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Jim Lester

A fun steampunk adventure

Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2015

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This is a fun steampunk adventure. It's the second book in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series and it's every bit as good as the first story. (Phoenix Rising) This time agents Wellington Books and Eliza D. Braun are investigating the mysterious disappearance of several suffragist leaders. In classic steampunk fashion the authors' critique the Victorian world's resistance to women voting and make some astute observations on the English class system of the late 19th century.

The most enjoyable part of the book comes from the numerous gadgets and gismos that appear before their time. Plus there's lots of action and twists and turns in the story involving an array of odd, interesting minor characters. Add all of that to the budding romance between Brooks and Braun and you have an excellent example of steampunk literature at its best. I would highly recommend the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novels to readers who like lighthearted steampunk stories or anyone looking for a thrilling book to take to the beach.

Ria Bridges

A very fun high-action steampunk series!

Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2015

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After enjoying the high-action steampunk adventures of Books and Braun in Phoenix Rising, I figured it was about time to return and continue following along with the escapades of this dynamic duo. This time, however, they’re unofficially investigating the disappearances of women involved in the suffragist movement, women campaigning for voting rights and equality.

Eliza Braun has a personal connection to the suffragist movement and the disappearances occurring within its membership, but even if she didn’t, she’s the sort to follow that lead anyway. She’s not the type to see a mystery and just say, “Well, somebody else will take care of it.” I love that about her. She sees problems and starts working on the solutions. She’s a fantastic character to read about, strong-willed and feisty, always on the go, sure of herself even when others seem bent on forcing her into a mold for which she isn’t suited.

Wellington Books, on the other hand, is a character I love to follow because he’s studious and composed and yet there’s so much more to him than meets the eye. He’s the kind of person I’d have wanted to be when I grew up, had I read these books years and years ago. And put together with Eliza, they make such a great team with a great mix of personalities that you can’t help but want to read more about them. I adore the way they play off each other.

Plot-wise, there’s a lot going on here. While Books and Braun are investigating the disappearances of suffragists (off the record, of course, because they’ve been specifically told not to investigate at all), we also get insight into Eliza’s past and her romantic life, a conspiracy within the Ministry itself, a handful of intertwining subplots to keep things going even when the main plot has come to a bit of a standstill. None of the subplots feel forced or tacked on; they flow quite naturally, since really, when do any of us only have to deal with one thing at a time in life? Combine this with plenty of action and tension and you’ve got yourself a winning formula that keeps the entertainment coming.

Unsurprisingly, there’s a lot of social commentary woven into the story, particularly about the place of women in society and the rights thereof. The Janus Affair is one of those books that can really get you thinking about the history of women struggling for equal rights to men, and the setbacks to the movement. Ballantine and Morris do not go into extreme detail about some of the punishments given to women imprisoned for their campaigns, but they do make mention of historically accurate issues such as being force-fed through tubes after going on hunger strikes. But even the milder refusals to concede that women are equal to men can rankle, especially when it comes from characters you expect better on. Even Books made a comment that seems relatively benign but still relegates women to the realm of the “gentle, lesser sex.” For those who haven’t done much research into the history of women’s right, who have only seen the fights occurring today, some of the content in this book might be a bit of an eye-opener, and a good jumping-off point for further personal research (if you’re anything like me, that is).

I don’t know why I waited so long between reading the first and the second books of this series. Typically I’m not much of a steampunk person, but honestly, the writing and the worldbuilding in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences books more than makes up for any ambivalence I may normally feel. Twice now I’ve been proven wrong, and that’s convinced me that I need to read the third book soon, in preparation for the release of book four. Even if you’re normally hesitant about steampunk novels, this is a very fun series you definitely ought to try.

Amazon Customer

Good cheap fun!

Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2015

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I am well into this series. They are good escapist fun!

It does bother me, though that the author uses many words that she does not know the meaning of and, apparently, there was no editorial oversight at all. Or, of course, the editor was one of those cheap labor, barely literate, newly graduated English--majors who are so often assigned this type of project by publishing houses. So they can "gain experience". Just because it got past Microsoft Word Spell-check--does not make it a valid word to use in that context!

I fully admit I am enjoying these books, but I do miss the original 'alternative history' Sci-fi books that spawned this genre. They described worlds that had an internal logic and consistency that I prefer to this freewheeling, anything goes, fantasy style

Stuart

A Ripping Good Techno-Gothic Yarn!

Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2016

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If you are not a fan of steampunk and techno-gothic fiction, of if you are simply not familiar with these lines of fantasy, this book and the series will be a fun and rewarding introduction. A great read, great fun, well written and thoroughly enjoyable on many levels. A beautiful but hard-nosed female lead, with a penchant for explosives as a problem-solver, teamed up with a straight-laced and too proper gentleman archivist who's self-professed aversion to guns and fisticuffs simply mean he has been seriously underestimated. A ripping good tale, as they might say.

M. Parsons

A bit too horrific for me.

Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2015

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The story was good, but one of the deaths depressed me completely. The poor girl was hung and it took hours before anyone missed her. There didn't seem any reason for that level of violence. Having her found at the 11th hour would still have got people into action. I just cannot see any reason for it. All the poor women dead in the oubliette was quite horrific too. I'm not sure why the storyline needed it. This isn't my kind of author. The storyline is too dark and depressing. I would have liked to have known there was such horror in it before I chose to read it. There are also many grammar and spelling issues. I'm noticing that a lot in books lately. I think they're all being printed too fast with little editing.

Top reviews from other countries

Stuart Castle

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 25, 2015

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Thank you, the book is as stated. I'm looking forward to reading it.

Shirerealms

Great follow up

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 22, 2013

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The book follows on well from their previous work. Developed the characters further. Even the opposition. A good read. Waiting for the next one.

Vicki

Great

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 21, 2014

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Very good- came quickly and in good condition (as I would hope!) yep happy with product- series are a fun read particularly for steam punk fans :)

StuartHewitson

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 31, 2014

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I could not put this down!

Mina

Entertaining Steampunk Adventure

Reviewed in Germany on November 27, 2016

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Note: this is book two in an ongoing steampunk-fantasy series and although one could probably start reading here, I'd recommend to start with “Phoenix Rising”.

Review
It's been a long time that I read book one in this series and I have to admit, I wasn't totally drawn to go back to Eliza D. Braun and her nominally boss Wellington Books, who work as archivists for the “Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences”. I remembered liking “Phoenix Rising”, but there were always other books to read... but now I'm glad, I came back to victorian age steampunk London and the two colleagues, whose gender dynamic is so refreshingly different from other books out of that time, because it's Eliza who wields the firearms and the dynamite and Wellington who is the thinker and tinkerer. But I also liked that there were a few things revealed about good old Welly that shake things up a bit.

Eliza was demoted from field agent to junior archivist, which is how she became Books's partner in the first place, but instead of him influencing her to became more rule-abiding, it's Eliza who drags Books into unsanctioned field work. And this continues here: the suffragettes of the empire who fight hard for women's right to vote and have a say in the world, are targeted. More and more of them disappear and the agent assigned to the cases seems to not work too hard to solve their cases. Since Eliza is part of the suffragette movement [well, of course she is], she feels compelled to help them. And so Books is once again roped into a case, as well.

There is a sinister conspiracy at work, with some nefarious master-mind villain who is able to evade the ministry and will surely continue to try to bring it all down. His whole motivation is not yet revealed and I'm keen on knowing what his game is going to be.
But he is not the only enemy engaging the two agents/archivists, there is a whole lot of them and some turn out to be reluctant and unexpected allies, others stay true to their style.

If you're shipping Eliza and Welly, there is some sizzling situations, but things get complicated when Eliza's first love from New Zealand arrives. I have to say, I detest him, but make up your own mind.

If there is something I did not like, it was the at times over-the-top language that made the whole thing seem like a satire. Everything was “dapper” or “dashing” and the like and no, I did not care for that. And the book felt a teeny-tiny bit too long, impairing the pacing at times. But overall, I liked the book, the world and the characters and I think I'll be back.

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