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Balfour and Meriwether #3
Balfour and Meriwether in the Incident of the Harrowmoor Dogs
When a private envoy of the queen and member of Lord Carmichael's discreet service goes missing, Balfour and Meriwether are asked to look into the affair. They will find a labyrinth of dreams, horrors risen from hell, prophecy, sexual perversion, and an abandoned farmhouse on the moors outside Harrowmoor Sanitarium. The earth itself will bare its secrets and the Empire itself will tremble in the face of the hidden dangers they discover, but the greatest peril is the one they have brought with them.
88 pages, Hardcover
First published October 30, 2013
About the author
Daniel Abraham
225 books3,094 followersDaniel James Abraham, pen names M.L.N. Hanover and James S.A. Corey, is an American novelist, comic book writer, screenwriter, and television producer. He is best known as the author of
The Long Price Quartet
and
The Dagger and the Coin
fantasy series, and with Ty Franck, as the co-author of
The Expanse
series of science fiction novels, written under the joint pseudonym James S.A. Corey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
November 11, 2013
Originally posted at FanLit.
"I can’t say we’d have shied away from the devil, if he’d been able to assure the stability and greatness of England. It’s an ugly truth, and we don’t proclaim it from the rooftops, but in governance, expedience often wins over principle."
Daniel Abraham is best known for his epic fantasy (THE LONG PRICE QUARTET and THE DAGGER AND THE COIN), the urban fantasy he writes under his penname M.L.N. Hanover (BLACK SUN’S DAUGHTER) and the science fiction he writes as James S.A. Corey (THE EXPANSE). But he’s also been writing a series of steampunk stories about a couple of British secret agents named Balfour and Meriwether. The first of these, “The Adventure of The Emperor’... Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
"I can’t say we’d have shied away from the devil, if he’d been able to assure the stability and greatness of England. It’s an ugly truth, and we don’t proclaim it from the rooftops, but in governance, expedience often wins over principle."
Daniel Abraham is best known for his epic fantasy (THE LONG PRICE QUARTET and THE DAGGER AND THE COIN), the urban fantasy he writes under his penname M.L.N. Hanover (BLACK SUN’S DAUGHTER) and the science fiction he writes as James S.A. Corey (THE EXPANSE). But he’s also been writing a series of steampunk stories about a couple of British secret agents named Balfour and Meriwether. The first of these, “The Adventure of The Emperor’... Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
November 6, 2013
"I can’t say we’d have shied away from the devil, if he’d been able to assure the stability and greatness of England. It’s an ugly truth, and we don’t proclaim it from the rooftops, but in governance, expedience often wins over principle."
Daniel Abraham is best known for his epic fantasy (THE LONG PRICE QUARTET and THE DAGGER AND THE COIN), the urban fantasy he writes under his penname M.L.N. Hanover (BLACK SUN’S DAUGHTER) and the science fiction he writes as James S.A. Corey (THE EXPANSE). But he’s also been writing a series of steampunk stories about a couple of British secret agents named Balfour and Meriwether. The first of these, “The Adventure of The Emperor’... Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
Daniel Abraham is best known for his epic fantasy (THE LONG PRICE QUARTET and THE DAGGER AND THE COIN), the urban fantasy he writes under his penname M.L.N. Hanover (BLACK SUN’S DAUGHTER) and the science fiction he writes as James S.A. Corey (THE EXPANSE). But he’s also been writing a series of steampunk stories about a couple of British secret agents named Balfour and Meriwether. The first of these, “The Adventure of The Emperor’... Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
December 2, 2013
There was a moment in this book where my personal views almost caused me to put the book down as, incorrectly, I thought the main character had offended me. As it turns out, it was a red herring. The author pulled a neat little trick on me, and I quite enjoyed the turn of events. This was a very pleasant read. A quick adventure romp in the style of Sherlock Holmes or an English adventure story. I'm going to seek out more with Balfour and Meriwether. I feel there are many more tales to tell.
December 14, 2013
Interesting novella from my favorite author. I guess it was steam punkish? Mystery with two secret agent type characters that work for the UK. Rescuing a lost agent from demon dogs. The book itself is gorgeous, the binding, the materials, plus it is signed and numbered. Awesome.
January 16, 2017
This short novella was an entertaining distraction. Set in 1880's Victorian England a pair of the Queen's special investigators are sent to investigate the disappearance of another operative. A sanitarium is apparently near a gate to the underworld of evil creatures. Sorta but not really Sherlock Holmes meets HP Lovecraft. The story is book-ended with excerpts written by one of the characters of the story, Mr. Meriwether, which rather hints at other things ...
I'll be on the lookout for more of the adventures of Balfour and Meriwether. This has intrigued me.
3 1/2 stars
I'll be on the lookout for more of the adventures of Balfour and Meriwether. This has intrigued me.
3 1/2 stars
January 13, 2020
A touch of Lovecraft, a hefty serving of Holmes, and a dash of Freudian repression. The story had the potential to be a full novel, which makes me wonder why it was such a brief summation of an adventure battling subterranean monsters. Though very quick, I enjoyed it and will keep an eye out for the first two installments. Nice to see a historical piece which included the political attitudes of the day rather than the relentless need to shoehorn 21st century liberal values into every heroic character. The brief appearance of Alan Turing at the end was a trifle random.
January 10, 2019
Mr. Abraham is far and away one of my favourite fantasy writers. I'm not crazy about short stories, and this one lies part way between a short story and a novella. But it was a frothy little piece of horror, full of darkness, teeth and mud, and it made good reading on a night when I couldn't sleep.
March 16, 2019
Fun story.
Torches knives beasts and the terrible burden of empire. Goes to some different places than than expected. I wavered a bit but it's tightly written so five stars.
Torches knives beasts and the terrible burden of empire. Goes to some different places than than expected. I wavered a bit but it's tightly written so five stars.
December 25, 2020
Short, sharp and sweet little novella by Abraham. Definitely worth an hour of your time :-)
January 20, 2025
A brilliant capstone to the trio of Balfour and Meriwether stories that explores themes of acceptability and otherness. The only shame is that there aren't more tales featuring this duo.
May 1, 2015
It's no secret that Daniel Abraham is a very versatile writer whose imagination knows no bounds. Hence, when the ARC for Balfour and Meriwether in the Incident of the Harrowmoor Dogs showed up in a Subpress package, the premise immediately intrigued me. And since it was something brand new and a work of short fiction to boot, I decided to give it a shot.
Here's the blurb:
When a private envoy of the queen and member of Lord Carmichael's discreet service goes missing, Balfour and Meriwether are asked to look into the affair. They will find a labyrinth of dreams, horrors risen from hell, prophecy, sexual perversion, and an abandoned farmhouse on the moors outside Harrowmoor Sanitarium. The earth itself will bare its secrets and the Empire itself will tremble in the face of the hidden dangers they discover, but the greatest peril is the one they have brought with them.
Balfour and Meriwether in the Incident of the Harrowmoor Dogs is the first novella length work in the Balfour and Meriwether stories by Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award nominated author Daniel Abraham.
The story takes place in late 1800s England and I feel that Abraham's eye for historical details captured the minutiae of that era well. This is the first in a number of novellas which will likely occur over a period of thirty years or so, as the Last Notebook of Mr. Meriwether dates from 1920. It remains to be seen whether or not these tales will go beyond the boundaries of the UK. But insofar as this novella is concerned, the protagonists have piqued my curiosity and I'm looking forward to more stories chronicling their adventures/misadventures.
The tone of this novella is decidedly more witty and cynical than what the author has accustomed us to in the past. And as such, it showed a different side of Abraham, one that I truly enjoyed.
In terms of characterization, Balfour and Meriwether are a disparate, quirky, and interesting pair. These strange agents of the Queen are endearing protagonists. And although the novella-length project doesn't allow readers to really get to know them, one really wants to discover more about them. Here's to hoping that future installments won't be too long in coming. . .
I loved how the religious perception of homosexuality as an abomination was deftly woven into the storyline. It definitely adds another layer to the tale and it bodes well for things to come. Whether you are a fan of the author, or whether you have never read anything by Daniel Abraham, Balfour and Meriwether in the Incident of the Harrowmoor Dogs makes for a short but satisfying read!
Here's the blurb:
When a private envoy of the queen and member of Lord Carmichael's discreet service goes missing, Balfour and Meriwether are asked to look into the affair. They will find a labyrinth of dreams, horrors risen from hell, prophecy, sexual perversion, and an abandoned farmhouse on the moors outside Harrowmoor Sanitarium. The earth itself will bare its secrets and the Empire itself will tremble in the face of the hidden dangers they discover, but the greatest peril is the one they have brought with them.
Balfour and Meriwether in the Incident of the Harrowmoor Dogs is the first novella length work in the Balfour and Meriwether stories by Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award nominated author Daniel Abraham.
The story takes place in late 1800s England and I feel that Abraham's eye for historical details captured the minutiae of that era well. This is the first in a number of novellas which will likely occur over a period of thirty years or so, as the Last Notebook of Mr. Meriwether dates from 1920. It remains to be seen whether or not these tales will go beyond the boundaries of the UK. But insofar as this novella is concerned, the protagonists have piqued my curiosity and I'm looking forward to more stories chronicling their adventures/misadventures.
The tone of this novella is decidedly more witty and cynical than what the author has accustomed us to in the past. And as such, it showed a different side of Abraham, one that I truly enjoyed.
In terms of characterization, Balfour and Meriwether are a disparate, quirky, and interesting pair. These strange agents of the Queen are endearing protagonists. And although the novella-length project doesn't allow readers to really get to know them, one really wants to discover more about them. Here's to hoping that future installments won't be too long in coming. . .
I loved how the religious perception of homosexuality as an abomination was deftly woven into the storyline. It definitely adds another layer to the tale and it bodes well for things to come. Whether you are a fan of the author, or whether you have never read anything by Daniel Abraham, Balfour and Meriwether in the Incident of the Harrowmoor Dogs makes for a short but satisfying read!
December 15, 2014
I listened to this on the fantasy short-fiction podcast PodCastle. The reading was excellent. I quite enjoyed the story--it's very reminiscent of the Sherlock Holmes stories, and is set during that same period, but with matter-of-fact inclusion of fantasy elements. It's marketed a bit as steampunk, but it isn't really in terms of technology or aesthetic, just time period. This is my first exposure to Abraham's writing, so I can't speak to his normal writing style, but he does a very good job of crafting a voice reminiscent of Conan Doyle's, which I quite enjoyed reading. I like all of the characters, especially Balfour & Meriwether, but there have been two previous stories which I haven't read, and I feel like I'm missing bits of their characters. The stories are intended to stand alone, and I think this one does mostly but not completely.
The story is meant to show some of the problems with colonialism that most fiction written during that period doesn't acknowledge. It does a good job of that, but some of the issues it raises are a bit disturbing. It also makes a point of sticking to the morality of that era in ways that may be deeply uncomfortable for modern readers. These issues and the slight apparent failure of the intended independence from the other stories contributed to the 4-star rating.
The story is meant to show some of the problems with colonialism that most fiction written during that period doesn't acknowledge. It does a good job of that, but some of the issues it raises are a bit disturbing. It also makes a point of sticking to the morality of that era in ways that may be deeply uncomfortable for modern readers. These issues and the slight apparent failure of the intended independence from the other stories contributed to the 4-star rating.
February 13, 2014
Novella about a pair of British secret agents who investigate Lovecraftian creepy stuff. (This is the 1880s.) Balfour is laconic and likes stabbing things; Meriwether is voluble and likes shooting things. (I got a whiff of Croup and Vandemar, although these guys are no more brutal than the average secret agent.)
They get an assignment, visit a sanitarium, and then descend into the bowels of the earth to discover... well, the Harrowmoor Dogs, if that's not too much of a spoiler. The story is brief, tense, vivid, and leaves a lot of threads hanging for more stories.
Running through the story is the Victorian-era view of homosexuality. I'm not sure it fits in smoothly -- there's a story frame whose only purpose seems to be to give baby Alan Turing a cameo. But again, this may make more sense in the context of more Balfour and Meriwether stories.
(Upon searching, there are two earlier ones and the author hasn't decided whether to write more.)
They get an assignment, visit a sanitarium, and then descend into the bowels of the earth to discover... well, the Harrowmoor Dogs, if that's not too much of a spoiler. The story is brief, tense, vivid, and leaves a lot of threads hanging for more stories.
Running through the story is the Victorian-era view of homosexuality. I'm not sure it fits in smoothly -- there's a story frame whose only purpose seems to be to give baby Alan Turing a cameo. But again, this may make more sense in the context of more Balfour and Meriwether stories.
(Upon searching, there are two earlier ones and the author hasn't decided whether to write more.)
December 29, 2014
This is the third steampunk third story about the Victorian secret service agents Balfour and Meriwether that I have listened to on podcasts. The first two were novelettes and didn't meet my length criteria for me to write reviews or count them on my annual list of books read, but "Balfour and Meriwether in the Incident of the Harrowmoor Dogs" is a novella and therefore makes the cut.
The story begins with an agent going missing after going to an asylum to interview a 'madman' who has been writing poetry that alludes to state secrets he should know nothing about. Balfour and Meriwether are sent to investigate without being properly briefed by their boss due to political considerations, and find themselves in a more dangerous situation than they could have expected. A postscript set forty years later provides a bitter-sweet commentary on Balfour and Meriwether's lives.
The story begins with an agent going missing after going to an asylum to interview a 'madman' who has been writing poetry that alludes to state secrets he should know nothing about. Balfour and Meriwether are sent to investigate without being properly briefed by their boss due to political considerations, and find themselves in a more dangerous situation than they could have expected. A postscript set forty years later provides a bitter-sweet commentary on Balfour and Meriwether's lives.
July 2, 2016
An exceptionally Victorian
title for an
exceptionally Victorian tale
Hints of Sherlock Holmes
and
H. P. Lovecraft
combine into a wonderful adventure yarn.
Balfour and Merriwether
are Agents Of The Crown
sent to examine nefarious plots
against England.
They are sent to a sanitarium
to follow a lead on a fellow agent
gone missing
England
a sanatarium
things of course must turn
to ancient unnamed horrors
It's all fun
a tad obvious
but still fun
Abraham never fails to make a story exciting
title for an
exceptionally Victorian tale
Hints of Sherlock Holmes
and
H. P. Lovecraft
combine into a wonderful adventure yarn.
Balfour and Merriwether
are Agents Of The Crown
sent to examine nefarious plots
against England.
They are sent to a sanitarium
to follow a lead on a fellow agent
gone missing
England
a sanatarium
things of course must turn
to ancient unnamed horrors
It's all fun
a tad obvious
but still fun
Abraham never fails to make a story exciting
January 14, 2014
Sherlock Holmes, but with secret agents (and a certain amount of homosexuality, regarded through a 19th century lens but as an "inversion" rather than a "perversion"). Here B and M rescue a fellow agent who has been captured by doglike creatures who live far underground. Includes madhouse visits, eldritch moors, creeping horror, sudden violence and bizarre Sherlockian details. Excellent!
February 11, 2014
Entertaining novella that's a pastiche of Lovecraft with a bit of Conan Doyle thrown in. The titular duo are agents of the Crown investigating mysterious happenings... you know the sort of thing. Done well, of course, since this is Dan Abraham, and a lot of fun with a slight twist at the end, but not tremendously original.
Read
January 26, 2014This was a fun straightforward thriller with a few barbs to it. I love a story that's got two close friends working together, and you can't go wrong with a twin-pistols and belt-of-knives pair. I really like how the story ties together two types of abominations... and one point I would have agreed. So, huh, I think I like it more as I think about it.
April 25, 2014
A very short little novella, but fun for all that. It was an interesting blend of Sherlock Holmes and horror fantasy. I have to say though, that there was this very odd homophobic statements from one of the characters in the story, which really turned me off and threw me out of the story. I don't know if the author was pushing their own beliefs or what the hell that was.
July 31, 2014
Generally speaking, I enjoyed this latest Balfour and Meriwether installment, though I felt it suffered in relation to the previous stories from being novella length instead of novelette/short story. The added length didn't sufficiently add to the depth of the story or characters in my opinion. Still enjoyable for those who have followed along with the duo's journeys to date however.
September 14, 2014
Another great Victorian / fantasy novella from Daniel Abraham. But it feels so much like a prologue to a far greater universe! I sincerely hope that one day Daniel will consider writing a whole novel or even a trilogy about these wonderful characters that mix Sherlock with steampunk / traditional horror / Bond and cthulhu so well!!! Thank you Daniel for the stories so far... Greatly enjoyable!
November 21, 2016
This little novella was a compelling read, and I really liked it. I was disappointed to find that there aren't more books featuring these characters, though I have ordered book one of the author's urban fantasy series. Under a different name, Mr. Abrams is also the author of The Expanse SciFi. I am hoping for about Balfour and Meriwether.
July 28, 2013
This novella is great fun, combining Victorian adventure with a very unexpected threat from underground.
http://opionator.wordpress.com/2013/0...
http://opionator.wordpress.com/2013/0...
May 6, 2014
A fun little story that succeeds in conveying a good ambience. I liked the characters although we don't learn a lot about them and the main questions addressed by the plot were interesting. More depth or punch would have been welcome but as it is the story can stand well.
February 12, 2015
I've enjoyed Daniel Abraham's other stories, but this one, bleh. The great reveal towards the end had nothing to do with the "adventure tale" that the novella was advertised as being. Not recommended.
November 6, 2013
Better than the first pair of stories, this novella has more interesting character development for the duo.
December 27, 2013
Sort of a Cthulhu by Gaslight or 19th C. Laundry Files adventure starring two hard men capable of handling the worst that a 'buried and bestial England' has to offer. Short, but pretty good.
June 24, 2014
I would enjoy reading a novel-length story about these characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews