The Violins Played Before Junstan

 

I loved this book! Indie author, Lou Kemp does an incredible job weaving together so many elements and tropes - steampunk, Victoriana, magical realism, demons (?), witches, even a very mild touch of romance. Amazingly, it all works beautifully. 

The Violins Played Before Junstan is the prequel book to Kemp's Celwyn series. While it isn't required to read Violins before diving into the series, I do recommend it. Simply because it is just so very well crafted! Jonas Celwyn is a strong protagonist who uses his magical abilities to manipulate the world around him. But, he's not a bad guy. Not at all. His logical, ethical counterpart, Professor Xiau Kang, a mechanical automat, serves to balance and ground Celwyn's capricious nature. On a ship from San Francisco to Singapore, Kang and Celwyn identify threats against them and set out to neutralize those threats. Shenanigans ensue and leave the two men no closer to solving the mystery of who is hunting them or why. 

They also wind up collecting a wide array of companions who each bring a new facet to this thrilling and complicated adventure. Annabelle, the wealthy and feisty American heiress, trying to escape a forced marriage, who insists on joining their quest in return for helping them out of a tight spot when Celwyn is suspected of murdering another passenger. Bartholomew, a well-educated African, who merely hoped to book passage on a train but was denied because of his race, joins the group when Celwyn purchases a first-class ticket for him. Zander and Telly, orphaned children in need of love and opportunity, rescued from a madman, round out the unconventional family as they make their way across continents via private rail from Singapore to Prague. A host of other characters wander in and through the narrative, adding color and intrigue, as Kang and Celwyn attempt to protect them all from the evil which lurks. 

I couldn't put it down. Indeed, as soon as I turned the last page, I immediately purchased the first book in the series, Music Shall Untune The Sky, just so I didn't have to leave this incredible cast of characters or miss any of their adventures. 

Follow Up on The Tomb, Freeing the Bastards, and Brain Stretching

 

I promised more about The Tomb, Book 1 of The Watchers Series by Carl Novakovich and didn't want to let you down. So, here goes!

This independently published book is a roaring good time practically guaranteed to make you laugh out loud, hold your breath, and groan in dismay. Sometimes all in the space of one page! Chicago Police Detective, John Gideon and his partner cum father figure, Walter are working multiple missing persons cases. One of which holds particular interest for them both, the case of John’s missing mother. When a suspect in these cases, Steven, is taken into custody, John and Walter find themselves catapulted into a world they never knew existed. A world of demons which operates alongside the human world, forever plotting and planning, to unleash Hell on earth.
 
With the aid of a witch-turned-demon, Beth, John learns his family has a historical tie to the battle to keep Hell in its rightful place. He also discovers that his mother’s disappearance is not only connected to the demonic designs but that CPD leadership is somehow “in on it.” Can Beth and John rescue Walter, solve the case of John’s mother’s disappearance, and save the world from possession?
 
Told in the first person omniscient, with occasional fourth-wall breaks, The Watchers: The Tomb is well worth the space on your calendar to read. I promise.

I confess to anxiously waiting for the third installment of The Bastards series by Jonathan French and I have to say, The Free Bastards does not disappoint! Fabulously filthy and fun, Fetching, Jackal, and Oats grudgingly partner with Crafty, the half-orc wizard who they feel is responsible for the disintegration of their hoof, to take on Hispartha and wrest control of their home, the Lot Lands, away from the crown. The mongrels come into their own and realize their potential in this exciting trilogy conclusion. I have to admit, I hope French continues to tell us about their adventures as truly free bastards in the years to come. I will read each and every story without regret or remorse. 

The Red Grouse Tales, by indie author Leslie Garland, spins us in a completely different direction. Think Aesop's Fables meets Modern Morality. Constructed as an anthology (of sorts) of stories told around a pub table by a group of long-time friends, The Red Grouse Tales each stand alone without need for further explanation or exploration. However, don't write this off as just a fun time. The Little Dog, The White Hart, The Crow, The Blue Horse, The Golden Tup (and others) are thought provoking, philosophically challenging and engrossing. Garland's compelling stories kept me turning pages well into the wee hours when I should have been sleeping instead of reading. He masterfully weaves social commentary into tales of the uncanny without being heavy-handed or overbearing.

Thoroughly and effectively utilizing the story-as-lesson trope, Garland presents readers with gorgeously crafted narratives which are excellent on the surface and yet also address larger concerns such as the nature of good and evil, heartbreak and betrayal, redemption, vengeance, gender equality, and simple pleasures versus material strife. Several times in each short story, I was drawn up short to re-read and thoughtfully consider what I'd just read - even though I desperately wanted to forge ahead and find out what happened next! 

I'll be continuing my journey through the other Red Grouse Tales not included in this collection. I'll also be recommending these to educator friends and colleagues as discussion prompts.