Regular price: £30.99
This boxed set contains the first three books in C. J. Archer's popular Ministry of Curiosities series. Titles in the set include The Last Necromancer, Her Majesty's Necromancer, and Beyond the Grave. Description of The Last Necromancer: For five years, Charlotte (Charlie) Holloway has lived as a boy in the slums. But when one theft too many gets her arrested, her only means of escape lies with a dead man.
Sir Richard Francis Burton is an explorer, linguist, scholar, and swordsman. His reputation has been tarnished, his career is in tatters, and his former partner is missing and probably dead. Algernon Charles Swinburne is an unsuccessful poet and follower of de Sade, for whom pain is pleasure and brandy is ruin. The two men are sucked into the perilous depths of this moral and ethical vacuum, when Lord Palmerston commissions Burton to investigate assaults on young women.
The game is afoot! London's geniuses are being picked off by a vicious killer, and Emma Bannon, a sorceress in the service of the Empire, must protect the next target, Archibald Clare. Unfortunately he's more interested in solving the mystery of the murders than staying alive . . . In a world where illogical magic has turned the Industrial Revolution on its head, Bannon and Clare will face dark sorcery, cannon fire, high treason and the vexing problem of reliably finding hansom cabs in the city.
On behalf of queen, country...and the perfect pot of tea. When Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama (Rue to her friends) is given an unexpected dirigible, she does what any sensible female would under similar circumstances - names it the Spotted Crumpet and floats to India in pursuit of the perfect cup of tea. But India has more than just tea on offer. Rue stumbles upon a plot involving local dissidents, a kidnapped brigadier's wife, and some awfully familiar Scottish werewolves.
It is 1864, and London is a city in transition. The Constantine Affliction - a strange malady that kills some of its victims and physically transforms others into the opposite sex - has spread scandal and upheaval throughout society. Scientific marvels and disasters, such as clockwork courtesans, the alchemical fires of Whitechapel, electric carriages, and acidic monsters lurking in the Thames, have forever altered the face of the city.
At 17, Claire Trevelyan, daughter of Viscount St. Ives, was expected to do nothing more than pour an elegant cup of tea, sew a fine seam, and catch a rich husband. Unfortunately, Claire's talents lie not in the ballroom, but in the chemistry lab, where things have a regrettable habit of blowing up. When her father gambles the estate on the combustion engine and loses, Claire finds herself down and out on the mean streets of London. But being a young woman of resources and intellect, she turns fortune on its head. It's not long before a new leader rises in the underworld, known only as the Lady of Devices...
This boxed set contains the first three books in C. J. Archer's popular Ministry of Curiosities series. Titles in the set include The Last Necromancer, Her Majesty's Necromancer, and Beyond the Grave. Description of The Last Necromancer: For five years, Charlotte (Charlie) Holloway has lived as a boy in the slums. But when one theft too many gets her arrested, her only means of escape lies with a dead man.
Sir Richard Francis Burton is an explorer, linguist, scholar, and swordsman. His reputation has been tarnished, his career is in tatters, and his former partner is missing and probably dead. Algernon Charles Swinburne is an unsuccessful poet and follower of de Sade, for whom pain is pleasure and brandy is ruin. The two men are sucked into the perilous depths of this moral and ethical vacuum, when Lord Palmerston commissions Burton to investigate assaults on young women.
The game is afoot! London's geniuses are being picked off by a vicious killer, and Emma Bannon, a sorceress in the service of the Empire, must protect the next target, Archibald Clare. Unfortunately he's more interested in solving the mystery of the murders than staying alive . . . In a world where illogical magic has turned the Industrial Revolution on its head, Bannon and Clare will face dark sorcery, cannon fire, high treason and the vexing problem of reliably finding hansom cabs in the city.
On behalf of queen, country...and the perfect pot of tea. When Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama (Rue to her friends) is given an unexpected dirigible, she does what any sensible female would under similar circumstances - names it the Spotted Crumpet and floats to India in pursuit of the perfect cup of tea. But India has more than just tea on offer. Rue stumbles upon a plot involving local dissidents, a kidnapped brigadier's wife, and some awfully familiar Scottish werewolves.
It is 1864, and London is a city in transition. The Constantine Affliction - a strange malady that kills some of its victims and physically transforms others into the opposite sex - has spread scandal and upheaval throughout society. Scientific marvels and disasters, such as clockwork courtesans, the alchemical fires of Whitechapel, electric carriages, and acidic monsters lurking in the Thames, have forever altered the face of the city.
At 17, Claire Trevelyan, daughter of Viscount St. Ives, was expected to do nothing more than pour an elegant cup of tea, sew a fine seam, and catch a rich husband. Unfortunately, Claire's talents lie not in the ballroom, but in the chemistry lab, where things have a regrettable habit of blowing up. When her father gambles the estate on the combustion engine and loses, Claire finds herself down and out on the mean streets of London. But being a young woman of resources and intellect, she turns fortune on its head. It's not long before a new leader rises in the underworld, known only as the Lady of Devices...
Camden, North London. A tangled, mangled junction of train lines, roads and waterways. Where minor celebrities hang out with minor criminals and where tourists and moody teenagers mingle. In the heart of Camden, where rail meets road meets leyline, you might find the Arcana Emporium, run by one Alex Verus. He won't sell you a wand or mix you a potion, but if you know what you're looking for, he might just be able to help.
Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, which harvests fiction from different realities. And along with her enigmatic assistant, Kai, she's posted to an alternative London. Their mission: to retrieve a dangerous book. But when they arrive, it's already been stolen. London's underground factions seem prepared to fight to the very death to find her book.
Most witches don't work for police departments, but Michelle isn't your average witch. She's clanless, looking for a warlock who isn't offended by her lack of family connections, and in danger of losing her job if she can't find the eight escaped trolls before they start eating the local residents. Trolls, angry police, and misbehaving spells are the least of her problems. Statues attacking homeowners might be problematic for your average witch, but to Michelle it's another day at the office.
London, 1884. Sidney Grice is restless, having filed his latest case under S, for 'still to be solved', to await further inspiration. His ward, March Middleton, remains determined to uncover the truth. Geraldine Hockaday was outraged on the murky streets of Limehouse. Yet her attacker is still on the loose. But then a chance encounter brings a new victim to light, and it seems clear March and Grice are on the trail of a serial offender.
India Steele is desperate. Her father is dead, her fiancé took her inheritance, and no one will employ her, despite years working for her watchmaker father. Indeed, the other London watchmakers seem frightened of her. Alone, poor, and at the end of her tether, India takes employment with the only person who'll accept her - an enigmatic and mysterious man from America, a man who possesses a strange watch that rejuvenates him when he's ill.
The La Fleur restaurant has a slew of unusual phenomena. Bonnet-clad apparitions pass through walls, blood leaks from ceilings and rats besiege the dining room. Experts from the Great Essex Witch Museum are called in to quell these strange sights. But before Rosie Strange and Sam Stone can do their thing, events turn darker. For La Fleur's chef has been strung up and slaughtered like a pig. More oddly, the only witness, the owner's daughter Mary, swears blind a ghost did it.
Most people avoid the dreaded Whitechapel district. For Honoria Todd, it's the last safe haven. But at what price? Blade is known as the master of the rookeries - no one dares cross him. It's been said he faced down the Echelon's army single-handedly, that ever since being infected by the blood craving he's been quicker, stronger, almost immortal. When Honoria shows up at his door, his tenuous control comes close to snapping. She's so... innocent.
Gower Street, London, 1882: Sidney Grice, London's most famous personal detective, is expecting a visitor. He drains his fifth pot of morning tea, and glances outside, where a young, plain woman picks her way between the piles of horse-dung towards his front door. Sidney Grice shudders. For heaven's sake - she is wearing brown shoes. The Mangle Street Murders is for those who like their crime original, atmospheric, and very, very funny.
The complete set of The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire trilogy, featuring The Bullet Catcher's Daughter, Unseemly Science and The Custodian of Marvels. Elizabeth Barnabus lives a double life - as herself and as her brother, the private detective. She is trying to solve the mystery of a disappearing aristocrat and a hoard of arcane machines. In her way stand the rogues, freaks and self-proclaimed alchemists of a travelling circus....
In 1870s London, a city of contradictions and improbabilities, a dead man pilots an airship and living men are willing to risk all to steal a carp. Here, a night of bangers and ale at the local pub can result in an eternity at the Blood Pudding with the rest of the reanimated dead.... A comic science-fiction novel first published in 1986. It took the Philip K Dick award that year, and was the second book in Blaylock's loose steampunk trilogy, following The Digging Leviathan (1984) and preceding Lord Kelvin's Machine (1992).
Beneath the towering bleached ribs of a dead, ancient beast lies New Crobuzon, a squalid city where humans, Re-mades, and arcane races live in perpetual fear of Parliament and its brutal militia. The air and rivers are thick with factory pollutants and the strange effluents of alchemy, and the ghettos contain a vast mix of workers, artists, spies, junkies, and whores. In New Crobuzon, the unsavory deal is stranger to none—not even to Isaac, a brilliant scientist with a penchant for Crisis Theory.
It is 1889 and The Scottish Play is coming home. But before the darling couple of London theatre, Henry Irving and Ellen Terry, take their acclaimed Macbeth to the Edinburgh stage terror treads the boards. A grisly message found smeared across the cobbles in blood, foretelling someone's demise. As the bloody prophecies continue to appear Edinburgh's own beloved pair - Detective 'Nine-Nails' McGray and Inspector Ian Frey - enter the scene.
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!
What made the experience of listening to Phoenix Rising the most enjoyable?
All audiobooks bring characters to life more than the written word. Apart from the seriously bad New Zealand accent of the female lead, this was well read and easy on the ear. Will someone please tell narrators that New Zealanders sound more English than the Australian accent that they are usually given?
What was one of the most memorable moments of Phoenix Rising?
The beginning. The first chapter. It starts off with a bang (literally) and sets the pace for nearly the whole book.
What about James Langton’s performance did you like?
See above about listening and the accents.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
None that could be named without spoiling. Several parts spooked me a bit.
Any additional comments?
This was a thoroughly enjoyable listen. I already have the second one and have requested more to be added to the Audible site.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
If you could sum up Phoenix Rising in three words, what would they be?
Really enjoyable romp
What did you like best about this story?
When I began listening to this I seriously wandered if I had wasted my money but by chapter three I was well & truly hooked
Have you listened to any of James Langton’s other performances? How does this one compare?
This is my first James Langton listen but I thought his performance was excellent.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No I listened to this at work over a period of three or four days.
Any additional comments?
I bought this on a whim and I have to say I really enjoyed it, the story was strong, Eliza & Wellington were very believable characters, a well constructed tale well told, I will be listening to more of this series.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
What an unusual, funny and quriky book, this book is not what I would normally choose but I found it engrossing, Eliza and Welly are 2 great characters, I loved all the inventions, it's like a victorian James Bond story, full of humour and a little bit saucy as well.
I shall definitely be purchasing the second story for more fast paced thrills and spills.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful
Steampunk meets the X Files
Phoenix Rising is well narrated, has an engaging central duo and a well-paced story with dramatic set-pieces. Good news and probably enough to persuade me to download the next book in the series.
All of the above is nearly ruined by some rather clunky writing (over-use of the phrase "quite the", frequent Americanisms mis-use of some words e.g. "mnemonic" for "memento"). The characters range from the anachronistically modern (Eliza Braun) to crude caricatures (most of the baddies) and the occasional forays into (soft core) pornography more embarrassing than erotic.
Still, the book's good points slightly outweigh its bad points and, if you are a fan of steampunk, you'll probably enjoy this.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
There is far too much in this book that is utterly anachronistic - turns of phrase and general behaviour and attitudes of the central protagonists being the main problems.
Would you be willing to try another one of James Langton’s performances?
It piqued my curiosity enough to try the next in the series.
You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?
The central premise is interesting - it is basically a Victorian X-Files (but without the supernatural)
Any additional comments?
Not terrible, but there is some far better steam-punk about - Alan K Baker, Mark Hodder and Chris Wooding all spring to mind.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Immensely enjoyable. Brilliant story beautifully read. From the first words I was completely immersed & engrossed.
a decent introduction to the world, with plenty of mystery and action, coupled with a good degree of character development
Imaginative story, fun characters, immersive steam punk world. Some very dark storylines, so not suitable for younger readers. Good narration and character voices bringing them to life. The narrator was good at getting the tone right to convey the sarcasm and wit of the characters. interested to see what happens to these two next.
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
Not really, Eliza D. Braun is not at all a likeable character, which tends to put me off a book - Not the existence of an unlikeable character (nasty, self-centred, and manipulative) but for them to be one of the main protagonists is not an encouragement to continuing with the book.
Would you be willing to try another book from Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris ? Why or why not?
Probably not, given the likely hood of such an unlikeable protagonist cropping up again is not an encouragement to continue with the series.
It took me a little to get into this but once there I was hooked. This is a book about an unlikely duo, a young experienced agent who is a bit gung-ho and is investigating an old, cold case and the librarian.. sorry no.. the Archivist she's teamed up with as a punishment. Their complementary skills and contrasting styles and a tale filled with pace and excitement lead to a cracking good read.
Now where's book two and three?
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As a final comment I'd like to include that it's definitely an adult book because of one particular scene, you might not want to share it with younger readers till you've got past that point.
I was very pleasantly surprised to listen to this book - great main characters, fast paced steampunk mystery. The narration is great, and James Langton does a very good job depicting the different characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as a funny light mystery, and am about to explore Pip Ballantine's other novels.
25 of 25 people found this review helpful
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes. It's a great beach or vacation book. It's fun, easy, and amusing.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Phoenix Rising?
The initial meeting between the two main characters.
Which character – as performed by James Langton – was your favorite?
Wellington Books. He's calm, academic, and yet funny.
Any additional comments?
It's a typical steampunk adventure. A fun brain break worth your time but don't expect anything insightful or surprising. Eliza (the heroine) is pulled right from any feisty romance novel. The male lead, Wellington Books, is a bit more interesting. It's brain candy.
18 of 18 people found this review helpful
What a great book! Eliza D. Braun and her partner Wellington Books are fun to listen to and entertaining to follow, you never know what’s next. The mix of mayhem and comedy make this audio book hard to turn off, so make sure you are ready to get angry at anyone who tries to disrupt you. If you've never listened to a steam punk novel I suggest that you make this one your first. I really hope that Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine will continue to write more about these two.
20 of 21 people found this review helpful
I listened to to this to see if I was at interested in it. Wow, I was impressed. It has left me with a desire to find, and wear, a bullet proof corset. This a a nicely written series and I really liked it. Love the narration by James Langton.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
I'm not a qualified steampunk reader, so forgive me if I hit things with an obvious stick, but what fun! For those, like me, who are strangers to this universe: the science is wonky, steam powered and fantastical. History is not following the course that it did in our history books, so don't be alarmed by drastic departures. At times this seems like both an homage to and a parody of Victorian fantastic fiction, but with a thoroughly modern sensibility. I love that the male lead character is allowed to decide to be gentile and mannered and horrified by the behavior of the female lead character who is fierce and cunning, while at the same time fascinated by her. The role reversal seems natural and satisfying, both for the characters and for me, the reader.
I see this so often in the youngsters my son knows: gentle boys and fierce girls. Perhaps that is why this kind of literature is so popular with their generation. This world is turned on its head, but in a way perhaps it is truer than the world we live in.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
Any additional comments?
I'm not a fan of steam punk but this is a book that could get me interested in the genre. I'm definetly looking forward to the second book.
12 of 13 people found this review helpful
A great introduction to the steampunk genre and a wonderful first book in what I hope will be a very long series. The main characters are charismatic and have an excellent chemistry. Well written and narrated. Worth the credit.
17 of 19 people found this review helpful
We've seen these characters before.
We've heard this story before.
But there's something compelling about the way they are strung together.
No surprises...but a very listenable book.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
The narrator was great, and although the story was a little silly it was certainly enjoyable. Action packed. It kept my attention, which is exactly what I was hoping for.
11 of 13 people found this review helpful