How to use this Page

Steam and Sensibility

Sensibility Grey, #1

Genre: Steampunk Paranormal Suspense

Author: Kirsten Weiss

Print Length: 235 pages

Publisher: Misterio Press

Publication Date: March 17, 2014

ASIN: B00J2MY35A

ISBN: 0985510390

California Territory, 1848. Gold has been discovered, emptying the village of San Francisco of its male population. Steam-powered technology is still in its infancy.

At 19, Englishwoman Sensibility Grey has spent her life tinkering in her father’s laboratory and missing the finer points of proper British life. But when her father dies in penury, she’s shipped to San Francisco and to the protection of an uncle she’s never met.

The California Territory may hold more dangers than even the indomitable Miss Grey can manage. Pursued by government agents, a secret society, and the enigmatic Mr. Krieg Night, Sensibility must decipher the clockwork secrets in her father’s final journal, unaware she’ll change the world forever.

Magic, mayhem, and mechanicals. STEAM AND SENSIBILITY is a pre-Steampunk novel of paranormal suspense set in the wild west of the California gold rush.

Amazon: http://bookShow.me/B00J2MY35A

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/steam-and-sensibility-kirsten-weiss/1118929539?ean=2940149366040

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/steam-and-sensibility

AUTHOR BIO:

Kirsten Weiss is the author of the Steampunk novel, Steam and Sensibility, and the Riga Hayworth series of paranormal mysteries: the urban fantasy, The Metaphysical Detective, The Alchemical Detective, The Shamanic Detective, and The Infernal Detective.

Kirsten worked overseas for nearly fourteen years, in the fringes of the former USSR and deep in the Afghan war zone. Her experiences abroad not only gave her glimpses into the darker side of human nature, but also sparked an interest in the effects of mysticism and mythology, and how both are woven into our daily lives.

Now based in San Mateo, CA, she writes paranormal mysteries, blending her experiences and imagination to create a vivid world of magic and mayhem.

Kirsten has never met a dessert she didn’t like, and her guilty pleasures are watching Ghost Whisperer reruns and drinking good wine. You can connect with Kirsten through the social media sites below, and if the mood strikes you, send her an e-mail at [email protected]

AUTHOR CONTACT LINK:

Website: http://kirstenweiss.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/metaphysicaldetective

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RigaHayworth

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5346143.Kirsten_Weiss

Newsletter URL: http://us5.campaign-archive2.com/home/?u=5ed1d2f837e773cf8949ec4c4&id=4b2e00af44

Google+ Page: https://plus.google.com/b/101510907131114400769/101510907131114400769/posts
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kirstenweiss/

TOUR GIVEAWAY DETAILS

GRAND PRIZE: Signed copy of Steam and Sensibility

RUNNERS UP: 3 runners-up will each receive an eBook of Steam and Sensibility

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Spotlight and Giveaway–Steam and Sensibility by Kirsten Weiss appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

Add a Comment

"A combination of steampunk tech and supernatural danger with a multitalented heroine who can hold her own against murderous faeries and romantic foils alike." —Publishers Weekly

Add a Comment

Etiquette and Espionage is the first book in Gail Carriger's Finishing School Series, which marks her first foray into the world of YA. Carriger's first series, The Parasol Protectorate, is set in an alternate-historyVictorian England that combines steampunk (quick definition: a sub-genre of science fiction set in an industrialized England and featuring steam-powered machinery, for Carriger's

Add a Comment

After a very hectic month, including having two shows in two states on the same days (more about that in a later blog), I head out into the desert this coming weekend. Where are these famed outlands you ask? The Calico Ghost Town near Barstow, CA, where the Wild West Fest shall be going on, a steampunk extravaganza.

I am excited as I have never been to a ghost town before, and I am sure I can draw some inspiration from there for some new art. There will be panels on plenty of steampunk related subjects, hot air balloon rides, and a concert on Saturday by Steam Powered Giraffe (very good group, highly recommend seeing them). Plus there will be plenty of vendors including my good friend Tamara of The Mystical Apothecary.

I am off to finish getting ready for the show and the upcoming Wondercon, but I will have a blog up soon about Emerald City Comicon and Monsterpalooza.

Keep creating and always have fun!

–Diana

 

 

The post Heading to the Outlands… appeared first on Diana Levin Art.

Add a Comment

After a very hectic month, including having two shows in two states on the same days (more about that in a later blog), I head out into the desert this coming weekend. Where are these famed outlands you ask? The Calico Ghost Town near Barstow, CA, where the Wild West Fest shall be going on, a steampunk extravaganza.

I am excited as I have never been to a ghost town before, and I am sure I can draw some inspiration from there for some new art. There will be panels on plenty of steampunk related subjects, hot air balloon rides, and a concert on Saturday by Steam Powered Giraffe (very good group, highly recommend seeing them). Plus there will be plenty of vendors including my good friend Tamara of The Mystical Apothecary.

I am off to finish getting ready for the show and the upcoming Wondercon, but I will have a blog up soon about Emerald City Comicon and Monsterpalooza.

Keep creating and always have fun!

–Diana

 

 

The post Heading to the Outlands… appeared first on Diana Levin Art.

Add a Comment

 

About QUICKSILVER SOUL

Nicola Tesla has never needed a man to complete her life. A gifted engineer, she has always had her experiments to keep her company-or she did, before her vile boss stole them. Now she’s working at the Archives in New London, where the memories of the dead are stored. But it isn’t long before Nicola discovers she’s being watched . . . by a most intriguing, sinfully sexy man.
Archivist Emmet Dennison should be busy extracting memories from the dead. Instead he’s been asked to keep an eye on the brazen, strikingly beautiful Nicola Tesla. Soon Emmet and Nicola are shaken by an attraction neither of them wants. Yet when a nefarious man takes them hostage, Nicola and Emmet will need to rely on their attraction, and the growing bond between them, to stop a madman hellbent on destroying New London forever.

Amazon

B&N

iTunes

Goodreads

About the Author

Multipublished author Christine d’Abo loves exploring the human condition through a romantic lens. She takes her characters on fantastical journeys that change their hearts and expand their minds. A self-professed sci-fi junkie, Christine can often be found chatting about her favorite shows and movies. When she’s not writing, she can be found chasing after her children, dogs or husband. Christine is published with Carina Press, Ellora’s Cave, Samhain Publishing, Cleis Press and Berkley. Please visit her at her blog and come chat with her on Twitter @Christine_dAbo.

Excerpt

Nicola barely managed to suppress a gasp at Emmet’s unexpected words against her ear. He’d moved up behind her while her attention had been focused on Keegan, and now his body was so close she could have swayed little more than an inch and they would be in complete contact. Her traitorous body reacted to his proximity in a way she wouldn’t have assumed herself capable of before now. Her nipples were hard and a warmth she’d never felt the result of being with another person, consumed the sensitive spot between her legs.

This was a rather inconvenient time to develop physical attraction to a man.

Doing her best to keep her body as still as possible, Nicola nodded. “I’ve only seen that state a few times before. I suspect he’ll have a difficult time sleeping, even if that’s the one thing he wants most in the world.”

“What do you think Edison wants him for? Surely, a boy of that age would have little to offer to an engineer.”

“Sometimes age doesn’t inform ability.” Did he know what he was doing to her by standing this close? She wanted nothing more than to turn around and slap him for eliciting this reaction from her. “Would you mind stepping back?”

His hot breath tickled the side of her neck as he chuckled. “It’s easier for me to speak quietly if we are close. What are you afraid of, Miss Tesla?”

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Add a Comment

Etiquette & Espionage, the first in Gail Carriger's entertaining steampunk and paranormal series for young adults, is difficult for me to assess because I'm not coming to it fresh and new, the way most young readers will. I've also read the author's amusingly sexy steampunk and paranormal series for adults. Quite honestly, I read the adult series for the funny sex. The YA series, at least its first book, doesn't have that. And that's perfectly fine. It has plenty of other things. But an adult reader who is familiar with that aspect of some of Carriger's other work is left wondering, you know, what happened to it?

This new series takes place before the original series and some of The Parasol Protectorate's  secondary characters appear in the new book as teenagers or children. That's a fun aspect of the book for an adult reader such as myself, though YA readers won't get it. If they move on to the adult books at some point, finding these characters  as their much older selves should be entertaining. Or disappointing, if they don't like how they turned out.

The book involves a young girl leaving home to attend what she and her family believe is a finishing school. (A disturbance to her world!) What she's gotten into, though, is a training program for spies and assassins, one that involves learning how to get some dirty jobs done while maintaining proper social behavior. The premise is clever, as is the world in which vampires and werewolves are recognized parts of the social structure.

What's more, this truly is a YA book, not just a thriller that a writer for adults has retooled for young people by replacing an adult protagonist with a teenager. The young people in this book are dealing with separating themselves from their families and determining what kinds of lives they're going to live. That's YA all over.

Oh, look. Etiquette & Espionage is a Cybils nominee. Book Two in this series, Curtsies & Conspiracies, comes out in eight days. 

Add a Comment

I remember when I first heard about  steampunk. It was a new and emerging subgenre that was getting a lot of press due to the release of Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan. I checked it out and fell it love with the look and feel of the period. The Victoria era wardrobe juxtaposed with the metals and innovation of the steam era.

This past week-end I attended DogCon2 at the Thurber Center. There were writing workshops, readings, Tarot Card readings, and kid's activities. I attended a workshop on Steampunk so I could learn more about it.

The speakers were from a local Columbus group called Airship Archon. They discussed the clothing and accessories of which the majority are handmade or hand sewn. They named estate sales, vintage shops, and Etsy as great places to find materials. If you live in Columbus, they recommended, The Alley Store.

They also discussed the literature that inspired them. From the classics, you have Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. Verne wrote novels such as Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea, Around the World in Eighty Days, and The Carpathian Castle. H.G. Wells is probably best known for The Time Machine, but also wrote The Invisible Man and The Island of Doctor Moreau.

For more contemporary literature they mentioned Gail Carriger's novels. They also noted that it's hard to find good steampunk literature that is true to spirit they embody at Airship Archon. Most of it seems artificial with all things steampunk thrown in haphazardly.

They are an amazing group of people. They hold monthly events which are open to the public. They get together to create costumes or other steampunk related items. They also speak at numerous conventions. The list of topics is listed on their website.

There were two surprising facts for me:

One is that steampunk is considered a subgenre of science fiction. For some reason, I never put that together.
Two is that there are subgenres of steampunk such as clockpunk, meatpunk, dieselpunk, and cyberpunk. Each inspired by an era of invention.

I also learned how to make a pair of steampunk goggles from welder's goggles. Each speaker was so creative and a pleasure to listen to. I came away with an idea for an art piece so we'll have to see if that works out.

Display Comments Add a Comment

<!-- START INTERCHANGE - LARKLIGHT -->if(!window.igic__){window.igic__={};var d=document;var s=d.createElement("script");s.src="http://iangilman.com/interchange/js/widget.js";d.body.appendChild(s);} <!-- START INTERCHANGE - LARKLIGHT -->if(!window.igic__){window.igic__={};var d=document;var s=d.createElement("script");s.src="http://iangilman.com/interchange/js/widget.js";d.body.appendChild(s

Add a Comment

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger.

In her mother's eyes, Sophronia is a failure. She's way too interested in mechanics, spying, and climbing and things just happen around her that tend to end with flying desserts landing on honored house guests. She's particularly dismayed when she discovers that a rather meddlesome honored houseguest has recommended her to attend Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But Mademoiselle Geraldine's is not what one would expect-- first of all, it's a flying school, so it's harder to find. Second of all dance lessons also include lessons on how to pass messages back and forth without being noticed. Then there are the classes in fighting. And poisons. In the middle of this educational intrigue, there is real intrigue-- flying highway men are attacking the school, after something the school has, and hidden. What is it? And where? Secret late-night trips to the boiler room, mechanical dogs and more...

This is the first book in Carriger's new YA series, set in the same world as Parasol Protectorate. It's set several years earlier, but there is a bit of character overlap-- most noticeably one of Sophronia's classmates is Sidhaeg and the little boy running around helping Sophronia--you'll recognize that one, too.

This is a fun series, with fewer vampires and werewolves and more steampunk technology than Parasol Protectorate. There is no romance in this one, which on one hand-- YAY! A YA book with girls and no romance! On the other hand, BOO! Carriger writes romance so well!

I missed the paranormal politics of the first series, but enjoyed the quick adventure of this one and want to delve more into this part of this world and see how it develops.

Book Provided by... my wallet

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Add a Comment

I frequently complain about the plethora of authors switching tracks from adult books to YA novels, and not bringing their best game. This is not one of those complaints. Sophronia took a deep breath. " What, precisely, will I be expected to learn... Read the rest of this post

Display Comments Add a Comment

Reader Gut Reaction: I remember reading Tiffany Trent's first Hallowmere book for the Cybils way back when, and I had enjoyed it much more than I'd expected to—I can't say Southern Gothic historical fantasy is my thing, but she crafted a fun and... Read the rest of this post

Display Comments Add a Comment

<!-- START INTERCHANGE - LEVIATHAN -->if(!window.igic__){window.igic__={};var d=document;var s=d.createElement("script");s.src="http://iangilman.com/interchange/js/widget.js";d.body.appendChild(s);} <!-- END INTERCHANGE --> Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld and illustrated by Keith Thompson is the first in a trilogy that also includes the companion book, The Manual of Aeronautics, which is

Display Comments Add a Comment

I want to make new style pendants. I would like to know which style I should go with. Which would you buy? Please help me by choosing from these 3 images: Leave a comment with your vote!

1. Steampunk Mad Hatter

2. Steampunk Mad Hatter Rectangle

3. Mad Hatter Simple

1. Steampunk Mad Hatter

2. Steampunk Mad Hatter Rectangle

3. Mad Hatter Simple

The post Pick your Favorite Pendant Style! appeared first on Diana Levin Art.

Add a Comment

For those in Anaheim tomorrow evening, the Rothick Art Haus (170 S. Harbor Blvd, Anaheim, CA 92805) is hosting the opening reception of an art show called “Steampop! Pop Culture through Steampunk Goggles.” One of the artists who’ll be showing is veteran Disney animator James Lopez, whose work has been featured on Cartoon Brew in the past. It’s a familiar topic for Lopez, who is currently working on a personal steampunk-themed animated short.

(Homer Simpson piece above by Ryan Batcheller)

Add a Comment

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to finishing school.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea--and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish, all right--but it's a different kind of finishing. Mademoiselle Geraldine's certainly trains young ladies in the finer arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also in the other kinds of finishing: the fine arts of death, diversion, deceit, espionage, and the modern weaponries. Sophronia and her friends are going to have a rousing first year at school.Why I'm waiting:

Ever since her adult fantasy, Soulless, caught my eye (I was about to put it on the display table when I worked for Borders, but instead bought the one copy we had on release day and then ordered 2 dozen more) I have loved Gail Carriger's funny, clever storytelling. This four-book series is set 25 years before the Parasol Protectorate books, and while I have already read the novel, I can't wait to get my hands on my own hardcover copy next week.
Preorder on Amazon.com | BN.com | Bookdepository.com | Add to your Goodreads shelf

Display Comments Add a Comment

Sometimes even picky readers of historical fiction (ie, me) are allowed to just enjoy the ride, especially when the ride in question is to a steampunk 19th-century London that never was.  The Friday Society, by Adrienne Kress (Dial, YA, Dec. 2012), is a playful mystery/thriller in which three teenage girls--an inventor's assistant, a magician's assistant, and a would-be samurai warrior from Japan find their paths (littered with dead bodies) crossing....and they end up working together, in a sisterhood of mad talent, to foil your basic megalomaniac evil genius plot to destroy London.

(Yay!  A one sentence summary!)

So sure, it isn't historical fiction at its most un-anachronistic, but a lot of the fun comes from the author's relaxed and playful use of modern turns of phrase.  As in the first two sentences, which made me feel all happy to read the book:

"And then there was an explosion.
It was loud.  It was bright.  It was very explosion-y."

I liked all three girls--Cora, the serious inventor, Nellie, the beautiful girl who's an ace escape artist, and Michiko, formidable swordswoman confronted by barriers of language and culture.  They were each strongly individual, with nicely doled out back-story and motivations and opinions.  The point of view shifts between the three girls, which was good, in large part because it gave the reader a chance to get to know Michiko, and hear her thoughts.  I liked how Cora and Nellie, even though they couldn't exactly have complicated conversations with Michiko, never treated her as an exotic other--she was a person and an equal.  The one real reservation I had, regarding Cora being swept off her feet by feelings of physical attraction to a jerk, proved to be a reservation that the author shared, and not something she thought was ok, which was a relief.  

I liked the story--it was enough of a steampunk thriller to be interesting, without the thriller-ness using up too many pages with violent chases etc, which I often find tedious.  (nb--people who actually like tightly plotted thrillers that exercise their brains might find it untightly plotted, and might put in some critical thinking type comments here, but I am not that reader).

In short, I liked reading the book! It was just the sort of escapist fun that makes for excellent bus ride reading.  This came as a very pleasant surprise, because I did not much care for the author's two middle grade fantasy books.  I think her writing has improved lots--I felt here that she was in control of her story, which was not quite the feeling I had gotten in the past.

Display Comments Add a Comment

Reader Gut Reaction: I was very excited when I saw this one at the library. It's the third volume in Wilce's Flora Segunda books, and it felt like it had been a little while since I'd last read one. I always enjoy being plunged into the fantastical... Read the rest of this post

Add a Comment

Cover Shot! is a regular feature here at the Café. I love discovering new covers, and when I find them, I like to share. More than anything else, I am consumed with the mystery that each new discovery represents. There is an allure to a beautiful cover. Will the story contained under the pages live up to promise of the gorgeous cover art?

Kady Cross must have pleased the cover gods, because all of her books are blessed with incredible covers.  The Girl with the Iron Touch has the best so far! This is another May 2013 that I can hardly wait to get my hands on!

 

Add a Comment

Do you love the genre of steampunk? Your steampunk design could be featured in a  roller window blind in the UK. Direct Blinds seeks design submissions from readers around the world for an image to be printed on a window blind.

Follow this link to submit, entries must be received by December 3rd.  Science fiction authors Ian Macleod and James P. Blaylock will judge the contest. The winner will get a £250 cash prize and their design will be featured in a window blind.

Here’s more about the contest: “Do you dream of the days when airships ruled the skies, gentlemen duelled with steam-assisted rayguns, and a waxed moustache was considered the very apex of fashion? Then Direct Blinds wants to hear from you. Steampunk is the theme – so whether it’s a smoggy cityscape, a clockwork contraption, a dirigible battle or something altogether more fanciful, we want to see what you can do … Entries will be judged by acclaimed science fiction authors , who will select 20 of the best to be displayed in an online gallery. It’s then opened up to a public vote to decide the overall winner.”

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Add a Comment

Please welcome Adrienne Kress, author of The Friday Society, to the virtual offices today.  She’s here to chat about her latest release.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.

[Adrienne Kress] An author/actor who is utterly fabulous in every way, and beyond humble.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about The Friday Society?

[Adrienne Kress] In very brief:  Steampunk Charlie’s Angels without the Charlie.

In slightly less brief: Three female assistants to powerful men in London society (lab assistant, magician’s assistant, combat assistant) realise that they are just as talented (if not more so) than their bosses and team up to solve a series of murders and thefts, as well as save the city from general destruction, in London 1900. 

[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?

[Adrienne Kress] This is a tough question.  The story is kind of a combination of many different things I’m interested in, Steampunk, strong female characters (as well as strong female friendship – no cattiness in my story, no frenemies, just true loyal quality friendship like the relationships I have with my female friends), mystery, humour.  I’ve also been a temp to make ends meet so I know what it’s like to be an assistant and not really get the credit or respect you are really owed.  I figured pairing that with the sexism of the Late Victorian/Early Edwardian period could result in a pretty interesting story about girls finding their way in life, as well as learning that they are strong individuals and worthy of stepping out of the shadow of their bosses.

In general I have an interest in (and distaste for) labels and how society puts everyone into categories and doesn’t seem to want to recognise people as individuals.  This is also why I address classism and racism in my story, not just sexism. 

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Nellie?

[Adrienne Kress] Honest, sweet (though prone to anger), bold

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Name one thing Cora won’t leave the house without.

[Adrienne Kress] Her pistol that her boss, Lord White, had customised for her.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things will you never find in Michiko’s bedroom?

[Adrienne Kress] Comfortable bedding, any decorative features, friends. (Michiko lives with her boss, Sir Callum Fielding-Shaw, and he doesn’t treat her particularly well.  He provides a roof over her head and food, but not much else.  He also doesn’t permit visitors.)

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are your greatest creative influences?

[Adrienne Kress] Douglas Adams, Shakespeare, Edward Gorey, children’s authors such as A.A. Milne, Lewis Carroll, J.M. Barrie, Norton Juster

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things do you need in order to write?

[Adrienne Kress] Computer, tea, focus

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?

[Adrienne Kress] A rather disturbing (and definitely not for kids) adult fantasy novel called THE PATTERN SCARS by Caitlin Sweet

[Manga Maniac Cafe] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?

[Adrienne Kress] I can’t think of just one.  The books of Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary really made me love reading as a kid.  But THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY made me see books (and writing) in a whole different light.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?

[Adrienne Kress] I’m a huge cinephile, so I enjoy going to the movies a lot.  Otherwise just spending time with friends and family makes me perfectly content.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] How can readers connect with you?

[Adrienne Kress] Easiest way is to email me at adriennekress(at)gmail(dot)com.  Or I’m on Twitter at @AdrienneKress.  I also have a website (and blog): www.adriennekress.com

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Thank you!

You can order The Friday Society from your favorite bookseller or by following the links below.  In stores December 6th.

About the book:

Add a Comment

Cover Shot! is a regular feature here at the Café.  I love discovering new covers, and when I find them, I like to share.  More than anything else, I am consumed with the mystery that each new discovery represents.  There is an allure to a beautiful cover.  Will the story contained under the pages live up to promise of the gorgeous cover art?

The second book in Bec McMaster’s steampunk series, Heart of Iron, recently had a cover reveal.  While I love the covers and the commotion in the background, I wish we could see a little more of the guy’s face. 

In stores May 2013

 

Add a Comment

Welcome to our stop on  The Lady Astronomer Blog Tour ! If you haven’t checked out Katy O’Dowd’s new release then you certainly should!

Lucretia’s life as an astronomer is quickly turned on its head by her eldest brother when he is commanded by the king to build the grandest telescope in the land. Her nights spent on rooftops gazing at the stars are replaced by adventure as the family move to be nearer the king. In a race to build the Forty-foot telescope on time, misfortunes take their toll. The lady astronomer finds court life to be more dangerous than she could have ever imagined. Can she find the strength inside to overcome the obstacles threatening her destiny? Only the
stars will tell.

* * *
Special Note:
We are proud to publish our first novel from an author who lives outside of  North America. Katy hails from Ireland. When reading this novel, please keep in mind that English is not spelled the same everywhere! Because she is from Ireland and her characters also dwell in Europe, we maintained her uses and spellings.

Get your copy today for only 2.99 at Amazon.com or Amazon.uk  

 

Enter to win free ebooks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spread the steampunk love!

Add a Comment

Goblin Secrets
By William Alexander
Margaret K. McElderry Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster)
$16.99
ISBN: 978-1-442434523
Ages 9-12
On shelves now

I think it is time to declare the birth of the clockwork children’s novel. If you have been watching the literary trends over the last decade or so, you will note that amongst adults there has been a real rise in interest in a form of pop culture labeled “Steampunk”. The general understanding is that as the 21st century grows increasingly reliant on electronics, there is a newfound interest in books/movies/video games/costumes (etc.) that incorporate steam, gears, and other accoutrements of the visual mechanical past. This is, I should note, almost exclusively an adult fascination. I have never encountered a single child who walked up to a reference desk and asked, “Do you have any more Steampunk?” That said, there’s no reason it shouldn’t work as a genre. The trouble comes when an author tries to shoehorn a Steampunk story into a fantasy mold. The best writers know that if you’re going to incorporate odd mechanical details, the best thing to do is to set up your own odd mechanical internal logic. I think that’s probably what I like best about William Alexander’s “Goblin Secrets”. It’s not the first story I’ve read about a boy joining a troupe of traveling performers. And it’s not the first middle grade Steampunk adventure I’ve come across. Yet there’s something definitely one-of-a-kind going on in this book. An originality that you only find once in a pure blue moon. And that’s worth reading, you betcha.

Rownie’s life hasn’t been worth much since the disappearance of his older brother Rowan. Living with “grandmother”, an old witch named Graba who holds a Fagan-like power over the orphans in her sway, Rownie runs various errands until one day he finds that goblins have come to his city of Zombay. They are conducting theatrical performances, an act forbidden to humans, so it’s as much a surprise to Rownie as to anyone when he joins their little troupe. Rownie is also still determined to track Rowan down, but that may mean using extraordinary means to escape from Graba’s all-knowing, all-seeing ways.

It’s little wonder that the book was nominated for a National Book Award when you take into account the writing. In terms of description, the book has a wonderful and well-developed sense of place. At one point this is what you read, “All roads to the docks ran downhill. They wound and switchbacked across a steep ravine wall, with Southside above and the River below. Some of these streets were so steep narrow that they had to be climbed rather than walked on. Stairs had been cut into the stone or built with driftwood logs lashed together over the precarious slope.” With a minimal amount of words you get a clear sense of the location, its look, its feel, its dangers, and perhaps its beauties as well.

The details found within this strange Steampunk world are delicious, and that is in the book’s favor. You hear about “small and cunning devices that did useless things beautifully.” From gears in mechanical glass eyes to the fact that a river is something that can be bargained with, there’s an internal logic at work here that is consistent, even if Alexander is going to leave the learning of these rules up to the reader with minimal help. For example, there is the small matter of hearts and their removal. To take out a heart is not a death sentence for a person, but it can leave them somewhat zombiefied (the city’s name “Zombay” could just be a coincidence or could not, depending on how you want to look at it). And goblins aren’t born but are changed humans. Why are they changed and for what reason? That’s a story for another day, but you’re willing to wait for an answer (if answer there ever is).

Exposition. It can be a death knoll in a book for kids. Done well it sucks the reader into an alternate world the like of which they may never have seen before. Done poorly they fall asleep three pages in and you’ve lost them forever. And done not at all? That’s a risk but done right it pays off in fine dividends. “Goblin Secrets” takes place in Zombay, a fact you find out five pages in. It’s a city that contains magic, a fact you find out on page three. There are goblins in this world (page twelve) but they didn’t start out as goblins (page . . . um . . .). Facts are doled out at a deliberate but unexpected pace in this book. There are no long paragraphs of explanation that tell you where you are and what to expect. It’s only by reading the story thoroughly that you learn that theater is forbidden, Rownie’s brother is missing, Graba is relentless (but not the only villain in the story), and masks are the book’s overriding theme. In the interest of brevity Alexander manages to avoid exposition with something resembling long years of practice. Little wonder that he’s published in multiple magazines and anthologies on the adult fantasy (not that kind) side of things. Many is the adult writer who switches to writing for children that dumbs down the narrative, giving too little respect to the young audience. I think Mr. Alexander’s gift here is that he respects his younger readers enough to grant them enough intelligence to follow along.

Alexander makes his own rules with this book, and not rules I’ve necessarily seen before. With that in mind, with as weird a setting as you have here, it can be a relief to run across characters you like and identify with. They act as little touchstones in a mad, crazy world. Rownie is particularly sympathetic right from the get-go. He has a missed beloved older brother, an independence that’s appealing, but he’s not a jerk or anything. Nor is he a walking blank slate that more interesting characters can use to their own ends. Rather, Rownie is the kind of character who keeps trying to talk himself into bravery. He does it when performing and he does it on his own (“Rownie tried to summon up the feeling that he was haunting the Southside Rail Station and that other sorts of haunting things should be afraid of him…”). That’s why Alexander’s use of masks and theater is so effective. If you have a protagonist who just needs a little push to reach his potential, what better way than through performance? On the flipside, the bad guys are nice, if perhaps a little two-dimensional. Graba is nothing so much as a clockwork Baba Yaga, mechanical chicken legs and all. By extension the Mayor is a good power hungry villain, if stock and staid. There is no big bad in this book quite worthy of the good folks they face down. Graba comes close, but she’s just your typical witch when all is said and done. A little gearish. A little creaky. But typically witchy, through and through.

By turns beautiful and original, it’s a testament to Alexander’s skills that the book clocks in at a mere 200-some odd pages. Usually worlds of this sort end up in books with five hundred or six hundred pages. The end result is that when a kid is looking for a good fantasy in a new world, they are inclined to be scared off by the thick tomes gathering dust on library shelves and instead will find friends in old classics like The Black Cauldron or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Add to that list William Alexander’s latest then. A smart piece of writing that conjures up a new world using a new method.

On shelves now.

Source: Galley sent from publisher for review.

Like This? Then Try:

• The Clockwork Three by Matthew Kirby

• The Nine Pound Hammer by John Claude Bemis

• Foundling (The Monster Blood Tattoo) by D.M. Cornish

Last Line: “His fingers twitched and his mouth watered, but he waited for his supper to cool.”

Notes on the Cover: The unfortunate hardcover will happily be replaced with a far more kid-friendly paperback.  As you can see, the previous incarnation showed a Frankenstein’s monster-esque goblin juggling.  Alas the shot made it look as if the lit torch in hand was impaling him.  It was a bit of odd CGI.  The new cover is a traditional illustration and show Rownie hiding from his possessed former bunkmates.  If I were to go with a good cover seen I might go with fighting the possessed masks, but I suspect they wanted to avoid the goblins entirely with this particular jacket.

Other Blog Reviews:

• A Chair, a Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy
• The Book Smugglers
• Fantasy Matters
• Book Nut
• Heavy Medal
• Becky’s Book Reviews

Professional Reviews:

• A star from Kirkus

Interviews:

• The Enchanted Inkpot
• Nerdy Book Club

Misc:

• Good news for fans.  The sequel, Ghoulish Song, is already scheduled to be released next year.  Happiness all around.

• Make one of the masks from the book.

Add a Comment

Goblin Secrets
By William Alexander
Margaret K. McElderry Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster)
$16.99
ISBN: 978-1-442434523
Ages 9-12
On shelves now

I think it is time to declare the birth of the clockwork children’s novel. If you have been watching the literary trends over the last decade or so, you will note that amongst adults there has been a real rise in interest in a form of pop culture labeled “Steampunk”. The general understanding is that as the 21st century grows increasingly reliant on electronics, there is a newfound interest in books/movies/video games/costumes (etc.) that incorporate steam, gears, and other accoutrements of the visual mechanical past. This is, I should note, almost exclusively an adult fascination. I have never encountered a single child who walked up to a reference desk and asked, “Do you have any more Steampunk?” That said, there’s no reason it shouldn’t work as a genre. The trouble comes when an author tries to shoehorn a Steampunk story into a fantasy mold. The best writers know that if you’re going to incorporate odd mechanical details, the best thing to do is to set up your own odd mechanical internal logic. I think that’s probably what I like best about William Alexander’s “Goblin Secrets”. It’s not the first story I’ve read about a boy joining a troupe of traveling performers. And it’s not the first middle grade Steampunk adventure I’ve come across. Yet there’s something definitely one-of-a-kind going on in this book. An originality that you only find once in a pure blue moon. And that’s worth reading, you betcha.

Rownie’s life hasn’t been worth much since the disappearance of his older brother Rowan. Living with “grandmother”, an old witch named Graba who holds a Fagan-like power over the orphans in her sway, Rownie runs various errands until one day he finds that goblins have come to his city of Zombay. They are conducting theatrical performances, an act forbidden to humans, so it’s as much a surprise to Rownie as to anyone when he joins their little troupe. Rownie is also still determined to track Rowan down, but that may mean using extraordinary means to escape from Graba’s all-knowing, all-seeing ways.

It’s little wonder that the book was nominated for a National Book Award when you take into account the writing. In terms of description, the book has a wonderful and well-developed sense of place. At one point this is what you read, “All roads to the docks ran downhill. They wound and switchbacked across a steep ravine wall, with Southside above and the River below. Some of these streets were so steep narrow that they had to be climbed rather than walked on. Stairs had been cut into the stone or built with driftwood logs lashed together over the precarious slope.” With a minimal amount of words you get a clear sense of the location, its look, its feel, its dangers, and perhaps its beauties as well.

The details found within this strange Steampunk world are delicious, and that is in the book’s favor. You hear about “small and cunning devices that did useless things beautifully.” From gears in mechanical glass eyes to the fact that a river is something that can be bargained with, there’s an internal logic at work here that is consistent, even if Alexander is going to leave the learning of these rules up to the reader with minimal help. For example, there is the small matter of hearts and their removal. To take out a heart is not a death sentence for a person, but it can leave them somewhat zombiefied (the city’s name “Zombay” could just be a coincidence or could not, depending on how you want to look at it). And goblins aren’t born but are changed humans. Why are they changed and for what reason? That’s a story for another day, but you’re willing to wait for an answer (if answer there ever is).

Exposition. It can be a death knoll in a book for kids. Done well it sucks the reader into an alternate world the like of which they may never have seen before. Done poorly they fall asleep three pages in and you’ve lost them forever. And done not at all? That’s a risk but done right it pays off in fine dividends. “Goblin Secrets” takes place in Zombay, a fact you find out five pages in. It’s a city that contains magic, a fact you find out on page three. There are goblins in this world (page twelve) but they didn’t start out as goblins (page . . . um . . .). Facts are doled out at a deliberate but unexpected pace in this book. There are no long paragraphs of explanation that tell you where you are and what to expect. It’s only by reading the story thoroughly that you learn that theater is forbidden, Rownie’s brother is missing, Graba is relentless (but not the only villain in the story), and masks are the book’s overriding theme. In the interest of brevity Alexander manages to avoid exposition with something resembling long years of practice. Little wonder that he’s published in multiple magazines and anthologies on the adult fantasy (not that kind) side of things. Many is the adult writer who switches to writing for children that dumbs down the narrative, giving too little respect to the young audience. I think Mr. Alexander’s gift here is that he respects his younger readers enough to grant them enough intelligence to follow along.

Alexander makes his own rules with this book, and not rules I’ve necessarily seen before. With that in mind, with as weird a setting as you have here, it can be a relief to run across characters you like and identify with. They act as little touchstones in a mad, crazy world. Rownie is particularly sympathetic right from the get-go. He has a missed beloved older brother, an independence that’s appealing, but he’s not a jerk or anything. Nor is he a walking blank slate that more interesting characters can use to their own ends. Rather, Rownie is the kind of character who keeps trying to talk himself into bravery. He does it when performing and he does it on his own (“Rownie tried to summon up the feeling that he was haunting the Southside Rail Station and that other sorts of haunting things should be afraid of him…”). That’s why Alexander’s use of masks and theater is so effective. If you have a protagonist who just needs a little push to reach his potential, what better way than through performance? On the flipside, the bad guys are nice, if perhaps a little two-dimensional. Graba is nothing so much as a clockwork Baba Yaga, mechanical chicken legs and all. By extension the Mayor is a good power hungry villain, if stock and staid. There is no big bad in this book quite worthy of the good folks they face down. Graba comes close, but she’s just your typical witch when all is said and done. A little gearish. A little creaky. But typically witchy, through and through.

By turns beautiful and original, it’s a testament to Alexander’s skills that the book clocks in at a mere 200-some odd pages. Usually worlds of this sort end up in books with five hundred or six hundred pages. The end result is that when a kid is looking for a good fantasy in a new world, they are inclined to be scared off by the thick tomes gathering dust on library shelves and instead will find friends in old classics like The Black Cauldron or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Add to that list William Alexander’s latest then. A smart piece of writing that conjures up a new world using a new method.

On shelves now.

Source: Galley sent from publisher for review.

Like This? Then Try:

• The Clockwork Three by Matthew Kirby

• The Nine Pound Hammer by John Claude Bemis

• Foundling (The Monster Blood Tattoo) by D.M. Cornish

Last Line: “His fingers twitched and his mouth watered, but he waited for his supper to cool.”

Notes on the Cover: The unfortunate hardcover will happily be replaced with a far more kid-friendly paperback.  As you can see, the previous incarnation showed a Frankenstein’s monster-esque goblin juggling.  Alas the shot made it look as if the lit torch in hand was impaling him.  It was a bit of odd CGI.  The new cover is a traditional illustration and show Rownie hiding from his possessed former bunkmates.  If I were to go with a good cover seen I might go with fighting the possessed masks, but I suspect they wanted to avoid the goblins entirely with this particular jacket.

Other Blog Reviews:

• A Chair, a Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy
• The Book Smugglers
• Fantasy Matters
• Book Nut
• Heavy Medal
• Becky’s Book Reviews

Professional Reviews:

• A star from Kirkus

Interviews:

• The Enchanted Inkpot
• Nerdy Book Club

Misc:

• Good news for fans.  The sequel, Ghoulish Song, is already scheduled to be released next year.  Happiness all around.

• Make one of the masks from the book.

Add a Comment