2012 steampunk SF short novel, very loosely connected with the
Company series. The finest brothel in 19th-century Whitehall… goes
on holiday to Torquay. At least, that was the plan.
Of course, nothing ever goes smoothly; it soon becomes apparent
that another visitor to the town has constructed some form of
sub-marine warship (propelled by and armed with steam, of course; this
is 1848 after all) and is planning to use it to conduct hostilities
against the new French republic. And it seems that all the operatives
of the Gentlemen's Speculative Society are off starting or stopping
revolutions in Europe…
On the face of it, this is a straightforward story of educated whores
using ingenuity and a little advanced technology to deal with a foe.
But it is also a pleasing inversion of the standard tale of the heroic
lone inventor, who saves the world with his miraculous new vessel;
this heroic lone inventor is a bloody nuisance, with no grasp of the
ramifications of his proposed actions.
The Transmitter hummed. A warble in the carrier wave grew into a low
moaning sound, which was evidently originating with Mr. Felmouth.
While the plot is not comedic, the actions are; where Baker has often
excelled is in the deadpan description of the ridiculous, so that the
reader can laugh while still holding the characters in sympathy. The
plot is perhaps a little thin and readily comprehended, but the joy
here is in the writing.
The work was completed after Baker's death by her sister; the style is
caught superbly, and I hope Bartholomew writes more in her own name.
Also, bullet-proof corset stays.
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