Phoenix Rising audiobook

Soo I am a fan of Philippa's other series, Geist, but I didn't actually see that she wrote THIS book until after, haha.I enjoyed this book a lot. The main character's voice, like in Geist, was definitely one of the biggest strengths, and the other characters were well-drawn. This is a cool steampunk world that actually worked for me, I enjoyed the idea of a secret bureau, and the tech and description of the world and items in it was enjoyable.I guess the only things I could say negative were that there were some strange tone issues, like later in the book things get racy in a way that come a bit out of nowhere considering the nature of the book up until then. And then the ending had a weird character turn that wasn't laid out up front, so it seemed to come out of nowhere, and it will be interesting how the subsequent books deal with the development. But all in all, I'm enjoying this latest wave of Steampunk lit, and this is a great addition to the fold. Great main lady character! Urban Fantasy people will enjoy.

Well...I may need to add a new shelf. This is a fantasy and fits (depending on your personal definition of the term) into the Urban Fantasy milieu (as it takes place largely in Victorian London. But it's not "our" Victorian London. This is (I believe) the first Steampunk I've ever really liked. This could change things big time for me...I was never a Steampunk fan.Okay, back to business. Good book, maybe not great, maybe total brain candy, but fun. We start with the requisite kick-butt "hottie" (Is that considered too non-PC? No offense intended only using he vernacular, "so to speak") who's known to the "people upstairs" for blowing things up. She gets paired with the archivist (librarian?) of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. He's supposed to mentor her..take her under his wing so to speak, and round out her methods.Right...I'll leave you to guess who leads who into what.But it's a good book. It's a fun book. It has an interesting plot, some nice anachronisms, some great inside jokes (like a couple named Barnabas and Angelique Collins).Again, I can recommend this one and have already got the second...I have it on my list at audible so I can get it whenever I want it.

After the first pages of Pip Ballantine’s and Tee Morris’ Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel I was under the impression of heading into a hilarious and almost slapsticky Steampunk adventure. Eliza Brown and Wellington Books, the central protagonists, were simply too much of a missmatch and their initial “conversations” too comical. I had several good laughs.Gradually, the lightheartedness leaves the novel, though. Keeping pace with the developments, the comical nature of their relationship fades more and more into the background. The pair gets to know each other better, and while still not fully understanding the other, they develop a grudging respect for their respective partner.The story itself very soon becomes fast-paced and action packed. There are quite a few instances, in particular the excellent, almost swashbuckling duel scene in the London Opera, when I felt like having to hold onto my armchair. Still, humor never leaves the pages. Within the very same duel there is one notable simultaneous question between the duelists: “Who is your seamstress?”That one had me chuckling for hours afterwards.But Phoenix Rising is not all good humored swashbuckling action. Not by far. The moment Books and Brown manage to infiltrate the Phoenix Society, the story gets noticeably, even drastically darker. Although there are hints earlier in the novel, telling of most nefarious events involving the society, I was relatively unprepared for the abysses of human behaviour and decadence within the Phoenix Society. Quite a twist.I have to congratulate the authors on their ability of putting a number of those twists into the story. There are several very interesting turns over the course of the novel. Some are entertaining and give surprising insights into some characters, their history and the world, others drastically alter the reader’s perception of the main dramatis personae. I dislike putting spoilers into my reviews, so I will say no more.The cast of characters is also one of the strong points of the novel. Every single one is believable, no matter how fleeting or detailed the description. Although Eliza and Wellington have some rather stereotypical traits, both have more hidden depth than one would suspect. Their antagonists are similarly fascinating. Sophia, Eliza’s nemesis, is Eliza’s spiritual twin, as Eliza herself notes, had they met in different circumstances, they would be the best of friends. The heads of the Phoenix Society range from scientist who has gone over the edge to complete and utter filth. Again I have to express my admiration for the creativity and writing-style of Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris. “Filth” does not even scratch the surface of what Lord Devane is. Of all the villains I have thus far encountered, he is by far the worst, and his claim of “superiority due to noble lineage” makes him even more disgusting. A villain you love to hate. Next to him, everyone other villain shines.And shining brings me to the one aspect I found rather annoying. Eliza shines too much. Wellington, although highly skilled and with more talents than one might expect, has some issues. For one, he is haunted by his upbringing, further, he is awkward around women and afraid of guns. Eliza is bold, confident, brave, liberal, resourceful, rich and a benefactor to the poor, beautiful and through her we learn how much more progressive New Zealand is compared to Britain. She even had Maori tutors for her martial skills. Her one negative trait is that she is quite a vamp. But this is something easily forgiven since she uses her womanly powers only in service of the Empire and never crosses certain boundaries. She is too good. I got the impression she is the authors’ favourite brainchild and thus got only good things.But this is the only point of contention I have with Phoenix Rising. Other than this one point, the novel leaves nothing to be desired. Phoenix Rising is a real page-turner. The novel makes you laugh, gets your adrenalin pumping, makes you laugh again and fills you with the urge to drag the villains out from between the pages and give them a dose of their own medicine.

Great fun! Automatons, bullet-proof corsets, explosions, and more!Eliza Braun loves her weapons and her dynamite. Wellington Books prefers to hide away in his basement offices at the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. When these two characters are forced to work together, sparks fly – literally.Phoenix rising is the first book in Philippa Ballantine’s and Tee Morris’ Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series. This is steampunk done right, down to every last detail. Set in Victorian London, Phoenix Rising has all the requisite clockwork, brass, and steam contraptions.The integration of the steampunk elements into the world and the narrative is extremely well done. This book has some of the most interesting steampunk contraptions out there. I was especially intrigued by Book’s Analytical Engine, a machine used by Books to catalogue the many cases and items archived in the basement. This machine was a fascinating bit of technology, running on pulleys and gears. It was also able to function as a primitive GPS device as well. There was even a barmaid contraption, able to serve drinks. And what steampunk would be complete without automatons and mechamen? These automatons even served dinner!Located inside an import/export company, The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences is a top secret organization that investigates strange cases, a sort of Victorian spy agency. There’s even a group of Clankertons who work for Research and Design, reminding me a little of James Bond’s Q. Books and Eliza were delightful together. Books, the “…dashing hero of history” was the Chief Archivist at the Ministry. Books was very serious about his work – you could call him fastidious. Around women, Books was extremely shy and Eliza’s brashness just flabbergasted him. Eliza was a loose cannon, literally preferring to shoot first and ask questions later. Eliza seemed to enjoy shaking up Book’s world at first. Eliza wanted Books to leave his office and go out in the field and enjoy his life. The banter and dialogue between these two characters was hilarious. At times, they even behaved like a married couple. I enjoyed Eliza’s character. Her perspective of the world made me laugh. Upon attending a long and boring opera she remarked that it would be greatly improved with dynamite. Eliza was a fierce fighter, a crack shot, and generally someone you would want on your side. I also loved the fact that she was fiercely independent. While Eliza comes across as tough and irreverent, she also has a softer side. Eliza has a crack team of informants called The Ministry Seven. The Seven are a group of street urchins that she has taken under her wing. Phoenix Rising is one of my favorite reads so far this year. The sequel The Janus Affair will be out May 29. If you’ve been hesitant to read a steampunk book, this is a great start. The book is action packed with edge of your seat excitement.Favorite Quotes:“Pushing manners to teeter on the precipice was where she found an equal euphoria to that of demolitions and covert operations, and Wellington sometimes resembled a pom caricature – full of fuss and feathers. Watching him squirm did blunt the serrated edge of her punishment slightly.”“My ample bosom broke my fall.” She broke out into a cackle as she threw her arms around Book’s neck. “And this- “she chortled, rapping her knuckles against her corset. Standard issue for female agents. “It’s bulletproof.”“You know, if I didn’t know any better, I would swear we were actually married.”“I can’t think of anything more off-putting.” Wellington placed his hand in the small of her back as he continued, “than being married to a walking armoury. You, my dear Miss Braun, are a living, breathing advocate for bachelorism.” Note: The authors have a great website with lots of information about the series and steampunk.The Pinterest site has great pictures of all things steampunk. Review posted on Badass Book Reviews

(3.5 stars) Wellington Books and Eliza Braun are agents in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, taking on the uncanny in the name of Queen and country. Agent Books is a straitlaced archivist — don’t call him a librarian — who enjoys mechanical tinkering and his peaceful job among the Ministry’s old files. Agent Braun is an outspoken New Zealand transplant who loves to blow things up. At the beginning of Phoenix Rising, the two agents land themselves in the doghouse with the Ministry and are assigned to work together. The unlikely partners then discover a new lead in a cold case that left Braun’s former partner institutionalized in Bedlam. An evil secret society is on the rise, and only Books and Braun can thwart their dastardly plans.Phoenix Rising is one of those steampunk novels that’s not too serious. Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris fill the pages with explosions, witty banter, clever fashion, chase scenes, derring-do, and more explosions. The writing style intentionally evokes Victorian writing mannerisms and plays them for laughs. You’ll find plenty of steampunk gizmos, too, ranging from the handy (such as Braun’s armored corset and certain incendiary devices) to the just plain fun (Books’ “difference engine” is set up to have a function similar to that of an mp3 player).In what may be another homage to Victorian fiction — especially Victorian serial novels — Phoenix Rising is rather episodic. It’s easy to read a quick chapter here and there when you have a break in your schedule.The only jarring aspect is the darker twist that occurs when our heroes meet one of the villains. Up to this point, while there had been plenty of violence, it had the feel of action/adventure rather than horror. This character has a nasty streak of sadism and his scenes are too disturbing to take lightly. This section is incredibly tense and well-written, so I can’t complain about it too much, but I’m not sure it fits the “popcorn” mood of the rest of the book.The action/adventure atmosphere does return, however, and the ending promises more Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences cases to come. With the dry humor and crackling chemistry displayed in Phoenix Rising, I’m sure they’ll be fun.…And explosive.

This was really really fun! RTC

Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!4.5 out of 5This was just great fun for me to read once it hit its stride - Phoenix Rising has nice mix of the best elements: a finely tuned use of steampunk and its gadgets, two vastly different but strangely compatible, rounded main characters, amusing banter, and a plethora of smart antagonists against which to pit their brains and Braun. The first hundred pages are used quite effectively to establish each of the individual characters and the world in which they operate, but they are slower in pace than the following three hundred. Once the essential basics are nailed down and the plot has kicked in, this steampunk fantasy is a wild ride full of airship rescues, bar brawls, lots and lots of explosions, (broad)sword fighting, and multiple secret societies - obviously this is a book that kept me on my toes with twists and turns. The first in a series of at least two novels, Phoenix Rising is a good harbinger of hopefully more madcap adventures to follow in Old Blighty with Welly and Eliza.Eliza D. Braun is a "successful but not smooth" field agent and is so relegated to the Archives and Wellington Thornhill Books, Esquire. With typical gender roles reversed in this Sherlockian pairing of odd bedfellows, Eliza being the muscle and trigger-happy and Books the, well, bookish one, these two agents are an interesting mix of humorous banter, keen intelligence and walking armoury. There's no dearth of smart, capable women to be found in the book (hello, Sophia!), but Eliza manages to be both feminine and convincingly menacing in exactly her own brand (read: the girl likes weapons and knows how to use them.) It's also thoroughly refreshing to see a woman be the hero and ride in, guns blazing, to save the day her partner. Multiple times. The colonial from New Zealand's counterpart in Archivist Wellington is reserved, by the book - the straight man to her more free-wheeling approach to Ministry business. They are total opposites in nearly every manner and opinion, but their banter is truly amusing - I lol'd several times while speeding through. Wellington does come rather close to being a caricature of a librarian but his vaguely-defined personal history and a slow-reveal show him to be a rather more complicated man than it can first appear. This is obviously a more plot-driven novel, but to the credit of Phoenix Rising's cast, the characters are dimensional and can create credible pathos with the reader during their alternating POVs.*These last few paragraphs are going to get a bit spoilery.* This book has been out a year so... just be warned. Though the early action scenes lacked a certain momentum and pull, the plentiful adventures later on more than made up for it (A death carriage with spinning wheels of spiky doom a la the car race in Grease? Why not?!) With the exception of the initial and introductory part of the novel, Phoenix Rising is filled to the brim with action, death and unsavory characters. With the addition of sparingly few but appropriate gadgets (the auralscope, analytical engine, the Combobula!), these two authors create an added dimension to their supernatural world without overdoing it on the clockwork. Unlike the somewhat laughable wax/mechanical steampunk/automaton army that was shown as a national threat in Kady Cross's The Girl with the Steel Corset, these Mechamen can actually carry a palpable menace and are juuuust right for a steampunk mystery centered around a case called the "Rag and Bone" murders. Of course there are mentions of "aether" and "corsets" (bulletproof this time! Much a smarter than just steel) but by and large, the inventions here are unique and original to Books, Mad McTighe or other characters herein.Aside from my shallow and negligible complaint about the pacing of the first few chapters, all was going nearly perfectly (exception: Ferdinand Magellan was Portuguese, not Spanish) except for two little things: #1. the Phoenix Society Initiation Weekend's orgy. While it wasn't overly crass or vulgar, it also seemed totally somewhat unnecessary to the plot. The whole "women as communal property" was also distasteful, but I understood the point being made behind the sexist attitude - the orgy? Not so much. Olivia's essential pimping out (and drugging) of her young niece was also unexpected and randomly distasteful. #2. Other readers might have issues with the style of the book as well - the chapter titles are often ominous, if not outright spoilery in themselves. Titles like "Wherein Our Heroes Endure Perdition's Flames" are pretty much the general bent the authors chose. While certain key plot points and twists aren't explicitly revealed, it can take the edge off some of the adventures that are forthcoming.Though the main events and plotlines of Phoenix Rising have been neatly (view spoiler)[disposed of (hide spoiler)] wrapped up, there are several plotlines that extend themselves quite naturally to the second novel. Due out later this month, The Janus Affair is sure to be a closer look at the Moriarty-like mastermind behind both the Phoenix Society and Sophia amid quarrelsome banter and unlikely escapades. I for one am quite glad I have the second novel to hand - I didn't want the first to end as quickly as it did (downed in one day) so I'll have to draw out my second outing with Books&Braun. Fans of steampunk should take note and give this inviting novel a try.Favorite quotes:"Gods... the sacrifices I make for Queen, Country, and all the pommy bastards that live in it." "The show really does go on.."

This is the first book in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series. Right now there are five books released in this series. I really enjoyed this start to this steampunk series. There is a lot of action, a secret society, automatons and many crazy devices. Additionally I really enjoyed the characters; they have complex pasts and are intriguing and fun to read about. I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was very well done. Langton was a joy to listen to and did a great job on character voices and with emotion. I would definitely recommend listening to this series on audiobooks if you enjoy them.I am a huge fan of steampunk books and this was one of the better steampunk books I have read. It is much less paranormal romance in tone and has a much more urban fantasy type pace to it. It seems like a lot of the steampunk series I have read are more on the romance end of things. While there are some hints at a romance in this book it is mostly an investigative urban fantasy. I loved the pairing of Books and Braun (an excellent, if blunt, play on names here). Eliza Braun is a blow everything up, attack first, ask later kind of woman who gets sent down to the archives for acting too brashly and disobeying orders on her last case. Wellington Books mans the library...eh...archives for the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. They could not be more different. However, when Eliza unearths an interesting case that’s been filed with the other unsolved mysteries they suddenly find themselves with a common cause.There is a lot of action, intrigue and mystery in this book. The book is chock full of interesting devices, weaponized automatons and other crazy steampunky inventions. It was great fun to read and I ended up enjoying it a ton.Overall this book was highly entertaining and I would recommend to both steampunk and urban fantasy fans. This was a fun read and I plan on continuing with the series.

A proper steampunk caper.Agent Eliza D. Braun is pushing her boss to the limits. She’s an extraordinarily good agent for Queen and country but her methods tend to involve a good deal of dynamite and a scattering of dead bodies. Despite several warnings, her missions continue to end in explosions and newspaper features that bring to forefront the secret agency of the crown that she works for, The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. Luckily, few people even know of it’s existence, hence secret agency, but in order to keep it that way she might just get an assignment that does not let her blow things up or play with guns.Like, getting shut away in the basement of the agency with the Archivist, who’s idea of a good time is organizing and cataloging case files. Wellington Books is a gentleman of fine breeding, but he prefers the quiet and seclusion of his basement department filled with unique devices found on peculiar missions and overflowing paperwork. These things make sense to him. Guns, dynamite and death defying missions do not. His new partner is going to test his limits and then some. Her restless nature makes her a poor candidate for sitting in the darkness for hours on end.But being tucked away, filtering through unsolved cases of the Ministry, leads to new information about Eliza’s last partner’s solo mission which ended with her partner locked away in the insane asylum. Agent Books can’t resist a good mystery and soon they are undercover inside another secret society investigating people intent on taking down the crown. One agent with extensive field experience, another with barely any experience but exceptional cunning. Will it be enough to get them out alive?I had fun. Simple as that. Sure, in some parts my mind wandered a bit but it brought me back when the action picked up again. Books was a good anchor to Braun’s excessiveness, but I love a feisty lady. Normally, I pay no attention to chapter names but these ones caught my eye every single saucy time;“InWhich Our Plucky Pepperpot Eliza D. Braun Must Pay The Piper for Her Feats of Derring-Do!”“Wherein Wellington Books Acts a Perfect Gentleman, but Is Not Above a Little Skullduggery Too”AND, there is an Agent Bruce Campbell – mad props for that, intentional or not.

What can I say about Phoenix Rising… Could there be a more awesome and deliciously fun steampunk novel? I think not! The first book in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series is full of mystery, diabolic secret societies, fantastic steampunk devices and enough Victorian mayhem to make the Brontë sisters blush.But let’s be practical for a moment. A book can have all the inner workings, but for me the characters are what seal the deal. The chemistry between Eliza D. Braun and Wellington Books is reminescent of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, and it works from the start.Here’s a passage from the first chapter:“You didn’t happen to bring a spare coat with you, Agent Braun?”Eliza didn’t reply. At first. “Sorry, mate. I needed to travel light.”Travel light? A small arsenal of handguns, throwing knives, sticks of dynamite, and that small cannon strapped to her back was traveling light?I knew from these first conversations Phoenix Rising would be both hilarious and thrilling. Did I like this novel? I loved it! You can ask my family, who had to put up with my vocal expressions of joy.

I didn't expect how funny Phoenix Rising was going to be. Complemented the action very well

Fantastical story of a fantasy England in 1900ish. Action, mild violence and fun. Characters are enjoyable, story is good enough to listen to the second in the series after completing this one.