From the Editorial Page of the Falchester Weekly Review

The Memoirs of Lady Trent #3.5

by Marie Brennan

A Tor.com original, From the Editorial Page of the Falchester Weekly Review shares the thoughts of the renowned dragon naturalist Lady Trent--whose memoirs continue to be chronciled in Marie Brennan's acclaimed Victorian Age science fantasy series--about the scientific community. After risking the neck of her loved ones and herself during her perilous sea voyage aboard The Basilisk, and the discoveries made at Keonga, Isabella, Lady Trent, returns to Scirland with the aim of publishing her research. And yet, given the level of secret knowledge she now posseses, she is reduced to waiting to reveal her new academic discovery until royal decrees can be lifted and a fraught political situation avoided. In her idle frustration, Isabella vents her spleen upon the shoddy research published by lesser men with swollen heads in local journals. Enjoy the following collection of letters, found in a trunk of mislaid scholarly documents left behind when she removed to Linshire for the season.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Short Stories, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Historical

17 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 5, 2016

About the author

Marie Brennan a.k.a. M.A. Carrick

Marie Brennan is a former anthropologist and folklorist who shamelessly pillages her academic fields for material. She recently misapplied her professors' hard work to Turning Darkness Into Light, a sequel to the Hugo Award-nominated series The Memoirs of Lady Trent. As half of M.A. Carrick, she is also the author of The Mask of Mirrors, first in the Rook and Rose trilogy. For more information, visit swantower.com, Twitter @swan_tower, or her Patreon.

Reviews

[Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was delightful!! And so short haha. I honestly thought it was going to be some of her "published" research, as referenced in the story. Instead it was a clever collection of correspondence in which Mrs. Camherst remains charmingly unapologetic in her quest for dragon knowledge. I'm not sure it was worth .99 for 10 pages (I didn't even glance at the page count before buying), but I'm still glad I read it.

Update: apparently it's free to read online...
http://www.tor.com/2016/04/05/from-th...

:/

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Final review, first posted at www.FantasyLiterature.com:

This very short story with the lengthy title is part of the MEMOIRS OF LADY TRENT fantasy series, which is set in a Victorian era-like world, with dragons. Isabella Camherst, Lady Trent, travels the world to study dragons in their native habitats, despite resistance from some men who look down on headstrong women who refuse to stay in the kitchen.

In this humorous story, related through a series of letters to the editor of the Falchester Weekly Review, Lady Trent tangles with Mr. Benjamin Talbot, a scholar who claims to have found a cockatrice, a beast with a dragon’s body and a rooster-like head. Lady Trent sends in a letter encouraging Mr. Talbot to publicize more information regarding his cockatrice, including the place where it was discovered. Mr. Talbot responds with his own letter, declining to make public the place of origin, and suggesting that her “feminine heart” should understand the concern with the effect of such a disclosure. The correspondence degenerates from there, as they (semi)politely exchange insults and question each other’s credentials and intelligence through their letters.

It’s always amusing when members of polite society exchange insults in well-bred language, and this story also gives the reader a brief glimpse of the challenges facing Lady Trent in her efforts to become a legitimate scientist. While I’m not certain that “From the Editorial Page of the Falchester Weekly Review” is the best place to begin one’s acquaintance with Lady Trent, it does have the advantage of being both short and free online, and it has instilled in me the desire to search out a copy of A Natural History of Dragons, the first novel in the MEMOIRS OF LADY TRENT series.

Free online at Tor.com: http://www.tor.com/2016/04/05/from-th...

[Sam (Hissing Potatoes) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oooh, I knew exactly which points of the pompous Mr. Talbot's letters would piss off Isabella (they pissed me off as well), and to no one's surprise, she ripped him a new asshole both in letter form and in the incredibly satisfying conclusion.

[YouKneeK · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very short story set in the same world as the Memoirs of Lady Trent series. It’s actually a set of fictional letters started when our main character, Isabella, challenges the author of a scientifically questionable notice in the Falchester Weekly Review. She and the author both send their letters to each other via the Falchester Weekly Review, so they’re published publicly.

I guess this is sort of what a Victorian-era flame war might look like. :) The letters were written shortly after Isabella’s return from her expedition in the third book of the series. Although too short to have any substantial meat, it did make a nice little supplement to the series and the ending made me laugh because it fit Isabella’s character so well.

This is currently available for free on Tor’s website here.

[Sebastiaan Groot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very mindful, very passive aggressive, very demure

[Banshee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short, but satisfactory read. It felt so good to see an arrogant idiot being put in his place.

[Allie Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet.

Amazon won't let me read anything else till I submit this review. I have posted a proper review on good reads, but suffice it to say this is excellent.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

So A Natural History of Dragons has been on my radar for a while now, but this short story is what actually moved it up my to-read list by leaps and bounds.

Formatted as a series of letters to the editor, the literary sniping is a fun way to fill in the gaps of a story for yourself.

Definitely read it if you're looking for more Edwardian/Victorian fantasy like Sorcerer to the Crown, Shades of Milk and Honey, or Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Just possibly sillier. And with extra dragons.

You can read it online here.

[Anouk Schuitemaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit was heel komisch en liet me echt lachen. Een man is een nepontdekking van een mythisch dier de wereld in aan het brengen, en meid weet dat het nep is omdat zij net in boek 3 op de locatie is geweest waar hij beweert dit dier te hebben ontdekt. Hij negeert haar daarom volledig. Zij gaat vervolgens heel passief-agressief een discussie met hem aan op een editorial page die iedereen kan lezen, waarin ze hem vragen stelt waar die het dier heeft gevonden want zij is hem niet tegen gekomen. Hij reageert alleen met seksisme en opmerkingen in de trant van "deze vrouw is gek," terwijl zij alleenmaar met feiten komt. De passieve agressiefheid is echt geweldig.

[Lobo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jak powiedziałam, trudno mi rozstać się z Lady Trent. A to było przezabawne i przypomniało mi czytanie XVIII i XIX wiecznej prasy z przepychankami w recenzjach odnośnie tego, czy kobiety potrafią pisać. Flashbacki do pisania doktoratu tak bardzo :D

[Erika Sarutobi · Rating 4 out of 5]

love her sass

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A funny short story about correspondences Isabella had when questioning the validity of a 'draconic discovery'

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I truly hate men and their ego

[Althea Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This feels like a bit of an "extra" for fans of the "Memoirs of Lady Trent" series - or maybe, a bit of a teaser to drag new fans in!

Clever and fun, these 'letters to the Editor' reveal the controversy that arises when the exhibition of a specimen of the legendary "cockatrice" is challenged by the well-known naturalist and dragon expert, Lady Trent.

[Critical Sandwich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tbh I forgot who Mr Talbot was so this went a bit over my head. The name rings a bell, yet I'm not sure what this story is about (besides Talbot being a misogynistic pig, spreading rumours about Isabella being an adultress and doubting her scientific interests)


Series overview:
1. A Natural History of Dragons: 3.5/5 stars
2. The Tropic of Serpents: 4/5 stars
3. The Voyage of the Basilisk: 4/5 stars
4. In the Labyrinth of Drakes: 5/5 stars
5. Within the Sanctuary of Wings : 4.5/5 stars

Series Total: 21/25 stars

Spinoffs:
6. Turning Darkness Into Light: 3.5/5 stars

3.5 From the Editorial Page of the Falchester Weekly Review: 3/5 stars
6.5 The Long Fall: 4/5 stars

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm dying. I'm cackling. I'm screaming! All of the lols. A high brow back and forth between Isabella and a Mr. Talbot (who actually added credentials after his name after his second reply) that hilariously highlights what a genteel academic argument in the scientific community would look like if taken to a public forum. It kills me that their fight in a newspaper is today's equivalent of an argument on Twitter or Instagram. I'm so tickled.

Dear Sirs—

It was with some dismay that I opened the 29 Floris issue of your magazine to find another letter from Mrs. Camherst gracing its pages. Although her enthusiasm is remarkable, I begin to feel that she is using your publication as a forum for some kind of campaign against me, which might better have been carried out in private correspondence.

this is when my Grinch smile sprung up because I knew it was just going to get good. He felt aggressed.

The last letter was perfect, I actually laughed out loud. I heart Isabella Camherst, and would definitely donate.

[Sammm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super short, but demonstrated Isabella's inquisitorial nature so brilliantly. Benjamin Talbot can suck it. Since her memoirs are published, I wish more in-universe stuff can be considered as well, such as some suggested by fellow reviewers, her researches... Or even sketchbooks, or if Tom and herself ever worked on compiling the likes of an encyclopedia of their joint discoveries.

Free Online Read version (same content)
www.tor.com/2016/04/05/from-the-edito...

[Jonathan Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

BLOG | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

Thank you Tor.com for providing a free copy of this short story via your official webpage!

It is surprising how much I loved this novella. Despite short, it really encapsulated the personality of each characters present in the story. The mentions of the islands and places of the fictional world is nothing but curious. Moreover, it gave room for interest with regards to the desire to read the series in which this novella is based.

You can read the novella for free here.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though this was only a short story in The Memoirs of Lady Trent series it was just as brilliant as the novels! The story is told in letters between Lady Trent and Mr Talbot that are published in a public magazine, the back and forth between the two is brilliant, humorous and is essentially the Victorian equivalent of argumentative facebook comments.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very short story, shouldn't count towards my book total.

Academics snarking and throwing shade at each other is delightful. The 'punchline' had me literally laughing out loud in bed. Lady Trent is an excellent role model for women and academics alike.

[Holly Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

ha, this is a short story published in a series of editorial letters about the presence of a cockatrice and if it exists once again Marie Brennan injects humor into a story I really like her writing. Quick read interesting subject matter well done Ms. Brennan

[Elio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pewnie to kwestia języka i gdyby zostało to przetłumaczone na polski to bardziej by mi się podobało. Nie zmienia to jednak tego, że nie wiedziałem za bardzo co się dzieje, o co chodzi dlaczego tak, czym w ogóle jest cockatrice?

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scathing scientific letters about dragons, what more could you want?

[Fabian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious to read! Very short of course but nevertheless delightful.

[milo in the woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

entertaining and delightful little insight into the life of a favourite character between novels

[Jeremy Inducil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good lil giggle

[kas౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25☆’s! i enjoyed the witty back and forth. isabella is such a diva

[Panayotis Boukouvalas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clap back of the century (albeit a fictional one). Lady Trent will always be an icon.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such sick burns :)

[MissMajuu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The shade thrown in a total of 3 letters is astronomical xD