Devoured Kage Baker's The Women of Nell Gwynne's in one sitting ... a lovely little tidbit of a book (122 pages) that's anything but lightweight. Unlike The Empress of Mars, this one requires some knowledge of the other Company novels to really get what's going on ... those who do have that knowledge will find themselves reading an essential background piece of the Dr. Zeus jigsaw. Essential as in if this event hadn't happened, Dr. Zeus probably wouldn't have either ... this is one of those places in time where the whole cycle of the Company using its agents in the past to ensure its own existence in the future could have been derailed. Which might be why none of the usual characters fans know and love are involved in this one; instead we get to meet some of the Company's mortal employees who work without knowledge of the future or immortality in cyborg form.
anotheranon, you wanted to know if there was a steampunk aspect. I think Mrs. Corvey definitely qualifies.And chapter eight is titled "In Which Proper Historical Costuming is Discussed" ... even without steampunk, you'd have to read it just for that. ;-)
P.S. The publisher has announced that the entire print run of this book has sold out within a week of release (scroll down about halfway to see the official words) ... every copy is in the hands of a distributor or an owner now. Makes me very glad I ordered my copy about three months in advance of publication (and I think I'll order the next volume, which comes out in December, tonight ... just to make sure I get one)
