Book Review- The Bullet Catcher's Daughter by Rod Duncan

Title:  The Bullet Catcher’s Daughter

Author:  Rod Duncan

Series:    The Fall of the Gaslit Empire #1

Published:   August 2014 by Angry Robot

Length:   364 pages

Source: netgalley

Summary : Elizabeth Barnabus lives a double life—as herself and as her brother, the private detective. She is trying to solve the mystery of a disappearing aristocrat and a hoard of arcane machines. In her way stand the rogues, freaks and self-proclaimed alchemists of a travelling circus. But when she comes up against an agent of the all-powerful Patent Office, her life and the course of history will begin to change. And not necessarily for the better…

Review: The United Kingdom has been split in to two, the Kingdom and The Republic.  In the Republic, Elizabeth Barnaby lives as herself by day, and as her brother Edwin at night, who works as a detective to pay her debts. One case she picks up is to find a missing aristocrat. This leads her on yet another adventure

I wanted to read this because steampunk and cross dressing detective women makes a good combination.

The alternate history was developed through implications from the narration and flashbacks. I like the way  the division  of the country (halfway north, halfway south) meant both parts evolved into different places with different attitudes to things, and the world building was generally good. The glossary at the back would have been helpful to clarify things as I was reading (I dind’t know it existed until I got to the end).

I loved Elizabeth. She was smart and quick and handled things well and I enjoyed reading about her. My favourite character was Julia, who also took the initiative, and then she started to fall for Edwin, and [Spoiler alert! Highlight for details] I was seriously hoping  she’d find out the secret and still be into Elizabeth, because I love my queer girls. Alas :( [end spoiler]. The Patent Office made a good adversary, though I didn’t like the guy from it.

The plot took a little time to start, but once it did, it developed continuously. Twists and turns kept coming throughout the novels. Travels happen  on airships around the country, and you also visit a circus, both parts of the split country, and other steampunky tropes turn up which work well in this novel. However, I felt the end was a bit of an anticlimax and the middle part dragged a little.

I really liked the extracts from the Bullet Catcher's Handbook at the start of each chapter. 

Overall:  Strength 3.5 tea, more a 3, to a good steampunk  story. I’ll read the next one because, judging by the series title, something hugescale’s going to happen and that will hopefully be awesome.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website |

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Book Review- Soulless manga vols 2 and 3 by Gail Carriger and Rem

Title: Soulless (manga) vols 2 and 3

 Author: Gail Carriger, illustrated by Rem

Series:  The Parasol Protectorate manga 2 and 3

Other info: Gail Carriger has written many other things. My review of Changeless, ie volume 2, is here. My review of Blameless, ie volume 3,is here.

Volume 2

Published:  12 November 2012 by Yen Press
Length: 224 pages
Source: gift from friend
Review: Alexia is now Lady Woolsey, and would probably find settling in to this new life a bit easier if a regiment of werewolves  weren’t camped out on her front lawn. After her husband leaves and she deals with the soldiers, she's left with an angry Queen Victoria and a problem with the supernatural that leaves them unable to be...supernatural. Her travels take her to Scotland, she meets the rest of his pack, and will learn more about the world of the unnatural as she goes.

Changeless was never my favourite Parasol Protectorate novel. That's not saying it's bad, it's just not my favourite. This adaptation has made me enjoy it more, probably because it plays up the comedy a little bit more.

The art is once again excellent, the style nicely suiting the steampunk Victorian world. The fighty action scenes are done very well, and I loved the illustrator's view of Lefoux.

Plot is just as good as the novel, and is quite true to it too.

I actually can't think of anything to say in addition to what I said for Changeless-review here.

Overall: Strength 3.5, more a 4, tea to a good addition to Alexia's world.

Links: Amazon| Goodreads|

Volume 3
Published:  19 November 2013 by Yen Press
Length: 208 pages
Source: gift from Kerrie @ Read and Repeat via the UKYABB Secret Santa
Review: Pregnant and now exiled ,Alexia Woolsey is now seeking an explanation for her child, in the hopes that she can prove her husband wrong of the accusations of cheating. Heading for France and Italy, and meeting strange scientists and crazy Templar Knights,  this last adaptation of the Parasol Protecorate novels ties up the series really well.

The whole Where's Akeldama? Plot takes a lot of a backseat in this adaptation, which is understandable considering there’s a lot to squeeze in. however, I think it was overlooked  (only one mention, I think, in the midst of a conversation that quickly moves on) until its climax at the Thames, and I think if I didn't know the novel, i'd wonder what on earth was happening and why this was important.

The art. Yes. Fight scenes very good. Colour inserts- excellent. There's two sections of them, instead of the normal one, which is quite nice. These art cards are sepia toned duos of characters. And one of them plays up Alexia/Lefoux, which I quite liked (I ship those two quite hard). Actually, the whole book played it up a little more than the novels.

As this is the end of the series, I feel I should sum up my thoughts about the whole manga adaptation. I like the fact that each volume is each novel, because it keeps the pace up. However, I think at times, it might have gone a little too fast and a couple of things might not have their importance noted enough for first time readers. The art works wonderfully with this series, the world, and the aesthetics  related to it. I like the fact that Rem used cleverness to get around the awkwardness of the many nude scenes the werewolves get. The attention to detail, and the faithfullness to story makes this one of my favourite adaptations of a book to date.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a fantastic ending to a generally amazing series.

Links: Amazon| Goodreads| Author website | 

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Book Review- Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

Title:  Ettiquette and Espionage

Author:   Gail Carriger

Series:  Finishing School #1

Published:  5 February 2013 by Atom

Length: 312 pages

Source: Bought

Other info:  Gail has written the amazing Parasol Protectorate series.

Summary : It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners—and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage—in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.

Review:  Sophronia Temminnick is not ladylike at all. So her mother sends her to Finishing School.  Madamoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing School. It’s not your typical one. It’s a dirigible. And the lessons, well, there might be lessons  like household management and dancing, but there’s also things like how to kill things. Sophronia’s school year is going to be… interesting.

I loved the Parasol Protectorate series with all my heart. I could not wait for this.

Sophronia is very cool before the main events happen. I think that when she gets to Finishing School, she is overshadowed by all the other, much more varied characters such as the eccentric teachers and random supernaturals. I felt a real affinity for Sidheag, probably because I know her story and how she ends up. I loved Vieve with all of my heart, because from the first time she showed up, I knew who she was and I love her from the Parasol Protectorate series and…yeah *dissolves into fangirling at  the nine year old version of my joint favourite character*  I also really liked Soap, the guy who works to keep the ship afloat, along with some of the other guys.

It starts very quickly. It slows down a little at times, but the adventure increases steadily and is a lot of fun. Main plot comes to focus in the second half.

Carrriger’s sharp, witty and wordy writing style is carried through into this. I’m not sure if the wordy style fits so much for a younger audience, but I liked it. It’s less laugh out loud than Heartless and Timeless, but still  great comedy, with wonderful lines like “Preshea can’t wait until she gets to poison her first husband.”

Overall:  Strength 3.5 tea, more a 3, to a fun adventure, that’s missing a little of why I fell in love with this universe.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

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Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

354 pgs.
Target audience: Young Adult
Rating: Wizard

 Lena’s unnaturally elongated hands and fingers have always brought unwanted attention especially in a society where anyone with odd features is known as a Peculiar and an outlaw. All Peculiars are exiled to the northern land of Scree where they live and work in the coal mines. Lena's grandmother and family doctor claim that her hands and feet are the first sign of goblinism, traits passed on by her father who vanished into the land of Scree when Lena was still a child. They say her father was a bad egg which means she’ll turn out the same way. Now eighteen, Lena decides it’s time to find her father and get some answers. Her quest begins on a train where she meets Jimson, a young librarian on his way to Knoster, a city on the edge of Scree, to work in the private library of an eccentric inventor, Mr. Beasley. After an incident aboard the train, Lena loses her purse with most of her money and becomes a person of interest to the local marshal, Thomas Saltre. Upon reaching Knoster, Lena gets a job plus room and board as Jimson’s assistant in a most spectacular library in order to buy supplies for her trip to Scree. Thomas Saltre takes a keen interest in this development and uses Lena to discover the secret happenings at Mr. Beasley’s home, Zephyr House. Although Lena’s not sure Thomas’s motives are entirely honorable, she is baffled and curious about the odd comings and goings at her new job, justifying her meetings with the charming marshal. The more she snoops with Jimson, the more mysterious and possibly ominous her employer’s actions appear. This story takes place in the late 1800’s and has some steampunk flavor with Beasley’s inventions which include a steam-powered flying machine. Magic, adventure, gothic elements, romance, secrets and odd servants abound in this thrilling new fantasy. For cat lovers, there is Mr. Beasley’s marvelously resourceful, intelligent and loyal cat, Mr. Mumbles – read to find out why he’s called that, it will make you smile. My only criticism is that the cover is misleading, it depicts a blond girl with wings when she is in reality a minor character in the story.

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