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corita's review against another edition
3.0
Hold On to Your Tea Cup
Agent Books is an archivist, glorified librarian and cataloger of unusual artifacts, and Agent Braun is an unruly field agent who has trouble following rules. They have been naughty, and their superiors have demoted Agent Braun to the archives–Books and Braun are stuck with each other in the dank underground storage area that houses strange and mysterious artifacts.
No, it’s not your imagination. The story practically shouts Warehouse 13 in Victorian England.
They work for the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, protectors of the British Empire and collectors of “unusual” artifacts. Braun is not content to serve her time in the archives and decides to investigate the case her partner was working on when he went crazy. Bruan pulls Books into her investigation, and as the story progressives a reader might begin to wonder who in this duo is more crazy.
Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris is a Steampunk adventure with explosives, carriage chases, daring rescues, beautiful mercenary agents, evil geniuses, automatons, lots of steam, bigoted wealthy people who wish to take over the world, and two agents who blunter into places they really shouldn’t. Add to all that, their director’s mysterious shenanigans in the archive’s secret, locked room. “What’s he up to?” is a story question left hanging for book two.
Who Will Like this?
People who love lighthearted Steampunk adventures will definitely like this book. It was a fun read. The book doesn’t take itself too seriously and neither should the reader. It has a little bit of everything: adventure, death, steam, sex, underworld slime, wealthy slime.
James Blaylock, J. W. Jeter, and Tim Powers, the fathers of steampunk, have said that when they started writing Steampunk they weren’t trying to make a serious statement; they were having fun telling zany stories. This book is written in the same vein.
Confession Time
I wanted to like this story; however, I had trouble getting into it. I read two other books in between putting Phoenix Rising aside and picking it up again. It just didn’t grab me. I think most people who like Steampunk would enjoy it. For me, it was okay, predictable, and flat. In other words, nothing to shout about.
Here are the issues I had:
1. There was nothing new, and some of the story seemed borrowed without much effort to move in new directions.
2. The protagonists were stereotypes, the typical buddy cops/investigators/agents. Braun was the wild crazy one and Books the mild mannered sane one. Casting Braun as a woman didn’t change the dynamics because she fit the crazy cop/agent mold to a tee.
3. The antagonists were also bad stereotypes, James Bond villains stepping back into Victorian England. I expected one of them to twist his handlebar mustache–thankfully that didn’t happen.
Character driven novels pull me into a story and keep me engaged. I want to care about the characters--that didn’t happen in this book.
cyrce's review against another edition
5.0
I managed to finish off Phoenix Rising in less than 24 hours, which just goes to how good this series has started off. I absolutely adored Ballantine and Morris’s writing, switching between the two main characters’ points-of-view. I have half a mind to read Phoenix Rising again. I’ve never enjoyed a steampunk novel this much before.
Then again, I don’t usually read steampunk novels. They’ve never appealed to me. But this one…well, apart from being pulled by my sister, the blurb on the back of the book was just screaming at me to read it. I thought that it would be following in the same vein as the Horatio Lyle books (which I adore). But the librarian wasn’t giving long-winded explanations of science unless he had to and, though I would have preferred a little more information on how everything worked in the beginning, the implicit nature of the writing worked out very well.
Maybe I’m attributing something more to it then there is, however.
Braun is the catalyst in the novel. Her actions at the beginning have her ‘demoted’ to work with Wellington in the Archives–something that she isn’t thrilled about at all. Her talents, after all, have to do with dynamite and seduction. Shelving cases from other field agents’ work is not something that she’s interested in. It’s when Wellington shows her the dead end cases that she finds a case that her ex-partner had been working on before being found insane in a gutter by another agent. From there, Braun pulls Books out of his precious archives and into some much needed field work in order to get revenge on the men (and the woman) that caused her ex-partner to lose his mind.
Between the two main characters, I find myself loving Books far more than Braun, though she does have her endearing moments (the opera scene was just great!). Books has the more interesting gadgets and you have to wonder if the guys in R&D at the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences aren’t just jealous of his work that they let him languish in the Archives.
Then again, I don’t usually read steampunk novels. They’ve never appealed to me. But this one…well, apart from being pulled by my sister, the blurb on the back of the book was just screaming at me to read it. I thought that it would be following in the same vein as the Horatio Lyle books (which I adore). But the librarian wasn’t giving long-winded explanations of science unless he had to and, though I would have preferred a little more information on how everything worked in the beginning, the implicit nature of the writing worked out very well.
Spoiler
Wellington Books and Eliza Braun are a great pair, and a classic as well. The action hero(ine) and the professor. Or, in this case, the librarian. Their last names kind of give away as to which one is which, don’t they? Books, the librarian (throughout the novel, he’s correcting people about that: he’s an archivist, not a librarian), isn’t completely inept at field work even though that is what Eliza Braun believes in the beginning. I would love to find out more of his military background and exactly how capable he could be in the field. In fact, it’s all his fault that I thought this book would be taking a Horatio Lyle fantasy bent to it–the whole thing with hearing his father’s voice in his head. I had initially assumed that perhaps he had some case of Multiple Personality Disorder, but the voice is turning out to be his assumptions of what his father might say given the situation. And yet, there’s just something about it…Maybe I’m attributing something more to it then there is, however.
Braun is the catalyst in the novel. Her actions at the beginning have her ‘demoted’ to work with Wellington in the Archives–something that she isn’t thrilled about at all. Her talents, after all, have to do with dynamite and seduction. Shelving cases from other field agents’ work is not something that she’s interested in. It’s when Wellington shows her the dead end cases that she finds a case that her ex-partner had been working on before being found insane in a gutter by another agent. From there, Braun pulls Books out of his precious archives and into some much needed field work in order to get revenge on the men (and the woman) that caused her ex-partner to lose his mind.
Between the two main characters, I find myself loving Books far more than Braun, though she does have her endearing moments (the opera scene was just great!). Books has the more interesting gadgets and you have to wonder if the guys in R&D at the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences aren’t just jealous of his work that they let him languish in the Archives.
mikaiten's review against another edition
4.0
The story started off strong, then quieted down a bit in the middle. I liked the characters though, so I stuck it out and really enjoyed the ending. Can't wait to read the next book!
rtpodzemny's review against another edition
3.0
A well done brass-goggles adventure with shades of James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, and My Fair Lady.
gloame's review
1.0
Bored to tears. Couldn't finish it.
The female main character is annoying and her actions and mannerisms don't seem to fit how she thinks in her head. Ditto for the male lead.
I got 40% in before I gave it up, and for someone who will read a textbook cover to cover because quitting is harder than pushing on, that says a lot.
I wish I could permanently lend my Kindle copy to someone who might actually appreciate it.
The female main character is annoying and her actions and mannerisms don't seem to fit how she thinks in her head. Ditto for the male lead.
I got 40% in before I gave it up, and for someone who will read a textbook cover to cover because quitting is harder than pushing on, that says a lot.
I wish I could permanently lend my Kindle copy to someone who might actually appreciate it.
mxsallybend's review against another edition
4.0
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.
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.
blodeuedd's review against another edition
2.0
I had hoped to like this one more, sure it was good and all, but you know, those hopes ones have. First it looks so cool and it sounds so good too.
Eliza was a good kick-ass heroine who liked explosives and sometimes acted a bit too soon. While her new partner in crime, Books was a the nerdy guy from the cellar who does not act and who would rather read books. Oh yes what a couple. He is also upper class, while she is from the colonies (though he is a decent fellow). Together they made a good miss matched couple.
There is action, mystery and strange things going on. The steampunk angle was there, though in a different way. She had her guns, there was talk about machines, but it was never really out there. Perhaps I had wanted a bit more.
It did fail to catch my attention a few times, and I just do not know why. I liked them, I liked the banter, I liked the sparkle of true English phrases, but it never got my heart. Still it was a nice addition to the genre.
I do wonder why she is dressed like that on the cover though, she prefers pants and not looking like a streetwalker.
Eliza was a good kick-ass heroine who liked explosives and sometimes acted a bit too soon. While her new partner in crime, Books was a the nerdy guy from the cellar who does not act and who would rather read books. Oh yes what a couple. He is also upper class, while she is from the colonies (though he is a decent fellow). Together they made a good miss matched couple.
There is action, mystery and strange things going on. The steampunk angle was there, though in a different way. She had her guns, there was talk about machines, but it was never really out there. Perhaps I had wanted a bit more.
It did fail to catch my attention a few times, and I just do not know why. I liked them, I liked the banter, I liked the sparkle of true English phrases, but it never got my heart. Still it was a nice addition to the genre.
I do wonder why she is dressed like that on the cover though, she prefers pants and not looking like a streetwalker.
billblume's review against another edition
4.0
As an author who has written manuscripts for fantasy novels with a partner who is my wife, the idea of husband/wife writing teams fascinates me. I've often wondered how other writing spouses handle the division of duties and if their method resembles what my wife and I came up with. With that in mind, reading Phoenix Rising provided me with several moments of unintentional déjà vu.
The real question is did Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris pull off a successful novel?
In short: they nailed it.
The first novel in their "Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences" series provides a steampunk adventure that often reminded me of the 1960's "Avengers" TV show. The story starts with a bang. No, seriously. The title to chapter one even warns you that's what's going to happen. We're talking a massive explosion as the heroine of the novel Eliza Braun sends one of the bad guys' secret bases to kingdom come. She's all about the shoot first and ask questions later. Actually, it's more like shoot first, explode with dynamite and then ask questions later. Her task at the start of the novel is the rescue of her co-star, the ministry's archivist Wellington Books. On the surface, Welly is everything Eliza is not. She bends the rules into pretzels while he files and categorizes them into order of importance.
At this point, you might roll your eyes at how egregiously cliché this all sounds. Here's the good news: Pip and Tee make it all work. Very often, they find ways to surprise you with little twists in the story and characters to make things entertaining. More importantly, they've done a lot of work to give each of these characters the depth they need. As Eliza and Welly launch into their unauthorized investigation of some especially violent murders, a case which claimed the sanity of a fellow ministry agent (who is a former partner of Eliza's), they get in over their heads as they navigate their steampunk version of Victorian England and unearth a secret society with an agenda for global, racial and social dominance that would make Hitler proud.
I laughed, got giddy and even cringed at all the right times. Pip and Tee hit all the marks that great action adventure in a gritty fantasy world should deliver. With all the praise, you might wonder why I'm only giving it four stars. I'd say it's really more like four-and-a-half stars. Perhaps my only gripe would be within the interludes for this novel. The interludes focus mostly on another ministry agent named Bruce Campbell (a shameless and awesome nod to the actor best known for his roles as Sam Axe from "Burn Notice" and Ash from "Evil Dead"). The subplot is clearly setup for a storyline that will see more development in future novels. My complaint isn't so much about the unresolved storylines touched on here, but Bruce Campbell's character just didn't ring true to me for some reason, and that's a big issue since most of the interludes are told from his perspective. Of all the characters whose points-of-view are provided, Campbell doesn't hold up to the awesomeness of Eliza and Welly. What does impress me with the interludes is that Pip and Tee manage to leave me satisfied as a reader. Even with so much unresolved, they tie off enough threads in the plot to make this book work by itself, and that's not easy to do.
As for how this husband and wife write as a team, I look forward to learning more about this later this year. They'll be speaking at the James River Writers Conference in October, and speaking as someone who has written with a spouse, I will wager there are some great stories behind the story. I can't wait to hear them. As for how my wife and I approached the task of co-writing, I'll offer you a link to a blog entry I wrote many years ago to explain our process.
The real question is did Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris pull off a successful novel?
In short: they nailed it.
The first novel in their "Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences" series provides a steampunk adventure that often reminded me of the 1960's "Avengers" TV show. The story starts with a bang. No, seriously. The title to chapter one even warns you that's what's going to happen. We're talking a massive explosion as the heroine of the novel Eliza Braun sends one of the bad guys' secret bases to kingdom come. She's all about the shoot first and ask questions later. Actually, it's more like shoot first, explode with dynamite and then ask questions later. Her task at the start of the novel is the rescue of her co-star, the ministry's archivist Wellington Books. On the surface, Welly is everything Eliza is not. She bends the rules into pretzels while he files and categorizes them into order of importance.
At this point, you might roll your eyes at how egregiously cliché this all sounds. Here's the good news: Pip and Tee make it all work. Very often, they find ways to surprise you with little twists in the story and characters to make things entertaining. More importantly, they've done a lot of work to give each of these characters the depth they need. As Eliza and Welly launch into their unauthorized investigation of some especially violent murders, a case which claimed the sanity of a fellow ministry agent (who is a former partner of Eliza's), they get in over their heads as they navigate their steampunk version of Victorian England and unearth a secret society with an agenda for global, racial and social dominance that would make Hitler proud.
I laughed, got giddy and even cringed at all the right times. Pip and Tee hit all the marks that great action adventure in a gritty fantasy world should deliver. With all the praise, you might wonder why I'm only giving it four stars. I'd say it's really more like four-and-a-half stars. Perhaps my only gripe would be within the interludes for this novel. The interludes focus mostly on another ministry agent named Bruce Campbell (a shameless and awesome nod to the actor best known for his roles as Sam Axe from "Burn Notice" and Ash from "Evil Dead"). The subplot is clearly setup for a storyline that will see more development in future novels. My complaint isn't so much about the unresolved storylines touched on here, but Bruce Campbell's character just didn't ring true to me for some reason, and that's a big issue since most of the interludes are told from his perspective. Of all the characters whose points-of-view are provided, Campbell doesn't hold up to the awesomeness of Eliza and Welly. What does impress me with the interludes is that Pip and Tee manage to leave me satisfied as a reader. Even with so much unresolved, they tie off enough threads in the plot to make this book work by itself, and that's not easy to do.
As for how this husband and wife write as a team, I look forward to learning more about this later this year. They'll be speaking at the James River Writers Conference in October, and speaking as someone who has written with a spouse, I will wager there are some great stories behind the story. I can't wait to hear them. As for how my wife and I approached the task of co-writing, I'll offer you a link to a blog entry I wrote many years ago to explain our process.
branch_c's review against another edition
3.0
The real promise of this book was the characters - the tough girl secret agent paired with the bookish archivist - and while this worked for the most part, I didn't think it lived up to its promise as much as it could have. The two were a fun combination at times, but somewhat inconsistent at others - like when Books started thinking back to the words of his disapproving father - where did that come from? I found the story a bit overlong, with some tedious parts as well as some very enjoyable scenes, such as the opera battle. So, a mixed review on this one.
jickyjacks's review against another edition
4.0
Two British secret agents living in a steampunk version of England and investigating a "cold case" of personal interest is Phoenix Rising in a nutshell. The agents are quite colorful characters and are what really make this book worth reading. Lots of time is spent developing their quirky personalities and how they interact with each other. Unfortunately, this time spent on the main characters may be the reason the plot is just so-so. It's a mild mystery/revenge story that lacks intrigue and tension. That said, the characters alone and the steampunkness of the world kept me interested enough and may even compel me to read the next in the series.