The Janus Affair

Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences #2

by Pip Ballantine, Tee Morris, Philippa Ballantine

Certainly no strangers to peculiar occurrences, agents Wellington Books and Eliza Braun are nonetheless stunned to observe a fellow passenger aboard Britain's latest hypersteam train suddenly vanish in a dazzling bolt of lightning. They soon discover this is not the only such disappearance - every case inexplicably unexamined by the Crown.

Genres: Steampunk, Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Adventure

416 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2012

About the author

See also works published as Philippa Ballantine.

Reviews

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 4 out of 5]

· Inspiration level: -10 going on -2,500.
· Caffeination status: need moar. Need much moar. HALP.



Not sure that will make any difference at this point but the thoughtful thought is thoughtfully appreciated, Little Barnacles Mine. Thank thee kindly and stuff.

So. First things first: I’m a complete, total, utter moronic idiot. ”Of course not,” you say! “Don’t be so hard on your nefarious little self,” you say! “You are our brilliantly smart, fearless, cunning leader,” you say!” “Why,” you say? Because I read the first book in this series when it was originally published, slightly enjoyed it a little so much that I bought the present instalment directly after and stuff…only to leave it shamelessly abandoned in the unfathomable depths of my Device of Doom™ (aka my Kindle) for SIX bloody shrimping years. To think of all the Pieces of Crap (PoC™) I barely made out alive of! When I could have been reading this Fun Romp of Steampunk Merriment (FRoSM™)! Ergo, a moronic idiot is undoubtedly me.

Okay, so this series is about two, um, “archivists:” Deceptively Nerdy Mr Books of the Ridiculously Appropriate Name Then Again Maybe Not and Kick Ass Ms Braun of the Super Hot Bulletproof Corset (aka Our Beloved Colonial Sexpot Pepperpot). Both of them are Poof Gone Harem (PGH™), by the way, so don’t get any silly ideas into your silly little heads. Anyway, Books and Braun work for the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences (this is case you were feeling particularly clueless today and hadn’t noticed the name of the series. You are quite welcome and stuff), said Ministry being in charge of investigating, um, you know, peculiar, um, you know, occurrences and, um, you know stuff. Like, um, you know, weird stuff and occult stuff and miscellaneous (if slightly mystifying) evil stuff. Which is pretty cool and stuff, so let’s dance and stuff.



This instalment sees our Dashing Duo of the Delicious Banter and Delightful Interactions (DDotDBaDI™) investigating the mysteriously mysterious disappearances of bloody various Suffragettes, said charming ladies having recently developed the most curious tendency to vanish in Super Extra Flashy Bolts of Lighting (SEFBoL™). Mayhem and chaos ensue, yay! In a most scrumptiously entertaining way, I must say. Granted, this little book here ain’t no Nobel Prize material, but who the stinking fish of the bloody shrimp cares anyway? You might not raise your IQ to 256.58 while reading Books and Brown’s titillating adventures in Steampunkish Victorian Times (SVT™), but there is a slight chance you might possibly find your little self most diverted, amused and cheerfully occupied for a few hours. Maybe. Perhaps. Well you should if you have Impeccable Book Taste (IBT™) like me, anyway. I can’t speak for the Fellowship of the Despicable Book Taste, obviously.

“So why is this book such a FRoSM™,” you ask? Sorry, what? You forgot what FRoSM™ stands for? That’s so sad. Your life really sucks, doesn’t it? Now please stop interrupting or we’ll be here forever and I’ll never get my coffee IV going. So. This book is such a FRoSM™ because it comes fully equipped with:

✔ A most intriguing plot.
✔ Exciting action aplenty.
✔ Hahaha stuff galore.
✔ Baked, cooked and sizzled geese.
✔ The mostest awesomest semi-clockwork housekeeper ever.
✔ The Ministry Seven Who Would Be Eight If They Weren’t Seven But They Aren’t Seven So They Are Eight, aka the coolest, most kidnap-worthy street urchins ever.
✔ Gangs of ruthless female thieves who roam the streets of London.
✔ Ever-so slightly unbalanced villains.
✔ Cool contraptions and devices and gadgets that would make Q proud. (In case you were wondering, I am talking about the only Q that ever was and ever will, i.e. this one, and not about ridiculously silly little younglings.)
✔ Harmless morons vs. dangerous morons.
✔ Arrogant little strumpets.
✔ Regurgitating flower shops (don’t ask).
✔ Yummy Haka Times (YHT™). The book is probably worth 4 stars for that alone, if you ask me. Because, seriously, who can resist something like this:



Not →this← shrimp, that’s for sure *swoons and pants and stuff*

And last, but most certainly not bloody shrimping least, this FRoSM™ is such a FRoSM™ because it features:

① A “devilishly handsome archivist nurturing a grudge” who says hotly irresistible stuff like: “My god, I think I’m sweating.” *swooning intensifies*

And

② A trigger-happy heroine South Pacific Angel of Wanton Destruction and Calamity, who says High Security Harem-qualifying stuff like: “May I have your name for the record, Miss . . . ?” “Eliza Braun,” Eliza sneered. “Here, I’ll spell it for you—B-U-G-G-E-R-O-F-F.” *panting intensifies*

➽ And the moral of this Thank Fish This Pretty Much Reads As A Standalone Because Ancient Little Me Couldn’t Even Remember the MCs’ Names When I Picked Up This Book Please Feel Free to Eyeroll Crappy Non Review is (TFTPMRAASBALMCERtMCNWIPUTBPFFtECNR™) is: In 💕lurve💕 with Books and Braun I most certainly am, and wait another six years to read the next instalment in this series I shall not, for lived much moronically and learned from my stupidly idiotic mistakes I have. Go me and stuff.

• Book 1: Phoenix Rising ★★★★
· Book 3: Dawn's Early Light ★★★★
· Book 4: The Diamond Conspiracy ★★★
· Book 5: The Ghost Rebellion ★★★★
· Book 6: Operation: Endgame ★★★★



[Pre-Review Nonsense]

Dashing archivists and vanishing suffragettes and dangerous morons and baked geese, oh my!



This ↑ is me in my cat costume, being slightly excited about this book. In case you were wondering and stuff.

➽ Full Why the Fish Did I Wait Six Bloody Shrimping Years to Read this Book Because I'm a Complete Idiot that's Why Crappy Non Review (WtFDIWSBSYtRtBBIaCItWCNR™) to come.

[Maja (The Nocturnal Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been a year since Agent Eliza Braun was pulled from the field due to insubordination (temper, temper, Miss Braun!) and sentenced to work in the archives with Mr. Wellington Thornhill Books, the archivist. Nothing remotely exciting has happened since their very first case together, the one involving a secret society, and Miss Braun is starting to become restless. She needn’t worry, though, since trouble is attracted to her just as Eliza is attracted to trouble, and before you know it, our dashing archivist and our colonial pepperpot find themselves entangled in a complicated case involving missing suffragists, teleportation, ghosts from the past and quite a few explosions. Of course, Eliza and Welly aren’t supposed to be working outside the archives at all, but the field agent assigned to the case has been neglecting his duties in the worst possible way and meanwhile, women from the movement are still disappearing.

Unlike the first installment, The Janus Affair was harder to get into. The beginning was pretty slow compared to the explosive opening scene of Phoenix Rising. I struggled with the first 80 pages for five days straight, giving up and then forcing myself to restart, only to give up again after 10 pages or so. But when things finally started moving, when Eliza and Welly reminded me just how extraordinarily witty (and dysfunctional) they are, I wanted to kick myself for waiting so long to push through the beginning.

I should have remembered how wonderful these two characters are when they interact, how amusing when they snap at each other and, despite all their bickering, how protective they become when a third party goes after one of them.
”Your faith in my abilities does inspire me as would Helen’s visage,” snipped Wellington.
“Helen had a thousand ships covering her backside, mate.” Eliza shrugged, motioning to him. “I have an Archivist who’s afraid of guns. You figure out who has the better deal.”

There is more of everything in The Janus Affair: more action, more humor, more inventions, more peculiar occurrences, more witty banter and (ahem!) more unresolved sexual tension. My poor Books is too nerdy and shy to admit to himself, let alone to Eliza, how he really feels, but the arrival of Eliza’s old flame from New Zealand might just push him over the edge. Everyone has secrets, right? Even our gentle archivist has a surprise or two in store.

This, my darlings, is steampunk at its best! I’m not exactly an expert on the genre, but I do recognize quality when I see it, and spouses Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris delivered quality work not once, but two times. From the language (especially language!) and society to the intriguing inventions, even the smallest detail is in its place. If you intend to read one steampunk in your life, this is what you should choose. Ballantine and Morris know what they’re doing.

Also posted at The Nocturnal Library

[Felicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the first in this series and I really enjoyed the second as well. There are some jokey things with the naming I could have done without, but overall I got caught up in the characters a LOT, even moreso than the last installment. I really like how romance cliches aren't followed in this book, and it's really more of an adventure novel with some romance thrown in. I love the female lead is tough without TRYING too hard, I loved her old flame coming in, not cackling like a bad guy, but being a genuinely interesting character. The overall plot was interesting, and the steampunk stuff continues to be super fun and well thought-out. I usually hate children in books like this because they're just WAYYYY too adorable, but these kids didn't make me crazy like they usually do (although Ilona Andrews has YET to be topped in the cool kid department with her Edge series. Love those kids).

Anyhoo, definitely a good read for people who like steampunk and mysteries and period pieces, guy or girl!

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first, as I was reading this, I found myself in the position of the parents at the school play in Down With Skool!. "At least," I said, "it's better than last year's."

The first Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novel has been widely praised, and has even won an award, but personally I was profoundly unimpressed with it (my Goodreads review is here). At the end of that review, I said that despite its many flaws it looked like it had promise, and that the sequel could well be better. It is, although some of the same flaws are still on display.

First, of course, the jokey names. I'm not a fan of jokey names - I think it's a cheap attempt at getting a laugh (and from me it doesn't). Books and Braun, seriously? Not to mention Bruce Campbell (apparently the name of a modern B-movie actor), Miss Shillingworth (the equivalent of Miss Moneypenny), and the insertions of the authors' friends: the clankertons Axelrod and Blackwell, and the cracksman Fast Nate Lowell. Each time this sort of thing occurred, I was jerked out of what suspension of disbelief I'd managed to achieve and reminded of the book's status as a work of fiction. But that could be just me.

Steampunk, like Camelot, is a silly place, and I can't really carp at the anachronistic technology. It's a genre trope, and I always try to allow for genre tropes. But the book is full of other anachronisms, too. There are two real historical people in The Janus Affair, Kate Sheppard and her son Douglas, but they are the wrong ages, and I suspect there's not much else about them that's historically accurate either. In 1896, which is when the book is set, Kate Sheppard was 49 (not "over 50"), and, more importantly, Douglas was 16, not the full-grown man portrayed. The New Zealand rugby team wears black and performs the haka, 8 years before the 1905 "Originals".

So let's assume that no historicity is intended. I'm not sure that excuses the many anachronisms of speech. I'll talk about the New Zealand speech, since as a New Zealander I know how we talk. The New Zealanders use the Maori greeting Kia Ora, and refer to New Zealand as Aotearoa (which was a name first used by a European in 1898, and wasn't commonly used by pakeha - non-Maori New Zealanders - until about the 1990s, as Kia Ora also wasn't). I don't think New Zealanders called people "mate" in the late 19th century, either, though I'm open to correction. Most of the slang seems to be contemporary - there's even the phrase "not all that," meaning "not very good," which is American ghetto slang from the early 1990s.

(None of this is obscure knowledge. You can check it in a couple of minutes with Google and Wikipedia.)

Even if we set all that aside, there are a great many - a very great many - language mistakes. Not as many as in the first book, where they were almost constant - here, we go whole chapters without one - but they are still numerous.

The authors are obviously bad with homonyms and near-homonyms: they write fair for fare, bobble for bauble, eluded for alluded, touting for toting, grizzly for grisly and so on.

They (and their editor) don't spellcheck adequately: women's is punctuated as womens' (twice), and visible is spelled visable.

A woman's name is spelled Francis (which is the masculine form - the feminine is Frances).

Some passages, mostly Books' internal dialogue, are full of awkward sentences like this: "This was another unique trait of Eliza's semi-clockwork housekeeper: she was not a fixture or addition to the household." What does that even mean? Or "Even if the women were to receive the vote, the right would never befall on Alice as she was… merely a contrivance to the manor"? It's gibberish. If you must write like a 19th-century newspaper (and really, must you?), at least do it competently. Or even comprehensibly. (Incidentally, a "manor" is a very specific kind of home. It's not a synonym for "household".)

There are also many sentences with words missing or misplaced or simply wrong: "More disturbing of all…" Even the best sentences are seldom vivid, and I never thought "that's exactly the right word choice" or "that's really well put", while I often thought "that's the wrong word for what you apparently mean".

Then there's "serve at Her Majesty's pleasure" - you keep using that phrase. I don't think it means what you think it means.

As I said before, this kind of error was much more common in the earlier book, but it's far from eliminated in this one.

There are errors of continuity. Books didn't break the rules in the rugby game. He says it, Douglas says it. And then a couple of chapters later, "he had blatantly broken the rules…".

There are errors, or what look like errors, of scene. How the heck do you throw a tray at someone who's facing you and hit them in the elbow? Or punch someone who's facing you in the kidney?

Dr Sound keeps giving the main characters days off every time something disturbing happens. Another anachronism? A present-day employer would do that, but would a 19th-century one?

Likewise, the duke and the doctor addressing each other by their first names? What?

Unlike the first book, where it felt severely forced to me, the attraction between Books and Braun seems much more natural here. But there's another forced-seeming attraction: The assassin is attracted to her heavily cyborged Maestro at the end of a chapter in which she continually complains to herself how high-handed he is and how he treats her with no respect. And then nothing more ever comes of it.

So, still a great many flaws. On the macro level, though, the book I thought improved a lot on its predecessor. I've noticed that Phillipa Ballantine has a tendency to leap straight into the cruelty, mayhem and death without waiting to establish empathy (which is why I've so seldom finished her books), and she's much more restrained this time. There's even a brief moment, admittedly after someone dies and not before, where we're told (though not shown) how devastating that was to her family left behind. This is progress. There aren't nearly so many innocents slaughtered this time, and the villain isn't as over-the-top.

The main action still comes later than I would prefer, but there are bits of action scattered through the earlier part of the book. A book like this cries out to have lots of action scenes, to race from one to another (a tried-and-tested way to distract readers from flaws, incidentally), and we don't get that.

All in all, though, The Janus Affair earned its third star, and I'd like to hope that with hard work and attention to detail the next one could make it to four.

[Jessie Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!

I loved this. Absolutely. Frikkin. Loved it. I tried to draw out the experience and couldn't make myself stop reading the second day. Without a doubt, this impressive second novel in the newer Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series is going into my "best of 2012" shelf as well as my much less used "all-time favorites." I think I may even have loved this book like I love my hallmark series of steampunk, Gail Carriger's formidably funny and inventive Parasol Protectorate series. I literally have nothing to complain about here, and that is rare. That's a lot of praise for a book to live up to, but The Janus Affair is that rare novel, the one that manages to be delightful, zany, action-packed and original from inception to execution. Please excuse and recognize my blatant and epic fangirling for what it is -- that classic kneejerk reaction of happiness that happens right after finishing an unexpected treat - not everyone in the world will be wowed with this foray into Edwardian steampunkery but boy I was. Though the first novel Phoenix Rising wasn't quiiiite as perfect, this is the steampunk series everyone should be reading now that Alexia has wrapped up her five novel arc hung up her written parasol duties. While the main events of book two of the MoPO were neatly and explosively wrapped up without my predicting the outcome (once again, thanks to the amazing Eliza Braun), I will count the minutes wait patiently until I can get my grabby little hands on whatever else next springs from the fertile minds of Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris.

By far and away, a third of my love for this book is due entirely to the two main characters at the heart of everything, Eliza Braun and Wellington Books. (The other 2/3rds are reserved for steampunkery, excellent/unpredictable and intelligent antagonists and sheer madcap adventure.) Their banter and genuine camaraderie are prone to bustups and petty fights, but it's the underlying respect and genuine feeling of friendship between that makes reading these two feel less like characters and more like real people. It helps that Eliza is a heoine to shame most other heroines - she's brash and coarse and willful and exactly whatever she wants to be. I love Eliza - I always liked her, from the first chapter of book one, but midway through this, I knew I loved her. (This was the exact moment: "In New Zealand, there had been such sweetness to their courtship, but back then she had been quite a different person. Still a little reckless, but in the way of a young woman not yet as familiar with black powder and explosions.") Her characterization is seemingly blunt and obvious (EXPLODE ALL THE THINGS!), but through interactions and over time and pages, with her Ministry Seven, Welly, and the women she relentlessly helps, Eliza is revealed to be much more than just a mere colonial or pistol-loving walking armoury. Wellington Books has been my absolute favorite character from the start and that is only reinforced through his evolution during the last two novels, but The Janus Affair particularly illustrated him as a man of many facets. His dry humour is still very much in tact ("Once more into the breach.." "Sorry, Welly, what was that?" "Shakespeare. I always recite it just before placing my career in harm's way.") but other, less...gentlemanly aspects of his character are brought to the fore. These are definitely not stagnant characters - they grow and change, make mistakes and adapt, and most importantly, they help one another. The working relationship between the two has evolved to be effective and natural - Books can more than count on Eliza to save him from danger as many times as he saves her.

Steampunk itself seems to be evolving to blend quite naturally with two other, less fantastical genres - mystery and romance. The Janus Affair does have more than a bit of both and handles each element quite admirably - as Books would say, with aplomb. I never felt that one was cheated at the expense of the other - never does any romantic entanglement supersede the plot, nor does the mystery overwhelm the sense of compatibility and chemistry between the Sherlockian main characters. I have to think that these two authors work together more cohesively than any other pairing I've yet come across - Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine complement each other naturally. Though a lot of steampunk novels have the secret organization paired with "agents" used to protect Old Blighty from the supernatural (Parasol Protectorate, Newbury & Hobbes Investigations) and solve paranormal crimes, co-authors Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris go to extremely awesome lengths to create a wholly enveloped and imagined alternate universe for their characters to play within. (They even have a ton of novellas - often by other authors - in the same universe with different characters! There are editions you can purchase, or as free podcasts.) Much like their imagined version of 1800's Britain, the steampunk machines and gadgets used by the cast are wholly original, fun and useful without becoming deux-ex-machinas. I especially liked that something from the first book was referenced and used as a slight part of the plot for the second (the "aethergates" anyone?) - it reinforces the feel that this version of England is an ongoing world, not just unconnected vignettes into random episodes.

The Janus Affair, simply put, is a book that has a lot to offer across a wide variety of areas. Original plotting, genuinely twisty and murky mysteries with a high body count, several strong female characters, amusing banter, original and highly creative use of steampunk and gadgets, veeery smart and fully capable antagonists, the slight but oh-so effective romance, double agents, explosions and more. As I said, the main events and plot of this book have been neatly and effectively wrapped up, but there are some few exceptions to the rule. I don't want to spoil anything from the novel because this really is a fun mystery to try and solve independently, but there are juicy, unresolved plot tendrils enough to ensure that readers from books one and two will want to read the planned third to figure out the Maestro's plans.

I bought the first book, Phoenix Rising, on sale for Nook for a $1.99 late last year and waited several months to dig in. (I guess I like to wait on my books before I read them? Sit on them like a dragon with its hoard, jealously guarding any potential enjoyment I might have when/if I start...? I have 100+ bought and waiting to be read...I'm crazy.) The publishers were generous enough to send me an ARC copy of The Janus Affair just in time for me to realize how much I was going to love this book, series, characters and how much I needed the sequel the second I finished book one. After the last 800 pages with Wellington Books (whom I always call "Boots" in my head before I realize) and Eliza, I can say that I will be buying my own physical copies of both these books because I love them that much. Hey now that I've finished book two, any chances of a draft of book three? Philippa? Tee? Anyone? Please? In the meantime, I'll have to go read the short stories and wait patiently for whatever these creative authors are cooking up for round number three.

[Jammies · Rating 2 out of 5]

The authors either need better editors or they need vocabulary lessons. "Shear" is not the same as "sheer", "any" is not the same as "many" and "bobble" is definitely not the same as "bauble."

And oh, my dog, "a grizzly discovery" means you just found a bear. If you just found a body, that's more of a grisly discovery.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Rating* 4.0-4.5
*Genre* Steampunk

*Review*

The Janus Affair is the second novel in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris. It has been nearly a year since the Phoenix Rising episode and once again our heroine (Miss Eliza Braun) and hero (Wellington Books Thornhill Esq.) are thrown into a mystery of epic proportions which leads to a clumsy reunion with Braun’s one time lover and a discovery of Books secrets he’s gone through a lot of trouble hiding.

The duo works as Archivists for the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences where Braun was placed as a punishment for being a little too overzealous with her bombs and gadgets and not eliminating the person she was sent to kill. Braun isn’t one to stay put in one place for long without running off and getting herself involved in cases for which she should not have access to. Now that she’s got access to the Archives cold cases, she is the female version of Sherlock Holmes on steroids, even going as far as investigating MOPD’s agents’ cold cases without authorization.

In the Janus Affair, Books and Braun witness a woman disappear from a train they are riding on in a flash of light and electricity. Braun immediately gets a bee in her bonnet and drags Books into the investigation against the wishes of her superior Doctor Sound who is carrying enough secrets around to fill the Restricted Files. The mystery soon unravels and Braun and Book realize that someone is trying to stop the Suffragist movement in its tracks. Women who are key components to the fight for women’s rights suddenly disappear in a flash of electricity. The questions are who is responsible and why are they trying to stop the movement from going forward?

Once again our Archivist and his former field agent/archivist in training find themselves investigating things that the Ministry has all but ignored. Eliza once again seems to attract mayhem, chaos, and anarchy wherever she goes. This time however, the cause is near and dear to her heart and she is drawn into the investigation when her former mentor Kate Sheppard and lover Douglas arrive in London.

Eliza, along with the help of Wellington, Alice the housekeeper, and the Ministry Seven, helps unravel the mystery behind the disappearances while secrets about Wellington’s own past finally come out into the light of day. There’s more to Alice than meets the eye as well which I loved reading about.

For those who enjoy steampunk, The Janus Affair is yet another wonderful edition to the cause. I have to say, honestly, that I found this book to be better than Phoenix Rising in scope, world building, characters, and mystery. I absolutely loved the ending of this book and can’t wait until the third book is released.

*ARC Revcd via Edelweiss 04/09/2012**

Expected publication: May 29th 2012 by Harper Voyager

[JAIME LOUISE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welly and Miss Eliza D. Braun are back, and as wonderfully wacky as ever. I want to hang out in the archives with them, be their best friend, adopt their children. I love them. A lot.

RTC. (Maybe. Probably not. I'm busy.)

[cEe beE · Rating 3 out of 5]

Books and Braun aka Wells and Eliza are a very engaging duo of agents who work for the The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences in AU England. This is second of the series and it’s pleasantly fast paced laced with witty and funny dialogue. However there’s just too many characters, several inconsequential to the plot - thus making it a bit convoluted.

But I find Wells and Eliza such fun characters, that I’m going to read the next in the series!

[Francesco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vote: 3,70
Class: L-B1 (FP)

(second book of the Series)

A good urban fantasy, a little steampunk beautifully set in Victorian London (mostly) with a good set of characters and an entertaining story.
The book has a satisfying ending even if there are more to come and so you're not left with a cliffhanger and if you like it you'll have many more to read.
In the second book there is a new adventure awaiting our two peculiar agents and we discover more about their past.
Enjoyable.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

“Why do you think it is always me, Director?” Eliza protested. “It could be Books. My father always told me to beware the quiet ones!”

[Dan Banana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite enjoyable if you like The Time Machine era and creating of gadgets, some Potter like stuff, crimes, murders and camaraderie. Better than book one add characters grow upon one.

[Doc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fastens your seat belts, folks, this one is one hell of a ride.

If you read last year's review of Phoenix Rising, you probably either already know what I'm about to say, or you're already nose deep into the book and not reading this review. For those of you who are coming late into the game, Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris are at it again! On May 29th, 2012, Harper Voyager released their second Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel, The Janus Affair. Once again, Wellington Thornhill Books, and Eliza D. Braun have emerged from the Archives of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences to uncover a dastardly plot that endangers Queen Victoria's England, and possibly the rest of the world.

The winds of change are blowing across the face of the empire, as women all over England are demanding the right to vote, spurred on by visits of New Zealand suffragettes who have come to help their disenfranchised sisters in the mother country. But this change is not welcomed by all. Books and Braun are returning from Edinburgh to London on the latest hyper steam train when a terrified woman vanishes from right in front of them in a burst of lightning. This incident turns out to be the tip of the iceberg, as a quick search of the Archives reveals that a number of influential members of the Women's Suffrage Movement have disappeared in similar cases. Cases which have been closed half-investigated by their fellow agents in the Ministry.

With Miss Braun's mentor, Kate Sheppard, come from New Zealand to further the cause, along with her son Douglas, Eliza's former fiancé, the duo must take the investigation into their own hands. This leads to a fast-paced romp over and above the streets of London as the leadership of the Movement begin disappearing one by one.

Second books in a series often take a bad rap as pale imitations of their predecessors. Fear not, gentile reader, this is NOT the case with the Janus Affair. Ballantine and Morris have exceeded themselves with an excellent tale of intrigues and machinations as Books and Braun try to track down the missing women and discover who is behind their disappearances, Douglas attempts to renew his romance with Eliza, and Wellington discovers feelings of jealousy he hadn't been aware of. On top of all this, there is a traitor in the Ministry, working to bring the Ministry down.

The book is beautifully written. The characters are real, and the dialog rings true in a wonderfully snarky way. This is a great story and a great read, and it looks like the next book, By Dawn's Early Light, will continues in this vein. If you're a fan of Steampunk or Adventure and don't mind a love triangle or two thrown in, I think you'll love this book.

[Cat Russell (Addicted2Heroines) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"We are partners. While life in the Archives moves at a more pedestrian pace than her previous exploits, it is that other life I have caught glimpses of in our brief time together that has made me feel..." And his voice trailed off again.

"Alive, Mr. Books?"

He nodded appreciatively. "Well put, Alice."



Ballantine & Morris' sequel is as clever and well-crafted as its predecessor, with an abundance of witty, playful banter, an intriguing mystery, and a satisfying ending.

Once again, Archivist and Jr. Archivist, Books and Braun, neglect their duties in the Archives to investigate a mystery without the Ministry's approval.

The task of persuading Books to aid Eliza and place his career in jeopardy is much easier for her this time around. Their relationship seems to have strengthened during their last exploits and they've developed a stronger, more trusting partnership.

Members from the suffrage movement, a cause dedicated to the progression of women's rights, are disappearing in a burst of light accompanied by a blast of heat that burns the skin of anyone within a certain radius.

It's a very disturbing and highly confusing case with few leads and no identifiable patterns. But with their determination, Wellington Books' brilliant mind, and Eliza Braun's expertise in the field, they are the best team in the Ministry to find the mysterious device responsible and the criminal who controls it.

One of the women Eliza is most invested in keeping safe is Kate Sheppard, leader of the suffrage movement and an important part of Eliza's New Zealand past. She's brought with her Douglas Sheppard, her son and Eliza's first love.

Although their past is complicated, it's obvious that they still have lingering feelings for each other. This doesn't sit well with Wellington and we witness an angrier, surprisingly jealous side of our usually reserved Archivist.

While the first half of the story seems to focus on building the mystery, gathering details, and introducing us to new characters, the remaining half is more emotional and action-packed. I enjoyed every minute of it.

I can't imagine any fans of Phoenix Rising being disappointed in this sequel. I'm looking forward to more explosions, more secrets revealed, and more beatings delivered by Wellington's walking stick in Books and Braun's next adventure.





"Finally, she walked up to him and gave him a hard shove, sending him backwards into the plush couch. He now looked up at her; and with her hands on her hips, lips pursed, and eyebrow crooked as she considered him, she was quite the vision. As he was sitting down, he couldn't tell if his knees were weak but he somehow knew they would be. At that moment he saw exactly why men all over the world couldn't resist the compulsion to grant her with whatever she wanted."

[Odin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the full review at http://www.viewfromvalhalla.com

Buy it. Read it. You'll love it.

Setting: Victorian London. However, this is the Victorian London not seen by your ancestors. This is the Victorian London Verne and Wells would have chosen to live in if the choice had been available. The wonderfully infernal devices evidenced throughout The Janus Affair are much more blended into the story than almost any other steampunk story I've encountered. I've heard complaints about steampunk from two almost antithetical camps. The one seems to hate anything that is overly analyzed as most contraptions would be taken for granted. The other camp has sever issues whenever there are not enough steam powered devices in evidence. I am unsure whether Mr. Morris and Ms. Ballantine have heard these same complaints or if they just happen to walk the perfect middle: The Janus Affair is peppered on every page with plenty of gadgets and the only device that I remember being explained is a Victorian glowstick.

Plot: Ms. Braun has much cause for rejoicing as London's suffrage movement, which is beginning to gain steam, is visited by her old mentor Kate Sheppard, the first lady of the New Zealand Suffrage Movement. However, suffragists from around London are disappearing and Books and Braun endeavor to make sure Kate isn't next.

Characters: Besides Wellington and Eliza, many of the cast from Pheonix Rising return and are fleshed out. Of particular note, the Ministry Seven have a much larger role in The Janus Affair, a fact that you'll be quite happy about. All of the characters gel a bit more in the current story and each plays their part well.

Odin’s recommendation: I make no bones here; I'm going to gush. I truly and simply loved Pheonix Rising at the time I read it and stated that it was the best example of steampunk I'd read. I continued to feel that way until I read The Janus Affair. Simply stated, The Janus Affair is a substantially better story than Pheonix Rising. I'd have given Pheonix Rising an unreserved A rating. The Janus Affair one upped it and got a perfect score; then did the extra credit. In all honesty, I can't think of a single scene I'd change.

If you're a fan of good writing, you need to go ahead and pre-order The Janus Affair now. (Feel free to click the image on the carousel to the right.) If you've never read steampunk before, this would be a great introduction. If you've felt steampunk wasn't for you, The Janus Affair will change your mind. If you're tired of books that take themselves too seriously and forget to let the reader enjoy the story and characters, Ms. Ballantine and Mr. Morris had you in mind.

I truly believe with The Janus Affair: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel, this series will become a fan favorite and readers will demand to find out what happens when next Eliza and Welly suit up for their next adventure.

[Brooke ♥booklife4life♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Find this and other reviews, plus fun stuff, on my blogs! Booklikes or Blogspot**


Basic Info

Format: Audio
Pages/Length: Almost 14hrs
Genre: Young Adult; Steampunk
Reason For Reading: Challenge

At A Glance

Love Triangle/Insta Love/Obsession?: No
Cliff Hanger: No
Triggers: n/a
Rating: 3 stars

Score Sheet
All out of ten

Cover: 7
Plot: 6
Characters: 6
World Building: 6
Flow: 5
Series Congruity: 7
Writing: 7
Ending: 7

Total: 7

In Depth

Best Part: Books' quotes!
Worst Part: Slow going
Thoughts Had: Eh, maybe, idk, i can't decide!

Conclusion

Continuing the Series: Maybe
Recommending: Sure

Short Review: Maybe i'm just bored of life, but these books are not doing it for me at all. I mean, there was a freaking dating scene going on. IDC about that at all. They say bosom too much. There was a good amount of action scenes but i feel like the tone of the narrator made them out to be way less interesting than they were. Eliza still made sure she was wearing pants, or wanted to be wearing pants, we get it, you are progressive and wear pants! Shit. The ending saved it a bit. I'm kinda excited to see what they will do in the Americas!

Misc.

Book Boyfriend: Books!
Best Friend Material: Eliza i guess.

Review in GIF Form:

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt charitable, so gave it a 3.

Tee Morris and Pip Ballatine are great authors, when it comes to fantasy.

This, however, did not really grab me. All the naff steampunk cliches and tropes (and before anyone starts, I consider myself an avid member of the steampunk culture).

The same tired almost prescribed plot and plot devices. Secret agents, Victorian London, gaslight, dirigibles, corsets, goggles and mad science/ anachronistic technology. So, following the same tired path to churn out an SP novel.

Okay, I might not be entirely fair in singling this particular book out for ire at the whole 'lets-go-jump-on-the-steampunk-bandwagon' writing that's being churned out today, but there are other things with this book that merit my frustration.

The spelling mistakes. The feeling that bits of the manuscript have been left out at the printers, so passages don't quite make sense and you're left re-re-re-reading it and still thinking 'sorry, don't quite follow what's going on here'. Certain plot turns that can be seen approaching from ten miles away.

I really wanted to love this book, truly I did. But it left me disappointed.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second in a series that would fit better on a shelf labeled Urban Fantasy/Steam Punk. And it's a good book, a good read. Unfortunately it's (in my opinion of course) a bit too much of a good thing. This book would I think have been better had the same story been told in maybe two-thirds the length.

While I like the book and like the characters the dialogue and "flavor text" got to be a bit much this time. I sadly must admit that there were times when I'd laid the book aside that I wasn't all that enthused to get back to it.

Still I remain interested in the characters and will in all probability follow the book up. There are things that slightly annoy me about the book (for example I'm not sure Eliza would like being called a "Pepper Pot") on the other hand the plots are good as is "most" of the dialogue and the humor.

This time someone is using a Victorian age transporter device to snatch away suffragists in England. Sadly Eliza and Books are still not to be involved in field work.

Of course we all know how that will work out.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Janus is the two headed god, and whoever decided to use his name in this title, deserves a pay bump. Everything in this book is two faced in some way.
The Janus Affair takes our favorite archivists Books and Braun on another adventure as well as answering questions that were raised in the first volume of the series. More is revealed about both characters’’ past as wells certain plot lines laid down in the first volume.
More importantly, the famous duo struggles to finds out what has happened to the disappearing suffragettes.
The adventure aspect of the novel is good. It is a fun read in that sense and would make a good movie. I find the drawback to be the forced, very forced romantic interact between the two characters. There is no spark or connection.
But I must admit, I am happy that certain plot elements have not been drawn out. In today's series where everything gets drawn out for far too long, it is refreshing to read a book where it isn't.

[Tim Hicks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I presume the authors have many friends, and that explains the reviews with four and five stars.

I've read plenty of good steam punk, and this isn't it. Try some Cherie Priest, folks, or Jay Lake's Mainspring series.

Perhaps I'm over sensitive about books that are riddled with errors. Some books don't use a copy editor; this one seems to have hired an anti- copy editor to put errors in. I counted more than a dozen, from "mischevious" and "visable" to "you where saying?" And of course the anachronistic haka and other things.

Others have pointed out that the villain's motivation is implausible. And I don't care for a book full of plausible things like airships mixing in teleportation.

Characters are fine, except the caricature that is Bruce.

At times the book had an excessive reliance on references to the previous book. Some authors place those references so they add value if you have read #1 but don't hurt if you haven't.

[Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though the first novel in the series was excellent, the second easily surpassed the first in terms of story and characters. But this book has on top of it all has done more than that to warrant five stars: too often steampunk falls into the standard pulp genre: strong male characters, weak beautiful females to be saved by said male characters, etc... This novel, and indeed this series throws that on its head. Particularly I applaud the strong female lead Eliza Braun who is truly her own woman. She chooses her own sexual partners, has more than merely throwaway lines, and actually takes on danger. Furthermore she is not easily coerced, has an intelligence all her own, and is conscious (and disgusted) at the objectification that she is subjected to. This is the direction that steampunk ought to take, and I am certainly looking forward to the next novel in this series.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have so wanted to read a good steampunk novel that dealt with the suffrage movement. I enjoyed the first of these novels and thus was optimistic about this one. Sigh. It is lively and if you like the dynamics between Books and Braun, it has fun moments. I liked some of the depictions of the suffragists (the "Protectors" are based on real women who guarded suffragist leaders). Balanced against that, the dialogue is awkward and unrealistic (I found myself wondering if Eliza Braun's maid, Alice, was educated at Oxford or Cambridge), the sensibilities very contemporary, the ending is bizarre and the depiction of people of Indian descent is wildly uneven and plays into stereotypes.

[E. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book two in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series is much like the first: it's a steampunk paint-by-the-numbers, with very few surprises for the genre's devoted readers. If all you require of your steampunk is beautiful airships and amazing guns, you'll be well-satisfied with this one. Your tongue may well tangle with all the similar sounding names in this volume, for there's a Books, a Braun, a Bruce, a Betsy, a Campbell, a Charlotte, a Chandi, a Cullpepper... You get the idea.

[Melissa Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love the duo of Wellington Books and Eliza Braun! Wellington is just adorable and a little nerdy, Eliza is smart and tough as nails. Together they make a great team and I love their every interaction! The Janus Affair has an intriguing plot, plenty of action, all sorts of steampunk goodness, and tons of humor! I love humor in books, especially of the sarcastic variety. I am very excited about continuing this series!

[Rashika (is tired) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book needs better editing. Also some of the characters really pissed me off. Feminist me was not happy.

Aside from that, it was a fun read.

[Karissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing continuation of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series. This is the 2nd book in this series, there are five books in this series and all have been released. I am absolutely loving this series, the books are just so creative, action-packed, and so much fun to read.

Time has passed and Books and Braun are settling into their roles of archivist and jr. archivist. That is until a passenger on a train they are riding mysteriously vanishes in a flash of bright light. When Eliza finds out that, not only have multiple cases of this happened, but that disappearances seem to be linked to those women who are involved with the suffragette movement...well her and Books end up back on an active case...in secret.

We learn a lot more about Eliza’s past in this book as an old friend comes to visit her from New Zealand. We find out why she left there and how it’s tied with the events happening in London. We also learn a lot more about Wellington's past and why his dad’s voice haunts him so.

Both characters learn and grow in this book and it was fun to watch Eliza and Wellington start to moderate each other’s very polar personalities. The two have great chemistry together and I really enjoy watching them solve these cases together.

As with the previous book there is a lot of mystery, action, and numerous fun devices as well. I really love the alternate Victorian London setting and I enjoy all the craziness and creativity in these books. They are a wonderful balance of mystery, adventure, conspiracy, contraptions, and have a touch of romance as well.

Overall this was a wonderful continuation of this series. This is my favorite type of book; a wonderful balance of many elements and a contained story in this book that contributes to a broader story. The story is humorous at times, fast-paced, and just all in all a very fun read. I would definitely recommend to steampunk fans or fans of action-packed Victorian urban fantasy.

[Johnny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books (Wellington) and Braun (Eliza) make a marvelous team of investigators/secret agents in a fascinating fictitious Victorian Empire. The Janus Affair: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel is the second in the series and the title not only seems reminiscent of episode and novelization titles in the ‘60s era Man from U.N.C.L.E series, but also offers a significant clue toward two revelations within the story itself. The first revelation doesn’t seem significant in its original context, but the idea is hammered home when the second revelation occurs. Indeed, one of the strengths of these steampunk novels is that they offer plenty of twists in both the sub-plots and the main plots. The Janus Affair is no exception.

When I read the first volume in the series, Braun and Books reminded me of Peel and Steed in the classic The Avengers television series (not to be confused with any Marvel Comics/Disney properties). That comparison is still valid in this second volume, but the sexual tension is increased such that I was also reminded of the pair of detectives in another television series, Moonlighting. Increase this tension with conflicting feelings related to a relational triangle and that between another potential couple within the ranks of the “ministry” and the romantic factor is considerably ramped up.

The main plot deals with the phenomenal disappearances of major players in the Women’s Suffrage movement within a very steampunk pyrotechnic. These victims are consumed by a nimbus of electrical energy and those within a certain radius are blasted by explosive, burning, shocking, collateral damage. The mystery behind what appears to be a diabolical machine is quite interesting, even though the mechanic suggested is here-to-fore impossible even in real-world technology. It affords a new look into Books’ own fascination with machinery and invention, as well as leading the reader into a confrontation with a far more diabolical plot than originally suspected.

The authors also avoid giving the readers any rose-tinted “goggles” in that the missions so far (although I’ve only read two volumes) are quite dangerous. Characters are killed with whom both the protagonists and the reader have established significant, if not quite perfect, bonding and even that sense of loss experienced by human beings when they make important decisions that require turning one’s back on something else of value (career, family, relationship, reputation, wealth?). The phrase which comes to mind when I read some of these darker (but necessary) portions is not quite proportional to the situation (but in my mind nonetheless) was, “Oh, the humanity!” The losses in The Janus Affair aren’t really at the level of the Hindenburg disaster but they have dramatic impact regardless.

Frankly, I’m amazed at the intricate (dare I say “clockwork?”) detail for the setting from the archives of the ministry with its “Lisa” (you’ll have to discover that one yourself) to the airships and the equivalent of a steam-powered motorcycle. This series is always what I’ve wanted in steampunk novels and I hope to read many more before I’m through. Each Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novels seems distinct from The Invisible Library in that one doesn’t have multi-dimensional travel and from The Laundry Files in that it isn’t overtly (at least to this point) dealing with the supernatural (just the delightfully implausible). As such, they will be part of my escape reading cycle for a long time to come.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in this series finds our two intrepid Peculiar Occurrences agents hot on the trail of several missing suffragists, trying to determine who or what is behind the women’s disappearances. New characters are introduced, returning characters are built upon, and romantic tension begins to mount.

Everything that made book one, Phoenix Rising a good adventurous steampunk read was evident here as well but this time I enjoyed the experience more. I think, perhaps, without the need to introduce the characters, the Ministry, indeed the whole setting, allowed for more actual storytelling and solid character development. The plot was well-paced with nice “interludes” interspersed here and there as breaks in the main story and providing us with points of view of characters other than the main two. The whole thing really jelled this time around and it makes me anticipate the third book with more anticipation than I had for this one.

[Jen (That's What I'm Talking About) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Rating: 4 stars: Enjoyed - strongly recommend (A-)

The story opens with our wonderful agents, Eliza Braun and Wellington Books, on their way home from Scotland. While on the train, they witness a bizarre incident where a woman is snatched up in a ball of energy and just disappears. This truly is a Peculiar Occurrence, but since Ms. Braun and Mr. Books have been relegated to the Archives (and after making a bit of a mess taking down the House of Usher in the last story, Phoenix Rising), the investigation is left to the bumbling traitor, Bruce Campbell. Of course, since we are talking about Ms. Braun and Mr. Books, and after personal intercession from Eliza’s past, have no fear... they are secretly on the case.

After being blow away by the first book of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, I could not wait to get my hands on The Janus Affair, and once again, I am enamored. The action begins right from the start and doesn’t slow down until we solve the mystery. One does not need to have read the first book in this series to enjoy The Janus Affair, but it is an excellent book and gives marvelous backstory - it is truly worth while.

The first thing I noted and was excited about was the deepening relationship between Eliza and Welly. The two have become comfortable with one another - almost like best friends. But as the books moves forward and we gain perspective from Wellington’s point of view, we realize that he is truly smitten with Eliza. It is sweet and endearing and makes the book that much more enjoyable. Welly is crushing big time on Eliza, but she remains obtuse despite the small signs. A wrench is tossed into the duo’s potential romance when Eliza’s first love, Douglas, comes to visit from their homeland of New Zealand. Not only do a multitude of emotions spring forth in Eliza, but it also serves to remind her that she can never return home to see her family.

Douglas arrives on the scene escorting his mother, Kate Sheppard, who is a suffragist leader from New Zealand. She is in England to garner support for the cause, but instead is fearful for her life as one-by-one the suffragist leaders are being kidnapped in the ball of energy. Kate asks for Eliza to help investigate and stop the abductions. Douglas wants to pick up where he and Eliza left off, and Eliza isn’t certain what to think or do. With their arrival, we discover though suggestions and innuendo that Eliza’s expulsion from her homeland was related to an incident involving Kate.

I did not care for Douglas and felt he was up to something the whole time I read the book. I even wondered if he was directly involved in the abductions (spoiler-free here!). His garish behavior - especially in front of Wellington - along with his constant interfering with Eliza’s work infuriated me, but Eliza handles herself just like she should! Kuddos to the authors for creating a character that I love to hate!

In my note taking, I have flagged so many wonderful passages - most of which are dialogue between Eliza and Wellington. The pair work so well together, despite the circumstances and pressures. Secrets are unraveled and the pair learn to get past it all.

As Eliza and Wellington work behind-the-scenes (with help from the wonderful “Ministry Seven” - a group of vagabond children with many mischievous “skills”), we are interrupted from time-to-time with short “Interludes” which detail a much larger story arc. The nefarious and mysterious Maestro returns to the scene in his continued efforts to bring down the Ministry and its director, Doctor Sound, but what his plans are remains unknown. He has enlisted the help of Peter Lawson, Duke of Sussex, who in turn has an “inside” man in agent Bruce Campbell. Also continuing in her roll as master thief and trouble-maker is the lovely Sophia del Morte. The whole sequence of events gives much to the content of the story without detracting from the plot. I want to know so much more.... what is Doctor Sound up to?

If it seems like there is a lot going on, it’s because there truly is. However, the plot is fairly seamless and the story is so engrossing, that one hardly notices. There were a few times I felt lost, but it never was cause for a re-read.

Overall, The Janus Affair is an excellent story. Although I got a little lost in the words at times, the descriptive settings were exquisite (and for steampunk fans, the contraptions are wonderful!). The madcap schemes and intricate plots are on par with classic whodunit mysteries. The story has amazing humor, non-stop adventure and action, and yes... romance! The addition of the romance sweetened the story without cheapening it. Welly's smitten behavior and the introduction of Douglas added a new dimension to the fabulous series. I am still trying to figure out the overall story arc and look forward to finding out more... hopefully sooner than later.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent...I am really enjoying this series.... now adding it to one of my automatic "to read" selections. Looking forward to the next "peculiar occurrence". The characters are well developed and simply enjoyable.