Review: The Red Plague Affair by Lilith Saintcrow

The Red Plague Affair (Bannon & Clare #2)
By: Lilith Saintcrow
Publisher: Orbit
ASIN: B00AFZ5PD2

Review:

In the years since the Iron Wyrm Affair marked the beginning of Bannon and Clare's unorthodox -- but highly effective -- partnership, the two have become a formidable team in service to Britannia, the ruling spirit of the land currently residing in the vessel of a young Queen Victrix. But recently mentath Archibald Clare has found his considerable intellect distracted from his service to the Crown by a personal vendetta -- the search for his arch-nemesis, the wily criminal mentath Professor Vance. When Clare's obsession begins affecting his health and work, sorceress Emma Bannon finds herself forced to intervene. Britannia has commissioned its most loyal Sorceress Prime to retrieve a wayward doctor tasked with developing a secret weapon for the defense of the realm. Emma has never before questioned a commission from her queen, but when the doctor in question turns out to have an agenda that threatens the realm's own subjects, Emma begins to question her own blind loyalty to the ruling spirit of the land. Bannon and Clare find themselves in a race against time to stop an outbreak that threatens every loyal subject of the Crown. And when one in the Bannon-Clare partnership threatens to fall, the other will find themselves drive to extraordinary lengths to save the other, their polar opposite who has become an unexpectedly dear, indelible part of the other's life.

Saintcrow is on a fast-track to become a favorite author with her Victorian-era steampunk novels, as this, her second in the Bannon and Clare series (third if you count the American-set The Damnation Affair) is perhaps her best yet. This homage to a steampunk-era Sherlock Holmes is a wholly entertaining, page-turning thrill ride that further explores the laws and mechanics of Saintcrow's steampunk universe, while deepening the characterizations and relationship between her two principle players. This time around, the narrative seems more balanced between both Clare and Bannon's perspectives, shading each intensely private character with greater emotional depth. And perhaps because the stakes have never been higher -- or more personal -- for the dedicated sorceress and the brilliant mentath, this installment lays critical groundwork for their future relationship as well as providing fascinating glimpses into each character's shadowed history.

Within the pages of The Red Plague Affair, Saintcrow has a lot of fun playing with the her own variation on the character of Sherlock Holmes and the tropes of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic stories. Here Clare the mentath, the brilliant logician, encounters that most dangerous of adversaries -- boredom. That, coupled with the use of addictive substances to sharpen his faculties, brings Clare to the brink of death as his battered body threatens to give way even as his mind seeks ever higher levels of challenge. I adored the manner in which Saintcrow introduces Clare's Moriarty -- Professor Vance has become Clare's latest obsession in lieu of a more challenging case, and when the two are forced into an uneasy partnership the chemistry and humor that results from the meeting of two such brilliant minds is tremendously entertaining.

Emma Bannon, Sorceress Prime of the iron will, is given far greater depth here, as Saintcrow delves into Emma's poverty-stricken past and the cost of service to the crown. This novel smartly introduces shades of grey into Emma's previously black and white view of her government service, which forces her to re-evaluate her previously unquestioning allegiance to blindly follow Britannia's dictates, particularly when those missions begin to threaten the lives of those she holds most dear.

It is perhaps early to speculate whether or not Saintcrow's "endgame" for Bannon and Clare includes a romantic component. I've always been of the school of thought that Sherlock loved Irene Adler in his own way, so there is an inherent appeal in the latent possibilities and simmering chemistry that exists between Emma and Archibald. I absolutely loved how Saintcrow teases readers with the depth of the pairs' feelings for each other, not yet taking the leap but dancing around the issue, teasing out the attraction and the will-they-or-won't-they tension to delicious levels. If Saintcrow is building towards a romance, it promises to be an unforgettable one as the unlikely pair of Bannon and Clare are truly a perfect intellectual match, and I for one cannot wait to see where Saintcrow takes this pair next -- particularly since Clare has yet to discover the lengths to which Emma and her illogical sorcery was willing to go in order to save his oh-so-logical life. *wink*

The Red Plague Affair is a wildly entertaining slice of steampunk-colored, adventurous escapist fiction. The pages flew as I quickly became wholly invested in the latest chapter of Bannon and Clare's story, the excitement and tension building to a fevered pitch that doesn't let go until the final chapter. Saintcrow paints her canvas of Victorian England with charismatic, compelling leads, colorful, well-drawn supporting characters, and action sequences that feature a positively cinematic flair. This is pure, entertaining, candy-coated escapism at its finest -- wildly addictive, page-turning fun guaranteed to leave you wanting more. I cannot WAIT for the next installment of Bannon and Clare's thoroughly entertaining adventures.

About the book:

The service of Britannia is not for the faint of heart--or conscience...

Emma Bannon, Sorceress Prime in service to Queen Victrix, has a mission: to find the doctor who has created a powerful new weapon. Her friend, the mentath Archibald Clare, is only too happy to help. It will distract him from pursuing his nemesis, and besides, Clare is not as young as he used to be. A spot of Miss Bannon's excellent hospitality and her diverting company may be just what he needs.

Unfortunately, their quarry is a fanatic, and his poisonous discovery is just as dangerous to Britannia as to Her enemies. Now a single man has set Londinium ablaze, and Clare finds himself in the middle of distressing excitement, racing against time and theory to find a cure. Miss Bannon, of course, has troubles of her own, for the Queen's Consort Alberich is ill, and Her Majesty unhappy with Bannon's loyal service. And there is still no reliable way to find a hansom when one needs it most...

The game is afoot. And the Red Plague rises.

The fantastic follow-up to The Iron Wyrm Affair, set in an alternate Victorian world where magic has turned the Industrial Revolution on its head.

Catherine Tate Trying To Guess David Tennant's HP Character

This made me laugh:

Masterpiece Mystery preview

We're finally getting Masterpiece Mystery previews!!! It's about time, people. :)

Watch Masterpiece Mystery 2013 Season on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

Delilah Dirk

I stumbled across the website for the Delilah Dirk adventure comics by Tony Cliff and I love the idea so much (not to mention the art, I think it is just gorgeous!) that I had to share it here. Per the website: Delilah Dirk is the heroine of a series of adventure comics set during the early 19th century. Each story is completely self-contained, and they're suitable for readers of all ages! (Now, I haven't yet read the entire graphic novel so I can't speak to that last point yet, just FYI.) Enjoy! :)

Review: Millie's Fling by Jill Mansell

Millie's Fling
By: Jill Mansell
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
ASIN: B003H2Z4GS

Review:

When Millie bolted from her boyfriend's oh-so-romantic proposal in Lover's Lane that they move in together (the cheapskate just wanted to save money on his rent) to the side of a would-be jumper, she little realized that her reflexive action would change her life forever. That would-be jumper was best-selling romance novelist Orla Hart, determined to end it all over the heartbreak of her husband's latest affair. But Millie convinced her to give life a second chance -- and when the flamboyant, larger-than-life Orla takes stock of her career and Millie's (lack of a) love life, she concocts an outrageous plan. Millie will be the fictionalized subject of her next book, a literary, true-to-life account of a working class girl's struggle to find love. When Millie first accepted Orla's offer it was merely as a lark -- but having a multi-millionaire author as one's fairy godmother proves more complicated than she'd imagined. Soon Millie is juggling more male attention -- from more unlikely quarters -- than she's seen in an age, but when the one man who actually makes her heart leap isn't a part of Orla's plotline, will she ever realize her own happily ever after?

People, sometimes nothing of a chick lit will do. And if you're at all like me, an Anglophile at heart, a British chick lit is a dream come true. After seeing reviews of Mansell's titles around the blogosphere and purchasing an e-book or two on sale (and promptly losing track of the titles in my Kindle's packed files), I finally decided the holiday weekend was the perfect time to give one of Mansell's novels a try -- and goodness did that risk pay off in spades.

Millie's Fling is a delightful, frothy confection of a novel, replete with humor, misunderstandings (both comic and heart-breaking),and romance. Clocking in at roughly five hundred pages, Millie's Fling is quite a bit longer than I'm used to when it comes to breezy, entertaining fiction of this ilk -- and honestly it could have used a bit of judicial editing to tighten the storyline. But when you're having such fun indulging in pure, fluffy escapism it's hard to fault story length when you've become so wholly immersed in the story's world, with characters who, foibles and all, have become friends.

Mansell as an apparent knack for peopling her novels with delightfully zany, very human characters, relatable in both their triumphs and heartaches. And here, at least, she favors large casts of characters -- for though this novel is called Millie's Fling, that quickly proves to be something of a misnomer. This is hardly a chick lit about one woman's search for love and fulfillment -- in a welcome turn significant page time is given to her entire circle of acquaintance. Her benefactress-cum-employer Orla and her struggling marriage, her housemate Hester and her romantic travails, her affably eccentric, divorced parents, and all of the men who dance in and out of this circle of women whose lives are rife with romantic possibilities receive significant page time. More than one woman's story, this little novel could perhaps be more aptly likened to an ensemble comedy like the film Love Actually -- this is a novel love wherein each experience is as unique and fully realized as the colorful characters that spring from its pages.

While the novel started a bit slowly, once the characters and premise where established the pace picked up and my fingers flew through the pages. Like comfort food or, better yet, chocolate, Millie's Fling is pure, unadulterated escapism at its finest. This is a novel and world that is a joy to lose oneself in, peopled with characters you can't help but love (even when they're incredibly stupid) and a few twists that may surprise you. I absolutely love Mansell's sense of humor and laughed out loud more than once descriptiosn of between Millie's job as a gorilla costume-wearing kissogram to Orla's well-meaning attempts at matchmaking (and Orla's payoff at the end of the novel? PRICELESS). The perfect summer read, for sheer fun my introduction to Mansell's fiction cannot be beat -- and I'll definitely be checking out her other novels sooner rather than later.

About the book:

He's the best thing that ever happened to her. He's also the worst. He's Millie's Fling.

From one of the premiere contemporary authors in the UK, here is a fun and romantic tale that proves the road to matchmaking hilarity is paved with good intentions.

Bestselling novelist Orla Hart owes her life to her friend Millie Brady, whose rotten boyfriend has just left her. So Orla invites Millie to Cornwall, where Millie looks forward to a summer without any dating whatsoever. But Orla envisions Millie as the heroine of her next novel and decides to find Millie the man of her dreams. Except the two women have drastically different ideas about what kind of guy that should be.

With Orla and Millie working at cross-purposes, and a dashing but bewildered hero stuck in the middle, the summer will turn out to be unforgettable for all concerned...

Review: The Damnation Affair by Lilith Saintcrow

The Damnation Affair (Bannon & Clare #1.5)
By: Lilith Saintcrow
Publisher: Orbit
ASIN: B007ZGBWJ0

Review:

Only one thing could induce Miss Catherine Barrowe-Browne to forsake the comforts of civilized Boston and head Westron (West) -- the hope of finding her missing, impetuous brother Robbie. She applies for the position of schoolteacher in the town of Damnation, a godforsaken corner of the Westron territory every bit as uninviting as its name. The children are out-of-control hellions, the townspeople without culture, and the sheriff an infuriating (and attractive) enigma. When the undead breach the boundaries of the charter protecting the town, Cat quickly realizes that darker forces than she'd ever dreamed may have ensnared her brother, as a dark threat stalks Damnation's citizens, determined to destroy anyone in its way.

Sheriff Jack Gabriel headed Westron to escape his past, cloaking his identity behind a lawman's badge, a lazy drawl, and a manner that brooked no questions. He never expected the new schoolmarm to be so pretty or so wholly unsuited for life in a town constantly stalked by the threat of an undead uprising. The more he gets to know the delightfully stubborn Cat, the more he begins to dream of a future outside Damnation's borders. But dark forces threaten Jack's plans, and the cursed mancey (magic) swirling around Cat's search for her missing brother threatens to exact a sacrifice far greater than either is willing to pay.

After falling in love with Saintcrow's first entertaining and evocative steampunnk recreation of Victorian London in The Iron Wyrm Affair, I was left eager for sequels. In an interesting twist, Saintcrow chose to bridge the release of her first and second Bannon & Clare books with this full-length e-book set in the same universe, but halfway across the world with an entirely new cast of characters. The time period may be the same, but the manner in which magic, sorcery, and steampunk technology is employed is wholly new, fresh, and engaging. In the nineteenth-century Westron "New World" that passes for America, the culture of magic is rawer, less refined, and therefore more unpredictable. Saintcrow also adds a layer of religious faith, marrying a traditional 19th-century Christian worldview with the rules of mancey and charter-symbols that make her world-building so richly-drawn and fascinating.

Now I typically avoid prairie-themed romances, but Saintcrow's twisted take on the tropes of the genre is irresistable. Cat is the missish schoolmarm, wholly unprepared for the rigors of Westron life -- but determined to thrive and fearless when it comes to utilizing her magic Practicality, even if it means sacrificing her Reputation. Jack is the dedicated lawman, deliciously uncertain around women of Cat's ilk, and hiding a secret that threatens to destroy his place in Damnation. The two spar constantly, and electric chemistry between two such polar opposites kept my fingers flying to turn pages. This tale is more romance-heavy than its predecessor, and given the secrets involved and threats standing in the way of a happily ever after, I became quickly invested in the future of their will-they-or-won't-they relationship.

The Damnation Affair is a fast-paced, romantic adventure set in Saintcrow's deliciously eclectic, revisionist 19th-century world. While the impetus behind the undead menace is somewhat hazily realized, I loved Saintcrow's twist on zombie lore (a tad reminiscent of the recent film Warm Bodies) and its use as a threat in territories barely settled is wholly fitting to the tenor of the time period. While I enjoyed The Iron Wyrm Affair, I absolutely loved this book. Perfectly paced, thoroughly entertaining, and peopled with engaging characters set against the backdrop of a rich mythology, The Damnation Affair is my favorite Saintcrow novel yet. I loved this book -- and can only, desperately hope that Saintcrow will revisit Cat & Jack in sequels.

About the book:

The West is a wild place, where the poison wind blows and the dead walk. But there is gold, and whiskey, and enough room for a man to forget what he once was--until he no longer can.

Jack Gabriel's been the sheriff in Damnation almost since the town grew out of the dust and the mud. He keeps the peace--sort of--and rides the circuit every dawn and dusk with the chartermage, making sure the wilderness doesn't seep into their fragile attempt at civilization. Away from the cities clinging to the New World's eastern rim, he doesn't remember what he was. At least, not much.

But Damnation is growing, and along comes a schoolmarm. Catherine Barrowe is a right proper Boston miss, and it's a mystery why she would choose this town where everything scandalous and dangerous is probably too much for a quality lady like her. Sometimes the sheriff wonders why she came out West--because everyone who does is running from something. He doesn't realize Cat may be prickly, delicate, and proper, but she is also determined. She's in Damnation to find her wayward older brother Robbie, whose letters were full of dark hints about gold, trouble...and something about a claim.

In a West where charm and charter live alongside clockwork and cold steel, where hot lead kills your enemy but it takes a blessing to make his corpse stay down, Cat will keep digging until she finds her brother. If Jack knew what she was after, he could solve the mystery--because he was the one who killed Robbie.

The thing is, Cat's brother just won't stay dead, and the undead are rising with him...

Review: Summer Falls by Amelia Williams

Summer Falls
By: Amelia Williams
Publisher: BBC Digital
ASIN: B00BGC6GG8

Review:

Summer Falls is a short Doctor Who novella purportedly written by none other than Amelia (Pond) Williams (also known as new-to-me Who author James Goss). The book appears in the season seven episode "The Bells of St. John," wherein the Doctor finally reconnects with Clara, the "impossible girl." One of Clara's charges is reading Summer Falls, a book whose eleventh chapter Clara promises will bring tears when it is read. This short slice of Who-related fiction is actually one of the cleverer tie-ins that I've encountered as it serves as a touchstone between the Doctor's newest companion and his much-loved previous ones, Amy and Rory, the latter two lost in the past at the conclusion of "The Angels Take Manhattan."

I absolutely LOVE the concept of Amy becoming an author, and this story fits nicely into the constructs of her "new" timeframe -- mid-twentieth century America. Having grown up reading the likes of the original Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and Bobbsey Twin mysteries, Summer Falls fits comfortably within the realm of fiction of that ilk. Featuring intrepid, adventurous, mystery-solving children, Amy Pond's novel is deceptively grounded in the real world. Young Kate is far to logical to believe in magic of any sort, yet sprinkled throughout the novella are on a former companion of the Doctor's could appreciate -- hints that the ordinary only masks thrilling and terrifying wonders.

I loved the character of Kate, perhaps a thinly-disguised version of the child Amy might have been after waiting that first night for the man in the box to return to her, all focus and determination masking her disappointment when he fails to appear. The entire tale has the feel of a fairy tale, something akin to "The Snow Queen, hinting at the continuing season seven menace of "The Great Intelligence" (and perhaps quoting from Goss's previous full-length Who novel, Dead of Winter). And Eleven-as-the-Curator is pitch-perfect and may just bring forth a tear or two by the time one reaches the sacrifice detailed in chapter eleven.

One could perhaps argue that this novella is the equivalent of an adventure with the Doctor from the ever-resourceful Amy's point-of-view. A lovely concept, marred only by uneven pacing and the restrictions of the novella format, Summer Falls is easily one of the best fictional tie-ins to the current Who-universe. There is a lot of potential in this concept and format, so much so that I can only hope the BBC explores opportunities of this type in the future and in greater, more substantive depth.

About the book:

"When summer falls, the Lord of Winter will arise..."

In the seaside village of Watchcombe, young Kate is determined to make the most of her last week of summer holiday. But when she discovers a mysterious painting entitled 'The Lord of Winter' in a charity shop, it leads her on an adventure she never could have planned. Kate soon realises the old seacape, painted long ago by an eccentric local artist, is actually a puzzle. And with the help of some bizarre new acquaintances - including a museum curator's magical cat, a miserable neighbour, and a lonely boy - she plans on solving it.

And then, one morning Kate wakes up to a world changed forever. For the Lord of Winter is coming - and Kate has a very important decision to make.

Undeniably Yours by Becky Wade

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Undeniably Yours

Bethany House Publishers (May 1, 2013)

by

Becky Wade

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

During her childhood in California, Becky frequently produced homemade plays starring her sisters, friends, and cousins.  These plays almost always featured a heroine, a prince, and a love story with a happy ending.  She's been a fan of all things romantic ever since.

Becky and her husband lived overseas in the Caribbean and Australia before settling in Dallas, Texas.  It was during her years abroad that Becky's passion for reading turned into a passion for writing.  She published three historical romances for the general market, put her career on hold for many years to care for her kids, and eventually returned to writing sheerly for the love of it.  Her first contemporary Christian romance, My Stubborn Heart, has been named a finalist for Romance Writers of America's RITA Award.  Her newest release, Undeniably Yours, is available now.

These days Becky can be found failing but trying to keep up with her housework, sweating at the gym, carting her kids around town, playing tennis, hunched over her computer, eating chocolate, or collapsed on the sofa watching TV with her husband.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Meg Cole's father dies unexpectedly, she becomes the majority shareholder of his oil company and the single inheritor of his fortune. Though Meg is soft-spoken and tenderhearted--more interested in art than in oil--she's forced to return home to Texas and to Whispering Creek Ranch to take up the reins of her father's empire.

The last thing she has the patience or the sanity to deal with? Her father's thoroughbred racehorse farm. She gives its manager, Bo Porter, six months to close the place down.

Bo's determined to resent the woman who's decided to rob him of his dream. But instead of anger, Meg evokes within him a profound desire to protect. The more time he spends with her, the more he longs to overcome every obstacle that separates them--her wealth, his unworthiness, her family's outrage--and earn the right to love her.

But just when Meg begins to realize that Bo might be the one thing on the ranch worth keeping, their fragile bond is viciously broken by a force from Meg's past. Can their love--and their belief that God can work through every circumstance--survive?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Undeniably Yours, go HERE.