Steampunk | Raging Biblio-holism

Angelmaker

December 17, 2012 by Drew

The Short Version: Once upon a time, there was a lady spy and a doomsday device. Then there was a gangster son of a clockmaker, who in turn had a son who wanted nothing to do with being a gangster. When the doomsday device is suddenly reactivated in the present and a swarm of mechanized bees who bring the truth descend on the world at large, it’s up to Joe Spork – who just wanted to work in clockwork – to […]

Categories: Fiction, Literature, Spy • Tags: Angelmaker, Fiction, Literature, London, Nick Harkaway, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Spy, Steampunk

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Timeless (The Parasol Protectorate, Book 5)

March 16, 2012 by Drew

The Short Version: Things have, comparatively, settled down for Lady Alexia Maccon. She’s still living in a vampire’s third closet and her daughter is, well, her mother’s child – but no one has tried to kill her in a while, so things are relatively calm. But a summons from Alexandria’s vampire queen – the oldest vampire in existence – and a dead werewolf send things predictably into disarray. The entire supporting cast comes together and presents the most revealing (and […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction • Tags: Alexia Tarabotti, Fantasy, Fiction, Gail Carriger, Steampunk, The Parasol Protectorate, Timeless

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Johannes Cabal the Detective (Johannes Cabal #2)

October 15, 2011 by Drew

The Short Version: Johannes Cabal, necromancer of some little infamy, successfully regained his soul at the end of the last tale. This has proved to be a bit of a bother, as his conscience now occasionally tries to make itself known. This becomes increasingly difficult as he deals with escaping a death sentence in a tiny Eastern European(ish) dictatorship via an airship – and then he’s nearly murdered while impersonating a diplomat while trying to discover who murdered another fellow. It’s […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction • Tags: A Visit to October Country, Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Johannes Cabal, Johannes Cabal the Detective, Jonathan L. Howard, Steampunk

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The Rise of the Iron Moon

July 10, 2011 by Drew

The Short Version: The Kingdom of Jackals – indeed, the entire Earth – is facing an invasion unlike anything the planet has seen before. No terrestrial power seems to be able to withstand the might of the Army of Shadows, a terrible force from another planet. Old friends like Molly Templar, Oliver Brooks, and Commodore Black join forces with new heroes like Purity Drake in a desperate final attempt to save their world – an attempt that will send some […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction • Tags: Fantasy, Fiction, Jackelian, Steampunk, Stephen Hunt, The Rise of the Iron Moon

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Heartless (The Parasol Protectorate, Book 4)

June 28, 2011 by Drew

The Short Version: Alexia Tarabotti, returned to her place in society and in the Woolsey Pack, is eight months pregnant. This does not stop the vampires from trying to kill her, someone unknown from trying to kill the queen, and life from being altogether stressful for a Lady of her sort. Then, over the course of a fateful night, the balance of supernatural power in England is shifted dramatically… The Review: I don’t want to say more in the summary […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction • Tags: Fantasy, Fiction, Gail Carriger, Heartless, Steampunk, The Parasol Protectorate

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Blameless (The Parasol Protectorate, Book 3)

March 19, 2011 by Drew

The Short Version: Having been accused of infidelity by her werewolf husband, Alexia Maccon has quit her husband’s house and fled to her parents. Finding this to be a completely untenable arrangement, she accepts Lord Akeldama’s invitation to stay with him. Upon arrival, however, she finds that he (and his drones) have quit his London house. Trying to find answers to her “infant-inconvenience”, she embarks upon a trek across Europe and ends up in the hands of the Templars. Meanwhile, […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction • Tags: Blameless, Fiction, Gail Carriger, Steampunk, The Parasol Protectorate

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Changeless (The Parasol Protectorate, Book 2)

February 7, 2011 by Drew

The Short Version: Alexia Tarabotti, now Lady Maccon, doesn’t have a soul and is married to a werewolf. Being preternatural, she is thought to be the only thing that can remove the supernatural aspects of a human vampire/werewolf/ghost – but a sudden mass humanization in London sets everyone to wondering what – or who – could also have that power on a large scale. Lord Maccon takes this terribly inopportune moment to unexpectedly leave for Scotland. Alexia, annoyed by this, […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction • Tags: Changeless, Fantasy, Fiction, Gail Carriger, Steampunk, The Parasol Protectorate

Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate, Book 1)

October 17, 2010 by Drew

A number of individuals of my close acquaintance tease me for my proclivity for buying books based largely on their covers. I can’t say I blame them – after all, we’re taught “not to judge a book by its cover” and all that. (I’m actually writing an essay about this right now, perhaps to submit to The Morning News…) Yet I do it, and often. Rarely am I disappointed, which is a good thing. This book, for example, was one whose […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction • Tags: Fantasy, Fiction, Gail Carriger, Soulless, Steampunk, The Parasol Protectorate

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Ghosts of Manhattan

July 10, 2010 by Drew

I don’t remember how, exactly, I stumbled onto George Mann. I think it was via Jeff Vandermeer’s blog – I saw the cover art for The Affinity Bridge and thought “wow – that looks cool.” I didn’t do anything about the book, though, until almost a year later – when I picked up a beautiful hardcover slipcase edition (Snowbooks really understands the-book-as-object) and devoured it. Did the same with the sequel and I am eagerly anticipating the next four Newbury […]

Categories: Fiction • Tags: An Adventure of The Ghost, Fiction, George Mann, Ghosts of Manhattan, Steampunk

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Raging Biblio-holism

The overwhelming urge to collect, consume, and consider books

Archives

Angelmaker

Timeless (The Parasol Protectorate, Book 5)

Johannes Cabal the Detective (Johannes Cabal #2)

The Rise of the Iron Moon

Heartless (The Parasol Protectorate, Book 4)

Blameless (The Parasol Protectorate, Book 3)

Changeless (The Parasol Protectorate, Book 2)

Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate, Book 1)

Ghosts of Manhattan

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