The Affinity Bridge

The Affinity Bridge: A Penny Dreadful Review

            An airship crashes into a London park and the pilot, a valuable automaton, is missing. A strangler stalks the streets, supposedly the glowing ghost of a policeman out for revenge. To top off this situation, there are zombies lurking in the shadows. What’s an ailing queen to do? Put her best agent on the case. Sir Maurice Newbury and his assistant Miss Veronica Hobbes, working out of their office at the British Museum, puzzle out the strange occurrences in The Affinity Bridge by George Mann.

            This is an exciting mystery with a bit of a Sherlock Holmes flavor. Sir Maurice has quite a bit of depth, and this book hints at lots of secrets I’m just itching to uncover. Miss Hobbes is clever, indomitable, and very feminine. I do love an epilogue which changes my entire view of a character and thusly the story, and The Affinity Bridge has one of these. No, I will not tell you what it reveals. That would spoil the whole thing!

            There are a lot of different threads to this story. Some don’t seem relevant at first, but I assure you that they all have their purpose. This is an excellent mystery that keeps you guessing until the big reveal at the end. Bravo, George Mann!

            I give The Affinity Bridge four and a half gears out of five. I quite enjoyed this book, and I look forward to discovering the rest of the Newbury and Hobbes mysteries. They make a good team.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Kisses By Clockwork

Kisses By Clockwork: Stories Of Steampunk And Romance, A Penny Dreadful Review

            When I opened the book Kisses By Clockwork, I expected a collection of stories set in Australia. This is not what I found. Editor Liz Grzyb instead brought me an anthology of the world. This excellent stories take the reader from Italy to London to snowy villages in the Alps to kingdoms that have never existed in alternate Africas. And yes, at last, I got to read Steampunk stories set in Australia. What’s more, these were brilliant!

            Several stories deserve special mention, such as “Siri and the Chaos Maker” by Carol Ryles, a beautiful melody of a fable, and “Love In The Time Of Clockwork Horses” by Rebecca Harwell, which featured lesbians, clockwork horses, and first love. Some stories stretched the definition of romance a bit far for me, and I felt that one story was a bit of a muddled mess. I won’t tell you which one I disliked, because it could turn out to be your favorite! Love is different for everyone.

            I could not end this review without telling you of “A Clockwork Heart” by Amanda Pillar, a story of magical abilities and a pairing of necessity transforming into true love. It also features the most adorable conclusion!

            My second favorite tale was “South, To Glory!” by D. C. White. It’s the hilarious tale of the All-England Monocle-Polishing Champion, Preston Featherstone, and his fiancé, who turns out to be a spy. And who could forget his man Bunny, a stolid, indispensible person who can steer a rocket-powered zeppelin bike. It’s goofy, implausible, and thoroughly enjoyable.

            My absolute favorite tale in this tome would certainly have to be “Lady Presto Magnifico and the Disappearing Glass Ceiling” by Katrina Nicholson. It is a sweet story of espionage, inventions, and just desserts. There’s a lady magician, an automaton, and strides toward gender equality. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert even make an appearance!

            I give this anthology three and a half gears out of five. The stories inside are varied and brilliant. I utterly enjoyed reading this book. I highly recommend Kisses By Clockwork!

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather