I am happy to be participating in the celebration of the paperback release of All Men of Genius by Lev AC Rosen. I read/reviewed All Men of Genius in October 2011, and really enjoyed this charming steampunk story. Today I have a guest post from Lev, along with a giveaway.
Inspired by two of the most beloved works by literary masters, "All Men of Genius "takes place in an alternate Steampunk Victorian London, where science makes the impossible possible.
Violet Adams wants to attend Illyria College, a widely renowned school for the most brilliant up-and-coming scientific minds, founded by the late Duke Illyria, the greatest scientist of the Victorian Age. The school is run by his son, Ernest, who has held to his father's policy that the small, exclusive college remain male-only. Violet sees her opportunity when her father departs for America. She disguises herself as her twin brother, Ashton, and gains entry.
But keeping the secret of her sex won't be easy, not with her friend Jack's constant habit of pulling pranks, and especially not when the duke's young ward, Cecily, starts to develop feelings for Violet's alter ego, "Ashton." Not to mention blackmail, mysterious killer automata, and the way Violet's pulse quickens whenever the young duke, Ernest (who has a secret past of his own), speaks to her. She soon realizes that it's not just keeping her secret until the end of the year faire she has to worry about: it's surviving that long.
When I’m working on a book, I often try to describe the
shape of it to people through strange, but hopefully true, comparisons.This book is in the shape of a person
drowning and then coming back up, gasping for air, I’ll say (of something
dark), or this one is like a chain-link fence.For All Men of Genius, I’d say the shape is a Rube Goldberg machine.
The comedy of errors style plot blends perfectly with mad
science because of the Rube Goldberg machine.One thing triggers another, which triggers another, and by the end something
terribly simple has happened (perhaps those lovers you knew would end up
together from page one finally get together) but it’s been a lot of fun to
watch; dominoes fell down, balloons exploded, bowling balls knocked down
tea-kettles and what have you!The end
result may have been simple, but oh the pleasure and silliness that happened to
get you there!So, a comedy of errors is
a lot like a Rube Goldberg.And a Rube
Goldberg is a lot like mad science, with its strange contraptions that link one
thing to another, to another.The two
seem perfectly mated.
I confess, there’s more to it than Rube Goldberg
machines.When I first began writing All Men of Genius, steampunk was only
just starting to come back, but nothing new had been published yet.What I knew of steampunk was The Difference Engine and Homunculous, and I loved them, but I knew
they weren’t quite my steampunk.My
steampunk would be the steampunk of Wilde; because that’s how I thought of the
Victorian Era.The steampunk I was
reading was brilliant, but it was a bit gloomy for me.I needed something sillier.
I wanted mad science that was ridiculous.I wanted swearing rabbits and invisible cats,
and all the other strange side effects that you never read about in H.G.
Wells.After all, the mad in mad science
can be dangerous and frightening, but it can also be absurd.And I knew that if my science was going to be
absurd, my plot had to be, too.So I
thought of the dandies of the scientific world; the ones who would use science
to create unnatural art; I thought of Wilde’s green carnation.How could that be enhanced?A miniature peacock, perhaps, that sang like
a nightingale?A miniature elephant
which was really a cat, and so swatted at its nose with its feet?What about
that swearing rabbit?So who were the
people that would create such things?And why?What sort of world was
it, I wondered, where science had been embraced by the dandies?And the truth is, it was our world.Oscar Wilde himself said that “on the slavery
of the machine the future of the world depends.”We look back on Victorian London as trains
and smokestacks and electricity, but it was art, too.It was finding the perfect shade of dye and
mechanical dancing girls.Rube Goldberg
was born in 1883.He saw it all around
him.That’s what I wanted to see,
too.
So I decided to write it.And about a hundred pages in, I looked up and said to no one in
particular “I’m writing the literary equivalent of a Rube Goldberg
Machine.”And then I smiled and I went
back to writing.
Thanks to Lev for the great post. I loved his take on Steampunk.
LEV AC ROSEN grew up in Manhattan. He attended Oberlin College and received his MFA in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence. His work has been featured in Esopus Magazine and on various blogs including Tor.com. He lives in lower Manhattan.
Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?
The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.
But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.
In Dearly, Departed, romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love. ~From GoodReads
From the moment I saw the cover of DEARLY, DEPARTED, I was in love. And when I read the synopsis, I knew this book had to be mine. So I put the lovely on pre-order and anxiously awaited for DEARLY, DEPARTED to make it's way into momma's (my) hands. But then, as usual, life got in the way. I became a slave to my reading schedule (by the way, have you ever heard a nerdier phrase than "reading schedule"?). Then I saw that a couple of my blogging friends were reading it and I decided that enough was enough. I picked up my copy and dove right in, hoping for the best.
I got the best. DEARLY, DEPARTED rocked my world! I started the book full of anticipation and never once felt let down. My enthusiasm is so strong that I feel myself veering into rambling territory, so I will try to keep myself reigned in. Here's what I loved about DEARLY, DEPARTED.
Let's start with the world-building. The setting is year is 2195 and the setting is New Victoria. Earth and it's people have undergone huge transformations, sending what's left of the people into the southern hemispheres of the world. New Victoria is located in the northern portion of South America. In an effort to assert control in a world gone mad, the survivors have gone back to a time of order and refinement, a "Golden Age" in history, the Victorian era. So we have what feels like a historical time to the reader, yet it's the future. Women wear dresses with petticoats and corsets, carry parasols; couples "court"; manners are imperative. I felt as if I were reading a historical piece of work, until such things as "Holos" and "digidiaries" were mentioned. Or a character would say "freaking" or mentioned that their ancestors would use words like "duh" and "epic". Yet, and this is what I love, the setting is also futuristic... and it's steampunk. I loooove steampunk. There were airships and carriages powered by coal and a tribe of people called Punks. It was wonderful!
Now for the characters. Nora was an absolute delight. She is irrepressible, thoughtful, not easily intimidated. Imagine being taken in the night by zombies! Nevermind that these are the "good guys", zombies are freaking scary, no matter how you slice it. Yet Nora, ever cautious, takes a semi-calm and rational approach to the situation. Her best friend Pamela could have been an afterthought, the filler character. I actually expected her to have no true impact on the story. Was I ever wrong! Pam was a true heroine in her own right, absolutely worthy of her own book.
I'm not a zombie fan. They really gross me out, I can't even watch them on television without getting queasy. But I fell in love with the zombies of DEARLY, DEPARTED, the good ones at least. Due to a technique developed by Nora's father, some of those infected with The Laz are able to retain most of their human qualities. They have become a force in the Army dedicated to protecting the people. These are the zombies who have taken Nora Dearly and their leader is Bram Griswold. Remember how I said zombies gross me out? Strike that thought when it comes to Bram. I can't tell you if he's all that handsome now that he's two years past dead, but from what I can gather, he's hot for a zombie. But what I loved about him is his personality. Bram is gentle and kind, protective and enamored with Nora. His efforts to earn Nora's trust and friendship made me love him. Maybe my favorite part about Bram is his choice to let Nora make her own decisions. Instead of keeping her in the dark about events or trying to keep her from taking part, he includes her in the process and is resigned that she won't sit idly by (see my second quote below).
Author Lia Habel is a creative genius. Many stories take something beautiful, maybe a vampire forever frozen at a young age, and go from there. Habel took something we often consider hideous, because what's more gross than a zombie, and made characters so achingly human and beautiful. She never lets the characters or the reader forget that Bram and the others are, in fact, technically dead. There most likely will not be a happily ever after for Nora and Bram, but it is precious for however long it lasts.
DEARLY, DEPARTED is an alternately ingenious, sublime, and morbid take on everything I thought I knew about love and zombies.
Favorite Quote(s):
"She tried to compose herself then, with several deep breaths. I gave her as long as she needed, all the while mentally designing my tombstone. R.I.P., Captain Abraham R. Griswold. He was completely useless and made girls cry." (pg. 125)
"Returning my voice to a conversational level, I called back, 'Nora, I'm not attempting to embarrass you or single you out. I know you're capable. But stay behind Chas, okay? You die, you die permanently, and for various reasons that we've already gotten angsty about together, I don't want that to happen.' "
Welcome to today's stop on the Destiny's Fire Blog Tour! There is lots of good stuff going on at the blog. I have a wonderful treat for all of you today. I recently interviewed the lovely, brave, smart, kick-butt heroine of Destiny's Fire, Dez Harkley. She was lovely and I hope you enjoy her answers as much as I did. But first, for those of you who aren't familiar with Destiny's Fire, you can read the synopsis below.
It’s the year 2040, and sixteen-year-old Dez Harkly is one of the last of her kind—part of a nearly extinct race of shape-shifters descended from guardians to the Egyptian pharaohs. Her home and her secret are threatened when the Council lowers the barrier, allowing the enemy race to enter the Shythe haven.
As the Narcolym airships approach, Dez and her friends rebel against their Council and secretly train for battle. Not only is Dez wary of war and her growing affection for her best friend Jace, but she fears the change her birthday will bring. When Dez’s newfound power rockets out of control, it’s a Narcolym who could change her fate… if she can trust him.
Dez’s guarded world crumbles when she discovers why the Narcos have really come to Haven Falls, and she's forced to choose between the race who raised her and the enemy she's feared her whole life.
~From GoodReads
And now... Dez.
(Andrea): "I adored Lana, everyone needs a BFF like her. Which quality of her's is your favorite?"
(Dez): "I love Lana. She’s a blast, and more importantly, she’s a sincere friend. Even though she pretends
like fashion and guys are the most important things to her, she put others first. Always. At times, she gives rare glimpses into her vulnerable side. Like with her relationship with Devon. That has to be my favorite thing about her. Her ability to love unconditionally, and to look hot while doing it."
(Andrea) "I really liked Jace and Lana's brother Nick, the voice of reason and calm. But I really didn't get to know him too well. Will we see more of him in the future?"
(Dez): "Oh, Nick. The funny thing about him? He tries to act like he doesn’t care about the big stuff. When really, he’s the one who seems to know what’s going on with no one telling him. I think he has the hots for this Narco girl, but he’s a little freaked to tell Jace. So yeah, I think his drama will hit the fan pretty soon. Should be interesting to see him get some of Jace’s crap."
(Andrea): *giggles* "I can't wait to see Jace's reaction to that!"
(Andrea): "When exactly did you realize Jace, your childhood friend and protector, had turned into a hottie?"(Dez): *Groans* "The first time he put me on my back." *Looks around* "Wait! I didn’t mean it to sound like that. He’s so freakin’ serious when we spar. I just meant, I couldn’t help but notice how he’s changed when I was that close to him. It’s hard not to notice that smile when he’s got you pinned." *Groans* "Just scratch all that."
(Andrea): "Are you kidding? Not a chance, Dez!"
(Andrea):"Your first meeting w/Reese was very...interesting. What did you really think about him when you met him?"(Dez): "Reese really had way too much cocky going on when I first met him. I mean, I’m not blind. He’s a hottie. But that whole throw-me-up-against-a-wall thing? He’s lucky that punch to his face was all I got in. I was looking to take him down a peg or two after that. I still might."
(Andrea): *snickers*
(Andrea): "Do you think you would have been as drawn to Reese if you didn't share certain similarities?"
(Dez): *Bites lip* "I’d like to say yes. But truth, maybe not. I would have seen him the same way all Shythe do. I try not to focus on that, though. This is who we are. And we have a lot to get through before others even accept us. But there is more to us than what we “share”. He’s my other half in many ways. Maybe it’s that whole cocky thing."
(Andrea): "Name one thing about Jace that drives you crazy? One thing about Reese?"
(Dez): "Jace is easy. That damn pouty lip. God! I can be so angry with him. And he’ll pucker it out, and I turn to goo. Even while sparring. He has this whole pouty look that makes me…whatever."
Reese is easy, too. His stubbornness! I mean, okay. I know some things went the wrong way. But a week? Come on. I should have slapped him the first time he tried to ignore me and gotten it over with. But I know better now. I just don’t let him get away with it."
(Andrea): "Your life is full of adventure and conflict. If you had one day, all political and race drama aside, how would you spend it and with whom?"
(Dez): "Right off the rip, I’d like to say I’d spend it with Reese. But, we have a lot of time to ourselves now. Honestly, I’d like to be able to give Lana a birthday party. Things got so messed up around her change, and we never got to celebrate it because we were all shipped off to the Academy. I feel like a crappy friend for that. So yeah. I’d take her out dancing. And maybe even let her dress me in one of her mini-corsets."
(Andrea): "Your unique qualities set you apart, make you a target. Would you trade your special abilities to be normal? To have your burdens removed?"
(Dez): "Huh. Ya know, if you’d have asked me that right after my birthday, then I probably would’ve said yes. I’d have traded in a heartbeat. But no. I’ve had to hide my whole life. And now that I’m finally figuring out what the hell is going on, I want to learn what I can do. I have a feeling it’s bigger than what even Reese thinks. I’m not sure if it will matter in the end. But if it means I can help the Shythe, my mother and my friends, I’m going to embrace it."
(Andrea): "What would you say to, or ask, your father if you had the chance?"
(Dez): "Why my mother? I’d like to know if something about our bloodline interested him. It’s part of my own research. He’s not around to answer, though."
Isn't she lovely? I just adore Dez.
Watch the gorgeous Destiny's Fire trailer.
The Giveaway
One lucky winner will receive an ebook of Destiny's Fire, along with a bookmark. You really, really want this one. Trust me. You can read my review at the bottom of the post to find out how much I LOVED Destiny's Fire.
The Details:
-You are NOT required to follow this blog to enter the giveaway.
What can I say about Destiny's Fire? This is the type of book that makes me so happy to be part of the blogging community, because I'm not sure that I would have ever found it otherwise. And I'm going to warn you up front, I have major love for this book.
From the opening scene; fun, action-packed, and heated, I was hooked. The world in Destiny's Fire is what I'm going to call steampunk-light (I don't know if this is an actual word/phrase, but I'll go with it). Sometimes I find Steampunk books to be overwhelming. All the gears and cogs and cranks and... you know what I mean. I like it, but I just don't follow. But, what I loved the about the world of Destiny's Fire is, while there some mention of gears and levers and such, actual steam is what powers this world. And steam, I understand.
Author Trisha Wolfe described the world so succinctly and vividly that I could actually visualize all of the strange wonders as I read. The dance club, Cogs, the falls, the Academy, they all felt real to me. I was dancing in the club with Dez, I could feel the cool water misting over me , I was in the classroom at the Academy. It was awesome to actually feel like a participant in their world.
All great stories require a great main character. Dez is a girl on the brink of a life-changing transition. A transition all Shythe teens go through, but then again, Dez isn't the typical Shythe teen. She is brave without coming across as arrogant. She is kind without being a pushover. She has loads of responsibility raining down on her and while she may get a tad overwhelmed at times, she keeps herself together.
A girl like Dez is bound to draw the attention of a great guy, right? How about two guys? Jace and Reece help complete a tremendously written love triangle. A lot of people dislike love triangles, and I've been known to be one of those people occasionally. BUT, when you have a well-written triangle, featuring three strong, deserving characters, count me in. Jace, Dez's life-long friend is hot, protective, and a bit of a hot-head, always ready to fight to protect what's his. Reece, new in town and a member of a rival race, is hot, protective, and a bit of a hot-head, ready to fight to get what he wants. See a pattern? These two guys have a lot in common, not that they'd admit it. Neither Jace nor Reece, in my opinion, is a wrong choice. Sure, I have my preference (no, I'm not going to tell you!), but I wouldn't have been mad if, so long as she had a good reason, Dez had chosen the other guy.
I can't possibly begin to touch on every single reason I loved this book. Destiny's Fire was full of romance, action and intrigue; brilliantly paced, swiftly moving from one emotionally or action-packed scene to the next. From the opening sequence to the stunning end, this book is was inventive, riveting and left me begging for more!
Favorite Quote:
"He pulled back, his eyes scanning my face, and then pressed another light, tender kiss to my lips.
'From the moment I looked into your eyes, I've wanted to do that,' he said, and smiled.
'Could've fooled me.' I laughed breathlessly. 'I thought you either wanted to kill me or feel me up.'
'Well...' He chuckled. 'Both at first. All right, then from the moment you punched me, I wanted to do that.' He cocked his head. 'Like I said, when you're angry, you're hot.' " (page 47, ARC)
Paperback, 159 pages
Expected publication: January 10th 2012 by Omnific Publishing
Inspired by two of the most beloved works by literary masters, All Men of Genius takes place in an alternate Steampunk Victorian London, where science makes the impossible possible.
Violet Adams wants to attend Illyria College, a widely renowned school for the most brilliant up-and-coming scientific minds, founded by the late Duke Illyria, the greatest scientist of the Victorian Age. The school is run by his son, Ernest, who has held to his father’s policy that the small, exclusive college remain male-only. Violet sees her opportunity when her father departs for America. She disguises herself as her twin brother, Ashton, and gains entry.
But keeping the secret of her sex won’t be easy, not with her friend Jack’s constant habit of pulling pranks, and especially not when the duke’s young ward, Cecily, starts to develop feelings for Violet’s alter ego, “Ashton.” Not to mention blackmail, mysterious killer automata, and the way Violet’s pulse quickens whenever the young duke, Ernest (who has a secret past of his own), speaks to her. She soon realizes that it’s not just keeping her secret until the end of the year faire she has to worry about: it’s surviving that long.(From GoodReads)
My Review
I'm in love. Yes, in love. I didn't think it would happen again so soon. But then, I am sort of easy when it comes to a fabulous book. I found All Men of Genius to be an insanely clever, delightful and captivating book, worthy of a spot on any book lover's shelf.
My love for All Men of Genius happens to be of the "At First Sight" variety. When I eagerly opened the package from Tor, and slipped the book out, I sighed. Yes, I happen to be a cover snob. I'm not ashamed of that. I thought the cover was beautiful, with a picture of Violet as Ashton with the gears placed behind her.
Then, I actually opened the book. When I read Lev Rosen's author notes and acknowledgements, I knew I would adore All Men of Genius. Honestly, when an author writes such witty lines there, you know the book will be brilliant.
And it was. I can't think of one single aspect of All Men of Genius that I didn't love. The characters were radiant, courageous and charming. The main character, Violet was fabulous. She is a feminist way ahead of her time. She is fully committed to showing the world that women have a place in the scientific community. Violet is willing to do whatever is necessary to prove her worth, knowing that abuse, prison or death may await.
Ashton, Violet's twin brother whom she impersonates, is what in late-1800s England, called a "dandy", a gay man. Rosen took a character who could have become a caricature a wrote him brilliantly. Here's why. Ashton is not exactly flamboyant, but he doesn't hide his true self, either. In fact, Ashton's orientation isn't an issue at all amongst his family and friends. Even when Violet inadvertantly catches him in compromising positions, she is embarrassed only because she caught him in general, not because she saw him with another man. Ashton is completely devoted to Violet and her cause, helping her in any way he can.
I want to include all of the many characters I loved in my review, but I simply cannot because the list is long. There are so many characters in All Men of Genius. In another author's hands, the amount of characters would be too much. But Rosen managed to subtly weave new characters into the story, bit by bit. There's Jack, Ashton and Violet's best friend and confidante, who plays an integral part in the story. Ernest, the head of Illyria, and his cousin Cecily, Toby and Drew, Mrs. Wilkes, the many professors, Marion (perhaps my favorite character) and Fiona. See what I mean? All of those characters deserve a place in this review, but I'm sure you don't want to read a book about a book!
I read that All Men of Genius was inspired in part by The Importance of Being Earnest. The book is full of mistaken identities, gender confusion, comedic situations and misunderstandings, so I definitely picked up on that. I happen to love that movie (check out the version with Rupert Everett and Colin Firth, my favorite).
Besides being a completely delightful and thoroughly entertaining book, All Men of Genius does, in it's own clever way, touch on serious issues. Even though the book is set in 1880s England, I found the themes regarding sexual orientation and gender roles and discrimination to still be shockingly relevant today.
And though All Men of Genius is considered a steam punk novel, it's a must-read for anyone who loves witty, funny and thought-provoking books. And really, who doesn't?
On a side note, I adore author Lev AC Rosen's writing. He is an outrageously talented author who I can't wait to read more from in the future.
Favorite Quote:
I usually quote passages from the actual book, but I loved the Author's Note so much, I had to include
a few lines from that.
"Furthermore, I don't recommend emulating the behavior of any of the characters contained within.
They're all quite mad.
The truth is, I have no idea what I'm talking about.
Except about love. We all know a little about that. Or nothing at all."
Hardcover, 462 pages
Published September 27th 2011 by Doherty, Tom Associates, LLC
Inspired by two of the most beloved works by literary masters, "All Men of Genius "takes place in an alternate Steampunk Victorian London, where science makes the impossible possible.
