I am an admitted novice to the newly-risen steampunk genre. Long have I admired the charm and elegance of Victorian literature and even longer have I enjoyed any and all elements of the fantastical. Despite little enjoyment for many so-called "mash-ups" (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies never captured my heart), I find that steampunk is deeply enjoyable, with an elegant charm all its own. The reimagining of the Victorian age complete with exponential strides in steam power is a breath of fresh air to the tired tropes of vampires, werewolves, and space travel that seem to dominate the imaginative genres at the moment.

In PHOENIX RISING, Agents Eliza Braun and Wellington Books are an unlikely pairing, what with Eliza's fondness for dynamite and bullet-proof corsets contrasting strongly with Wellington's enjoyment of punctuality and advanced filing systems. Well-named (albeit a bit ham-handedly)for their respective proclivities, the two sustain witty banter, dodge assassins of unknown origins, and merrily (albeit rather argumentatively!) trot across England, leaving mayhem and exploding devices in their wake.

In truth, both main characters are full, lively people that are a joy to envision. It is easy to hear Wellington's gasps of dismay at rule-breaking and hoydenish behavior and equally effortless to imagine Eliza's throaty voice and sparkling eyes as she mock-flirts him into speechlessness (usually right before launching him into her next madcap scheme). What with avoiding secret societies, being shot at by not-so-secret societies, and trying not to be terminated (in one form or another) from gainful employment at the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, Braun and Books fill every page with exciting exploits and daring-dos. Particularly thrilling are the smallest of details that turn this book from a sophomoric effort into a smooth and absorbing read. For example, one of the secret societies in question employs the kitschy moniker "The House of Usher". Tips of the hat to the Victorian foundations of the genre had me smirking my way through the 400-something page novel. With plenty of plot arcs left untapped, mysterious doors unopened, and a tantalizing room filled with the Ministry's abandoned "cold cases", I do not imagine that Braun and Books will sit on their laurels for long before beginning their next adventure.

PHOENIX RISING is a delightful addition to any bookshelf and could entertain even the starchiest of matrons. Pour some tea, spike it with something explosive, and get to reading.

Book 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 river Thames, drained of blood and bone. Yet the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences-- the Crown's clandestine organization whose area of expertise is the strange and unsettling--will not allow its agents to investigate. But fearless and exceedingly lovely heroin, Eliza D. Braun, with her bulletproof corset and disturbing fondness for dynamite, refuses to let the matter remain unquestioned. And she's prepared to do whatever it takes, including dragging her timid new partner, librarian Wellington Books, along with her into the perilous fray.

A malevolent brotherhood is operating in the deepening London shadows, intent upon the enslavement of all Britons. And this dynamic duo of Books and Braun--Wellington with his encyclopedic brain, and Eliza with her remarkable devices--must get to the twisted roots of a most nefarious plot...or see England fall to the Phoenix.

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