Book Recommendations: God Save the Queen and The Janus Affair

-


So, I’ve been doing a bit of reading to get a better idea of what the term ‘steampunk’ encompasses. I have two that I really enjoyed:

God Save the Queen by Kate Locke

To be honest, I thought this was going to be one of those clichéd vampire-werewolf-zombie-virus things. It was not. God Save the Queen was one of the most entertaining reads I’ve had in a long while. The world-building and history-bending was well done, and the characters believable, in spite of their origins. The use of underground movements, political machinations and the genetic stratification of society made for an interesting interpretation of a Victorian England that had survived past what our world recognizes as the Victorian era. The steampunk element was present, but more a part of the background than a main feature, which allowed the intrigue and the characters take center stage. I liked the way goblins were explained and treated and the way this complemented an underlying theme of the commonality of man. This was an adventurous romp of unexpected depth, and I have added Kate Locke to that list of authors whose work I buy and keep.

The Janus Affair (A Ministry of Peculiar OccurrencesNovel) by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris

If you like your steampunk without vampires and werewolves and with more Victoriana, gaslight, London and steam, then I recommend The Janus Affair. While this novel has a local (London) focus and uses the development of the suffragette movement in steampunk England, it also has a ‘Great Game’ feel. I enjoyed the contrast of ‘colonial’ and ‘homeland’ personas and attitudes as well as the contrast of classes. I liked the clever way steampunk ‘gadgets’ and inventions were woven through the story, and the way they were portrayed as both a part of everyday life and a novelty. This is a story with a strong sense of place, a well-developed mystery, and clearly drawn characters. It also contains a splash of mystery, a dash of intrigue and just a touch of romance. Even though this was not the first in the series, I was able to get into the story without feeling I’d missed something vital by not reading the preceding novels. I will be looking for more Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris novels in future, especially those belonging to the ‘Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences’ or featuring Agents Books and Braun.
Location: Canberra ACT, Australia

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Australian Insects: An Unknown Caterpillar eating Grevillea flower buds

-
Image
So, this little guy nearly bought it when I caught it eating the still-forming buds on my Robyn grevillea, but then I thought I might like to see which particular butterfly was responsible, so I took some pictures and decided to keep an eye on it, so I knew when it pupated. The first shot - caterpillar happily nibbling on flower buds:  Yup - definitely nibbling: And here's another view. Note the little yellow lumps near its back end. Same day, but it was one of those cloudy days with variegated light. And it kept nibbling for quite some time: Stretching out to get the more tasty tidbits, and using its hind feet to keep a firm grip on the branch. Eventually it looped back on itself... ...and headed into denser foliage. It didn't always move in a straight line... How come caterpillars have more feet than butterflies? Eventually, it got into some much thicker growth (well, for a young grevillea, anyway), meaning it was somewhat prot
Read more

PokemonGo Tips - Earning the Berry Master Medal

-
Image
Another relatively easy one to earn, but it takes time. Main tip? Feed Them All. Well, okay, it's a bit more like this: Only the berries you feed to a pokemon in a gym count. You can only feed berries to pokemon in a gym that belongs to your team. You can feed up to a maximum of 10 berries to each pokemon. You can feed any pokemon that belongs to a team member, as well as your own. You can feed your team's pokemon from home, as long as you have a pokemon in the same gym - as last week's post showed. It's interesting, but really annoying if you accidentally feed a golden razzberry to a pokemon in a gym... just sayin'. Sometimes, not having a berry on hand to help catch a pokemon is also annoying - especially when you've just fed all yours to your team's pokemon - so think about that before you go all out stuffing their faces; the medal is pretty, but catching stuff is cool, too. Also, pokemon are little piggies when it comes to berries. And that&
Read more

NEW RELEASE: AUTUMNAL THREAT

-
Image
An alien autumn. An unseen predator. Deadly burrowers and an oncoming winter. And bugs big enough to ride. Joaquin only wants to warn his daughter of a new danger. To keep her safe. To make her understand her mother isn’t coming back, while keeping her alive. But what if he’s wrong? What if Mariam really did survive? What if, when everything looks like it’s going wrong, it’s really going right? Autumnal Threat is Joaquin's story. It is a father's story...and the story of a husband who misses his wife, and wants to keep his daughter safe from a new threat on their frontier world. It's a story of hope, and not giving up, and of family, as well as an exploration of what an alien eco-system might look like. It was a lot of fun to write. You can find links to this newly released, stand-alone, science-fiction short story on this Books2Read page: https://books2read.com/u/mgyopK or read an earlier version in A Collection of Lost Ships and Colonies .  
Read more