Phoenix Rising

A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel

By: Pip Ballantine, Tee Morris

Narrated by: James Langton

Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

For a malevolent brotherhood is operating in the deepening London shadows, intent upon the enslavement of all Britons. And Books and Braun - he with his encyclopedic brain and she with her remarkable devices - must get to the twisted roots of a most nefarious plot... or see England fall to the Phoenix!

©2011 Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

Okay, I'm Ready. Go.

The first chapter had great promise, but, at chapter 9, has yet to deliver anything but a whiny heroine and, an amazingly obtuse hero. Two people, that couldn't be more opposite, are thrown together as partners and 8 chapters later, they are still, childishly, working on said relationship and have yet to resolve anything. It seems, to my embarrassment, I have been hood-winked into buying a SteamPunk romance, masquerading as an action adventure. I am going to give it 2 more chapters to make sure.

Story & Narrator Synergy

Would you listen to Phoenix Rising again? Why?

Yes! The story alone is wonderful, lots of fun, with good scene setting and amusing quips. If I had read a textual copy of this story, I would have enjoyed it. But listening to Langton tell the story makes the experience sublime. His voice is perfect for the combination of amusing melodrama and various flavors of Victorian characters. From the oh-so-proper British upper class Books to the rough-around-the-edges New Zealander Braun to the London street urchins, Langton really brings out the colorful characters of Phoenix Rising.

What did you like best about this story?

The narrator's voices & pacing.

Have you listened to any of James Langton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

My first one, but not my last. I've also listened to the sequel, The Janus Affair, and enjoyed it just as much.

Any additional comments?

Because this is the first book in the series, there are a few places where the exposition drags a bit, but it is sort of necessary to set the stage, given this universe is quite different from real life and also from "normal" sci-fi.

Clanking good staempunk

My first steampunk, but it more than met my expectations for the genre. Lightweight, of course, but consistently fun. Narration by James Langton was a wonder, as it skipped about the British Empire from Welsh to Australian to public school English. One critical reviewer is probably right in that Langton's Kiwi accent seems off, but the amazing melodramatic default-narrator voice more than makes up for it. In fact, its the narration that makes this book -- that and the snide references to 19th century British pop culture. I suspect I only "got" about half of those, but they do add to the fun. The plot? Uh ... why, yes, I suppose it does have a plot. But it doesn't really get in the way of the other stuff, and it does move along in a sprightly sort of way, with appropriate quantities of flash bang -- like the deadly battle of assassins fought out on stage, with prop weapons, during a performance of the finale of Verdi's Macbeth. Definitely worth the price of admission.

I loved it.

Can two opposites make a team? Well the boss seems to think so. Well it sort of works out, but not as the boss thought it would.

Wonderful Tale

Phoenix Rising is an absolutely wonderful action/adventure tale through a England of Gentleman, Ladies, Bulletproof Corsets, Airships. And most importantly, a plot that could destroy Queen Victoria's nation and perhaps even the world. Enter Eliza D. Braun & Wellington Books, Esq., two agents for the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences which from the shadows keep England safe.

Starting off with the lead characters they are so well developed and you quickly fall in love with them both for different reasons. But the great care and development runs all through the novel with a wonderful world you want to explore more of. And great characters, both good and evil, that make you not want to stop reading because you want to know what happens next. Cliche sounding perhaps but it is very true here.

And the narration by James Langton was wonderful the whole way through, a challenge I am sure with so many accents and such. But he performs just wonderful as well and very much, I think, helped to bring a soul to the world and characters like the great narrators of film and stage. Top marks to him.

If you are looking for a great action tale, please join Agents Books & Braun.

Not quite my style, but an interesting diversion

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

It would depend on the type of books my friend enjoys - definitely wouldn't recommend it to my mother. Someone who reads science fiction and isn't put off by some pretty horrific scenes and characters would enjoy it.

If you’ve listened to books by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris before, how does this one compare?

I haven't listened to either of these authors before, and it was my first 'steampunk' read.

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked the scene in the bar with the automated drink serving machine. I liked a lot of the machinery scenes - very imaginative and creative. I also really liked the descriptions of the archives and the associated machinery.

Do you think Phoenix Rising needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

It is part of a series and has follow-up books, and the adventures of the two main characters will be interesting, no doubt.

Any additional comments?

This was my first venture into 'steampunk' and I am not sure that I will listen to more. I generally listen to more science fantasy style novels (dragons, druids, etc) and also spy and detective novels. I'm used to scenes with blood and guts, but this was a bit distasteful for me in the level of depravity. The Phoenix Society seemed like a nasty group, but as the book continued, I found their activities and behaviours to be a bit over the top in terms of depravity and darkness. The behaviour of the wives in the organization seemed ridiculous to me, and too far fetched to believe. So, to sum up, I enjoyed the main characters and the setting, the archives, the interactions between Books and Braun....but found the culmination of the action a little much.

Much fun, sometimes over the top

Who was your favorite character and why?

I appreciated all the main characters, especially the main male and female ones.

Have you listened to any of James Langton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Any additional comments?

The narration is lively, the characters are original, the book has humor.

I love this heroine from NZ.

I love this world. I love the heroine from NZ. I do wish that I'd discovered these books in hard copy first. The 'colonial' accents don't match the characters. It's hard to listen to. Eliza sounds like a mix between a 2 year old and a drag queen. Bruce sounds like his namesake the shark from Finding Nemo. A more subtle approach to the characters would be nice, let the story tell it self.

Young Adult style steampunk

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Action aplenty in this story, in fact the protagonists jump from one action scene to another. If you like action with a steampunk flavor then this is the book for you. Maybe. It was written in a way as if contemporary morals were current in Victorian England, which of course they weren't. But if you like your female heroes sexy and pushy, strange steampunk technology, bucketloads of action, and dastardly one dimensional villains, you'll like this book.

Do you think Phoenix Rising needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

While I mostly enjoyed this book, I don't think I'm the target demographic the author was aimed for. I won't be buying any of the other books in this series. Probably not anyway.

Dynamite is a girl's best friend.

A different type of book. A bit funny, lots of action, a twist of steampunk with mystery, and rich characters. This is a story not at all for the prudish type. The book had both things I really liked and things that I defiantly didn't. There was lots of sexual tension between the main characters, although it does look like it will be a strictly business/friendship relationship on that front. I really like the steampunk genre and this is a good addition on that trend. What I didn't like was the tawdry sexual situation that came at the house party, it was almost enough to turn me off the rest of the series. I will probably read the next book, most likely I will wait for a sale. Narrator was very good. There was some complaints about his accents, I didn't notice them being off and thought he did a lovely job.