The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter is a book I had seen on the shelf of the science fiction department in Barnes & Noble on several occasions, and I had even picked it up and read the description on the back at least once. Invariably, though, I always put it back on the shelf, as I found other books in series I already collect to buy. Recently, though, I found nothing else to buy, and - well, let's face it - I can't go into a Barnes & Noble and walk out without at least one book! So, I picked up this first book in the Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club and figured I would give it a shot. Boy, oh boy, am I sure glad that I did!
Theodora Goss has a definitely hit on her hands with this series! The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter is a unique romp in a world populated with numerous fictional characters from various classic monster tales throughout the years (as well as a very popular British detective and his physician sidekick)! I knew the story was about Mary Jeckyll, the daughter of the infamous Dr. Jeckyll, and how she sets out to find her father's assistant, one Edward Hyde, in order to earn the reward for his capture. What I did not realize was that this adventure would lead Mary to discover a sister in Diana Hyde, the daughter of Edward Hyde, and comrades and fellow "monsters" of sorts in Beatrice Rappaccini (a girl who breathes poison, the daughter of medical researcher Dr. Giacomo Rappaccini); Catherine Moreau (a puma turned into a human girl by the mad scientist Dr. Moreau); and Justine Frankenstein (the female creation of the crazed surgeon, Dr. Victor Frankentsein). After rescuing Diana from a society set on reforming ladies of the evening, saving Beatrice from a scientist exploiting her deadly condition, and gathering Catherine and Justine from a traveling circus, Mary finds that the four young women become an important part of her life and invites them to stay in her home - and thus is born the Athena Club!
Goss integrates a number of the supporting characters from the various classics - from Renfield to Edward Prendick, among others - thus remaining true to the source material, while expounding greatly on the lives of these young women who, in the original classics, are cast aside and made to be of much less import than their male counterparts. Goss empowers these five monstrous women, giving each of them strong, yet differing, personalities that play well off of each other, and allowing their non-human natures to add to their character, not detract. As for the mystery itself - even though Sherlock Holmes is there to offer his insight and observations, the story follows Mary and her friends as they hunt down clues as to her father, Mr. Hyde (who she is only just beginning to suspect may be one and the same with her father), and the Societe ds Alchimistes (a/k/a Alchemist Society), who are conducting horrific experiments on women in an effort to further the evolution of mankind. There are plenty of lies, plenty of close calls, a kidnapping or two, some bodacious brawls, and an explosive climactic confrontation with the villains of this tale - basically, there is enough craziness throughout the entire book to keep the reader thoroughly engaged!
And one thing Goss does that was at first a bit jarring, but eventually became a narrative tool that I grew to enjoy was the interjections by the characters throughout the story. You see, in the story, Catherine is "writing" this adventure, and the other characters are providing their thoughts and insights as to what happened along the way, to help her as she writes the story. Thus, throughout the entire book, there are sudden interjections by Mary, Diana (and boy, does she interrupt!), Justine, Beatrice, and even Mrs. Poole and Alice (the housekeeper and the scullery maid), commenting on the story, correcting Catherine's descriptions, and outright contradicting the dialogue and facts written down by Catherine in the story. These interruptions further develop the characters and provide the reader with greater insight into the girls' relationships with one another, as well as their own personalities and quirks. By the end of the book, I found that I enjoyed the interjections just as much as the story itself. Definitely a unique way of telling the story - hope she continues in this format with the other books in the series.
Another thing I must make note of - on page 115, when Mary and Diana are off to rescue Beatrice, the girls come across shelves of jars containing various body parts - and one of them is labeled: "BRAIN OF CHARLES BABBAGE, MATHEMATICIAN." Now, I would likely not have known this name had it not been for Chris Riddell and his "Goth Girl" series, for in that series, there is a Dr. Babbage, who is an inventor who is trying to create a calculating machine, and who in real life, was a mathematician, inventor, philosopher, and mechanical engineer. I smiled, when I realized that the old saying really is true - the more you read, the more you know!
If there is anything that truly sums up the absurdity (in a good - no, a GREAT way) of this book, it is the last paragraph of Chapter XII, which reads: "Catherine was already supporting Justine on one side, and she would need to support Justine on the other, since Diana was too short and Mrs. Poole wasn't strong enough to help the Giantess upstairs. And Beatrice, of course, was poisonous. No, Mary's life was definitely no longer ordinary..."
RATING: 10 heavy brass watch fobs out of 10 for an entirely new vision of mystery, sci-fi, and horror all rolled into one with strong female protagonists who can definitely hold their own!
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