God Save the Queen

The Immortal Empire, Book 1

By: Kate Locke

Narrated by: Courtney Patterson

Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's Summary

The first in an alternate fantasy series where vampires, werewolves, and goblins rule London.

Queen Victoria rules with an immortal fist. The undead matriarch presides over a Britain where the Aristocracy is made up of werewolves and vampires, where goblins live underground and mothers know better than to let their children out after dark. It's a world where the nobility are infected with the Plague (side-effects include undeath), Hysteria is the popular affliction of the day, and leeches are considered a delicacy. And a world where technology lives side by side with magic. 

The year is 2012 and Pax Britannia still reigns.

Xandra Vardan is a member of the elite Royal Guard, and it is her duty to protect the Aristocracy. But when her sister goes missing, Xandra will set out on a path that undermines everything she believed in and uncover a conspiracy that threatens to topple the empire. And she is the key - the prize - in a very dangerous struggle.

The fantastic start to The Immortal Empire series that continues with the spectacular undead books, The Queen is Dead and Long Live the Queen. 

©2012 Kate Locke (P)2012 Hachette Audio

Critic Reviews

Rapid-paced action and an original interpretation of goblins...add much to differentiate Locke's fantasy from the rest of the pack." (The Library Journal)

"[A] fresh, witty, and darkly beautiful ride...you'll enjoy every minute of adventure and mystery." (Philippa Ballantine author of Geist) 

"Locke's writing is smart and fast-paced, full of sharp dialogue and vivid detail. This stylish, original story is perfectly suited to a wonderfully constructed world." (Publishers Weekly on God Save the Queen) 

We Were Amused

Interesting new series which is probably more Urban Fantasy meets Historical Romance than Steampunk. I would also put this as a crossover from Young adult to adult. Small amount of sex, a lot of English swearing and violence.

I could not help but find similarities to Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate but it is not any where near as amusing and is far more gritty and most of the humour comes from anachronistic paraphernalia and altered history lines. There were no World Wars, Hitler was a failed artist, tampons, rotaries, bloomers and corsets are every day regalia and Sid Vicious and Queen Victoria Co-exist. The humour is more wry. Queen Victoria, a Vampire is not deceased and still rules with a Fang of Iron. This is a new world that we have not been privy too before.

The author is Canadian from the East Coast and is a big anglophile. Although a lot of the terms and speech in the book is truly English you can tell in places it has been adopted for the NA market, this does not detract from the mainly authentic feeling of a modern day Victorian London. The narrator does a good job. She keeps the story moving at the fast pace it deserves and gives Xandra a feisty edge that makes her believable and eminently likable even though she is a little unhinged at times. She is rather spoiled and tunnel visioned believeing all she is told but is staunchly loyal and protective For the UK listeners: I did find the narrator's accent a little odd as most times she spoke with a middle to upper class accent but on occasion used the harder As used in the Northern part of the country.

The reason I do not find this novel to be truly Steampunk is that there are not inventions before their time and very little science jargon and the usual suspects of Steampunk and not a single derigible in sight. The science seems to be more genetic and torture related being of a most disturbing nature. Again like the Parasol Protectorate there is a lot of dialogue about the types of food consumed, relationships with family and work and the outcast protagonist having an alpha boyfriend. Although women seem to not be under the Rule Of Thumb and have a say.

After the Plague during Victoria's reign the virus slowly turned the aristocrats into vampires and some of them (especially the Scottish contingent) into werewolves. Humans still existed and another breed emerged, a cross of the strongest humans with the Aristos has produced another group called Halvies who are used to protect the Aristos. Our protagonist is one of these and they are distinguishable mainly by their unnaturally coloured hair, speed adn strength.. Last and not least there are the Goblins living under the City.... There is a vague harry Potter feel at times but there is no magic. It is all genetic.

In the present time, London operates as usual, only the aristocrats and Queen Victoria are still ruling. The vampires have some sort of celebrity status, while normal people live no different apart from donating a pint of their blood occasionally and keeping a record of their DNA with state's hospitals so they can be monitored for the virus development. Also they always keep their children in after dark knowing a seedy adn brutal underworld exists adn they are not safe..

There is much unrest and attempts of revolution which will give people more rights and diminish the rule of aristocracy. Bedlam, the infamous mental institution still exists and many Halvies end up behind it's formidable walls. There is also a strange destructive drug that allows people to borrow the supernatural strength of those affected by The Plague however. humans will not last long on this.

Xandra Vardan is quite content with her life as a special guard, living with her half sister and brother, until her younger sister, Dee Dee, goes missing and a body burned beyond recognition is identified as Dee Dee. Then the plot takes off and were are lead into the underworld and lots of truths are revealed and twists and turns occur that shake the foundations of Xandra's belief system. Forcing her to see the truth of those around her and herself. As everything falls away she does not know who to trust.

One of the things I was not so keen on was that there waas an invented words for this verse, a bit like in A Clockwork Orange, that got very overused which again made me feel it was aimed at a younger audience.

I loved Kate Locke's non nonsense style with likable characters, action and a good deal of punching, Xandra is straightforward and likable and I think there will be great times ahead in the rest of the series.

Fresh take on a modern day steampunkish world

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

Yes, this is the type of fantasy adventure story that I enjoy.

Would you recommend God Save the Queen to your friends? Why or why not?

It would depend upon the friend. Not many of my friends read fantasy like I do.

What does Courtney Patterson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She does a great job with the accents.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Why, yes, I would.

Locke Rules!

Re-read Update: I loved this book. I liked the direction that the author took with the character, but I can't really say why without some major, major spoilers, but those of you who like a good story won't be disappointed. One thing that I did enjoy is that the main character was surrounded by her 'people'. In a lot(most?) of UF the main character is so solitary they may as well have grown up in a test tube--despite years of life, there is no 'life' around them. Not here, Xandra's is full of siblings, mentors, long-term acquaintances, etc. It is as full and messy as real life and I appreciated that aspect.

If you are looking for PNR or the detailed love scene, I'm not sure this is the book for you. There is a love interest, but that is not the end game to the story, and while Xandra has a healthy respect for sex, it no more rules her story than it does her mind.

Imaginative and Engaging

I didn't know what to expect from GSTQ: I bought it on the strength of its rating and the reviews. I'm happy to say those positive reviews are warranted.

There is a strong romantic element to this story, and while I am not by any means a fan of romance novels, I have to admit I enjoyed experiencing the protagonist's budding romance with another major character.

I particularly liked the main character, who although strong and tough, is somewhat naive and rather bigoted. I particularly appreciated this aspect of the character, because her (anti-human, anti-Goblin) bigotry is a big part of her character, but is handled with delicacy. Moreover, like real-life prejudices, hers are not erased in the blink of an eye.

The speculative history is fun, and the author's note at the beginning helps straighten things out before the story even starts. However, I found the appendix at the end to be dry and more information than I wanted or needed. Still, it's short, and in no way detracts from the work as a whole.

The narrator adds a sophisticated and very listenable element to the story.

A surprising Pleasure

I purchased God Save the Queen during a lull in other book series I was reading based on mainly the reader's reviews. I was not disappointed and now I can't wait for the next book in this series.

The story took a little at the start before it started to pull me in but when it did, I couldn't put it down. It is a refreshing tale that I'm sure will entertain you as it entertained me.

The book has vampires, goblins, and even werewolves but their story is told in a refreshingly different style. Goblins are almost always little dingy monsters with sharp teeth that are mainly used as battle fodder but here they are dangerous to the extreme even when alone. It is not the same old take on the same old characters.

This book also does a great job at mixing up the modern science and technology with the magical and mystical. One does not preclude the other but instead the author meshes them together very well and in a manner that draws the reader into the story.

Give it a chance and I think you'll enjoy the book.

Loved it

Any additional comments?

Fascinating creation of a Streampunk world set in a fantastically alternated modern London, where Queen Victoria still reigns as a Vampire. The novel also includes a really well done mystery plot and a nicely written romance. I highly recommend.

Character Growth Well Done

The main character has some pretty intense character flaws at the beginning of the book. She learns and grows and that's pretty well done. I had trouble getting into the book because the particular character flaw she has is something that I absolutely cannot stand, I legitimately dislike her in the beginning, but she grew.

enjoyed this steampunk tale

Was much better than i expected. Nicely plotted, interesting world building. WIll be listening to the next to hear more about Xandra

Hell yeah!

This is exactly the kind of book I've been wanting recently. Cant wait to start the next one!

Not so much steampunk

If you are only looking at this book from a steampunk kind of view, you might be disappointed, but if you go in with an open mind you will be most surprised at how entertaining this book is.
Vampires, Royals, Werewolves, Goblins all in one story and all re-imagined. I was most pleasantly surprised and couldn't stop listening to the entire series. The only sad part was how quickly I was done with it and found myself missing the characters.