Miss Jayne has lost another position without a reference in this first story of The Steampunk Chronicles, Kady Cross' 'The Strange Case of Finley Jayne.'
It's hardly Finley's fault that she was fired. The governess Miss Clarke ought to have known better than to slap her charge hard enough to make him cry, just for taking an extra biscuit from the tea tray. There's no call for that, and in Jayne's estimation she deserved that punch to the mouth.
It's rather odd, though, that a maid her size would be able to swing hard enough to send her flying.
And her teeth must have been in terrible condition for her to lose them so easily.
Finley wonders a bit about this terrible temper she's had of late. Normally a good-humored young lady, recently it's as if there's an invader in her own head. One minute she'll be as docile and calm as ever, and the next she's lashing out at someone, or not holding her tongue as she ought. Hardly a flaw that is acceptable in someone in her position.
Either way, whether it was because of her extraordinary strength, or her lack of control, she's been let off and now she gets to return to her mother and stepfather in disgrace. Again. She's fortunate enough that her parents have the resources to let her stay with them, but she still feels like a burden when she ought to be out working for her living.
Luckily, she's able to leave her parents' care very quickly. It turns out that yes, word of her ignoble departure from her last position has indeed made it into the gossip that swirls around London's upper-class households. While most would assume that a lady of the house would avoid such an unpredictable maid as Finley, there is in fact one Lady looking for someone just like her.
Lady Morton needs a companion for her youngest daughter. About the same age as Miss Jayne, her duties would essentially involve being the girl's shadow, following her to dances and out visiting and such. After being a maid, it's much less demanding work, and for much better pay as well. It turns out, Lady Morton appreciates that a maid would defend a child with no thought to her own position in the household.
It's a good thing that Miss Phoebe will have such a protective companion. Her father has made a match of convenience for her, as the man is willing to cover his many gambling debts and keep him funded in the future. Her betrothed is quite a bit older than her, and the more Phoebe's mother and Finley find out about him, the more uneasy they are about the whole situation.
Kady Cross sets the stage for her Steampunk Chronicles series with a novella introducing us to the heroine of the first full-length novel. Lots of threads are left unfinished, as these will be addressed later in the series, but the main story story concludes satisfyingly by the end. Cross shows that she can develop an interesting world with sympathetic characters, and leave readers wanting the next story.
Highs: Almost any reader can sympathize with wanting to let that voice making snarky comments out once in awhile.
Lows: None of the overarching questions of the universe or of our main character are answered here, which makes the story rather unsatisfying as a standalone.
Verdict: Well-written, if a bit thin main plot, perhaps better enjoyed after reading the first full-length story.
Further Reading: The Girl in the Steel Corset, God Save the Queen, A Study in Silks, Steam & Sorcery
Most vampire and werewolf mythologies assume that these creatures have been in existence for millenia. In fact, the origins of these creatures is generally not addressed at all; it is simply taken for granted that they exist and the narrative moves on.
In God Save the Queen by Kate Locke, this vampire, werewolf and goblin issue is a relatively recent development. Having dealt with the Black Plague time and again over the centuries, the immune systems of humans, especially nobility, have adapted in strange ways. As explained in the 'Understanding the Aristocracy' appendix, the two variants of this adaptive ''Prometheus Gene' can cause either vampirism or werewolf traits when two copies of the same variant is possessed.Having one set of either gene gives the person some of the physical benefits, such as increased strength and stamina. And possessing one of each gene creates a monster that is discarded by civilization. Thankfully, due to extensive gene typing, these accidents are quite rare.
Alexandra Vandry is a Halfsie. She's the daughter of a member of the Aristocracy and a courtesan selected for her ability to produce viable Halfsie offspring. Although she is not a member of the Aristocracy herself, she and children like her are raised with some of the benefits of the upper class. Xandry and her half-siblings were sent to school, and eacht ook a job as part of the security for the Crown and other nobles.
God Saves the Queen begins with a death. Xandry's sister Dede, declared mad after the death of her baby, has been found dead by the officials of the asylum. And although the rest of the family is all too ready to mourn the death of their sister, Xandry refuses to believe that Dede would have killed herself.
As she investigates the whereabouts of Dede in the days leading up to her commitment, the threads holding together Xandry's life begin to unravel. Those she has leaned on her entire life are cast into doubt, and the Goblins that are feared by every right-thinking citizen come to her aid. Xandry will need to decide who she trusts: her family, friends and teachers, or a band of outsiders and traitors to the Crown.
Locke makes a valiant effort to bring this new mythology into the 21st century. It makes perfect sense that a nation ruled by centuries-old beings would be quite traditional in its fashions and societal norms. It also makes sense that technologies such as DNA sequencing and immunology would be more relevant in this alternate timeline and would be more advanced than we have now. The only flaw in this is that it's hard to tell exactly which segments of modern technology are actually present and what names they are given. This is a common flaw in many alternate timeline series, and while frustrating is accepted as par for the course.
In short, God Save the Queen is a fanciful new take on the vampire/werewolf mythos and a charming addition to the 'bustlepunk' subgenre of steampunk. One also assumes that the world in which the story takes place will only be more fully defined in subsequent books. This is an entertaining story that leaves the reader eagerly anticipating the next volume.
Highs: The betrayals, reversals and revelations come fast and furious at times, but are always believable and founded in some sort of pre-established fact.
Lows: The odd combination of current-day technology with the Victorian overlay can be confusing at times, as can the rather convoluted bloodlines.
Verdict: Hardly the epitome of alternative history or supernatural fiction, nonetheless, this is an enjoyable, engaging fiction.
Further Reading: The Queen is Dead, Soulless
