Publisher: Eos
Publication Date: May 1, 2011
Format: Kindle e-book
Genre: Steampunk
Other Books in the series:
To Be Announced
How I Got It: I purchased it
Summary:
Evil is most assuredly afoot—and Britain’s fate rests in the hands of an alluring renegade . . . and a librarian.
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—must get to the twisted roots of a most nefarious plot . . . or see England fall to the Phoenix!
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—must get to the twisted roots of a most nefarious plot . . . or see England fall to the Phoenix!
Review:
Absolutely delightful! Ballentine and Morris have created a well realized world and given us two wonderfully snarky partners in Wellington Books and Eliza Braun (yes, those last names are very descriptive of the characters). The witty banter and well paced action flows along nicely and never seems to get tripped up by info dumps or too detailed descriptions of the steampunk world and gadgets. Phoenix Rising is told from both Eliza and Wellington's point of view but it never gets confusing and allows for some excellent insight into each character.
Eliza Braun is the muscle. She loves guns, explosions, sharp objects, and is not afraid to use her sexuality as a weapon. She's a bit like James Bond - using deadly means to solve problems and enjoying a little side time with the grateful gentlemen she helps. Not to say that she's not smart, but her penchant for destruction does land her in a bit of trouble at the start of the book.
Wellington Books is the Ministry's archivist (aka librarian). He's a very talented engineer and very passionate about keeping the records in order. For all of his stuffiness, he's observant, clever, and honest (so refreshing). There are times in the book that there seem to be some opposing descriptions of Books. I will say that towards the very end of the book there is a bit that implies his current attitude is the result of some trauma or negative experience. But Wellington's whole nerdy-action-guy attitude totally reminded of MacGyver! I really enjoyed that he was referred to as "Our Dashing Hero of History and Cataloguing" in one of the chapter headings. Such a great title for a librarian, excuse me, archivist.
In the beginning Eliza and Wellington do not get along. But as we learn more about them and they learn about each other they move from simply torturing each other to acting like partners. They start to see how they underestimated the other and an attraction starts to develop. While neither acted on it (which made sense for this stage of the series) I really want them to get together. I just hope that Ballentine and Morris don't torture us for too long.
I really only have one dislike - towards the end of the book there was a revelation about the Phoenix Society that just didn't make sense. The argument could be made that it was to further show how vile the villain was and how desperately he needed to be killed. But, to me, the whole scenario just came across as an attempt to titillate that failed. Because I disliked this part so much, I'll admit that I got a bit bored, but then the story took off again and all was well.
I would also point out that Phoenix Rising tries to stay true to the speaking style of the times and sometimes conversations, descriptions, and gadget names can seem a bit longwinded. This didn't bother me and only added to the world building in my opinion, but I can see how it might be cumbersome to other readers. I say ignore it and try the book anyway!
In the beginning Eliza and Wellington do not get along. But as we learn more about them and they learn about each other they move from simply torturing each other to acting like partners. They start to see how they underestimated the other and an attraction starts to develop. While neither acted on it (which made sense for this stage of the series) I really want them to get together. I just hope that Ballentine and Morris don't torture us for too long.
I really only have one dislike - towards the end of the book there was a revelation about the Phoenix Society that just didn't make sense. The argument could be made that it was to further show how vile the villain was and how desperately he needed to be killed. But, to me, the whole scenario just came across as an attempt to titillate that failed. Because I disliked this part so much, I'll admit that I got a bit bored, but then the story took off again and all was well.
I would also point out that Phoenix Rising tries to stay true to the speaking style of the times and sometimes conversations, descriptions, and gadget names can seem a bit longwinded. This didn't bother me and only added to the world building in my opinion, but I can see how it might be cumbersome to other readers. I say ignore it and try the book anyway!
Parts I liked (there's quite a few, I had a hard time narrowing it down) :
He still could see nothing, but was grateful that he had been kidnapped by a gentleman - one that had seen fit not to strip him of his clothes before shackling him to the wall. Only a complete cad would practice such ungentlemanly behavior.
Wellington crooked an eyebrow. "Thinking?" A bullet ricocheted not two inches from her head. "Yes," she replied calmly, "I always think better when I am being shot at."
"The Ministry remains rather underfunded by the Crown, Books, and I was given the choice of either backup or more dynamite." She held up the stick. "I went with what I could trust."
...Wellington felt himself slip free. He scrambled to avoid falling to his death, latching onto what was immediately at hand. It was only when Braun called out "Lads, pull me in quick, or this bookworm is going to ruin my favorite bodice!" that Wellington realized what he was hanging onto. He was caught between etiquette and death for quite the longest moment...
"The best way to to defeat the shadows of menace and evil is to become shadow yourself. We protect the Empire in secret, a detail you seem to overlook...often. You could take a lesson from your predecessors, and perhaps develop a lesser reliance on black powder and dynamite."
But I like black powder and dynamite." She was aware she sounded like a child with her favorite toy taken away but that was what she was reduced to.
The bounce kicked him off the seat for an instant, knocking his spectacles clear of his face. Wellington wanted to scream, but it would accomplish absolutely nothing.
He did it anyway. It felt quite good.
"I can't think of anything more off-putting, " Wellington placed his hand in the small of her back as he continued, "than being married to a walking armory. You, my dear Miss Braun, are a living, breathing advocate for bachelorism."
But I like black powder and dynamite." She was aware she sounded like a child with her favorite toy taken away but that was what she was reduced to.
He did it anyway. It felt quite good.
Verdict:
I loved this book and laughed out loud throughout. While I disliked a portion of the end and felt it was totally unnecessary to the story, I'm willing to overlook because Phoenix rising was otherwise throughly enjoyable. I will definitely be picking up any future sequels.
Related Links and Reviews:
*I'm very curious as to what is on Pip Ballentine's website as it is blocked by the UAE.
I know that I originally pre-ordered this book because somebody blogged about it but I just can't remember who, but thank you! It was a good buy.
I know that I originally pre-ordered this book because somebody blogged about it but I just can't remember who, but thank you! It was a good buy.
Posts
4 comments:
Sounds like a great book. After reading your review I ordered a copy.
May 27, 2011 8:55 AM@ Sabrina - I hope you like it!
May 27, 2011 8:58 AMI def need to read this. The series title alone gets me - Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences? I definitely enjoy a good steampunk book. Thanks for the great review and quotes!
May 27, 2011 1:43 PM@ Smash Attack - It was really hard to narrow down the quotes. I laughed so much during this book that my husband asked me to leave the room because I kept interrupting his movie. :)
May 29, 2011 12:43 PMPost a Comment