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Published: April 2019 by Queen of Swords Press
Format reviewed: E-book (epub), 268 pages
Series: The Adventures of Captain Ramos and Her Valiant Crew #2
Genres: Science fiction, alternate history, steampunk
Source: Publisher
Available: Publisher (electronic only) ~ Amazon (AU, CA, UK, US) ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Book Depository ~ Booktopia ~ Indiebound ~ Kobo ~ Smashwords

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Captain Marta Ramos, the most dangerous pirate in the Duchy of Denver, is back and she and Simms are up to their goggles in trouble. Has General del Toro found a way to use the Infected as an army and can Captain Ramos work with her arch enemy, Colonel Geoffrey Douglas, to stop him? Can Simms join forces with the devious Deliah Nimowitz on a jailbreak, some sewer misadventures AND a high society soiree involving tea, a heist and sausages? And what about the Rail King and his nefarious plans? Can Captain Ramos and her crew stop him before he completes his latest dastardly deed, one that may result in Deliah’s demise? Check out the next installment of the exciting adventures of Captain Ramos and her valiant crew to find out more!

Wireless picks up where Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures with 3 linked novellas, all set in or near the Duchy of Denver, in an American West that never was.

I was absolutely delighted by Murder on the Titania when I read it last year, so I jumped on the chance to review the sequel Wireless and More Steam-Powered Adventures. This proved to be a wise move because I found Wireless to be equally enthralling.

The book comprises of three novellas, making the structure of the book somewhat different to Murder on the Titania. Where the former was mostly discrete short stories, the novellas in Wireless are more tightly linked. I found this very satisfying because it allowed a deeper dive not only into the characters and their relationships, but also into the world itself and how it may be changing. It does mean that the stories lose a little of the self-contained, Holmes-inspired mystery structure, but I found this a feature rather than a bug, and there remained enough mystery to keep me curious and engaged.

The cast of this series has always been reasonably diverse; one of the things I liked most about Murder on the Titania was its inversion of the racist and sexist stereotypes present in the work of Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Wireless builds on that by introducing the Native Americans of this alternate America. They play a prominent role in the first story, Blood at Elk Creek, in which it becomes apparent that the nefarious General del Toro is testing out a way to control the mindless Infected by directing them to attack Lakota settlements. While I’m not the best person to judge, the representation of Native Americans seemed to be handled with respect, showing them neither as mystical guides or as ignorant savages (except when they choose to play to that stereotype for their own reasons). Colonel Geoffrey does hold some bigoted views, but he is nicely balanced out by Captain Ramos, who is more open-minded and willing to make friends. This is reinforced in Wireless, where we see a Native American engineer stepping in as a permanent part of the crew.

The first and last stories are more thematically similar, sharing a thread about powerful men abusing their power. Blood at Elk Creek looks at this in a broader way, being more focused the oppression of a group through the lens of racism. Wireless brings it down to a more individual level. There are overtones of sexism that it touches on, but it also recognises men are likewise victims of abuse and toxic relationships. It digs into shame and the ways the victims can be made complicit in the abuse of others. This was handled in a way I felt was sensitive and sympathetic. Both stories touch on issues of justice, looking at where society fails in that regard and whether an individual can step in when the system fails.

The second story, Do Shut Up, Mister Simms, is a light-hearted foil to the more serious stories. Running concurrently with Blood at Elk Creek, it shows how Mister Simms has his hands full keeping the crew out of trouble while Captain Ramos is away. When one of the crew is caught and imprisoned, he’s forced to call upon the help of Deliah Nimowitz, a cunning lady with her own agenda and a soft spot for Captain Ramos. It touches on the unconventional relationship between Deliah and Captain Ramos, a thread that then becomes important to Wireless.

I mentioned in my review of Murder on the Titania that I would have liked to see a bit more of the crew. Wireless in particular delivers on this, diving into the backstory of one of the crew. It was also delightful to see Mister Simms renew his acquaintance with Chippy, Deliah’s dog, and the two make for an adorable comedic duo.

The action sequences throughout the collection are tense and well-paced, keeping me glued to the page.

Overall, Wireless and More Steam-Powered Adventures was as fun and engaging as its predecessor. I will be keeping an eye for more adventures from Captain Ramos and her valiant crew in the future.

Mirrored from Earl Grey Editing.

Published: April 2018 by Queen of Swords Press
Format reviewed: E-book (mobi)
Series: The Adventures of Captain Ramos and Her Valiant Crew #1
Genres: Mystery, science fiction, alternate history, steampunk
Source: Publisher
Available: Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Book Depository ~ Booktopia~ Kobo ~ Smashwords

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Captain Marta Ramos, the most notorious pirate in the Duchy of Denver, has her hands full between fascinating murder mysteries, the delectable and devious Delilah Nimowitz, Colonel Geoffrey Douglas (the Duke of Denvers new head of security), a spot of airship engineering and her usual activities: piracy, banditry and burglary. Not to mention the horror of high society tea parties. In contrast, Simms, her second in command, longs only for a quiet life, filled with tasty sausages and fewer explosions. Or does he? Join Captain Ramos, Simms and their crew as they negotiate the perils of air, land and drawing room in a series of fast-paced adventures in a North America that never was.

Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures includes 4 novellas and a short story about piracy, banditry, burglary, jail-breaking, several brilliant bits of detective work and all manner of otherwise lawless hijinks performed by the valiant Captain Ramos and her crew.

Take Sherlock Holmes. Make him a Latina railcar pirate in a steampunk Denver where the dead are at risk of rising again and you have Murder on the Titania.

The work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie is often peppered with bigoted stereotypes. Murder on the Titania subverts those elements in a way that’s delightful to read. This is probably most in evidence in the first (and titular) story of the collection. In this story, Colonel Geoffrey Douglas is charged with transporting some valuable jewellery from the Duchy of New York to home in the Duchy of Denver. A murder takes place while the airship is en route and the Colonel is called upon to investigate. It’s a bit of an oblique introduction to Captain Ramos, but one that works through contrast. Geoff is by no means stupid–his intelligence was one of the things I enjoyed about the character. However, his biased assumptions blind him to investigative possibilities. The racism of Holmes is absent–indeed, PoC are present and an unremarked upon part of the world–but the characters share some similar biases regarding women and class.

Captain Ramos is more open-minded. On the surface, she doesn’t have much in common with the famous detective. However, she does share a few of his other traits, such as a horror of boredom and an apparent disregard for personal safety. Much like Holmes, she remains a fairly enigmatic character; while we do get some scenes from her perspective, the third-person viewpoint keeps some distance. More of the story is told from the perspective of her Watson, a red-headed man from the working classes by the name of Simms. He plays the long-suffering sidekick who claims a desire for a quiet life, but not-so-secretly enjoys the thrill of an adventure.

The structure of the book works well. The first two novellas and the short story are each self-contained episodes about a discrete mystery. The third novella brings back a couple of characters and advances the worldbuilding in a way I found particularly satisfying. It’s in this story that we get to see Ramos with her crew, an experience made all the more delightful by seeing them do what they do best–robbing trains. It would have been nice to see more of the team and I have hopes for future books. The last novella brings us full circle back to the airship Titania, making it a nice way to round out the collection.

I’m not much of a mystery reader, more for lack of time than lack of desire. So, I might not be the best judge in relation to the mystery elements of the story. However, I found some aspects a bit predictable. This didn’t in any way detract from my enjoyment of the book, especially since it took place in such an interesting setting.

All in all, I found Murder on the Titania to be a fun read that does a wonderful job of paying homage to Sherlock Holmes while simultaneously subverting its problematic elements. I very much hope to see more in the future.

Mirrored from Earl Grey Editing.

Published: January 2018 by Tor.com
Format reviewed: E-book (mobi)
Series: Binti #3
Genres: Science fiction
Source: NetGalley
Available:Abbey’s ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Book Depository ~ Booktopia ~ Dymocks ~ Kobo

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Binti has returned to her home planet, believing that the violence of the Meduse has been left behind. Unfortunately, although her people are peaceful on the whole, the same cannot be said for the Khoush, who fan the flames of their ancient rivalry with the Meduse.

Far from her village when the conflicts start, Binti hurries home, but anger and resentment has already claimed the lives of many close to her.

Once again it is up to Binti, and her intriguing new friend Mwinyi, to intervene–though the elders of her people do not entirely trust her motives–and try to prevent a war that could wipe out her people, once and for all.

Binti: The Night Masquerade is the conclusion to Nnedi Okorafor’s spellbinding series of novellas. It follows directly on from Binti: Home, which may come as a relief to readers anxious about the cliff-hanger ending.

There’s a lot packed into this novella, which is reflective of the many identities with which Binti is coming to terms. It’s a story that put me in mind of the lines from Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself”: Do I contradict myself?/ Very well, I contradict myself;/ (I am large, I contain multitudes.) Like the poem, Binti contains many identities, with each book adding more. These identities don’t always sit easily together; in The Night Masquerade, we see more of how the angry, warlike Meduse part of Binti conflicts with her identity as a harmonizer. We also see Binti exploring her heritage as one of the Desert People, a minority she has been taught to look down on. These conflicting identities make Binti a complex and interesting character. One of my favourite things about this book was the way Binti isn’t above reproach. She has flaws, makes assumptions and mistakes. However, she learns from these and strives to do better and treat others with respect.

This internal exploration is balanced with external conflict, as fighting between the Khoush and the Meduse breaks out once more. This aspect of the book touches on themes of good faith and the impact large warring forces have on the individuals around them (and vice versa). It’s a violent story, but this is in keeping with the series–particularly the first book.

The settings throughout the book were evocative, forming characters in their own right. The desert in particular has a wonderful presence, conveying the sense of home Binti feels.

There were a number of twists in the last third of the book. Not all of them worked for me, though I did find them thought-provoking.

Overall, Binti: The Night Masquerade was a satisfying conclusion to what has been a fascinating trilogy.

Mirrored from Earl Grey Editing.

Published: July 2015 by M/M Romance Group @ Goodreads
Format reviewed: E-book (mobi)
Genres: Sci-fi, romance, fantasy
Source: M/M Romance Group @ Goodreads
Reading Challenges: #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks,The 2016 Sci-fi Experience
Available: Publisher (electronic)

When the crew of the Medical Explorer Juniper arrive at the space city of Caelestia, they are horrified to find it floating airless in space with thousands of its people dead. The only survivor is a cyborg gardener, Vairya, who has been left amnesiac and terrified, barely able to choke out a few words: “It could happen again.”

As ex-military doctor Reuben Cooper explores the illusory rose garden of Vairya’s memory, where Vairya himself flirts and hides among the flowers, he discovers a terrible threat, not just to the crew of the Juniper but to all humanity.

Can four doctors and a cyborg fight a merciless enemy that can kill with a touch?

I adore Amy Rae Durreson’s work and In Heaven and Earth has done nothing to deter me. This novella has all of Durreson’s trademarks–solid world building and a sturdy plot alongside a sweet romance.

The story gets off to a dynamic start with the crew of the Juniper investigating the aftermath of a planetary apocalypse but slows after the first scene under the weight of world building and back story. Fortunately, Durreson manages to deliver her exposition in a way that makes sense in terms of the situation and still keeps the action moving forward. By Chapter Two, the pace has picked up.

Although In Heaven and Earth is science fiction, Durreson is primarily a fantasy writer and it shows. The science is fairly light and verges on magic in a few places. There is also a couple of charming interludes in Vairya’s mind which he has shaped to resemblea fantasy world. While I had no problems with the fantasy elements(and actually enjoyed them quite a bit), it may not be your cup of tea if you prefer your sci-fi hard.

The plot itself kept me guessing and maintainedthe tension very nicely. Durreson does a great job of illustrating the desperation of the situation in which Reuben and Vairya find themselves, adding a wonderful bittersweetness to their developing relationship.

I was also charmed by the characters. Reuben has been damaged by past experiences that shook his faith in humanity. His relationship with the rest of the crew of the Juniper is uneasy and this is cleverly brought forth during Reuben’s adventures in Vairya’s mind. Vairya, on the other hand, retains a sweetness and a joy for life, despite being essentially immortal. I particularly enjoyed this subversion of the trope.

I’m so glad I saved this for my holiday reading because it meant that I was able to dive in and not come up for air until the end. If you’re a fan of sci-fi romance, you should definitely check out In Heaven and Earth.