Patrick Samphire

"A Spy in the Deep" was one of my favorite stories in The Underwater Ballroom Society, so I of course had to go back and read the first in the series. This was great fun, featuring a Harriet determined to get her brother-in-law professional success so she and her sister don't end up on the streets.

There are dinosaurs. On Mars. A steampunk regency Mars. There's a mystery, which turns into another mystery, and then something else. It's utterly delightful.

The Dinosaur Hunters by Patrick Samphire is the first novella in The Casebook of Harriet George. Although it’s the first in the series, I actually read the second novella first, because it was included in The Underwater Ballroom Society anthology. While the two novellas do stand alone, I suspect reading them in order adds to the context for the second story.

In this novella we are introduced to Harriet who, at the age of sixteen, is living with her older sister and brother in law, after the show more death of her parents. Her brother in law is a police investigator but, alas, not very good at his job. Because Harriet can see that her future depends on his ability to bring in a paycheque, she decides to help him solve an impossible jewel thief case (which has been handed to him to give his superiors an excuse to fire him when he fails). And so, Harriet dresses up as a boy and accompanies her brother in law on a dinosaur hunting expedition in the hopes of catching the thief.

This was a fun and entertaining read. Harriet is pretty cool and I was amused at how she successfully manipulated Bertrand and his employers to keep herself safe. The world building is super weird and almost not at all scientific. There are dinosaurs on Mars, and airships and a breathable atmosphere. And a lot of their technology runs on springs and compressed air, which is actually pretty cool. It’s also probably sort of period appropriate, alternate history aspects notwithstanding.

I definitely recommend this novella for readers of speculative fiction after a cosy and fun read. It was relaxing (despite a bit of dinosaur-related peril) and I would definitely go and get the next story in the series if I hadn’t already read it.

4.5 / 5 stars

You can read more of my reviews on my blog. show less

Set in 19th-century British Mars, Secrets of the Dragon Tomb has a combination steampunk and sci-fi feel. Edward Sullivan is a 12-year-old who has always dreamed of becoming a spy. One day, his silly cousin Freddie comes to visit and everything changes, and not for the better. His parents are kidnapped by an evil archaeologist and Martian henchmen, and it’s up to Edward, his two sisters, and silly cousin Freddie to save the day. As Edward embarks on a crazy and dangerous trek to save his show more parents, he’ll learn that people, including his own family, are not always as they seem, and being a spy is not exactly what he thought it would be.

What I liked: I absolutely LOVED the characters. Each was completely unique and fully developed. The book was non-stop action and adventure, with crazy situations and fabulous locales.

What I didn’t like: not much. There were a couple times where I thought the situation went on a little long, but then something would happen that pulled me right back into the story.

I would definitely recommend this book.

5 out of 5 stars show less

Actual rating 3.5
There's some cool ideas here with magic being the decaying energy of dead gods and the prose/characters are decent. I particularly like Sereh, who was the best realized of the collection according to what the auhtor wanted her to be and how she fit into the actual narrative, and Benny's relationship with Nik was enjoyable and tangible (by which i mean it actively affected the narrative in meaningful ways). Nik, however, I found somewhat underutilized. When we are introduced show more to him he is described as a mage of weak/middling power that compensates with finess and as a person that tends to rub wrong almost everyone he meets. I like these character traits, but through the course of the story Nik's primary solution to magic issues is to throw brute power at them, and we never really get to see how he annoys and irritates those he interacts with. Thus, his defining characteristic barely affect the story besides Nik mentioning that he has them on several occasions.
The myster element is solid as well, with the various clues effectively leading the readers through the story and resulting in a mostly satisfying resolution. What's happening in the narrative is also interesting enough that I wanted the explanation. There was one instance (midway through) where I felt Nik ignored a fairly obvious progression of thought so that the author could elongate the mystery. show less