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Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel
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Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel
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Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel
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Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this ebook

Co-authors Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris ingeniously reimagine England’s Edwardian Era in Phoenix Rising—a hilarious, rip-roaring steampunk fantasy romp that the voracious fans of New York Times bestseller Gail Carriger will eagerly devour with great relish. In this outrageous, non-stop adventure, Ballantine and Morris introduce us to Agents Books and Braun of the ultra-secret Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences—the most delightful duo of very British evil-bashers since The Avengers, Emma Peel and John Steed. With its malevolent secret societies, earth-shattering conspiracies, breathtaking derring-do, and absolutely wondrous weapons, Phoenix Rising out-Sherlocks Robert Downey, Jr.’s Sherlock Holmes.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateApr 26, 2011
ISBN9780062049773
Author

Pip Ballantine

Born in New Zealand, Philippa (Pip) Ballantine has always had her head in a book. A corporate librarian for thirteen years, she has a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Library and Information Science. She is New Zealand's first podcast novelist and has produced four podiobooks. Many of these have been shortlisted for the Parsec Awards, and she has won a Sir Julius Vogel Award. She is also the author of Geist and the soon-to-be-published Spectyr. While New Zealand calls, currently Philippa calls America home.

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Reviews for Phoenix Rising

Rating: 3.700000010714286 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

280 ratings36 reviews

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Mixed feelings on this one. The premise is great, the characters are fun. James Langton is a wonderful narrator, as usual. But it really needs an editor, to trim the fat and correct some mis-usages - e.g., "detract" instead of "distract", abrupt and confusing shifts in.character development, etc. Definitely has potential.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The characters grew on me, the settings are fun to visit. The dialog between characters sort of drove me crazy. I might read more of these in the series, or not . . . the others are often co-authored - be interesting to see if that evens things out or makes them more disjoint. There's plenty to enjoy here, but not enough to sinnk your teeth into.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I really don't think I like the Steampunk Genre. Or maybe I just don't like this book. Hard to say.Its got a couple of annoying characters, one with a very blatant social agenda, and another who is actually quite dull. I'm not sure how I feel about the sexual tension in this book - on one hand, it really doesn't feel natural, on the hand I do like how it was used as a weapon.I think the action scenes were well done, but the book really never slowed down and allowed a reader to catch their breathe. I do think the writing style was excellent- there is a grace and ease that this book has, but with unlikeable, boring characters, a plot that could be tightened up a bit, this book was only an OK read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I wish I could say that I liked this novel better than I do, as the authors really tried to build some interesting protagonists, develop a screw-ball relationship between the two, and give you an interesting set of interlocking conspiracies. Part of the problem is that Steam Punk is rapidly setting into a formula, but the main issue is that the middle of this book kind of dragged for me, and that's the kiss of death for what should be a fast-paced thriller. I'm still interested in the next book in the series.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Wellington Thornhill Books meets the lovely Eliza D. Braun as she is saving his arse from being tortured, by booming the place. But Eliza has a secret about saving Wellington. Agents Books and Braun work for the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences in different fields of the company. They each have strong personalities and feelings for the areas they excel in. Street agents and the archivist see each other as two different components. But, for their exceedingly strong believes they are paired up as new partners, in "Books" archives. Yet Agent Braun wants nothing more than anything to be back in the field blowing up something with her favorite weapon, dynamite. Miss Eliza Braun has a hard time at adjusting to being in the Archives trying to file the many magical items and cases away, so Mr. Wellington Books takes her to show her something new deeper in the Archives ~ Cases of the Unknown. After seeing hundreds of cases classified as Cases of the Unknown (Books opinion of words) Agent Braun decides with her abilities in the field and Books intelligence here in the Archives and basic training, to take on these cases. When Eliza comes across a case in filing that she recognizes as one her last partner had worked and ended up in the mental hospital over, she decides to do as he had done and pick up the case on her personal time.I think I can go on and on about this book. It was so well written and so many different aspects that I enjoyed.The book starts right in with a bang with action and bullets flying every which direction as the main characters meet. Then we step back a bit to have the world of The Ministry drawn for us to understand what they do and the set up of it. We learn the Archives, in the basement of the Ministry's office building, is a library of sorts and storage area for many peculiar items and past case information, almost magical items. The Archives even reminds me a little of the television show Warehouse 13 on the SyFy channel with the warehousing of magical. While we are learning of the Archives we are also getting to know the characters and the rough blend of personalities, but I have to say I love the give and take in jabs between these two. Once they talk of the Cases of the Unknown we see how Eliza then Books get drawn to one particular case. Before they realize it they are eyeballs deep in the investigation. Then we have another addition to the mix as the House of Usher is after Agent Books for reasons we are not yet aware of.The characters are fun! Books is the gentlemanly kind of man, not one who thinks of loads of weapons, but one to get lost in the design of things and the puzzle in figuring them out. Books is one that loves the steam machinery and pully machinery, which is ever present in this book. Eliza is a kick arse ask questions later kind of woman. Eliza is the one who loves weapons and to make things go boom. Books even references her once, to himself as he is so gentlemanly, as the Angel of Destruction.Some might say the book has a slow start or moves slow after the bang of a beginning in the first chapter. However, I have to say it's a perfect balance of action, fun and case building/solving for me. And the dialect and writing styles is a pleasure to read. This is a book to sit down with and enjoy from all angles; world building, characters, case solving ~ all for the style, fun, and mystery of it.I will be looking forward to the next book with these characters and steampunk world. But until then I will be listening to the podcasts of different cases in the Cases of the Unknown section of the Archives.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    good story, nice world building, but book in serious need of an editor.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I had never read any steampunk, but it's not my last book in that sub-genre I can tell you.Eliza Braun and Wellington Books, esquire are agents of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, but really different kinds of agents: Braun is an active field agent and Books is an archivist. But they unite to solve the mystery of why dead bodies, missing skin, blood or even bones, are found around London.Phoenix Rising is an adventure set in Victorian London and were Eliza carries more weapons than a soldier and Wellington surprises his partner with his inventions.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    If I could only use one word to describe this book it would be SPLEDIFEROUS! First off, I absolutely loved the characters. They were completely backwards. First off, the female (Braun) was the strong, overbearing, blow everything up type. Whereas, the male (Books) was more the calm, intellectual type. Even though that is their main personality type, there are so many layers to them that you get to see as the story progresses.The plot was incredible. I couldn’t put this book down! There were so many times that this book had me laughing though. I loved some of the references such as Barnabas and Angelique Collins or Bruce Campbell. Ingenious!In conjunction with the Wakela's World Disclosure Statement, I received a product in order to enable my review. No other compensation has been received. My statements are an honest account of my experience with the brand. The opinions stated here are mine alone.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It wasn't difficult to read all 3 books. In for a penny and all that.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    If the X-Files dealt more with artifacts and the truth behind urban legends, and existed in Victorian London, you might end up with something like the Minsitry of Peculiar Occurences, office of Her Majesty the Queen, handler of those strange events that need to be taken care of in the most discrete and sensitive way possible.That is, until Eliza Braun comes in with gons a-blazing, with Wellington Books shaking his head in long-suffering acceptance.Phoenix Rising is the first book in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurences series, and what a fantastic beginning it was. We get thrown right into the action and intrigue, which doesn't let up its pace for the whole of the book. Through a series of circumstances which doesn't please either of the two main characters, Agents Books and Braun (lovely pun on the ideas of intelligence and brute strength, which they respectively embody) are thrown together, and among other things, find themselves embroiled in a conspiracy to overthrown the Queen and restore glory to the remains of the British Empire.And that's in their off-hours.Ballantine and Morris bring together a wonderful blend of writing styles that show great creativity and talent for the little details of Victorian steampunk living, as well as a sense of humour that left me chuckling aloud at some moments (such as the chapter titles). It seems to me that this was a book that must have been as fun to write as it was for me to read, and the enjoyment shows in the tone of the novel; even during the tense and serious moments, there's witty humour and sarcasm, and you tear through the pages wanting to know just what happens next.Phoenix Rising is, ultimately, a fast-paced action-adventure that should not be missed. To fans of steampunk, or just fans of books with a good plot and sense of humour, this is one book that should definitely be gracing your bookshelves. And I don't say that lightly; this is a book that was given to me for free as an e-ARC, and I know very well that I'm going to be buying a hard copy as soon as I can. It isn't often that I do that, but in this case, I'll make a very happy exception.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Summary from Goodreads:"Evil is most assuredly afoot—and Britain’s fate rests in the hands of an alluring renegade . . . and a librarian.These are dark days indeed in Victoria’s England. Londoners are vanishing, then reappearing, washing up as corpses on the banks of the Thames, drained of blood and bone. Yet the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences—the Crown’s clandestine organization whose bailiwick is the strange and unsettling—will not allow its agents to investigate. Fearless and exceedingly lovely Eliza D. Braun, however, with her bulletproof corset and a disturbing fondness for dynamite, refuses to let the matter rest . . . and she’s prepared to drag her timorous new partner, Wellington Books, along with her into the perilous fray."My Thoughts:This is one of those books that I just HAD to read. I saw the cover while browsing on the internet and then I read the above summary...I just knew that this was my type of book and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I'm happy to say that Phoenix Rising was as good as I hoped it would be and far exceeded my expectations! It was such a fun read and the action started on page one and didn't let up until the end of the book. One of the best things about this book was the two main characters Eliza and Books. They were completely opposite of each other in every way but it still allowed for a certain type of chemistry to develop between them. The adventures and mystery that they found themselves involved in moved the story along at a fast pace. And there were some funny moments inserted within the story as well. This all added up to a really solid read for me that I enjoyed immensely. I'm sure that this book will draw comparisons to Gail Carriger's Soulless series but I found that I liked this book for different reasons (and I'm an uber-fan of Gail's series). I'm eager to see what kind of trouble Eliza and Books can stir up next. Highly recommended especially to fans of steampunk!Bottom Line: A fun, fast-paced read that I couldn't get enough of! I just became an instant fan of this series :)Disclosure: Checked out from my local library.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I read the second book in the series first and enjoyed the writing so read the first one as well. Well developed characters that while you know they won't be killed off no matter how desperate the situation, you still root that no harm will come to them. The steampunk is just right for my taste. Plan to read the next one that comes out.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Despite an action packed opening and ending, the layer of colloquialisms and corny humor overlaying this story smothered most of my interest. With THE JANUS AFFAIR next on my TBR list, I kept soldiering through this book to make sure I was up to speed. I hope book two relies less on steampunk tropes and more on character growth, there are intriguing hints of future greatness sprinkled through out PHOENIX RISING that I would love to see explored.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This one is really hard to rate. I loved how it started, just like I loved a lot of the individual chapters. Unfortunately, sometimes the chapters seemed a little too individual, in the sense that it was sometimes hard to transition from one chapter to the next. I think if you were reading each chapter as a separate installment of the story (instead of reading it in one sitting) it would be less noticeable.The publisher compared this to Carriger's Soulless series, which in some ways makes sense to me, but in other ways it's almost more like a combination of Read or Die, Pratchett's The Truth and Lara Croft with maybe some James Bond and Avengers thrown in. Yes, I just dumped a lot of pop culture references on you, but if you find that really annoying, you're probably not going to like this book -- granted, in the book it's mostly 19th century pop culture, but still.I liked the hero and heroine, both separately and together. I liked how their work relationship kind of flirts with potential romantic aspects, but doesn't push it. I also liked how intricate some of the individual elements of the story were. I didn't like how sometimes those elements moved from intricate to precious. I also didn't like the sexual-predator aspect of the villain(s). It was, in my opinion, unnecessary to the story and distasteful. Looking back, I'm wondering if it was a deliberate reference to Victorian sexual mores, but while I was reading it I was caught off guard and found it an unwelcome addition to the story. So unwelcome, that from shortly after Welly and Eliza arrive at the house party, I pretty much skimmed until a little before the end.Despite my complaints, there's enough potential in this story that I'm interested in reading the next. I think that some of the transition problems will be solved with a little more joint-writing experience and the story itself is interesting enough that I do want to see what happens to Wellington and Eliza, Sound, Sophia and the other characters.This review is based on a digital ARC received via NetGalley.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    An evil brotherhood (possibly two) is threatening the British Empire and, it stands to reason, the civilized world. Unfortunately, the only man who knows anything about it is being kept in a drugged stupor in a mental institution. And mental institutions in Victorian England are not places to be left in. Only two people can solve the mystery of what in the world is going on — an Archivist who spends most of his time in a basement office, and a field agent whose previous cases have resulted in her being placed on probation … in the care of the aforementioned archivist. But both are highly trained agents of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, so really anything can happen.And trust me, it does.A one word review — wow. Another word — exquisite. I simply am thankful at this point that the wise people at HarperCollins have bought this as a series, because after one book all I can think of is “When is the next one coming out??!”I have read both Morris and Ballentine before, and have enjoyed both authors’ work. When I heard that they were getting together for a steampunk series, I knew I had to keep track of it. When they announced publication, it immediately went on my must read list. And when NetGalley offered the ebook for reviewers? I couldn’t click “Request” fast enough. I wasn’t disappointed at all.Steampunk is a fascinating genre, and Ballantine and Morris have captured it perfectly. I think this series could serve as a great introduction to the genre, in fact, since you really don’t have to have much of an understanding of steampunk to enjoy the book. There also seems to be an element or two of the pulp genre, though much of that is actually turned on it’s head. And of course, there are the main characters, who remind me of every male/female pulp partnership I’ve ever read or heard about — with one major difference. See, traditionally the man is the aggressive, guns blazing type, and the woman (if she isn’t just the damsel in distress) is the perfectionist, analytical type who needs saving quite a bit. And at first glance, we’ve got the formula here — the main characters are, after all, named Books and Braun.In this book, though, that would be Wellington Thornhill Books, Archivist, and Eliza D. Braun, field agent. And everything you ever thought you knew about this type of adventure fiction is now turned completely upside down.And that is the fun of the book. That and the interplay between these two polar opposites, who are thrown together and who end up corrupting each other. No — not like that (not in this book, anyway). But that kind of tension is there, too. Some of the scenes reminded me of Moonlighting, in fact, especially in the way that Eliza Braun seemed to enjoy making Books … uncomfortable. Strong characterization is something I always look for in fiction, and I certainly found it here. These are characters that I felt like I knew, and I want to know more about them.The plot is a classic. Secret society has superweapons, and they’re trying to take over the world for it’s own good. In the process, they’re perfectly willing to kill anyone that gets in their way. Books and Braun, of course, are intent on getting in their way. And, of course, there are twists and turns so that, while you may know how it will turn out, you won’t really know how it gets there, or why. AND, there are enough loose ends left dangling in our faces that we’re just going to have to get the next book, and the one after that, and so on ….
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    So, here we have a steampunk book with an archivist as a main character. Can you say awesome? I know a few archivists myself, and some of them can be quite awful and, well, stereotypical. Thankfully, Books falls firmly into the realm of the fantastic archivists. He is concerned with the "preservation of the Empire" and of the ministry's artifacts and papers (291).

    From the beginning, I identified more with Books than with the confident, flirty heroine. A librarian myself, his attempt to find a nonviolent solution, along with his nerdy love of books and research, seems the ideal method. Eliza, while a strong heroine, never really felt like a real person to me. She lacks background, except that she misses her homeland of New Zealand. All I really know about her is that she likes to make Books uncomfortable and to make things explode (likely those two things will combine at some point, but not in this book, the first in the series). Hopefully, some more character depth will be forthcoming.

    Clever people that you are, you have likely noticed that Books is a fitting name for an archivist. This naming convention continues throughout, with many of the characters wearing fitting monikers. Like the rather brawny Miss Braun. Or the female assassin del Morte. I found these little elements amusing, along with most of the old timey language. Expect pages "full of rabble-rousers, Fabians, cut-throats and Dollymops" (133). Although there are some occasional slip ups in the use of the old fashioned words, such as referring to an event as grizzly, when the authors really meant grisly.

    I will undoubtedly be venturing forth into later volumes about the escapades of Books and Braun. Phoenix Rising was quite entertaining and I hope book two will be even better. If you love reading about librarians with a few aces up their sleeves, explosions and strong women, you won't want to miss this amusing steampunk novel.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Like many others, I picked this book because of its cover. It looked too good to miss. Steampunk seems to be a genre that lends itself to cover art.I am not at all surprised that this book won the 2011 Airship Award. It is action packed from beginning to end; two great characters - Books & Braun - provide the humor that lightens the pace of the action. I love how Braun calls Books a librarian when she wants to give him a jab, and he always responds with a miffed "Archivist".The sequel has a hard act to follow.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Mostly entertaining, though the story got off to a really slow start. I could've done without the soft porn elements, however.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An archivist named Books; Wellington Temperance Books, to be exact. He's gotten himself kidnapped, and it's field agent Eliza Braun's job to... well, she interprets her job as "rescue" although not everyone would be in agreement that that's what her orders actually said. Several explosions later, Eliza finds herself assigned to the Archives of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurences, much to Books dismay. And so begins a partnership that's bound to shake things up... or explode them. Now the pairs on the hunt for the mysterious society of the Phoenix, and England may never be the same.Gadgets galore, and as mismatched a pair of partners as a reader could ask for. A very promising beginning!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Imagine if you will, a Victorian version of The Avengers Steed and Emma Peel tossing Joss Whedon-esque bon mots back and forth whilst conducting an investigation on the outskirts of Victorian London involving a secret society straight out of Eyes Wide Shut. Yeah, with the orgies and everything.This fluffy romp is as odd a mash-up as that first sentence makes it sound. And while the premise is intriguing and it can be quite fun at times, the whole is somewhat less than the sum of its [rather derivative] parts.From the first "meet cute" between the two protagonists, nebbishy Wellington Books and gun-slinging Eliza Braun, the snappy banter is flying. And, while I must admit the characters won me over by the end, initially I was put off by their exchanges just because they’re way too reminiscent of the dialogue on TV series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Firefly, which seems an obvious influence. The wit seemed a bit forced at times.The plot itself, in all its kooky outlandishness, moves along apace, is fairly engaging and provides an element of suspense, even though it’s clearly intended to take a back seat to the humor and character development. Oh, and about those orgies, you ask? Personally, I could have done with less of the sexual element, mainly because it seemed shoehorned in just to make the book more contemporary and give it a vaguely naughty frisson.This is the first in a series and, while I didn’t love it, the authors dropped some intriguing hints about the characters that presumably will be brought to light in later installments. Believe it not, it was enough to pique my curiosity and make me consider continuing on to the sequel(s).
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A fun steampunk romp. The writing here was better than I expected, and I imagine it will get better as the series goes on. Some nice characters. Very very steampunk Ian Fleming. Fun.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Despite a few flaws, Phoenix Rising is a highly entertaining read that’s driven by the strength of its protagonists, Eliza Braun and Wellington Books; the mysterious allure of its femme-fatale, Sophia del Morte; and the evil genius of it’s villain, Doctor Devereux Havelock.

    Eliza is a dashing heroine, reminiscent of the wonderful Emma Peel, from the 1960s TV show The Avengers. Both are intelligent, highly-skilled, and extremely well-dressed feminists who aren’t above exploiting their own sexual charms to attain the upper hand. While her relationship with Wellington replicates the same witty repartee and sense of sexual innuendo as that of Peel and Steed, Wellington is a far more bookish and charmingly awkward hero than John Steed ever was.

    The characters are so well-developed, and their relationship is so perfectly established, that’s it comes as quite a shock to realise we’re nearly 100 pages into the story before anything significant happens.

    Sophia del Morte is a femme-fatale of James Bond quality, while Doctor Devereux Havelock would be equally at home in any of the more far-fetched entries in that cinematic saga. The rivalry between Eliza and Sophia comprises the bulk of the novel‘s action, with gloriously choreographed fight scenes that see as many clothes shed as they do weapons introduced. Wellington and Havelock, on the other hand, are more intellectual adversaries, each with a deep and abiding respect for the other’s inventiveness and creativity. That’s not to say there’s anything lacking in their final confrontation, just that it’s all the more satisfying for the build-up.

    Although the story never loses its sense of fun and adventure, the final 100 pages are decidedly dark. There are some scenes of sexual depravity that go far beyond anything hinted at in The Avengers or James Bond, and a few instances of violence that are as shocking as they are surprising. It’s all entirely fitting, however, and ably serves to illustrate the very real danger that Braun and Books are up against. More importantly, the time and effort invested in establishing their characters truly pays off here, with the dark secrets hinted at in their histories giving them the strength needed to carry out such a bold and daring ruse of impersonation.

    As for the steampunk elements, they are used sparingly, but to great effect. In many cases, the gadgets are decidedly downplayed, and referenced more as an aside than as something of significance. Even the most startling inventions, such as the artificial legs of Eliza’s maidservant, are inserted quite casually, and only remarked upon after the fact. Those looking for the big, bad, bold use of steampunk technology, however, will be quite satisfied by the climactic revelations within Dr. Havelock’s secret lair.

    My only complaint with the novel is the fact that a few characters and sub-plots are so carefully set-up in the early pages of the book, and yet are never satisfactorily explored. While it’s quite likely they’re setting up future entries in the series, the way in which they’re introduced leads the reader to expect more of an immediate pay-off, with the resulting absence more of a disappointment than a tease.

    Overall, this was a great read, and one that more than lived up to my expectations. Hopefully, there will be more adventures with Braun, Books, and the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences to come.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Not a bad opening to the series, but a few too many storylines, some of which were not necessarily satisfactorily fleshed out, but I suppose that is jut the point to a series now, isn't it...certainly worth a shot for fans of thrillers, scifi or steampunk.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Wherein this reader was not overly impressed with the prose of this first novel in a possible serial and will not peruse any further offerings by either of the scribes of this adventure.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is the first book in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series. I really enjoyed the interplay between the characters of Braun and Books. This will appeal to fans of steampunk and also anyone who likes a fast-paced story with lots of action and humor. I am looking forward to the sequel.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It's sometime in the late 1890s--late Victorian London, and Wellington Thornhill Books, Archivist for the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences is kidnapped, whisked away to an Antarctic stronghold for, ahem, questioning, and is rescued by Ministry field agent Eliza D. Braun. (Yes, Books and Braun, but really, you have to forgive the authors for it, or at least I do!) Alas, Eliza is a bit free with her use of explosives in the process, and blowing up the headquarters of the House of Usher without actually eliminating the organization was not included in her instructions. Upon returning to London, she is assigned to assist Books in the Archives. This is Ministry director Dr. Sound's version of killing two birds with one stone: Eliza Braun is too unpredictable and resistant to orders in the field, and Books is starting to think of the Archives as his.

    If the existence of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, combined with the dirigible that carried Books and Braun away from Antarctica, were not enough evidence, we quickly encounter proof that this Victorian England is not our Victorian England. Books has a working Difference Engine that he built himself, and has programmed for all manner of useful tasks. The Archives are filled not just with accounts of solves and unsolved cases, but artifacts--a map to the city of El Dorado, and a Zulu amulet that does truly dangerous things, among others. The agents, including Books, wear rings that can be tracked by the Emergency Tracking System.

    Braun is not really cut out to be an archivist, and she's haunted by one of the first cases she worked on after arriving in England from New Zealand. Known as the Rag and Bone Murders, the case revolved around bodies found dead and mutilated in a variety of gruesome ways: one drained of all blood, another with all bones removed, yet another with the skin completely removed. She and her first partner, Harrison Thorne, found no solution and the investigation became increasingly dangerous, until they were ordered to stop, and the unsolved case consigned to the Archives. But Harry didn't drop the case, and eventually disappeared for a week, only to turn up near a factory, completely mad.

    Braun can't let the case go, either, and inevitably sucks the very staid, very proper, very not-a-field-agent Books into the case with her. And that's when things really get dangerous, as they clash with a secret society with its own plans for England, agents of the House of Usher still intent upon questioning Books, a deadly female assassin, and the mad genius who's behind everything--maybe! They repeatedly escape by the skin of their teeth, due to Braun's way with weapons and explosives, or Books' way with machinery and codes. And when the final showdown comes, if they want to survive, they have to get over their mutual friction and incomprehension, and start trusting each other.

    This is a great romp through a Victorian England that's just off enough to be intriguing, and I found Books and Braun rapidly growing on me. The pace is lively, and the authors keep the reader guessing.

    A minor detail that will amuse those who remember a certain tv show: At a very dangerous and shocking house party, Books and Braun meet a couple named Collins. Barnabus and Angelique Collins. This doesn't appear to have any significance beyond the private amusement of the authors, although since this appears to be the start of a series, who knows? Maybe we'll find out the Collinses have relatives in Maine.

    Recommended for a good, light-hearted, adventurous romp.

    I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Having heard Pip Ballantine occasionally on some podcasts (notably Metamor City) I kept hearing her voice when Eliza D Braun spoke, and it brought a smile to my mouth, however I loved Wellington Thornhill Books. He is such a great character, but then again I may be a little biased, he's such a cool archivist, though Eliza's fixing of the leak did make me squee and giggle a lot. Eliza is such a self-sufficient character. I didn't really see the scene from the cover in the book but maybe I wasn't looking hard enough, the two were cool enough without her being half-naked.After rescuing Books from certain death Braun has broken the rules once too often and she is sent to join him in the archives where, while going stir crazy, she starts to look into the last case that left her ex-partner in a mental asylum. Along the way she finds that Books is a good man to have at her side and he finds that occasionally venturing forth from the archives isn't the worst thing he could do.I really enjoyed the two characters and I'm now looking forward to the sequel.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I had a very good time reading this fun steampunk adventure. The main characters (partners, Wellington Brooks and Eliza Braun) were a great pair with a lot of chemistry. The pacing and the voice were just right, and the details, from the clothing to the steampunk gadgets, hit all of the right buttons with me.

    I had a few quibbles, one of which was that most of the book was suitable for my 13 year olds, but then it had a sudden turn toward the racy that I wasn't expecting.

    This was clearly meant as the start of a series, however it was a complete story of its own, which is nice to see. The number of books lately that end with massive cliffhangers are starting to try my patience. I will definitely read the second book in the series.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is the first book in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series. Right now there are five books released in this series. I really enjoyed this start to this steampunk series. There is a lot of action, a secret society, automatons and many crazy devices. Additionally I really enjoyed the characters; they have complex pasts and are intriguing and fun to read about. I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was very well done. Langton was a joy to listen to and did a great job on character voices and with emotion. I would definitely recommend listening to this series on audiobooks if you enjoy them.I am a huge fan of steampunk books and this was one of the better steampunk books I have read. It is much less paranormal romance in tone and has a much more urban fantasy type pace to it. It seems like a lot of the steampunk series I have read are more on the romance end of things. While there are some hints at a romance in this book it is mostly an investigative urban fantasy. I loved the pairing of Books and Braun (an excellent, if blunt, play on names here). Eliza Braun is a blow everything up, attack first, ask later kind of woman who gets sent down to the archives for acting too brashly and disobeying orders on her last case. Wellington Books mans the library...eh...archives for the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. They could not be more different. However, when Eliza unearths an interesting case that’s been filed with the other unsolved mysteries they suddenly find themselves with a common cause.There is a lot of action, intrigue and mystery in this book. The book is chock full of interesting devices, weaponized automatons and other crazy steampunky inventions. It was great fun to read and I ended up enjoying it a ton.Overall this book was highly entertaining and I would recommend to both steampunk and urban fantasy fans. This was a fun read and I plan on continuing with the series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I'm look for steampunk genre books that don't invent their own vernacular and this fits the bill very well. Strong feisty and brash female, bookish but capable and proper English gentleman male, diabolically lengthy chapter titles, engaging plot...I do believe this warrants further investigation. I'm torn between checking out the intros to a couple of other steampunk series or reading the next adventures of Books and Braun. The characters do need more flesh, and I expect that will come in subsequent stories.

    I give this four stars for its lack of clanking and for being quite entertaining, if long.