Murdoch Mysteries

Murdoch Mysteries: A Penny Dreadful Review

            One cannot devote one’s time exclusively to any one pursuit without experiencing a sort of burnout. Therefore, when I tire of investigating Steampunk literature, I tune in to serialized moving pictures. I particularly like shows about cute animals and mysteries. This is not a review of a cute animal show. Sorry. This is a review of Murdoch Mysteries, a whodunit centered on a detective in Toronto, Canada at the cusp of the 1900s.

            William Murdoch is a traditional man in many ways. He is a devout Catholic and he is always a well-groomed, polite gentleman. On the other hand, beneath his unruffled mask of propriety beats the heart of a Lothario. His love affairs have been steamy and many, including an anarchist, a lady doctor, and a married woman.

Detective Murdoch is a tinkerer, an inventor, and a modern thinker in his detective work. The writers of the television show would have one believe that he’s invented everything from bicycle gears to a lie detector. While all these inventions were being developed at or around the time in which the action takes place, they were not developed by a fictional character. It seems, at times, that Detective Murdoch’s inventions are just a little too convenient.

            This show is a delightful homage to history, with such notables as Emma Goldman, Nikola Tesla, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle appearing in the mystery stories. It is surprisingly educational, incorporating facts about history whenever possible. Did you know pizza was becoming popular at this time? Did you know Arthur Conan Doyle wanted to speak with the dead? Did you know that electric motorcars had already been invented?

            Many of the issues that worry and divide the world today also worried and divided Detective Murdoch’s world – contraception, politics, sexual freedoms. The show touches on these all, and not always in a successful way. Sometimes the writing seems clunky, as if the issue was shoehorned in because it ought to be talked about. At other times, the integration of the issue is seamless. All in all, most of the episodes are decently written, and the mysteries are engrossing. That’s all one needs in a mystery show – a gripping whodunit.

            I give Murdoch Mysteries three and a half gears out of five. It’s a fun way to learn about some history, and it’s a fun way to watch a detective show and a costume drama at the same time.

Your Correspondent from the Moving Pictures,

Penny J. Merriweather

Cyrus Darian and the Technomicron

Cyrus Darian and the Technomicron: A Penny Dreadful Review

I couldn't tell you why Cyrus Darian is such a compelling character. I should hate him. He's callous and depraved, selfish and cruel, bosom buddies with a prince of Hell, and a womanizer. Yet he has a "deadly charisma," an odd compassion for his team, and an insatiable curiosity that I love. Once Raven Dane's anti-hero hears about a mysterious tome called the Technomicron, he can't resist the chase. And I couldn't resist this book.

Arranged in short, action-packed nuggets, Cyrus Darian and the Technomicron is easy to "just one more chapter" all night. Full of twists and adventures, it is a sheer delight to read. The plot, much like the main character, does not always tread the expected dance. This can be a bit disorienting, but it's a hell of a ride.

Raven Dane creates brilliant characters. From the gambling inventor Hardwick to the tortured and beautiful Prince Belial, each is unforgettable and unique. Even minor players shine. Fancy Dan, a brute that appears in about three scenes, has a backstory, dreams, and life (well, until he dies).

The Victorian Steampunk Society voted this book the best novel of 2011. They certainly knew what they were talking about. This book contains horror, sex, and a very bad man - and that's just the hero! I give Cyrus Darian and the Technomicron four and a half gears out of five. The best part is that it is the beginning of a series!

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Crooked Talk

Crooked Talk: A Penny Dreadful Review

            Have you ever wondered how fellow thieves might describe a burglar specializing in second-story home entry? The answer in the late 19^th century is “second-story mug.” How do I know? I’ve been reading Crooked Talk, by Jonathon Green.

            This book is a comprehensive history of the strange, circuitous, and rather confusing language of crime for the last five hundred years. If you need to know what a prostitute is called in the year 1770 or when they started calling a gun a “gat,” this is the book for you. The correct slang can add an extra touch of authenticity to a persona or a work of fiction.

            Mr. Green’s research is excellent and exhaustive. He’s composed an extremely useful resource for the casual Steampunk, the serious author, or the curious bystander. This text is organized by category of crime: all the slang for con men in one chapter, all the slang terms for the police, po-po, peeler, bobby, or Uncle Nabs in another. This leads me to the one glaring issue with this book: it’s a bit difficult to locate the particular slang word or the correct era of slang.

            While the back of the book contains an index for looking up any given slang word, it does not contain resources listed by era. Someone setting up a slum’s marketplace in their novella is going to have to do a lot of page-flipping to find the right words for the inhabitants of their setting.

            I give this handy blue book three and a half gears out of five. It’s an indispensible resource for the authentic sound of criminal cant, lingo, and speech.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Heartless

Heartless: A Penny Dreadful Review

          Heartless is the fourth book in Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series.  It  features a giant mechanical octopus, a private dirigible, vampires at tea, and most importantly, Lord Akeldama.
Alexia Tarrabotti agrees to let her friend Lord Akeldama adopt her imminent baby.  The vampires of London are less murderous once they understand that the child, which is an abomination, will be raised by a vampire and not Alexia’s pack of werewolves.  Not about to let Lord Akeldama have the approaching offspring all to himself, Alexia moves in next door, dragging her husband and the Woolsey pack with her.  Meanwhile, Madame LaFoux, the scientist hat-maker, is working on something large…
          In some of the other books, Alexia seems overshadowed by the colorful secondary characters.  In Heartless, she takes center stage.  At one point she sets a fireworks warehouse on fire.  She is a force with which to be reckoned.
          Of course, my favorite is Lord Akeldama.  He is still plenty mysterious.  I hope we get his origin story in the next book, because if we don’t, we may NEVER find out where he came from.  In Heartless, we learn he has closets large enough for people to live in, as Alexia and Lord Maccon take up residence in one.
          I can hardly wait for the next book.  I can hardly wait for the next series!  There are few fantasy worlds as engaging and intricate as Gail Carriger’s, and I hope to visit it again and again.  The style is quirky, the heroine is quintessentially Victorian, and the monsters are unique.
          The Parasol Protectorate series is magnificent, and Heartless is the best yet.  I give it five gears out of five.  I strongly encourage you to read these books.  I’d lend you my copies, but I won’t let them out of my sight.


Your Correspondent from the Bookstore,
Penny J. Merriweather