The Shadow Revolution

The Shadow Revolution: A Penny Dreadful Review

            As I strolled through a bookstore, a copy of The Shadow Revolution, by Clay and Susan Griffith, fell into my hands. I opened it and delved into a great supernatural adventure full of werewolves and mad scientists. I purchased this book and spent several hours in its company.

            Alchemist Kate Anstruther must seek out spell-caster Simon Archer for help when her sister is abducted by a baddie with blood sacrifice on his mind. While they’re hunting werewolves and imps, they unravel a frightening conspiracy. There’s lots of impressive magic involved, and later, certain characters engage in a moonlit motorcycle chase.

Simon and Kate have a refreshing and solid relationship. I love the banter between them. They work quite well together, and I enjoy their scenes.

Unfortunately, I found it hard to get a sense of the secondary characters. One can see a general outline of what their personalities are supposed to be, yet close up they seem inconsistent.

            I give The Shadow Revolution three and a half gears out of five. It is the first in a series entitled Crown and Key, and I would certainly be amenable to reading what comes next. Pick up The Shadow Revolution for an adventure with some truly exceptional scenes.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

The Secret Notebooks of Sherlock Holmes

The Secret Notebooks of Sherlock Holmes: A Penny Dreadful Review

            I am certain that we can all agree that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did not write enough Sherlock Holmes stories. My personal favorite is “The Adventure of the Dying Detective.” Imagine my delight at discovering that someone has discovered (written, rather) several new stories and collected them in a series of paperbacks. The Secret Notebooks of Sherlock Holmes came into my hands recently, and I’m glad to say that I enjoyed it very much.

            Presented as a series of cases that Dr. Watson could not publish while the subjects lived, The Secret Notebooks contains all the clever deductions and mystifying problems of the original Sherlock Holmes stories. June Thomson, of course the author, captures the feel of the characters so artfully that one really does believe that these are the lost works of Dr. Watson.

             I particularly enjoyed the clever method of hiding stolen jewelry employed in “The Case of the Aluminum Crutch,” a story in which Sherlock foils a trio of jewel thieves.

            One aspect of this book is quite educational. Included in each story are a series of footnotes, clarifying the identities of certain characters or relating some fact about the accepted Sherlock canon. I learned quite a bit about the original works by reading this book, and I must say that June Thomson must be quite a scholar. One of the adventures, “The Case of the Gustaffson Stone,” is taken from an allusion in a commonly read Sherlock Holmes mystery. It is the imagining of an adventure based on a line Sir Arthur wrote!

             I award this collection of short stories four gears out of five. It is one of several works, and I hope to track down the others!

Your Correspondent from the Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

The Serpent's Shadow

The Serpent’s Shadow: A Penny Dreadful Review

            Exotic ancient magic and a progressive suffragette. A secret society and a well-known fairy tale. One of my favorite authors and Edwardian London. The Serpent’s Shadow, by Mercedes Lackey, is the first of her Elemental Masters series. It is an excellent, engrossing story set in a detailed world. It also contains a very subtle rebelling of Snow White, which I did not realize until somebody poisoned an apple. I found that to be a delightful surprise.

            Dr. Maya Witherspoon has recently emigrated to London from her native India. She flees from the dark magic that has slain her parents. She opens a women’s health clinic to help the chorus girls and streetwalkers of London’s underclasses. She makes a comfortable home for herself, protected by her loyal servants, her several pets, and her cobbled-together magical knowledge. Though her mother was a sorceress, Maya knows very little. Has the mysterious force, the serpent’s shadow, that her mother feared followed her to this small foggy island?

            Mercedes Lackey has a gift for creating interesting heroes. They seem like genuine people. This makes any book by her hand a treat. The Edwardian setting is well-researched and vividly evoked. I feel as if I could take a train to London and actually locate Maya’s clinic.

            I rate The Serpent’s Shadow at four and a half gears out of five. I certainly intend to read the volumes that follow, and I recommend you do the same. It is different, intriguing, and scented with all the species of India.

Your Correspondent from the Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather