Those Who Hunt The Night

Those Who Hunt The Night: A Penny Dreadful Review

            An ex-spy, a vampire, and the spy’s wife walk into a mystery. Barbara Hambly writes them out again. Those Who Hunt The Night is an old favorite of mine. I read it as a girl, before I’d heard of Steampunk or realized that this fell into that category due to the content of mad science. I was delighted to stumble upon a yellowed paperback copy to review.

            The year is 1907. Someone or something is murdering London’s vampires. Don Simon Ysidro turns to a mortal man for help. Professor James Asher, who teaches Philology at Oxford, is not what he seems. He is a retired government spy. With the assistance of his wife Lydia, a medical researcher, he untangles the web of secrets that must perforce cocoon the undead. What they find is…

            I cannot tell you why the plot is so gripping, or I would spoil it. I can tell you that these are proper vampires. They are seductive, yes, but bone-chilling and utterly inhuman. Don Simon Ysidro is what I feel vampires should be.

            Lydia is the first, perhaps the only, nearsighted protagonist I’ve encountered in all my reading. I love her scientific mind, her bravery, and her blurry vision. As a myopic teenager and as a still-more-nearsighted woman, I could relate to her.

            I give Those Who Hunt The Night four and a half gears out of five. If you want scary vampires and a well-formed mystery, Barbara Hambly is the one to read.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Queen Rat

Queen Rat: A Penny Dreadful Review

            In a watery future, or perhaps an alternate present, several enormous submarines contain a variety of tribes that were once a united empire. Governed by a series of strange laws and choc full of endearing (or frustrating) idiosyncracies, these tribes require a proper ruler to unite them. This is the strange world of Kim Lakin-Smith’s Queen Rat.

Ratiana, the titular Rat, is the darling princess of the roguish and slightly mad Victoriana tribe. She is a scrappy, piratical thing, preferring cogs and cutlasses to gowns and diplomacy. Simeon, the young prince she is required to marry, hails from the tribe of Aesthetes. His people remind me of Tolkien’s elves, though they prefer an intricate dueling style using swords rather than archery. A bow and arrows would be of little use on a submersive vessel. The two face an array of deadly and puzzling tasks in the Grand Trial preceeding their arranged nuptials. It is a delight to learn about their undersea world as our heroes dodge death and, yes, fall in love.

Queen Rat is a good adventure and a fun, quick read. I give it three and a half gears out of five. It would be an excellent choice for the middle reader ground between picture books and young adult novels. I do hope it is the beginning of a series. It seems to lay the groundwork for a marvelous one!

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Legenderry

Legenderry: A Steampunk Adventure: A Penny Dreadful Review

            Trouble stumbles into the Scarlet Club in the person of a young woman pursued by several burly clones of unknown origin. The owner of this club, a Steampunk version of Vampirella, takes exception to the invasion. Accompanied by Britt Reid, who happens to be the Green Hornet, she sets out to unravel the mysteries surrounding the young woman. Legenderry, a new title from Dynamite, is dynamite!

            The story is exciting and entrancing. I would expect nothing less from writer Bill Willingham. A seasoned storyteller, he keeps the reader guessing and turning the pages. Each panel is a surprise leading deeper into the strange mystery surrounding the young woman and her disappeared sister Sonja. I love it. The balance between exposition and action, the characterizations, the referential twists and details – every aspect of this story is superb. Sergio Davila’s art is breathtaking. Incredible detail and vivid action pop off the page from unexpected angles. He is truly a master of his genre.

            I give this comic four and a half gears out of five. It’s solid, brilliant, and exactly what one would expect from an all-star cast of writers and artists. It’s gorgeous and fun to read, an absolute must for any Steampunk fan of sequential art.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Airship Shape & Bristol Fashion

Airship Shape & Bristol Fashion: A Penny Dreadful Review

          I have never been to Bristol, but after reading this anthology I feel as if I have. Or at least, I have visited several Steampunk alternatives thereof. Airship Shape & Bristol Fashion contains a variety of delightful works from the dark to the hilarious. The stories take the reader to strange pasts and even stranger futures. They star freedom fighters and forward thinkers, tinkerers and dreamers.
         Every story has its merits. There isn’t a rotten apple in this barrel. I feel that a few works deserve a special mention for being especially delectable.
          I gleefully devoured "Brassworth," by Christine Morgan, the tale of a society rake acquiring an impeccable clockwork valet. It's rather posh and Jeeves and Wooster. Quite the thing.
          In contrast, "The Girl With Red Hair," by Myfanwy Rodman, is a dreamy, gorgeous concoction of aetheric science, a bit of magic, and a woman determined to solve a mystery. It was beautiful.
          I found the send up of the narrative style of Victorian adventure tales in "The Sound of Gyroscopes," by Jonathan L. Howard to be absolutely hilarious.
          Finally, "The Lanterns of Death Affair," by Andy Bigwood, is a marvelous adventure. It is the last story in the book, and they have certainly saved the best for last. It has everything. Danger! Romance! Airships! Naval officers!
          I give this excellent anthology four gears out of five. I strongly recommend a visit to Bristol in Airship Shape & Bristol Fashion.

Your Correspondent from the Bookstore,
Penny J. Merriweather