Jan Priddy’s Reviews > Ordinary Monsters > Status Update

Another use of "snuck", which likely didn't existed in 1873 as a new American slang term, but certainly not in Scotland. And Dr. B "screws" the top on a bottle of writing ink... but no, the bottle would have had a cork. What sort of lid did she imagine ink would have that screws on? No plastic. No celluloid yet. A screw-on glass lid would have been far too expensive for ink, and not watertight without cork. Cork.

Did the storybenefit from the back-and-forth chronology? I have my doubts.

Quibble: an educated character uses the word "snuck" which is now a regular word, but not so long ago—I am 70 years old so "very long ago" might be more accurate—that was considered inappropriate slang for past tense of "sneak." Use "sneaked". Acceptable in Victorian England? I doubt it. I've caught a couple of minor usage issues that suggest Miro is American (is) and much younger than me (also more than likely).

My copy ends on page 658, but this page count includes front and back matter.

The exact center and the start of chapter 20 of 40 chapters. It is one of those markers supposed to be significant. About the cover's resemblance to Clarkes's novel, and the period in the late 19th century instead of first, and so far, there is no raven so no excuse for that image. Alice has not died. I wonder about the other who did?

imaginative... so far I feel I would not choose it again.