Adventures Await, in Alternate-Europe of 1888

The Forever Engine by Frank Chadwick

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I highly enjoyed this novel, which felt like a combination of scientific romp and espionage adventure.

Jack Fargo is a modern-day ex-soldier, seeking the simple life of a scholar in an effort to overcome the trauma of the battlefield and the tragic death of his wife. Alas, it all changes for him when a fluke explosion of a new, experimental weapon, blows him back in time, to London, 1888. Fargo is quick to adapt and think on his feet, but all he really wants is to return to his own time and his daughter, Sarah. Alas, events conspire against him and he is flung on an adventure carrying him across Europe and into the mountains, seeking the only man that might be able to help him - but is more likely to bring further pain and heartbreak.

For a debut novel, this is a jolly fine read - Chadwick clearly knows his stuff (a fact confirmed by his past work with Traveller and Space 1889). The science might be slightly implausible, but Chadwick explains it convincingly well, and in the exact amount of depth that it needs to be explained. Never once, throughout this entire novel, did I feel my interest waning.

Not only does he have the plotting tight and coherent, but he also develops excellent characterisation. From the brave, quick-thinking protagonist/narrator; to the somewhat unlikeable, cowardly Gordon and the potential love interest, French woman Gabrielle, who has some interesting quirks and a secret of her own. Even the minor players are well thought out.

Overall, this is a really good book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope to see more of Fargo and this alternate-1888 in the future.

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A case for Bigamy?

The Wives of Henry Oades
Johanna Moran

Genre: Historical
Audience: Adults
Rating: 3/5

Based on a true case, this is the story of Henry Oades, who accidentally ended up commiting bigamy. At times funny, others heart-breaking it will in turn intrigue you, hearten you and occasionally frustrate you (some of the people are so close-minded). It is a well written, not overly well researched first-time novel from a New Zealand writer.

Why do I say not well researched? Well, Henry Oades earns the post in New Zealand when his predecessor dies from a bat bite. Now, rabies has never been recorded in New Zealand and our bats are rare and not prone to biting. So I was a little annoyed at this from the onset. However, I did not allow this to put me off reading, and I am glad I persevered.

After earning the post in New Zealand, Henry Oades brings over his wife and his two children. They settle in, more-or-less to this rough and ready lifestyle, so unlike that which they had experienced in England. Although unhappy, Margaret Oades knows it is only for a short time, a year or so. Then disaster strikes - and she and her children are captured by Maori and whisked away as slaves.

Henry Oades returns to find his family gone, his house burned. His searches end in failure and after a time, he resigns them as dead and in his grief, he leaves for America. Wherein he marries again, this time to a young widow.

But Margaret and the children are not dead, and when they escape they manage to trail him to America. Wherein he is faced with a terrible dilemma for he now has two wives and only recently was a confirmed bigamist hanged...

Romance through a Druid's Eyes

Seer of Sevenwaters
Juliet Marillier
Sevenwaters series, bk 5

Genre: Historic/Fantasy/Romance
Audience: Women
Rating: 4/5

Another beautifully written, engrossing historical dark romance. Marillier weaves a fine historic tale with a strong folklore theme to it. She creates strong characters that you can relate to and an intriguing plot.

This novel continues with the daughters of Sean and Aisling, but this time the heroine is Sibeal - the quiet, sensible, spiritual one. She has been sent to Inis Eala to spend time with her older sisters, Muirrin and Clodagh before committing fully to the Druidhood. For those who have read "Heir...", it is good to find out how Clodagh and Cathal have fared. But at the same time as Sibeal arrives, a ship wrecks itself off the shore. Only two survivors are found - a Nordic warrior and his mute, mysterious wife. That is until Sibeal discovers the third survivor. A young, storm-battered, half-drowned man with no memory of his past. Together they uncover a mysterious that could harm them all.

Belle
Lesley Pearce

Genre: romance/historical
Audience: women
Rating: 3.5/5

Lesley Pearce is one of the best selling female writers in the WORLD. I am not sure why, because her writing style is weak compared to Belinda Alexandra and Kate Morton, but I guess she has been around longer. Still, she writes an engaging heroine and an interesting story. One of my customers described her writing as "dull" and it did not take me long to realise why. She writes like Danielle Steel. Her text is filled with "she felt sad at the treatment of the poor children" and other such text that is what they call "tell" not "show". Also, her language came across as quite immature, like she was writing to a child (although the content is certainly intended for an adult). Belle however was an interesting character, making many foolish mistakes due to her impulsive behaviour and lack of foresight. Of course, she was also the victim of terrible circumstances and some very bad men. But there were good men too, and good women and several shades of grey between the two. And a lot of sex. Some of it horrific, some of it rather less so.

Belle is the daughter of a brothel-keeper, but despite this she has been raised to be an innocent, good girl. She can read, and has a strong mind and will. But her sweet life turns to tragedy when she bears witness to a brutal murder. Shortly after she is abducted and introduced to the very trade her mother has carefully kept her away from - prostitution. But not one to take her fate lying down, Belle retains a confidence and spirit that is as admirable as it is bittersweet. Events take her to France, New York and also New Orleans and along the way she touches the hearts of many. But will she ever return to her beloved England? And if so, will she still be the same Belle she once was?

The Immortal Nicholas Flamel

The Necromancer
Michael Scott
The Secrets of the Immortal, Nicholas Flamel, bk 4

Genre: Fantasy/modern day
Audience: Ages 10+
Rating: 4/5

Things are really starting to build up. And like the characters, the reader no longer knows who to trust. The Dark Elders look set to overwelm the world, but John Dee is no longer in their good books. Machiavelli has sided with a famous outlaw and Scathach and Joan of Arc remain trapped in the past. The twins are reunited with the Flamel's - but for how long?

Don't expect a conclusive ending - there's two more books to come - DO expect, lots of adventure, surprises, twists and a few new characters. One of the things I enjoy about this series is googling the name of the new characters - because aside from Sophie and Josh, they're all from history, folklore or such-like. Try it and see, you might be surprised!


The Sorceress
Michael Scott
The Secrets of the Immortal, Nicholas Flamel, bk 3

Genre: Fantasy/modern day
Audience: Ages 10+
Rating: 4/5

I like the way Scott is going with this series. The characters are chosen from history, folklore and legend and the plot is intriguing. The modern-day touch gives it the edge that appeals to the youth of today too. This third one follows two seperate threads of plot - that of Nicholas and the twins as they struggle to come to terms with the changes that are undertaking them (and the world) and Perenelle Flamel, as she is trapped on Alcatraz. The character of Perenelle is further developed. With a good mix of action, adventure and mythological monsters thrown into the mix, this should appeal to fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson.

Not much I can say about the plot, without giving too much away (this is the third in the series) but this series follows the adventures of Sophie and Josh Newman - two teenage twins who are working summer jobs in a small American town when everything turns haywire. Suddenly they are thrust into a world where monsters stalk the earth, stone can be animated into life and Dr John Dee, a legend come to life, is after them.

Here's what I wrote about book 1 (I never reviewed book 2, possibly because WeRead, the Facebook app I was using was particualrly buggy at the time):

The Alchemyst
Very readable and quite enjoyable. This adventure/fantasy novel combines mythology and the modern day. Whilst nothing remarkable, it's compelling enough (and open-ending enough) to entice me to read on.

City of Disappointing Writing

Stravaganza: City of Ships
Mary Hoffman
(bk 5, Stavaganza series)

Genre: Historic/Adventure
Audience: Young Adult (12+)
Rating: 3/5

Maybe I've just become more critical of writing, or maybe the style is genuinely slipping, but I found myself picking many holes in this book. The main character, Isabel, is better developed than Matt in the previous volume, and I think Hoffman has learnt from her previous one. The other Stravagantes are kept in the shadows - almost too much - they are undeveloped to the point of if you hadn't read the previous books, you'd be wondering what all these pointless background characters were doing in the story. Of course, you'd also probably be quite confused about the whole Stavagation thing. Her relationship with Charlie is interesting, but the section concerning 1580s England seemed like a rather odd side-track - it had no real relevance to the plot and seemed to contridict what we'd already learned - that they were all linked to an alternate-Italy. If anything, I think the character of Sky should have been further developed, because the whole romance-side-plot was exceedingly weak.

Anyway, enough nitpicking.

"City of Ships" is a decent enough yarn. It's about a 21st century girl, Isabel, who lives in the shadow of her twin brother, Charlie. She discovers her talisman, which transports her into the world of Talia - a bit like our 18th century Italy. Here she visits the city of Classe, a city under threat by the dreaded "Gate" people (I'm not sure where they're from, they're not linked to the di Chimici family, anyhow). With the help of a dashing pirate , the equally charming Lucien and a cast of everyone-from-the-former books, Isabel must help defend the city against this threat. Oh, and there's lots of di Chimici and Belezza politics in there too, that would be really confusing for those of you that haven't read the earlier books.

In conclusion:
Hoffman should really concentrate on developing the characters she's already got, instead of creating more. The earlier ones - Georgia, Nick and Lucien were interesting, the later ones might be interesting too, but I don't really feel I know them. Also, she has an unfortunate habit of "cutting" away from exciting scenes and jumping to the present day when Isabel is telling her Stavagante friends about what happened next. I did enjoy the effect of being a Stravagante on regular social relationships too.

Things I would like to see in Book Six - City of Swords
* More of Andrea
Yeh, that's about it, really. I liked the dashing pirate/rogue. Even if he was very much a cliche - and a little but Captain Sparrow, he did give the book a bit of flair.

I need to go back to re-read the earlier books and see if the same flaws are apparent there. Meanwhile, here's the short review I wrote for the "City of Secrets", book number four.

City of Secrets

Whilst I enjoyed this as I was reading it, I found myself quite disappointed. It just seemed rather clumsy compared to its predecessors. Whilst Matt was an interesting character, he did not really add anything to the plot - Luciano was really the star of the show. And although it was nice to see the old faces show up, it lead the story to feel quite fragmented and clumsy with many ends left frayed and hanging.