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Cabaret of Monsters: A Creature Court Novella
(Creature Court Trilogy #0.5)
by
Saturnalia in Aufleur is a time of topsy-turvy revels, of the world turned upside down and transformed before your eyes. The city’s theatres produce an annual display of reversals, surprises and transformations.
In this city, flappers can transform into wolves. Even the rats are not what they seem.
Evie Inglirra is on a mission to infiltrate the theatrical world of Aufleur ...more
In this city, flappers can transform into wolves. Even the rats are not what they seem.
Evie Inglirra is on a mission to infiltrate the theatrical world of Aufleur ...more
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ebook, 107 pages
Published
June 26th 2018
by Tansy Rayner Roberts
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Start your review of Cabaret of Monsters: A Creature Court Novella

Loved listening to Tansy Rayner Roberts' podcast Sheep Might Fly where you can listen for free to Cabaret of Monsters and following along on my Kindle ebook too.
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Caberet of Monsters presents a marvelous twist of Urban Fantasy. Though I was originally drawn by the Roman elements, the vibe of Parisian theatre and roaring 1920's as a backdrop to urban fantasy was refreshingly original.
What to Expect
A novella set in the same world as the Creature Court trilogy, published a few years ago by Roberts. The story alternates between two viewpoints, those of Livilla and Evie, both outsiders to the theatre scene and making their way in.
Right from the start we are ma ...more
What to Expect
A novella set in the same world as the Creature Court trilogy, published a few years ago by Roberts. The story alternates between two viewpoints, those of Livilla and Evie, both outsiders to the theatre scene and making their way in.
Right from the start we are ma ...more

An early review based on my Kickstarter copy of the novella - this will be available for general purchase later in the year!
It's no secret that I am a fan of Tansy Rayner Roberts. I have published her work many times, I read everything she releases, and consider her a close friend. I think she is an innovative, clever, brilliant writer, and she has proven it across multiple genres and in many forms, from traditional novel publications to serialised books, self-published short fiction and audio ...more
It's no secret that I am a fan of Tansy Rayner Roberts. I have published her work many times, I read everything she releases, and consider her a close friend. I think she is an innovative, clever, brilliant writer, and she has proven it across multiple genres and in many forms, from traditional novel publications to serialised books, self-published short fiction and audio ...more

I've been following Tansy Rayner Roberts on Twitter for a while now, and when she posted last year that she was launching a Kickstarter to republish her Creature Court trilogy, "a dark fantasy series of books about a city of flappers, cabaret and ancient festivals", I thought that sounded very much like something I'd enjoy and signed up to back it.
Cabaret of Monsters is a prequel novella to the main trilogy. It's set in the city of Aufleur, a heady mix of ancient Rome, fin-de-siècle Paris and th ...more
Cabaret of Monsters is a prequel novella to the main trilogy. It's set in the city of Aufleur, a heady mix of ancient Rome, fin-de-siècle Paris and th ...more

This is a spin-off of the author's "Creature Court" novels, but you don't have to have read them to enjoy this (I hadn't). Roberts has constructed a sort of alternate world that mashes up everything from Ancient Rome to Moulin Rouge to 1920s America into one colorful, decadent stew. There magic, monsters, secret conspiracies, and a plucky girl reporter who has to make sense of it all. Great, memorable characters and some wicked plot twists you won't see coming. A real page-turner.
(Review based o ...more
(Review based o ...more

Sneaky, awesome, queer, and gorgeous. Some fantastic twists (WOW I DID NOT SEE THAT BIG ONE COMING) and plenty of subtle Easter eggs for those who've already read the main trilogy. By far one of the best prequel-written-after-the-main-series I've ever read, and a total delight. Very, very happy to return to the Creature Court world, and this absolutely lived up to the impossible standards set by the rest of the series. It's officially 3:30 in the morning as I type this and I'm not even a little
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I haven't read the Creature Court books, so I was even more curious about this one. I wasn't disappointed: it was interesting at first to catch glimpses of the world, then in the middle the pace was unhurried and I was slightly disappointed that, though I liked them okay, I wasn't more interested in Livilla and Evie, and then the climax/ending was great and I liked both of them a lot better, especially Evie. I really look forward to the novel series.
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The description of Cabaret of Monsters had me both intrigued and confused, because Roman festivals, flappers, shape shifting, and commedia dell'arte-style theater are a collection of elements that do not intuitively fit together. I am here to assure you, however, that Tansy manages to blend them together in a lush, dark, spectacular mystery that drew me in and kept me guessing (seriously, I did not see some of those plot twists coming).
I want to particularly comment on how well Tansy manages to ...more
I want to particularly comment on how well Tansy manages to ...more

I helped kickstart this but at the time I could only afford the e-book and because I am a bear of very little brain I kept forgetting to download it (and when I remembered, the tablet battery was flat). So I was glad to be able to snaffle a print copy off Tansy at Continuum this year.
It's GREAT and it's QUEER and there's NON-BINARY REP and it's about a WRITER (well, she's one of the main POV characters) and there's THEATRICAL SHENANIGANS and I yummed it down on my commute today and now I want to ...more
It's GREAT and it's QUEER and there's NON-BINARY REP and it's about a WRITER (well, she's one of the main POV characters) and there's THEATRICAL SHENANIGANS and I yummed it down on my commute today and now I want to ...more

Cabaret of Monsters is a prequel novella to the Creature Court dark fantasy trilogy. Evie Inglirra, a newspaper reporter, has travelled to Aufleur to uncover secrets. But there is more here than she realized. Evie thought she wanted to learn the truth, but now she just wants to get out of Aufleur alive.
I was a bit confused by the book, but this was my first book from this author and it may be that I needed to read another series first? There are many characters in this prequel and it’s a job to ...more
I was a bit confused by the book, but this was my first book from this author and it may be that I needed to read another series first? There are many characters in this prequel and it’s a job to ...more

A great introduction to a unique world. This prequel is initially a little confusing as it dives right in yet also skates around the edges of the deeper world explored in the trilogy proper. But it's no less enjoyable for that.
The story glides along on entirely unexpected yet seemingly seamless tangents and the language is hugely engaging. I'm looking forward to getting to know this world and its inhabitants better. ...more
The story glides along on entirely unexpected yet seemingly seamless tangents and the language is hugely engaging. I'm looking forward to getting to know this world and its inhabitants better. ...more

I want to read the other books now. The world is brilliant. It's sharp and funny and pretty.
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Another novella by Tansy that I love. This is not unexpected, I am an unashamed fan of her work. I love the mix of frocks, flappers, theatre, dramatics and frivolity in this novella. I loved that I read it listening to Tansy on her 'Sheep Might Fly' podcast, for me that was just perfect. Loved this prequel, loved that it stands alone and does make me want to reread the trilogy it precedes.
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Tansy Rayner Roberts is a fantasy and science fiction author who lives in southern Tasmania, somewhere between the tall mountain with snow on it, and the beach that points towards Antarctica.
Tansy has a PhD in Classics (with a special interest in poisonous Roman ladies), an obsession with Musketeers, and is raising two superhero daughters who are going to rule the world someday.
You can hear Tansy ...more
Tansy has a PhD in Classics (with a special interest in poisonous Roman ladies), an obsession with Musketeers, and is raising two superhero daughters who are going to rule the world someday.
You can hear Tansy ...more
Other books in the series
Creature Court Trilogy
(3 books)
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