[BWF] Unseemly Science by Rod Duncan 3 stars

[Karin]

This book is set in an alternative twenty-first century where it's still nineteenth century tech and women are still wearing corsets and long skirts. It's a divided England, with a Kingdom and a Republic. This is a twist on most of the steampunk books I've personally read, but then I'm not an avid fan of the genre. I'd say this one most definitely counts and was happy there were no paranormal or magical elements added in. Due to the time it's set in, I wouldn't call it alternative history, although one has to admit that there had to have been an alternative history behind the premise

For much of this book I thought it would be four stars, but when I got to the macabre part (quite a way in) it made a huge down-turn for me. I realize the title is unseemly science, but hadn't realized what that entailed. I haven't read the first book, which I might have if I'd given this four stars, but reading that would not have improved the rating of this book. If anything, if I'd liked it enough it might have lowered my rating for this one.