The Clockwork Detective, by R.A. McCandless (Ellysian)
The last couple of
years have brought a slew of wonderful steampunk adventures with resourceful,
kick-ass heroines, and this one by McCandless is a worthy addition. Aubrey Hartmann
is a veteran of recent war, having lost the lower part of one leg, and now
works as a constable. Her prosthetic is a clockwork device that needs to be
rewound regularly and isn’t a perfect fit but does keep her mobile, if in pain.
As a result, she’s become addicted to laudanum (opium). Her current assignment
involves investigating the murder of a druwyd (druid, local witch-doctor holy
man) in a little town near the Fae-ruled Dark Wood. Here is where the
world-building of The Clockwork Detective
sharply deviates from the usual Victorian gears-and-whistles steampunk. Magic
is not only real, it’s part of everyday life, and the human wars are overshadowed
by the possibility of a terrible conflict with the Fae.
Aubrey’s research
leads her into the Dark Wood to question the denizens there, those being
centaurs, who are not only fierce fighters but wonderfully oblique and weird.
The blending of Victorian mechanistic steampunk, mythology, and magic is
seamless and believable. The story moves from murder mystery to international
thriller to magical encounters of the terrifying kind. Aubrey herself is a
wonderful combination of vulnerable addiction, resourcefulness, keen
intelligence, and general all-around bloody-mindedness. I look forward to
reading her further adventures!
The usual disclaimer:
I received a review copy of this book, but no one bribed me to praise it.
Although chocolates and fine imported tea are always welcome.
Thank you so much for your kind review!
ReplyDeleteI have read this book and enthusiastically agree with your review.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
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