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A review by biblialex
All Men of Genius by Lev AC Rosen
5.0
Funny that I read this book right after another that I criticized for being too derivative, because All Men of Genius is a steampunk mashup of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. In this case I really enjoyed the playful and inventive take on two great plays.
Violet Adams and her twin brother Ashton (Viola and Sebastian) are the center of the novel. Viola is a talented engineer who decides to disguise herself as Ashton in order to attend the elite all-male Illyria College. (And what recourse does a young women lacking twin brother have when she wishes to attend an all-male school?) She sets out to prove her worth as a scientist, but of course also attracts the attention of Ernest, Duke of Illyria ("Ernest" Worthing/Orsino), and his ward Cecily (Cecily Cardew/Olivia), a budding scientist herself. Of course, knowing the Twelfth Night, I knew how Violet's romantic entanglements would be resolved, but it was still so much fun getting there.
The novel has an amazing cast of characters with parallels from both plays. (An especially amusing example: Professor Bunbury, who actually *is* injured and must be visited in the hospital. Also Ada Lovelace as... herself.) Violet holds her own very well, but the varied cast enriches the story and highlights some of the societal issues at play in the Victorian world. Violet is the only character actually in disguise, but identity is a major issue for many of the others as well. I liked that Violet's story went beyond fear of discovery and misplaced affections and explored her struggle to grow both as a woman and a scientist.
Overall, great fun. Satisfying as a standalone, but some elements were open ended enough that I wouldn't be surprised to see a sequel.
Violet Adams and her twin brother Ashton (Viola and Sebastian) are the center of the novel. Viola is a talented engineer who decides to disguise herself as Ashton in order to attend the elite all-male Illyria College. (And what recourse does a young women lacking twin brother have when she wishes to attend an all-male school?) She sets out to prove her worth as a scientist, but of course also attracts the attention of Ernest, Duke of Illyria ("Ernest" Worthing/Orsino), and his ward Cecily (Cecily Cardew/Olivia), a budding scientist herself. Of course, knowing the Twelfth Night, I knew how Violet's romantic entanglements would be resolved, but it was still so much fun getting there.
The novel has an amazing cast of characters with parallels from both plays. (An especially amusing example: Professor Bunbury, who actually *is* injured and must be visited in the hospital. Also Ada Lovelace as... herself.) Violet holds her own very well, but the varied cast enriches the story and highlights some of the societal issues at play in the Victorian world. Violet is the only character actually in disguise, but identity is a major issue for many of the others as well. I liked that Violet's story went beyond fear of discovery and misplaced affections and explored her struggle to grow both as a woman and a scientist.
Overall, great fun. Satisfying as a standalone, but some elements were open ended enough that I wouldn't be surprised to see a sequel.