Phoenix rising
Ratings14
Average rating3.4
15
Ratings14
Average rating3.4
"These are dark days indeed in Victoria's England. Londoners are vanishing, then reappearing, washing up as corpses on the banks of the Thames, drained of blood and bone. Yet the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences--the Crown's clandestine organization whose bailiwick is the strange and unsettling--will not allow its agents to investigate. Fearless and exceedingly lovely Eliza D. Braun, however, with her bulletproof corset and a disturbing fondness for dynamite, refuses to let the matter rest...and she's prepared to drag her timorous new partner, Wellington Books, along with her into the perilous fray. For a malevolent brotherhood is operating in the deepening London shadows, intent upon the enslavement of all Britons. And Books and Braun--he with his encyclopedic brain and she with her remarkable devices--muyst get to the twisted roots of a most nefarious plot...or see England fall to the Phoenix!"--P. [4] of cover.
Reviews with the most likes.
Decently written, way too blend for my taste. A sassy field agent if forced to team up with a “by the books” archivist as they solve cold cases relating to weird paranormal occurrences in 18th century England.
Read 02:07 / 13:47 15%
This was a lot of fun to read in a big, loud summer action movie sort of way. The Ministry of Peculiar Occurences is a Victorian equivalent of the X-Files, but the agents that we're introduced to here, Books and Braun, are more of a cross between Riggs and Murtaugh and the Peel/Steed Avengers. Add a steampunk patina (mechanical men! Analytical engines! Bulletproof corsets!) And you've got a pretty fun read.
I've been curious about Steampunk fiction, but wasn't sure where to start amongst all the choices out there–so I just dove in and grabbed one. If Phoenix Rising is any indicator of what the sub-genre offers, I'll be coming back to it again and again.
Most of the ingredients of this book–the characters, the secret organizations, the conspiracies on top of conspiracies, the chemistry between the protagonists–would make for a decent read if set in contemporary England. But throw them into a alternate history of Victorian England, with advanced technology and it's a sure winner.
I can't think of anything really to say that doesn't get into spoiler territory, so I'll cut this short–as a great spy thriller with a twist, Phoenix Rising is a good, pulpy read and great introduction to what will likely be a great series.
