscar Wilde after his release from Reading Gaol. This logic extends also into fictional characters of the period. Writing about Christian Priest is proving to be a joy; introducing him to both Sherlock Holmes and Rowany de Vere is another.”

Publisher, Cheryl Morgan said: “I love the Red Raj setting. Brenchley mines the nostalgia of Steampunk while puncturing the pretentiousness and exposing the horrors of the Victorian era through the use of his innovative setting. There are many amazing characters, both real and fiction, from the period that he could use. I can’t wait to see what he does next.”

Agent John Jarrold said, “I have known Chaz Brenchley and loved his writing for many years! His Victorian Martian setting, characters and stories are outstanding. And here he hits another of my literary loves dead centre. Wonderful!”

Publication is expected in Summer 2026.