Books like Phoenix Rising

Okay, Steampunk, here's the deal...the freshness has worn off, the splash has dried up and you have become as ubiquitous as Starbucks in the world of science fiction and fantasy. Remember when Starbucks & Steampunk were both the bright-eyed, hipster, upstart new kid on the block basking in their novelty and unique approach and nose-thumbing at the old guard of the status quo? Well, like Starbucks, Steampunk has grown fat and happy and become the status quo. Everywhere you turn, you can see its green and white siren calling brass devices, its goggles, its airships, its corsets, its steam-powered contraptions, its difference engines……Steampunk has become mainstream and common. I mentioned the above merely as observation and not as criticism. I am a big, big fan of the Steampunk genre (and Starbucks, but that’s more of an addiction). It is natural and proper that successful ideas spawn copy cats and very successful ideas spawn industries. This is life. Give the people what they want. However, with the plethora of Steampunk material out there, it does require that new novels encompass more than just exotic world-building and large, steam-powered pistols to distinguish themselves and be of interest. It’s no longer enough just to be…you must be GOOD. Well color me satisfied because this Steampunk novel was a real cockle warmer and an excellent surprise. This story showed up packing a whole lot more than just flashy brass trinkets. It drove up sporting smooth, polished prose, a well-crafted sherlockian mystery and a pair of wonderfully drawn main characters that over the course of the novel really latch on to your care centers. This is a terrific story that just happens to be a Steampunk novel. BONUS!!!Phoenix Rising is set in a wonderfully imagined alternative London that has been gorgeously punked up with all of the normal fixtures and accessories of the genre. But it has so much more as well. The tone of the novel is playful and light and loaded with dry, humor. However, the subject matter is fairly dark and adds a real tension to the narrative. This makes for a delicious blend of a dark, mature story with humor which is a recipe I really enjoy. Thus, my enthusiasm was pretty rampant. Here’s a quick thumbnail of the plot to the extent my glowing word-slobbering didn’t adequate describe it.\ PLOT SUMMARY\ Set in 19th century England, the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences (MPO) is the Crown’s version of the X-files and their resources have been stretched to the limit as lately much strangeness has been afoot. Citizens have been disappearing without a trace and turning up with either (1) no blood, or (2) no skin or (3) even no bones (this last one is quite a neat trick). Our “odd couple” main characters are Eliza D. Braun (female James Bond with the body of Pussy Galore and overfondness of dynamite) and Wellington Books (think Sherlock Holmes with Watson’s demeanor and lack of physical prowess). When Braun’s former partner becomes a victim of the strangeness, the duo is eager to investigate. However, they are refused the assignment because Braun is in the soup for blowing up the House of Usher in her previous mission. Thus, the pair decides to take matters into their own hands…YAY. From there, they find themselves on a fast-paced, rolling coaster of an adventure as they track down a shadowy secret society that has all kinds of diabolicalness planned for the world. \ VERDICT\ Fun, clever and thoroughly enjoyable. This is definitely a series I will return to and Philippa Ballantine and Tee Morris have created a terrific new world with a vast store of potential adventures that I hope they use to full advantage. Looking forward to more good things from this pair. 4.0 stars. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!