Michael Barnes
In an alternate Victorian era where paranormal creatures openly exist with human beings. The story's point of view is from Samantha (Sam) the daughter of Mina and Jonathan Harker an archivist of The Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomena who is drawn into the work of a field agent to search for clues to the disappearance of her grandfather. Her partner in this is investigation of a series of beastly murders in 1903 Paris is Dr. Helena Moriarty, the daughter of Professor Moriarty. and widely reviled within the Society for the aura of death that seems to follow her (and has seen three previous partners dead already). A beast has been killing wealthy, privileged (terrible) men in Paris and The Society is supposed to figure out why. Through in Jakob Van Helsing (cowboy boots really), son of the famed adventurer and a fellow Society member, is convinced that Sam is showing signs of diabolical powers and is determined to make sure she stays pure or dies a monster.
I enjoyed the wide variety of monsters, not just the usual vampires, werewolves but less well known (to many English readers) such as grindlows and carcolhs. The other women in the story are more than just character sketches and the men in the story hold the typical contemptuous attitudes of those times (and even today) so it is a delight when our dynamic duo thwart them.
I have been a fan of these literary mash up ever since I read The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss. As Elyse puts it over at Smart Bitches Trashy Books "What makes Strange Beasts so excellent is that it takes three different genres (romance, Gothic mystery, paranormal action-adventure) and blends them together perfectly. The disparate elements in this novel gel together in a way that enhances each other, rather than feeling discordant".
In an alternate Victorian era where paranormal creatures openly exist with human beings. The story's point of view is from Samantha (Sam) the daughter of Mina and Jonathan Harker an archivist of The Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomena who is drawn into the work of a field agent to search for clues to the disappearance of her grandfather. Her partner in this is investigation of a series of beastly murders in 1903 Paris is Dr. Helena Moriarty, the daughter of Professor Moriarty. and widely reviled within the Society for the aura of death that seems to follow her (and has seen three previous partners dead already). A beast has been killing wealthy, privileged (terrible) men in Paris and The Society is supposed to figure out why. Through in Jakob Van Helsing (cowboy boots really), son of the famed adventurer and a fellow Society member, is convinced that Sam is showing signs of diabolical powers and is determined to make sure she stays pure or dies a monster.
I enjoyed the wide variety of monsters, not just the usual vampires, werewolves but less well known (to many English readers) such as grindlows and carcolhs. The other women in the story are more than just character sketches and the men in the story hold the typical contemptuous attitudes of those times (and even today) so it is a delight when our dynamic duo thwart them.
I have been a fan of these literary mash up ever since I read The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss. As Elyse puts it over at Smart Bitches Trashy Books "What makes Strange Beasts so excellent is that it takes three different genres (romance, Gothic mystery, paranormal action-adventure) and blends them together perfectly. The disparate elements in this novel gel together in a way that enhances each other, rather than feeling discordant".