European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman is the sequel that takes the Athena Club (Mary Jekyll, Catherine Moreau, Beatrice Rappaccini, Justine Frankenstein, and Diana Hyde) on another exciting adventure.
Don't read this one without having read the The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter first; the sequel depends on the characterizations established in the first book.
The Athena Club faces new and old enemies as they attempt a rescue of Lucy Van Helsing. New and interesting characters include Mina Murray Harker and Irene Adler Norton.
As in the first book, all the characters taken from the original novels and short stories (by Bram Stoker, Robert Louis Stevenson, Mary Shelley, Nathaniel Hawthorne, H.G. Wells, Conan Doyle) are turned on their heads. If you enjoyed any or all of the originals, you will find the Athena Club mash-ups great fun.
All of that said, however, this one is a tad long and could have been improved by judicious editing of at least 100 or so pages.
Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed European Travel and look forward to the next adventures of the "monstrous women" of the Athena Club.
Purchased.
Victorian/Fantasy. 2018. Print length: 780 pages.
I still need to read the first one. But I fully intend to get to it before the end of the year. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, you need the first one before reading European Travels. :)
DeleteI love that cover and title. It's worth reading for that alone. :-) I haven't read the first book though, so need to do that first.
ReplyDeleteThe first one is a lot of fun. Just imagining the roles of these women is intriguing. :O
DeleteI've heard mixed things about the first book, but this series sounds like so much fun. I think I will at least give The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter a whirl and see what I think.
ReplyDeleteI liked the first one a great deal, but I'd read all of the original books and short stories more than once so it was especially entertaining to consider the possibilities. :)
DeleteThank you for your comment on my blog about 'Circe' ~ I think it may just be one of my favorites for the year too although I did get really wrapped up in the Game of Thrones series!! This book looks really interesting too. I may have to look into it.
ReplyDelete:) I loved the way Circe presented herself. I loved the first Game of Thrones book best!
DeleteI love the sound of these titles. Sounds like a fun read. Will keep in mind to read the first book first. :)
ReplyDeleteThe first book was a real favorite, but I enjoyed the second one as well. :)
DeleteThis sounds so fun. I've just checked our library and all copies are in use (of course) but will have to remember this. Could be the perfect RIP read!
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