Reviews

Unseemly Science - Elizabeth Barnabus is now the owner of the Bullet Catcher’s Handbook. She wants to burn it and leave her old life behind, but sometimes things are easier said than done. There is a new charitable organisation in town and something about it puts Elizabeth on edge. Her unstoppable curiosity draws her into the world of body snatching, politics and unseemly science.

Again a fabulous book from Rod Duncan and follows on from The Bullet Catcher's Daughter perfectly. I loved every minute of this book and went straight on to the final in the trilogy because I had to find out what happened.

mimosaeyes's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Better than the first book in the trilogy! I really got a sense of depth and complexity here, a sense of a wider world and a bigger narrative. The public autopsies plot-line was also really in line with the Victorian fascination with the macabre; a nice touch in a steampunk novel. I also like where all the character dynamics are going, particularly

Spoiler

Elizabeth's relationship to Tinker and Julia respectively (and with John Farthing, if I'm being honest)

.

Having

Spoiler

the person Elizabeth is commissioned to find, wind up ice-zombie dead is barely better than the person actually dying, in the first book

, and I wasn't too down with that. Still, excited to see where the third book goes!

almondcookies's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

This book was a very pleasant surprise after the Bullet Catcher's Daughter. The world building was a lot more consistent and fleshed out for my tastes, and the plot less self contained, but that isn't saying much.

A feeling I haven't been able to shake is this series gives me a Series of Unfortunate Events vibe. (In terms of the plot, not the setting. Although the Victorian AU isn't completely dissimilar). in ASOUE, each book is a standalone - they're headed towards this eventual end goal, but all the events that happen in each individual book is relatively minor in the grand scheme of things. ASOUE does that so you can pick up any book and start reading, even if you haven't read the earlier instalments. Maybe that's what Duncan is going for here, but it gives the unfortunate drawback of the storylines not connecting particularly well, evidenced by how we still have yet to see the fall of the gas-lit empire, or even a general plan towards how it could fall.

That being said, there were other nice things about the book. The thriller aspect - who is following them? Why won't they reveal themselves? The mystery and intrigue! This series is pretty plot driven (albeit self contained), as are most mystery books. Not my personal preference, but I definitely still enjoyed it.

We learn more about Julia, whose character is more fleshed out and three dimensional. Tinker returns again, although I wish we could see more of him and his motivations - I'd like a deep dive into him and his relationship with Elizabeth please. However we have yet to see why, oh why is the Duke so hell bent on capturing Elizabeth? I don't want to go into another plot rant, but this seems to be either massive plot point that hasn't been touched upon, OR something used simply as plot device. I've yet to decide which.

fishrgreat's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

daejmonet's review against another edition

Go to review page

I had forgotten how much I had liked the first book in this series, but I was reminded once I started this one. I find myself really falling into the mysteries of this series and I like that the reveal is never unrealistically outlandish. The concept of Elizabeth using her brother's identity in a society that didn't respect women's individuality was genius. I'm excited for the third book in the series, which hopefully involves a romance between Elizabeth and John.

silvernfire's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Last year, I read [b:The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter|20697500|The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter (The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire, #1)|Rod Duncan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1399112088s/20697500.jpg|40316944] and enjoyed it. But it didn't end on a cliff-hanger, so I was in no real hurry to start Unseemly Science. As it turned out, I waited a bit too long. By the time I read this, I'd forgotten a lot about the world of the Gas-Lit Empire, and while I remembered why Elizabeth was taking refuge in the Republic, I couldn't remember much else about her or several of the other characters. Maybe all that forgetting was part of why I didn't like this book as much. The first part of the book, when Elizabeth struggles to avoid being extradited to the Kingdom, failed to grab me. I'd been hoping for a mystery, and the plot I was getting was realistic and tense, but not what I'd been expecting. When Elizabeth does get a mystery to solve, the book picks up speed, and I got to that good place where you can barely make yourself put the book down. And I'll probably read [b:The Custodian of Marvels|25488847|The Custodian of Marvels (Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire, #3)|Rod Duncan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1443099070s/25488847.jpg|45263398] sometime (preferably before I forget all the world-building details again)—I'm still waiting for that promised fall of the Gas-Lit Empire!

More...