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David McK (3767 KP) rated Moriarty: The Devil's Game in Books

Sep 22, 2024 (Updated Sep 22, 2024)

Moriarty, the Napoleon of crime.

Sherlock Holms arch-nemesis.

But what if Moriarty was actually an innocent man and Sherlock a ruthless narcissist who just happens to have some very (very) good PR?

That's pretty much the basis for this audio-drama, which starts with Moriarty developing an equation to tell the future' before being framed for the death of his fiancee, sentenced to death himself, meets Col Sebastian Moran in Newgate, escapes from the same and goes on the run in the criminal underworld of Victorian London in an effort to clear his name.

The result, I found, was surprisingly enjoyable, with loads of 'call-backs' to the Arthur Conan Doyle stories point which it is based (albeit from a different point of view) and numerous characters from the same.

I think I'll be listening to season 2 no too far in the future ...

Kudos

Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Kiss of Steel in Books

Sep 6, 2017

Kiss of Steel

Bec McMaster | 2012 | Science Fiction/Fantasy

9.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Well paced plot and action (3 more)

Great dialogue

Fleshed out characters

Amazing world-building

Victorian Steampunk with vampires, mechs, and werewolves. AND AWESOME.

Holy crap. I have only read the first two of this series – I have three more to read. (My Lady Quicksilver, Forged By Desire, and Of Silk and Steam, with a second series in the same universe called The Blue Blood Conspiracy.) (Edit: I have now read three and four, and they are also excellent!)

THESE ARE SO GOOD.

Victorian Steampunk in London with vampires, mechs, and werewolves (sort of) with romance, a political conspiracy plot, and plenty of action? YES PLEASE. These books are excellently written, with a hefty plot that moves at a perfect pace. Both romances have been very believable and intertwined seamlessly with the larger world’s plot. Each book is a hefty length, enough to really get absorbed in and flesh out everything that needs to be covered, without dragging on and getting old. The characters are fascinating – even the side characters are interesting enough that I really hope future books focus on them.

I don’t have a single bad thing to say about this series, and I can’t wait to read the next books. I am forcing myself to take a break from the series, even though I have the next two books, because I have library books that are due sooner that I need to read!

See all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com

Kudos

ClareR (6129 KP) rated Things In Jars in Books

Sep 22, 2019

Things In Jars

Jess Kidd | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Science Fiction/Fantasy

9.0

(3 Ratings)

Book Rating

Victorian England, a female detective and a touch of the supernatural - what’s not to like?

Things in Jars is set in Victorian London. Bridie Devine is a female detective who is called on by Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick, a baronet, to find his secret daughter, Christabel, who has been kidnapped. However, he doesn’t want to involve the police (this is where alarm bells start to go off!). Very few people in his household know about the existence of Christabel, and she is shut away, ostensibly to protect them from her. Because Christabel is not an ordinary child: she has supernatural powers that can harm people. Bridie doesn’t believe this, of course. So with the help of Cora, her 7 foot tall housemaid and Ruby, the ghost of a prizefighter, she sets out to rescue the child.

I absolutely loved this book. I was never sure if the mythical, fairytale elements were real, or whether Bridie believed them to be real. The seedy, macabre side to London, the sights and smells of the winding streets and the general atmosphere were so well described, that I could have been standing next to Bridie, watching the moving tattoos across Ruby’s torso! Bridie is an excellent character. She feels compelled to find Christabel, mainly because she is coming to the job with a failure weighing heavy on her shoulders, but also she can remember being alone in the world as a child.

Mrs Bibby is a superb villain - she has her conspirators dancing to her tune. She has a gun (and a limp!) and she’s not afraid to use it! Her macabre ‘fairytales’ really ramped up the atmosphere, and showed how truly awful she was. There was a real menace about her.

Other than what I’ve said here, all I can really say is - go and read this book! I loved it (I’ve said that already, I know!), go and read it - you won’t be sorry!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.