NEW AMSTERDAM is a series of six interconnected novellas about an amateur detective and a forensic investigator in early twentieth century America. The catch is that the detective is a vampire and the forensic investigator uses magic instead of science. And they live in a gorgeously realized alternate world in which the American colonies have yet to revolt, New Amsterdam was ceded to the British not quite a hundred years ago, and the supernatural is an accepted part of everyday life.

It's bloody brilliant.

This is one of those books that's so good you almost want to quit reading lest the rest of it let you down. You figure that Bear can't possibly maintain this level of quality, that's she's going to bungle it somehow. And yet, she never does. This is fantastic from the first story to the last.

There's a lot to love here; a lot to gush about, really. To begin, the characterization is superb. Bear shows us how these people feel about one another, what tensions exist between them, how their relationships drive their actions and inform their choices. Their interactions define them. It’s beautifully done; it drew me straight in and made me feel for them.

The plotting is equally good. In crafting each mystery, Bear has found the perfect blend of carefully distributed clues, political discord and personal impact. I wanted to know how each investigation would play out, sure, but it was my desire to see how the results would affect the protagonists that really kept me reading.

And the world building? Damn, is it ever good. I love alternate histories, and I find it just fascinating to see how particular authors structure theirs. Bear's alternate world is similar to our own in many respects, but the addition of the supernatural has shifted things in some surprising ways. I was particularly impressed with the lasting impact magic has had on this society. New Amsterdam isn’t just New York with a different name; it’s situated within a different political milieu dictated by the impact magic and the supernatural have had on the world. I found the territorial stuff particularly interesting, and the technological differences were great. Motion pictures in 1899? Zeppelins across the Atlantic? Broadcast electricity? Forensic magic? Darlin', you can bet I was all over it.

There were also a couple of little details that I reacted to on a personal level. Garrett's little dog stands out the most. I believe that everything's just a little bit better if a dog is involved. Mike may not add anything to the plot, but he definitely made me smile.

And I feel a bit strange, mentioning it in an offhand way at the very end of the review, but I also appreciated Bear's take on vampirism. She picks and chooses from the old legends to produce something that feels very real.

I'll say it again: this was bloody brilliant. I was always eager, even desperate, to read more. It blew me out of the water, delighted the hell out of me and, in the end, ripped my heart straight out of my chest.

You need to read this. Seriously, don't even argue with me. Just go get yourself a copy.

(A slightly different version of this review originally appeared on my blog, Stella Matutina). ( )

Basic Reason for Beginning: Well, you see, when Miss Bear decided to hold a sale there were two (well, three) I really, really wanted to get my hands on. And I threw in this one because a) I could afford it and liked the book I’d read and b) Memory loves this a lot and her review sounded really, really good.
Basic Reason for Finishing: Because I enjoyed this. A lot. Except for the end. That just makes me want to throw a tantrum. For all the reasons an author could want a reader to throw a tantrum, but still. *stomps foot*
Texture: Slightly gooey, I think, but still very much a liquid rather than a goo. Not unpleasant, mind. Maybe a bit like diluted showering gel…

Full review here

Book Rereadability: You know, by now I think Bear might be incapable of writing a book you couldn’t reread and discover new things in. I want to be able to do what she does with layers. O_O
Author Rereadability: Yep. Although I think I’ll hold off on Seven for a Secret for emotional reasons. *stomps foot*
Recommendation: Mmm… If you like your vampires, your mystery-solving, and your steampunk. If you have a very, very strong hatred for any of the above, you might want to stay clear of this. Though I tell you you’re missing out. ( )

This delicious book is one helluva good read, and quite entertainingly thought-provoking as well.

The title city, New Amsterdam, is the former Dutch colony on Manhattan Island, only captured by the British in the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century. Now THERE's an alternate history that's fun to imagine! Bear doesn't imagine it, though, which I consider to be a flaw; but I forgive her because Abigail Irene the forensic sorceress is such a delight as a character! She is an agining beauty, a madcap heiress in her day, and now that middle years impinge upon her beauty, a lot more of a woman than most men can handle. Her liaison with her boss is very well portrayed as the comfort-and-convenience of middle-aged lovers, not some fun but ephemeral passion of earlier life. This alone makes the book worth reading.

The crimes Abby Irene is called upon to solve are of more mysterious origins than mere "bang-you're-dead" murders that our blah little world provides. She has to wonder if her murderers are inadequately controlled demons summoned from Hell by fools in over their heads. She is ably, if unwelcomely, assisted by the oldest creature she's ever met: Don Sebastien, the Spanish wampyr, whose reputation in Europe was that of the Great Detective. After he saves Abby Irene's life, she grudgingly accepts that he's got the chops to help her in her vitrtually single-handed attempts to control the supernatural crimes that New Amsterdam presents in abundance.

Don Sebastien is over a thousand years old. He's long since forgotten the name of the village in Christian Spain where he was born before the turn of the millennium (the FIRST one, that is); he's been undead so long that he's emptied the last reservoirs of companionship, camaraderie, and seeks true death at last.

His teenaged ward, Jack, has no truck with this. He is in love with Sebastien, and will not give up his connection to this marvelous, fascinating, and quite lively corpse. Jack was a child in a club for visiting wampyrs to feed on locals when Sebastien found him; he was purchased from his parentally made indenture to the vampire version of an IHOP and subsequently freed by Sebastien. Their relationship since then has been more equal than either really knows, and each is very much lovingly dependent on the other.

Bear makes *no* point of their respective genders. Their love is presented as fully as can be; they are persecuted because of prejudice against wampyr-human relationships.

Handy dodge, eh?

Well, this is a collection of stories that tells good mysteries solved by very richly drawn characters in an alternate version of Earth that I would like to visit if I could figure out a place to apply for a visa. Recommended for anyone who isn't completely dead inside. ( )

http://www.lonelymountain.net/books/j... ( )

I wanted to love this book so badly. It's well-written with vibrant characters -- which is part of the problem: I hated the two main characters! The secondary characters were more interesting to me, and I really got bored following the hero/heroine. Otherwise, a delicious read: great world-building, fun plotlines, very atmospheric. ( )