Monday, December 29, 2014

Young Sherlock Holmes: Knife Edge

Young Sherlock Holmes: Knife Edge: A Penny Dreadful Review

            At a recent convention, a well-known author handed me a free book. Normally, I do not begin reading a series in the middle, but I am never one to turn down free literature. As it turns out, it did not particularly matter that I had not read the previous novels, because the Young Sherlock Holmes books are almost as episodic as the original stories. My freebie was a self-contained adventure, and quite captivating.
            The young Mr. Holmes returns from adventures abroad to find his brother Mycroft waiting for him in Galway. They are there to investigate a medium who claims to be able to communicate with dead spies. The young Sherlock Holmes displays a germ of the deduction and intelligence we adore in his adult form, but tempered with the adorable optimism of youth. The story features a mysterious castle for him to explore, a little hint of romance, and, of course, a murder to solve. I shan’t spoil it by elaborating further.
            I give Knife Edge four gears out of five. I would definitely seek out the rest of this series. I love a satisfying adventure and mystery, and this fits the bill neatly.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Monday, December 22, 2014

Kat On A Hot Tin Airship

Kat On A Hot Tin Airship: A Penny Dreadful Review

            What happens when one takes a Tennessee Williams play as a jumping off point and adds demons? Why, ask Sam Stone. She wrote a book about it – Kat on a Hot Tin Airship.
            In the scant years since her literary debut, Kat Lightfoot has transformed from a shop girl with a good head on her shoulders to a gun-toting demon-slayer. With her journalist friend George Pepper and her inventor friend Martin Crewe, the practical young lady destroys any forces of the Darkness she happens across. Often, she gets paid for this and is therefore able to support her mother and little sister.
            Her brother finally makes a proper appearance on the page. The Lightfoot family travels to New Orleans to celebrate his marriage to the daughter of a wealthy landowner. Sam Stone takes the oppressive miasma of secrecy that hangs over the characters of any given Tennessee Williams play and turns it into the oppressive miasma of a vengeful spirit/demon. I find that this meshes quite well.
            There are a lot of twists, turns, and revelations featured in this book, and I must say that it can be a little difficult toward the end to keep track of who is what and haunting or possessing whom. I must say, though, that poor Kat is also exceedingly confused. I don’t think she’ll sort out quite what happened until she gets home to New York. Maybe she’ll figure out this book by the next book?
            At any rate, Kat Lightfoot and her family are a delight to read about. The characters are so vivid and the demons are pretty creepy. This book did not give me nightmares like the last one, but perhaps this is because demon possession doesn’t disturb me quite as much as the walking, talking corpses of my loved ones.
            Kat on a Hot Tin Airship was a delight to read. I give it three and a half gears out of five and look forward eagerly to the next installment of Kat Lightfoot’s adventures. I suggest that you track down a store selling the publications of Telos Publishing and purchase a copy.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Monday, December 15, 2014

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: A Penny Dreadful Review

            A Steampunk in possession of books is always in need of more books. In this review, I give you three: the apogee of the mash-up genre and the two companions it spawned. I loved them all, and they live in a cherished spot on my bookshelf. Gentles, I give you Pride and Prejudice and Zombies!
            The work of -  either genius or a sick, sick mind -  that started a craze for mash-ups came out in 2009, penned by Jane Austen with some adjustments by Seth Grahame-Smith. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is a bit like marmite. The reader is either delighted or disgusted. Personally, I was delighted. I think that the Bennett sisters make excellent warriors and that giving Lady Catherine an army of ninjas was a stroke of genius. True, it isn’t always the most seamless of combinations, but it is a good deal of fun. I have read other mash-ups that don’t execute their concept as well as this one. For example, I read a treatment of Tom Sawyer that was identical to the original except for a few hints of zombie infestation. Nothing nearly as transformative as this book. That transformation is where the real charm lies. That and the illustrations. I find the included woodcuts of the Bennett sisters overcoming zombies (and ninjas) to be quite satisfying.
            Following the odd and unexpected success of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a prequel was born called Dawn of the Dreadfuls. It is precisely what it sounds like – the story of the Bennett sisters’ early training and early romantic entanglements. What, you thought Mr. Bingley the first man to notice Jane’s charms? Come, now. The style of Dawn of the Dreadfuls does mirror Miss Austen’s prose, yet Steve Hockensmith is allowed much more freedom since his prose does not have to mesh directly with her words. He is an excellent storyteller, and this book is quite good. Any title I return to contains a fascinating world, and I have re-read this one twice.
            Recently, I ran across Dreadfully Ever After in a shop. Before I quite knew what was happening, I’d bought it and read the first three chapters. It is a satisfying conclusion to this trilogy (if it really is a trilogy….) and provides a hope for the cure of the dread plague. I was quite delighted at the way things turned out, especially for the sisters that made it through Pride and Prejudice unwed.
            Is this a perfect series? No. There are a few inconsistencies between the books and the timeline of the backstory is a bit muddy. This is not designed to be a thinking series, so I ignored all minor contradictions in the interest of enjoying myself.
            How do I rate this series? I give Pride and Prejudice and Zombies three and a half gears out of five, and the other two get four gears out of five. That gives me an average with an awkward decimal in it, so I shall just award the series four gears out of five and be done with the calculation. I suggest you try the series for yourself.


Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Monday, December 8, 2014

Ribald For Your Pleasure 2: Poetic Boogaloo!

Ribald For Your Pleasure 2: Poetic Boogaloo!: A Penny Dreadful Review

            You may have heard of the Cogkneys, They are a duo of poetic entertainers who wander the land bringing mirth, satire, and Steampunk. They have books filled with their literary endeavors with them wherever they go. I, encountering them one evening, secured a copy of Ribald For Your Pleasure 2: Poetic Boogaloo!
Ribald is not a misnomer. Several poems and ditties are adult in nature, such as the excellent ode “Smut!” and the suggestive “Any Port In A Storm.” Several are delicious parodies such as “Phonograph Killed The Music Hall Star,” and some are gleeful praises of the world of steam and goggles, like “Powered By Steam.” There are even a couple of works of great seriousness thrown into the mix. It also includes a Steampunk Christmas carol, making it an excellent yuletide gift, especially for a Whovian or a lover of Lovecraft (there’s a poem about a dalek and one set in Innsmouth).
            The poetry is fairly skilled, though at times the lines seem uneven. Some works in this anthology are perhaps not as inspired as the others. I even caught a couple of what I hope are typos marring the finished product. On the whole, though, I would certainly recommend this ribald little poetry collection for your pleasure.
Ribald For Your Pleasure 2 earns three and a half gears out of five. I recommend this for reading (or singing) aloud to a group of your adult Steampunk friends. It must be shared to be properly enjoyed, and it will bring laughter and delight to any social gathering (unless there are children present, in which case it will bring awkward questions).

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Monday, December 1, 2014

The Clockwork Three

The Clockwork Three: A Penny Dreadful Review

            A street musician trapped in servitude. A maid struggling to keep her parents and sisters from the streets. An orphaned clockmaker’s apprentice determined to create the most impressive contraption the Guild has ever seen. A salvaged violin with magical qualities. A hidden treasure. A famous hotel. An ancient automaton. What brings these together? Matthew Kirby, the author of the excellent young adult novel The Clockwork Three.       
            I love this book. Kirby creates three very different young characters with very different struggles, then brings them together to help each other. I loved his protagonists. They seemed so real, as if you might pass them in the street. I enjoyed his focusing on the working classes – there’s not a princess or a duchess in sight. The heroes are ordinary children with extraordinary talents. Their fantastical story seems quite real.
            There may be magic in this world, there may not be. Certainly the showy psychic appears in tune with the other realms as she claims. And what exactly is her faithful bodyguard? It is insinuated that the green violin has an unearthly enchanting power, but it could simply be the deft skill of the young street musician. And the ancient automaton the apprentice brings to life – what makes it tick? Matthew Kirby leaves the reader in suspense – is there magic here? Or just human skill and mechanics? In a way, not having a solid, tangible explanation is extremely annoying. Yet at the same time, it does leave open a sense of wonder, a sense that anything is possible, and that is a marvelous thing for a piece of young adult literature to contain.
            I like the way Mr. Kirby does not sugarcoat danger. Machinery is dangerous. Families fall on hard times. Cruel people traffic children and exploit them in slavery. There are several points at which the characters are in dire danger, and the reader is truly afraid they might die.
            I give The Clockwork Three four gears out of five. It is an excellent adventure for a brave young adult (or not-so-young adult).


Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather