Lucy is an agent for the crown charged to ensure
important plans being delivered to the American government actually arrive and
don’t fall into the hands of a hostile foreign power: especially as tensions
rise and Britain’s new Martian technology is in high demand.
As a dhampire, a half-vampire, she is uniquely qualified
for this role – and for vampire slaying. Which is complicated when a vampire
joins her on the HMS Titanic – and a vampire that conflicts so strongly with
what she has been taught and tempts her away from both her duty and her
mission.
This is one of those books that frustrates me immensely –
because it’s only a book. Worse, it’s only a short story. Because, by all that
is awesome, why is this not a book series? Why is it not a book series covering
many many many books?
Bisexual female dhampire secret agent working for the
government in a Steampunk setting that has the feel of both The League of Extraordinary Gentleman and
Penny Dreadful pulling in all those
Victoriana stories from Martian invasions to vampires and men raised in the
wilderness – and so much more. All of it mixed in with real world politics of
the time adding some nice intrigue to the story of the supernatural secret
agent. All of this world building is nicely hinted at, included briefly but not
overwhelming the actual plot and development of this short story.
Of course the bitterness of that is there’s so much of
this world building which we could so play with! I want to see it all, the
martial technology, the supernaturals incorporated into the world and government
agencies and Lucy’s own personal situation and development and growth as a
dhampire.
With this world we have a nice plot that does an
excellent balance between action and development and world building that really
just left me wanting more because there’s so much potential. Lucy’s story and
development, lots of intrigue and lots of action which is really well written
along with lots of emotional; development and world building all perfectly
balanced.
There was also some excellent social commentary mixed in
and blended well with the character’s opinions, challenging them without making
them anachronistic. Even Lucy – she has a massive class prejudice that is excellently
challenged. And even as a woman she has absorbed a lot of the sexism of
society, assuming she is the exception – the Exceptional woman – because she’s
a dhampire so stronger than fragile human women; only to have that excellently
challenged. At the same time she still has to navigate the restrictions
applying to women at the time. There’s some subtle poking of what is considered
civilisation especially important in this age of empires as well as some denial
of racism though there’s only one briefly mentioned POC in this book. We also
have a brief look at the ethnic hatred that so consumed Europe at this time
(and hasn’t faded nearly enough).
All of this is wonderfully blended into the opinions and
lives of the characters there and reflected in the challenges Lucy faces
without any convoluted PSA style inserts. And it’s mixed in with Lucy’s only
complex as she’s torn between her duty to the government and her mission, her
affection for Clarimel and what she has been taught about vampires versus what
she can clearly observe and feel. It’s a lot of really good personal complex.
I am left frustrated, yet again, because there isn’t
more. More Lucy, more of this world, more of her doing missions among intrigue,
war preparing Europe, facing all the creatures of legend, penny dreadfuls and
steampunk fame. There is something so terribly sad about an awesome book that
ends too soon.
