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New Amsterdam #2
Seven for a Secret
The sequel to New Amsterdam!
The wampyr has walked the dark streets of the world's great cities for a thousand years. In that time, he has worn out many names--and even more compatriots.
Now, so that one of those companions may die where she once lived, he has come again to the City of London. In 1938, where the ghosts of centuries of war haunt rain-grey streets and the Prussian Chancellor's army of occupation rules with an iron hand.
Here he will meet his own ghosts, the remembrances of loves mortal--and immortal. And here he will face the Chancellor's secret a human child.
The wampyr has walked the dark streets of the world's great cities for a thousand years. In that time, he has worn out many names--and even more compatriots.
Now, so that one of those companions may die where she once lived, he has come again to the City of London. In 1938, where the ghosts of centuries of war haunt rain-grey streets and the Prussian Chancellor's army of occupation rules with an iron hand.
Here he will meet his own ghosts, the remembrances of loves mortal--and immortal. And here he will face the Chancellor's secret a human child.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published March 31, 2009
6 people are currently reading
491 people want to read
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Elizabeth Bear
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
May 17, 2013
Rating: 4.3* of five
The Book Description: The sequel to New Amsterdam!
The wampyr has walked the dark streets of the world's great cities for a thousand years. In that time, he has worn out many names--and even more compatriots.
Now, so that one of those companions may die where she once lived, he has come again to the City of London. In 1938, where the ghosts of centuries of war haunt rain-grey streets and the Prussian Chancellor's army of occupation rules with an iron hand.
Here he will meet his own ghosts, the remembrances of loves mortal--and immortal. And here he will face the Chancellor's secret weapon: a human child. .
My Review: Stories and novellas! Stories and novellas!! What is this Bear woman DOING to me?! WRITE A DAMN NOVEL ABOUT THE WAMPYR ALREADY!
Ahem.
I liked the story collection that introduced us to Don Sebastien de Ulloa. I thought it was an interesting alternative to our own history, and liked the characters quite a bit. Bear killed off one of my favorites, but heck, I still read Louise Penny books and she did worse than kill off one of my favorites.
Forensic sorceress Lady Abigail Irene is back, but not for much longer. She's almost 90, and she's not immortal. Don Sebastien, now Dr. James Chaisty, is of course accustomed to his human favorites growing old and dying. He's not happy about it, but he's not unhappy either. He has perspective, that of millennia of life, and he has the mental and emotional flexibility to reinvent himself with new times and new people.
Abby Irene isn't kidding herself, she knows what time it is; she's leaving soon, but she wants to finish a few things she felt she did badly. She reflects on her life in the context of solving the problem of what to do about the Prussians' nascent army of werewolves...which turns out to be a damned sight tougher than she or the wampyr thought it would be.
We're introduced to a variety of characters, which in a 128-page novella isn't always good, since we spend little time with any of them. Still, Bear is a past mistress of the few-deft-strokes characterization technique, so one doesn't feel slighted so much as shorted...MORE PLEASE.
One fact that has vanished from this book is annoying in its convenient absence: Don Sebastien was Europe's great detective in the collection and now he's living in a city occupied by an anal-retentive authoritarian bunch of Germans and he's not recognized.
Uh huh.
A sentence or two about keeping one's head down, assuming an identity already in place, something, would have fixed it. And how he's passing for human, if he is, is beyond me. Well, it is a novella not a novel (which it could easily have been), so one doesn't always get the fullest development of ideas.
And it's Elizabeth Bear. That means it's good writing. It's set in London, so there's a good bit about rain and cold, which made me shiver. And Abby Irene has a conversation with her thousand-year-old lover about growing old and leaving memories, which made me mist over...until the wampyr says, “Twenty years or eighty, you're all ephemera to me.”
Cold and rain have not one thing on the bleak solitariness of that statement for chill factor.
It need not be read after New Amsterdam to be fully appreciated, but I do think it's worth a place in your TBRs. Short, strong, and good.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Book Description: The sequel to New Amsterdam!
The wampyr has walked the dark streets of the world's great cities for a thousand years. In that time, he has worn out many names--and even more compatriots.
Now, so that one of those companions may die where she once lived, he has come again to the City of London. In 1938, where the ghosts of centuries of war haunt rain-grey streets and the Prussian Chancellor's army of occupation rules with an iron hand.
Here he will meet his own ghosts, the remembrances of loves mortal--and immortal. And here he will face the Chancellor's secret weapon: a human child. .
My Review: Stories and novellas! Stories and novellas!! What is this Bear woman DOING to me?! WRITE A DAMN NOVEL ABOUT THE WAMPYR ALREADY!
Ahem.
I liked the story collection that introduced us to Don Sebastien de Ulloa. I thought it was an interesting alternative to our own history, and liked the characters quite a bit. Bear killed off one of my favorites, but heck, I still read Louise Penny books and she did worse than kill off one of my favorites.
Forensic sorceress Lady Abigail Irene is back, but not for much longer. She's almost 90, and she's not immortal. Don Sebastien, now Dr. James Chaisty, is of course accustomed to his human favorites growing old and dying. He's not happy about it, but he's not unhappy either. He has perspective, that of millennia of life, and he has the mental and emotional flexibility to reinvent himself with new times and new people.
Abby Irene isn't kidding herself, she knows what time it is; she's leaving soon, but she wants to finish a few things she felt she did badly. She reflects on her life in the context of solving the problem of what to do about the Prussians' nascent army of werewolves...which turns out to be a damned sight tougher than she or the wampyr thought it would be.
We're introduced to a variety of characters, which in a 128-page novella isn't always good, since we spend little time with any of them. Still, Bear is a past mistress of the few-deft-strokes characterization technique, so one doesn't feel slighted so much as shorted...MORE PLEASE.
One fact that has vanished from this book is annoying in its convenient absence: Don Sebastien was Europe's great detective in the collection and now he's living in a city occupied by an anal-retentive authoritarian bunch of Germans and he's not recognized.
Uh huh.
A sentence or two about keeping one's head down, assuming an identity already in place, something, would have fixed it. And how he's passing for human, if he is, is beyond me. Well, it is a novella not a novel (which it could easily have been), so one doesn't always get the fullest development of ideas.
And it's Elizabeth Bear. That means it's good writing. It's set in London, so there's a good bit about rain and cold, which made me shiver. And Abby Irene has a conversation with her thousand-year-old lover about growing old and leaving memories, which made me mist over...until the wampyr says, “Twenty years or eighty, you're all ephemera to me.”
Cold and rain have not one thing on the bleak solitariness of that statement for chill factor.
It need not be read after New Amsterdam to be fully appreciated, but I do think it's worth a place in your TBRs. Short, strong, and good.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
August 18, 2009
The sequel to New Amsterdam, although it says so nowhere in the book. I read this without having read its predecessor (dear publishers: PLEASE label sequels), but I got a handle on the characters, their relationships, and the world pretty quickly. I like this best of everything I've read by Bear. It's significantly less hackneyed than her short stories. The dialog is still a little off, but the world building is quite good. Bear also has a talent for likable characters; this world is populated by several, not least Ruth Gell, one of the Prussian army's Sturmwolves.
Years after New Amsterdam, wampyr Sebastian and his elderly scholarly friends Phoebe and Abigail return to England. But it is not an England as we know it--the presence of magic has changed history. America is only just becoming a nation, and England has fallen to the Nazis. English schoolchildren are taught to Prussian values. Among those schoolchildren is Ruth, a pretty teenager with two secrets: one, she is Jewish and two, she is desperately in love with her schoolmate Adele. Less secret is this: Ruth, like her classmates, is being turned into a werewolf. Can our heroes save the children from becoming Nazi weapons--especially since the children don't want to be saved?
Years after New Amsterdam, wampyr Sebastian and his elderly scholarly friends Phoebe and Abigail return to England. But it is not an England as we know it--the presence of magic has changed history. America is only just becoming a nation, and England has fallen to the Nazis. English schoolchildren are taught to Prussian values. Among those schoolchildren is Ruth, a pretty teenager with two secrets: one, she is Jewish and two, she is desperately in love with her schoolmate Adele. Less secret is this: Ruth, like her classmates, is being turned into a werewolf. Can our heroes save the children from becoming Nazi weapons--especially since the children don't want to be saved?
March 18, 2021
4.5 stars
Seven for a Secret is Bear's much stronger follow-up to New Amsterdam, and continues the story of the wampyr Sebastian and his remaining court, a much aged Abby Irene and Phoebe. It's 1938 London now, and Sebastian has brought Abby Irene back to London to die in her beloved city, which has fallen to the Prussians. As a student of history I was most intrigued with the alternate history aspects of the story, particularly the wolf-girl Ruth. I hope she makes an appearance in later books. In addition, the passage of time on the mortal women casts a melancholy tinge to the story, and I think here Bear excels in her writing, in detailing the complex relationships between the characters.
I'm much more excited about this series after the second book. Can't wait for more!
Seven for a Secret is Bear's much stronger follow-up to New Amsterdam, and continues the story of the wampyr Sebastian and his remaining court, a much aged Abby Irene and Phoebe. It's 1938 London now, and Sebastian has brought Abby Irene back to London to die in her beloved city, which has fallen to the Prussians. As a student of history I was most intrigued with the alternate history aspects of the story, particularly the wolf-girl Ruth. I hope she makes an appearance in later books. In addition, the passage of time on the mortal women casts a melancholy tinge to the story, and I think here Bear excels in her writing, in detailing the complex relationships between the characters.
I'm much more excited about this series after the second book. Can't wait for more!
October 30, 2009
Sequel to New Amsterdam.
Interesting change of format. Instead of each chapter being its own self-contained mystery connected to an overall story, this short sequel has a single storyline continuing long after the events of first book. It worked surprisingly well.
Interesting change of format. Instead of each chapter being its own self-contained mystery connected to an overall story, this short sequel has a single storyline continuing long after the events of first book. It worked surprisingly well.
April 20, 2011
El que hi ha és boníssim, però et deixa tirat com una mala cosa! Fa molta ràbia...
[Uns dies després...]
New Amsterdam va ser una de les lectures que més plaer em va proporcionar l’any passat. Sense renunciar del tot a la tradició pulp el recull de novel·letes amb les aventures del longeu vampir Sebastien de Ullóa, la Bruixa Detectiu Abbygail Garrett, la novel·lista Phoebe Smith i el malaguanyat Jack Priest tenia un nivell d’escriptura i de realisme molt superior a la norma en la literatura de gènere. Quan d’un llibre es diu que és una “petita joia” es parla exactament de novel·letes com aquesta.
Seven for a Secret és la continuació de New Amsterdam, reprenent la història dels nostres vells coneguts 35 anys després del desenllaç de la primera. Aquesta vegada se’ns explica una única història ambientada a un Londres ocupat per l’imperi Prussià, a un 1938 en el que la 2na Guerra Mundial l’ha guanyat Prússia (Alemanya mai va existir) i el Canceller Prussià té tractes amb les forces de la foscor. En aquest context, l’atípica família torna a Londres per complir la darrera voluntat de l’Abbygail, ja anciana: acabar la seva vida al Londres que la va veure néixer. El que se suposa que havia de ser un temps de calma i tranquilitat per llepar les ferides i assumir la futura mort de l’Abbygail es complica quan en Sebastian descobreix el que sembla un plà del Canceller per a estendre la seva crueltat per la resta del món.
De nou, l’Elizabeth Bear demostra que és una prosista de primera línea i explica una història rica, complexa i totalment desprovista de palla què, em sembla, supera fins i tot els millors moments de New Amsterdam. Els personatges són atractius i molt ben dibuixats (amb la possible excepció de Phoebe Smith) i de debò que sembla que hagin de sortir de la pàgina. És una novel·la extremadament breu i què tot i tancar un arc argumental en deixa un altre, enormement prometedor, tot just inagurat. Crec que el següent llibre a la sèrie (The White City) tornar a fer un salt enrera i explica esdeveniments que succeeixen entre les novel·letes que composen New Amsterdam, així que haurem d’esperar per veure com progressa la història! Crec que la història no serà llarga i no tinc cap dubte de que valdrà la pena. De moment, anem per The White City.
Un llibret superlatiu, ideal per a reconcil·liar-se amb la idea del vampir “bo”.
P.S. Darrerament m’he anat familiaritzant amb l’extensíssima obra de l’Elizabeth Bear. Té novel·les d’extensió normal, però una de les coses que fa, i que m’agrada molt, és un tipus de producció serial molt interesant (en el que s’inclou de ple la sèrie de New Amsterdam): novel·letes molt curtes i (i això és important) molt econòmiques (Seven for a Secret em va costar 3 o 4 euros en format digital), que surten a un ritme d’1 o 2 a l’any i li permeten desenvolupar els seus llibres amb tota cura. Em sembla una estrategia molt interesant.
[Uns dies després...]
New Amsterdam va ser una de les lectures que més plaer em va proporcionar l’any passat. Sense renunciar del tot a la tradició pulp el recull de novel·letes amb les aventures del longeu vampir Sebastien de Ullóa, la Bruixa Detectiu Abbygail Garrett, la novel·lista Phoebe Smith i el malaguanyat Jack Priest tenia un nivell d’escriptura i de realisme molt superior a la norma en la literatura de gènere. Quan d’un llibre es diu que és una “petita joia” es parla exactament de novel·letes com aquesta.
Seven for a Secret és la continuació de New Amsterdam, reprenent la història dels nostres vells coneguts 35 anys després del desenllaç de la primera. Aquesta vegada se’ns explica una única història ambientada a un Londres ocupat per l’imperi Prussià, a un 1938 en el que la 2na Guerra Mundial l’ha guanyat Prússia (Alemanya mai va existir) i el Canceller Prussià té tractes amb les forces de la foscor. En aquest context, l’atípica família torna a Londres per complir la darrera voluntat de l’Abbygail, ja anciana: acabar la seva vida al Londres que la va veure néixer. El que se suposa que havia de ser un temps de calma i tranquilitat per llepar les ferides i assumir la futura mort de l’Abbygail es complica quan en Sebastian descobreix el que sembla un plà del Canceller per a estendre la seva crueltat per la resta del món.
De nou, l’Elizabeth Bear demostra que és una prosista de primera línea i explica una història rica, complexa i totalment desprovista de palla què, em sembla, supera fins i tot els millors moments de New Amsterdam. Els personatges són atractius i molt ben dibuixats (amb la possible excepció de Phoebe Smith) i de debò que sembla que hagin de sortir de la pàgina. És una novel·la extremadament breu i què tot i tancar un arc argumental en deixa un altre, enormement prometedor, tot just inagurat. Crec que el següent llibre a la sèrie (The White City) tornar a fer un salt enrera i explica esdeveniments que succeeixen entre les novel·letes que composen New Amsterdam, així que haurem d’esperar per veure com progressa la història! Crec que la història no serà llarga i no tinc cap dubte de que valdrà la pena. De moment, anem per The White City.
Un llibret superlatiu, ideal per a reconcil·liar-se amb la idea del vampir “bo”.
P.S. Darrerament m’he anat familiaritzant amb l’extensíssima obra de l’Elizabeth Bear. Té novel·les d’extensió normal, però una de les coses que fa, i que m’agrada molt, és un tipus de producció serial molt interesant (en el que s’inclou de ple la sèrie de New Amsterdam): novel·letes molt curtes i (i això és important) molt econòmiques (Seven for a Secret em va costar 3 o 4 euros en format digital), que surten a un ritme d’1 o 2 a l’any i li permeten desenvolupar els seus llibres amb tota cura. Em sembla una estrategia molt interesant.
November 7, 2025
Romantic tragedy and atmospheric historical fantasy weave together in a Prussian occupied London; where two girls in love are caught up in a war machine of lycanthropy and brainwashing, catching the sympathetic attention of a visiting wampyr, seeing a similarity in them to a young man he once loved and lost. Sebastien is with Abby Irene; elderly and dying in a city she knows very well, yet has become so different, and Phoebe, burning from within with rage against the occupying force, a rage she shares with Sebastien. At the same time, as a wampyr whose survived centuries, he knows that this, too, will pass.
This is more of a snapshot of sympathy, an effort to offer hope and strength to others than defeating an enemy, for all the desire and need to defeat that enemy. The richness and depth of the characters drove the story, drawing the reader’s attention with their actions and interactions. Ideas and idealism, different ideas of how to achieve driving goals were explored through these individuals in a world far more hostile than the New Amsterdam they were forced to leave behind, yet showing the impact they’d had upon New Amsterdam, even as the world grows darker.
Sebastien is particularly engrossing as a character, even though the wampyr doesn’t always use that name. I look forward to reading more about him.
This is more of a snapshot of sympathy, an effort to offer hope and strength to others than defeating an enemy, for all the desire and need to defeat that enemy. The richness and depth of the characters drove the story, drawing the reader’s attention with their actions and interactions. Ideas and idealism, different ideas of how to achieve driving goals were explored through these individuals in a world far more hostile than the New Amsterdam they were forced to leave behind, yet showing the impact they’d had upon New Amsterdam, even as the world grows darker.
Sebastien is particularly engrossing as a character, even though the wampyr doesn’t always use that name. I look forward to reading more about him.
March 2, 2010
Very much in the mode of the final novella in New Amsterdam, Seven for a Secret gets a bit more into the alternate history aspects of Bear's steampunk world and is tinged with quite a bit of melancholy. Seven for a Secret is more thriller than mystery, and even if there's nothing particularly unique about either Bear's vampires or her steampunk alternate history, it's all well done and the characters and their relationships are superb. They're wonderfully complex through the spare prose, and I hope to someday see more from them.
August 8, 2009
I read this short novel in one night. It is a continuation of the story of the ex-Royal Wizard Abby Irene and the vampire Sebastian.
The alternate Victorian/Turn of the century world that Ms. Bear has created is fantastic. I love these characters.
The alternate Victorian/Turn of the century world that Ms. Bear has created is fantastic. I love these characters.
May 18, 2025
I liked the first in this series, but Seven for a Secret is much better. I think it helps that it's a novella, rather than a novel made out of novellas, if that makes any sense - it feels more cohesive, more stripped back, and I've always liked novellas anyway. Vampirism takes a backseat here to werewolves, and adolescent girls turning into werewolves, or their berserker equivalents, will never not entertain me. Ruth, especially, is an excellent character, and while readers never get to see her eventual assassination of the Prussian chancellor, I don't think that we need to. It's enough to know that she gets it done.
As I said, I liked the first book, but this is the one I'd read again.
As I said, I liked the first book, but this is the one I'd read again.
April 23, 2021
Charming short novella following on New Amsterdam. Very gentile fantasy but very rich as well. A real pleasure but short.
March 19, 2014
Again I stumble upon a book and read it out of order. I checked the book and summary and etc but it said no where that this was the second book of the series. Granted it does stand alone alright. Some references and back-story went above my head, but I managed through with little confusion.
Another what-if story has found its way to me. This what-if is the same as the last one: what-if England lost to the Germans (which are called Prussians in this world) in WWII. However, in this tale there are vampires/wampyrs, witches, and other supernatural beings. The Nazis have taken English girls and are training them to not only be soldiers, but super soldiers who have wolf like senses. Not were-wolves, but enhanced abilities. Very interesting concept. The cover drew me in and the summary had me hooked.
I really liked it. It was a short novella I suppose, but it was done in a way were it didn't feel rushed. I really wished that more detail and back-story went into the girls being trained; especially with Ruth. What is she? She is no simple human. I wanted more on her. Did she accomplish her true goal or did she fall into the "pack"? Meeeeeeeh! Maybe they go into a little more detail in the third book. I'll have to read to find out someday. The ending was left to be desired....
There are some talks of this being in the steampunk genre. I don't care for this genre (unless its the Bioshock games on PS3 haha), but this wasn't bad. It wasn't over the top and I didn't even notice it was until I read other reviews and that its placed in that genre. I feel that it doesn't truly belong...the world has magic and supernatural beings. Oh well, I guess.
In the end, this was pretty good. Even though its the second in the series I found myself not too confused. I wish that the author would have expanded this into a novel, because there is so much information lacking. The ending was an okay ending, but it didn't feel like it wrapped up much. I recommend this for those that like magic mixed with what-if tales. Well, I shall stamp this with 4 stars.
Favorite Character(s): James (I want more back-story on him), Abby Irene (witty old lady), and Ruth
Not-so Favorite Character(s): The Prussians/Nazis/Germans
Another what-if story has found its way to me. This what-if is the same as the last one: what-if England lost to the Germans (which are called Prussians in this world) in WWII. However, in this tale there are vampires/wampyrs, witches, and other supernatural beings. The Nazis have taken English girls and are training them to not only be soldiers, but super soldiers who have wolf like senses. Not were-wolves, but enhanced abilities. Very interesting concept. The cover drew me in and the summary had me hooked.
I really liked it. It was a short novella I suppose, but it was done in a way were it didn't feel rushed. I really wished that more detail and back-story went into the girls being trained; especially with Ruth. What is she? She is no simple human. I wanted more on her. Did she accomplish her true goal or did she fall into the "pack"? Meeeeeeeh! Maybe they go into a little more detail in the third book. I'll have to read to find out someday. The ending was left to be desired....
There are some talks of this being in the steampunk genre. I don't care for this genre (unless its the Bioshock games on PS3 haha), but this wasn't bad. It wasn't over the top and I didn't even notice it was until I read other reviews and that its placed in that genre. I feel that it doesn't truly belong...the world has magic and supernatural beings. Oh well, I guess.
In the end, this was pretty good. Even though its the second in the series I found myself not too confused. I wish that the author would have expanded this into a novel, because there is so much information lacking. The ending was an okay ending, but it didn't feel like it wrapped up much. I recommend this for those that like magic mixed with what-if tales. Well, I shall stamp this with 4 stars.
Favorite Character(s): James (I want more back-story on him), Abby Irene (witty old lady), and Ruth
Not-so Favorite Character(s): The Prussians/Nazis/Germans
October 2, 2012
Released in March 2009, Seven for a Secret is the original sequel to New Amsterdam.
Seven for a Secret is one short story featuring a rather morose Sebastien who knows he will be losing his beloved friends to age and death soon; an old, frustrated, but still sharp Abby Irene, and of course Phoebe. It is 1938 and Sebastien de Ulloa returns to London so that Abby Irene may die in her homeland, but they return to a Britain conquered by the Prussians where the Chancellor's army occupies and rules. Ironically, England's new King Phillip is exiled in New Amsterdam. Abby Irene won't have it, and Sebastien will do whatever it takes to make her happy.
Central to this story are two young girls in love, Ruth and Adele. One lonely evening Sebastien follows two girls and although he saves them from a local policeman after witnessing their sweet kiss, something about them smells wrong. What he finds is the Chancellor's terrible plan to use Ruth, Adele, and a school of girls as his own personal secret weapon.
I liked this very short story, however, I don't recommend it be read on it's own as I don't believe the main characters would be understood or well-appreciated. Sebastien is quite philosophical about time and loss, Abby Irene can't perform her sorcery and Phoebe is in the background so this is a slower kind of story. The girls, Ruth in particular, are intriguing and I like how Bear incorporated the plight of the Jewish people through Ruth's character and how well she incorporated alternate history. However, Bear's focus on the effects of time, loss and aging affected me -- a nostalgic read. As a side note, I find the cover of this novella disturbing, even as I admit that it fits the story quite well.
Seven for a Secret is one short story featuring a rather morose Sebastien who knows he will be losing his beloved friends to age and death soon; an old, frustrated, but still sharp Abby Irene, and of course Phoebe. It is 1938 and Sebastien de Ulloa returns to London so that Abby Irene may die in her homeland, but they return to a Britain conquered by the Prussians where the Chancellor's army occupies and rules. Ironically, England's new King Phillip is exiled in New Amsterdam. Abby Irene won't have it, and Sebastien will do whatever it takes to make her happy.
Central to this story are two young girls in love, Ruth and Adele. One lonely evening Sebastien follows two girls and although he saves them from a local policeman after witnessing their sweet kiss, something about them smells wrong. What he finds is the Chancellor's terrible plan to use Ruth, Adele, and a school of girls as his own personal secret weapon.
I liked this very short story, however, I don't recommend it be read on it's own as I don't believe the main characters would be understood or well-appreciated. Sebastien is quite philosophical about time and loss, Abby Irene can't perform her sorcery and Phoebe is in the background so this is a slower kind of story. The girls, Ruth in particular, are intriguing and I like how Bear incorporated the plight of the Jewish people through Ruth's character and how well she incorporated alternate history. However, Bear's focus on the effects of time, loss and aging affected me -- a nostalgic read. As a side note, I find the cover of this novella disturbing, even as I admit that it fits the story quite well.
September 7, 2009
Lurid cover, blurb describes werewolves and vampires and sorcery, first chapter has a couple of school girls kissing. Think this book is going to be pretty exciting, don't you? Uh, guess again. Man, what kind of vampire/werewolf book has no vampiring or werewolfing in it? The sorcery stuff was also lame as hell. Now I'm not some kind of creepy dude that wants to read about a couple of shool-chicks in plaid skirts and knee-highs "doing it" in the the 3rd floor lavatory, but I do remember that age and it was a pretty passionate time. No, it could have been schoolboys, schoolgirl and schoolboy, or any conceivable combination thereof--it just should have been passionate, with the hormones all in overdrive. Nope. Kiss at the beginning and then a lot of chaste eyeing each other later. It didn't even have to be that detailed, just let me know that these characters really cared for each other (especially since that romance did drive a certain part of the plot) in a convincing manner.
Sebastien the Wampyr could have been an interesting character--but the descriptions of how tired and faded he was kind of wore me out just reading about him.
The most interesting part of the whole book was the alternative historical setting of occupied Britain ca. 1939. The Germans had already won that part of the war and were calling themselves Prussia. Still, this book is a clunker--saved by the fact that it was incredibly short--novella length.
Sebastien the Wampyr could have been an interesting character--but the descriptions of how tired and faded he was kind of wore me out just reading about him.
The most interesting part of the whole book was the alternative historical setting of occupied Britain ca. 1939. The Germans had already won that part of the war and were calling themselves Prussia. Still, this book is a clunker--saved by the fact that it was incredibly short--novella length.
February 7, 2017
This book is far more Sebastian's than it is Lady Irene's, though she is in it. She's older and seemingly home bound, so it is through Sebastian's eyes, mostly, that we see a London which fell to the Prussian regime, who are pretty much the Nazis, complete with an obsession of Nordic magic.
We also meet Ruth and Adele, two young English girls in training to be the Chancellor's personal guard - perhaps with motives of their own.
It was an interesting story, though it reminded me of how little I remember of the first book, which I read back in 2008. I feel like maybe I should've started from scratch - but this book does a good enough job of reminding us of who the characters are and some of the more pertinent events from the first book.
My biggest issue with this book is that it's too short. Investment for the characters is somewhat assumed from the prior installment, and the ending is rather abrupt. It's one of those endings where because things are set in motion in a certain way we sort of are left assuming how it's going to turn out, but we don't actually see it.
I actually found myself wondering if my Nook copy got corrupted and I was missing the actual ending...
That said, there is enough of a resolution that it's not a cliffhanger or anything. It just requires extrapolation - and while I can assume what comes next, I think I would've found more satisfaction in seeing some of it play out.
We also meet Ruth and Adele, two young English girls in training to be the Chancellor's personal guard - perhaps with motives of their own.
It was an interesting story, though it reminded me of how little I remember of the first book, which I read back in 2008. I feel like maybe I should've started from scratch - but this book does a good enough job of reminding us of who the characters are and some of the more pertinent events from the first book.
My biggest issue with this book is that it's too short. Investment for the characters is somewhat assumed from the prior installment, and the ending is rather abrupt. It's one of those endings where because things are set in motion in a certain way we sort of are left assuming how it's going to turn out, but we don't actually see it.
I actually found myself wondering if my Nook copy got corrupted and I was missing the actual ending...
That said, there is enough of a resolution that it's not a cliffhanger or anything. It just requires extrapolation - and while I can assume what comes next, I think I would've found more satisfaction in seeing some of it play out.
April 27, 2009
I had to read this book when I saw the cover. It was very disturbing to me. Plus the book was short, so I just grabbed it off the shelf and took it home to read.
The story was a bit unsettling. It takes place in an alternate past: a 1938 where London is occupied by Germany/Prussia. The main character is a "wampyr" named Sebastien, who discovers that the Prussians are training young girls (all blond and the seventh daughters) to become the "Stormewulfe" - a fleet of werewolf soldiers.
While the story moved along quickly and kept me interested in what was happening, the ending felt like a letdown. The climax I was waiting for did not materialize and almost made me feel like I had misunderstood what had been going on throughout the entire book. On the book flap there is mention of other adventures of Sebastien and Abby (an elderly woman who is apparently also his lover), so I'm thinking this might be a story that will continue at another time, or one that I needed the previous stories to really understand.
The story was a bit unsettling. It takes place in an alternate past: a 1938 where London is occupied by Germany/Prussia. The main character is a "wampyr" named Sebastien, who discovers that the Prussians are training young girls (all blond and the seventh daughters) to become the "Stormewulfe" - a fleet of werewolf soldiers.
While the story moved along quickly and kept me interested in what was happening, the ending felt like a letdown. The climax I was waiting for did not materialize and almost made me feel like I had misunderstood what had been going on throughout the entire book. On the book flap there is mention of other adventures of Sebastien and Abby (an elderly woman who is apparently also his lover), so I'm thinking this might be a story that will continue at another time, or one that I needed the previous stories to really understand.
June 26, 2009
I was delighted to be able to continue my acquaintance with the characters I met in Elizabeth Bear's New Amsterdam, and this slight novel was indeed a fun and fast read. But, sad to say, I was rather let down by the brevity of the story. It was a good gothic sketch(werewolf girls in the 1930's--how great is that??!) with a graceful set-up to the mortal ending of one of the key characters, but the story never actually ends with a satisfactory(to me) resolution, and I suspect that our key character is lingering for yet another novelette. I wanted more, and I wanted to be able to say goodbye to the character after being so well prepared for her demise.
That said, I still look forward to any future yarns involving this cast of characters. I thoroughly enjoy the world that Bear created for them, and I know that there is more to tell.
That said, I still look forward to any future yarns involving this cast of characters. I thoroughly enjoy the world that Bear created for them, and I know that there is more to tell.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2011
More alternate history and less steampunk than New Amsterdam, this book is one long novella instead of a set of not quite separate short stories.
What I appreciated most about this book is the fact that decades pass in between it and the first. So often when we read about immortal vampires, we still see them in mortal terms of time - we usually only see a few years at most, even for a long series.
But here, forty years have elapsed and those years matter. Though Sebastian himself is unchanged, his mortal companions are now quite elderly. Seeing vast changes in the characters I loved in the first book as well as their world makes Sebastian and his immortality more real to me. Instead of just being told a vampire outlives all of the mortals he knows, we're shown that happening. It's not something safely far off in the future. Loss is just around the corner, only a few years away.
The passage of time has given the book quite a melancholy air despite it's more action oriented plot.
What I appreciated most about this book is the fact that decades pass in between it and the first. So often when we read about immortal vampires, we still see them in mortal terms of time - we usually only see a few years at most, even for a long series.
But here, forty years have elapsed and those years matter. Though Sebastian himself is unchanged, his mortal companions are now quite elderly. Seeing vast changes in the characters I loved in the first book as well as their world makes Sebastian and his immortality more real to me. Instead of just being told a vampire outlives all of the mortals he knows, we're shown that happening. It's not something safely far off in the future. Loss is just around the corner, only a few years away.
The passage of time has given the book quite a melancholy air despite it's more action oriented plot.
November 21, 2011
This installment was by far my favorite of Bear's wampyr novellas. Despite a sense of sadness at being confronted by Abby Irene and Phoebe so close to the ends of their respective lives, neither lady has lost their fire or their charm. Sebastien, more disconnected from humanity than in past installments--perhaps due to the imminent loss of his two companions, makes for a strikingly tragic figure.
Ruth and Adele's sections were riveting as well and, overall, this had the best narrative flow of any of Sebastien an Abby Irene's stories. Though I love all three installments, I found the New Amsterdam and, particularly, The White City to be sometimes tedious reads. I devoured this installment in two sittings and would've done so in one had real life not divined to meddle in my plans.
I do hope Bear returns to this world and these characters again in the future. I have no doubt there are still many adventures left untold. As with her Promethean saga, I will gladly devour anything set in Sebastien's world.
Ruth and Adele's sections were riveting as well and, overall, this had the best narrative flow of any of Sebastien an Abby Irene's stories. Though I love all three installments, I found the New Amsterdam and, particularly, The White City to be sometimes tedious reads. I devoured this installment in two sittings and would've done so in one had real life not divined to meddle in my plans.
I do hope Bear returns to this world and these characters again in the future. I have no doubt there are still many adventures left untold. As with her Promethean saga, I will gladly devour anything set in Sebastien's world.
August 5, 2012
I picked up Seven for a Secret because I thought it looked like something I would not read. Like most people, I get the books that I feel I wanna read, and as it turns out I just never finish them sometimes, even when they are good. I guess I don't wanna read the things I want to read. So maybe I wanna read what I don't wanna read?--at least that was how my thought process went when picking this one off the shelf.
I thought this might be some sort of teen vampire story set during the present--boy, was I wrong. The premise for this was a dozy: I did not have a clue of exactly what I was getting into; the synopsis failed to inform to setting period or the general lay of things. So I guess this was a sequel to another book? Or so I thought when I was attempting to piece it all together. Yeah, it was. This was part of the charm for me, and much of the enjoyment too.
Overall: while really slight, I will probably check out the previous book on my experience with the sequel. I am hovering between a two and a three for Seven for a Secret. I'll be nice.
I thought this might be some sort of teen vampire story set during the present--boy, was I wrong. The premise for this was a dozy: I did not have a clue of exactly what I was getting into; the synopsis failed to inform to setting period or the general lay of things. So I guess this was a sequel to another book? Or so I thought when I was attempting to piece it all together. Yeah, it was. This was part of the charm for me, and much of the enjoyment too.
Overall: while really slight, I will probably check out the previous book on my experience with the sequel. I am hovering between a two and a three for Seven for a Secret. I'll be nice.
July 2, 2012
Loved this novella. I got this one from the library, but if anything could convince me to buy a 120 page book, it's writing like this. The book takes place in an alternate 1938, in which Germany won the first world war. Now those crazy Prussians are trying to resurrect the idea of the wolf-guardian from old Norse mythology/history.
I was fascinated by the young woman who had been inducted into this "school," and thought the concept much more engrossing than the standard werewolf plot. I wasn't as taken by Sebastien and Abby, for whatever reason, but they were the familiar characters through which we learned more of the background of the sorcerous plot.
My heart ached for Ruth, and I really want to know what happens to her. I wonder if Bear was working on her Iskryne World series when she was working on this one- it seems like there are some similar bones to the story.
I was fascinated by the young woman who had been inducted into this "school," and thought the concept much more engrossing than the standard werewolf plot. I wasn't as taken by Sebastien and Abby, for whatever reason, but they were the familiar characters through which we learned more of the background of the sorcerous plot.
My heart ached for Ruth, and I really want to know what happens to her. I wonder if Bear was working on her Iskryne World series when she was working on this one- it seems like there are some similar bones to the story.
November 19, 2015
A melancholy novella, with beautiful prose and lots of thoughts about mortality. With Abigail Irene nearly 90, and Sebastien older than any vampire he knows, they are now living in Prussian-occupied London so Abby Irene can die at home. Yet there's one last thing she'd like to do before she goes... and for that, the novella introduces a shining new character in Ruth.
I adore Ruth. I want to know so much more about her. I want an entire novel about her, and Adele, and her family, and her choices. She is wonderful.
What else? If you read this out of order, you'll spoil yourself pretty thoroughly for New Amsterdam, but if that doesn't matter to you, it'd stand up fine on its own. Like in New Amsterdam, the mystery and the occult aren't the main focus, but means by which Bear can explore the characters and their relationships.
I adore Ruth. I want to know so much more about her. I want an entire novel about her, and Adele, and her family, and her choices. She is wonderful.
What else? If you read this out of order, you'll spoil yourself pretty thoroughly for New Amsterdam, but if that doesn't matter to you, it'd stand up fine on its own. Like in New Amsterdam, the mystery and the occult aren't the main focus, but means by which Bear can explore the characters and their relationships.
August 25, 2010
When I walk through my library I'm always looking for new authors to try and I love novellas because it gives me a taste of an authors writing without committing to a full length novel or series. Thus was the case when I picked up Seven for a Secret. I'll admit I was drawn in by the cover but what kept me going was the promise of what was to come in a story that seemed to have greatness just around the corner. Unfortunately, I never found greatness but was intrigued enough to pick up New Amsterdam in hopes of learning more about Sebastian and his motley crew of companions as well as more about lost love Jack. As an introduction to their world I thought the book served its author well. As an individual story, I wanted more.
May 10, 2009
Bear's second book featuring the wampyr Sebastian and the former Crown Investigator Abby Irene is acuatlly a farily short novella, clocking in at 128 widely-spaced pages. I don't mind the length (though I'm rather glad I didn't buy it); what I did mind was the fact that we jumped forward a fair distance both in time and in plot. I was able to pick up the skeliton of the missing history, but only just, and I really hate feeling like there are bits of story I don't have; it's a pet peeve with me. The story that was presented was enjoyable enough, if slight, but this was not really the sequel to New Amsterdam that I was expecting.
December 17, 2010
This novella brings back the characters from the stories of New Amsterdam 40 years later (1938). I liked the portrayal of the vampire caring for his aging companions and the description of how his identities and memories flow away from him over the years. It's an odd parallel magic-using world where the Prussians have successfully invaded Britain in the late 20s. The story swings from the vampire to the story of two girls training to be bodyguards to the Chancellor in a very creepy way... I was happy to see a reference to the vampire's knitting habit.
January 22, 2016
Seven for a Secret by Elizabeth Bear. I rated it it 3 1/2 stars. This was the second book in the series featuring Vampire, Sebastian, and his court. This book took place about 40 years later. They are in London, which is being occupied by Nazi Germany in this alternative history. It was OK. I didn't find the story as fleshed out and complete as the first one. It felt like the beginning of a story instead of a complete story like the first one. I will have to read the third novella in the series to see if it is more of a continuation of this one.
March 26, 2011
I enjoyed reading this short follow-up to New Amsterdam, right up until the end. Mainly because the end felt very abrupt, so much so that I had to check to make sure that I wasn't missing pages out of the book. I'm used to Bear's books not always taking me in the direction I expect - that's one of the things I like about her writing. But this feels like 3/4 of a story, and I really want to read that last 1/4.
January 14, 2017
I really struggled with this one - I found the Ruth and Adele chapters more interesting, but the chapters with Abby Irene and Sebastien didn't compel me at all. The ending is also really abrupt, and I feel like the pieces of that story that I really wanted to know more of were glossed over. I will say, though, that I immediately started reading the next novella in this series, and it's keeping my interest much more, so this may just have been a weird blip on the radar for me.
January 12, 2016
I only gave this book 3 stars because of what I feel is a huge gap in the story between this and the previous (first) installment. A great deal of significant things happened in the interim which, along with the ending of this book, left me feeling as though I'd only read part of a story.
Although the part where Sebastian likens wampyre to cathedrals is damn near poetic.
Although the part where Sebastian likens wampyre to cathedrals is damn near poetic.
April 23, 2013
Interesting short tale that picks up years after New Amsterdam with Sebastian and Abby Irene back in an England controlled by the Prussian Empire. They encounter a plot to create Ulfhethinn (wolfmen) to be a cadre to protect the Chancellor and seek to manipulate this to their advantage. Be interesting to see where the series goes.
August 4, 2009
finally, an Elizabeth Bear i could read more than a few pages of. (Companion to Wolves doesn't count. that book is pure fangirl crack.) i find her characterisations chilly, so the subject matter (and length) of this one really helped.
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