European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman

By: Theodora Goss

Narrated by: Kate Reading

In the sequel to the Nebula finalist The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter, Mary Jekyll and the rest of the daughters of mad scientists from literature embark on a madcap adventure across Europe to rescue another monstrous girl and stop the Alchemical Society’s nefarious plans once and for all.

Mary Jekyll’s life has been peaceful since she helped Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson solve the Whitechapel Murders. Beatrice Rappaccini, Catherine Moreau, Justine Frankenstein, and Mary’s sister Diana Hyde have settled into the Jekyll household in London, and although they sometimes quarrel, the members of the Athena Club get along as well as any five young women with very different personalities. At least they can always rely on Mrs. Poole.

But when Mary receives a telegram that Lucinda Van Helsing has been kidnapped, the Athena Club must travel to the Austro-Hungarian Empire to rescue yet another young woman who has been subjected to horrific experimentation. Where is Lucinda, and what has Professor Van Helsing been doing to his daughter? Can Mary, Diana, Beatrice, and Justine reach her in time?

Racing against the clock to save Lucinda from certain doom, the Athena Club embarks on a madcap journey across Europe. From Paris to Vienna to Budapest, Mary and her friends must make new allies, face old enemies, and finally confront the fearsome, secretive Alchemical Society. It’s time for these monstrous gentlewomen to overcome the past and create their own destinies.

Great story and marvellous reader!

Great story and marvellous reader of a story truly refreshing as well as well researched

Loved it!

Great characters. Fun story with unexpected twists. Awesome narration. Kate Reading brings the characters to life as no one else can!

amazing reader, amazing book

This was exactly what I needed. Thanks. Women who enjoy both Terry Pratchett and Jane Austen will concur.

Even better than the first book!

Wonderfully written sequel! Narrator is a performer! This is a story you won't want to put down. Read by a fabulous narrator! #Victorian #GirlPower #ClassicMonsters #QualitySequel #Captivating

What a great book!

I cannot wait for the 3rd book in this series. I enjoyed the 1st and 2nd so much.

hilarious and definitely a must read

I've come to really like the characters and their weird and, honestly, zany adventures. The whole side conversations between the characters and coming in and out of the narration didn't really bother me, though they some quotes were overused. Definitely worth a listen to.

Book Number Two was Extraordinary.

Dear Ms. Goss,

Please continue with these Very Enjoyable and Entertaining stories of the Athena Club. How soon can we expect the next one with Holmes and Watson returning with The Evil Professor?

just as good as the first

it is rare that a sequel in a trilogy is as engaging as the first but this was! delightful reading.

I love this collection!

What fun! I particularly love the clever way the relationship between the characters unfold. The integration of real historical figures and fictional characters is very well done.

The character’s personalities are strong and unique. I grow weary of Diana’s endless whining but all the other characters are fascinating and expertly brought to life by Kate Reading’s stellar performance.

A Monstrous Victorian Delight

Finishing this book earlier today, I felt very much like Diana: greedily demanding more as soon as I'd polished off what I'd been served.

This is a novel for people who like to play about with novels the way other people like to play about disassembling and reassembling car engines. You take the great classic monster stories of English literature, let them stew awhile until you get a fresh generation of characters, muddle them up with the next era of adventure stories (some turned inside-out to show the fresh color on the underside), draw out an exciting story and then write a script about the writing of THAT story, and you get this.

Chases, escapes, mysteries, a little bit of romance, a lot of strong personalities clashing with one another, an excellent dose of historical research and a healthy dollop of authorial snark. This book answered so many questions from the first, but opened up so many new ones I'm now prepared to camp out on Theodora Gloss's doorstep like a Baker Street Irregular until she coughs up another manuscript.