The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss (English) Paperbac

Description: The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss Synopsis coming soon....... FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Based on some of literatures horror and science fiction classics, this "tour de force of reclaiming the narrative, executed with impressive wit and insight" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) debut is the story of a remarkable group of women who come together to solve the mystery of a series of gruesome murders—and the bigger mystery of their own origins.Mary Jekyll, alone and penniless following her parents death, is curious about the secrets of her fathers mysterious past. One clue in particular hints that Edward Hyde, her fathers former friend and a murderer, may be nearby, and there is a reward for information leading to his capture…a reward that would solve all of her immediate financial woes. But her hunt leads her to Hydes daughter, Diana, a feral child left to be raised by nuns. With the assistance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, Mary continues her search for the elusive Hyde, and soon befriends more women, all of whom have been created through terrifying experimentation: Beatrice Rappaccini, Catherin Moreau, and Justine Frankenstein. When their investigations lead them to the discovery of a secret society of immoral and power-crazed scientists, the horrors of their past return. Now it is up to the monsters to finally triumph over the monstrous. Author Biography Theodora Goss is the World Fantasy Award–winning author of many publications, including the short story collection In the Forest of Forgetting; Interfictions, a short story anthology coedited with Delia Sherman; Voices from Fairyland, a poetry anthology with critical essays and a selection of her own poems; The Thorn and the Blossom, a novella in a two-sided accordion format; and the poetry collection Songs for Ophelia; and the novels, The Strange Case of the Alchemists Daughter, European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman, and The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl. She has been a finalist for the Nebula, Locus, Crawford, Seiun, and Mythopoeic Awards, as well as on the Tiptree Award Honor List, and her work has been translated into eleven languages. She teaches literature and writing at Boston University and in the Stonecoast MFA Program. Visit her at TheodoraGoss.com. Review "Theodora Goss is a wonder. Her elegance, wit and powerful voice pull no punches. A brilliant, deeply felt, and nimble book." -- Catherynne M. Valente, Hugo-Award winning author"Theodora Goss splendid debut novel is a whipsmart look at the truths hiding in the stories - Jekyll and Hyde, Frankenstein, and others - that you might think you know. Full of bravery, adventures, monsters, and sisters, The Strange Case of the Alchemists Daughter is a rich delight. I loved it, and I cant wait to read the next book." -- Kat Howard, author of ROSES AND ROT"Theodora Goss The Strange Case of the Alchemists Daughter provides a new and altogether mesmerizing revelation for fans of Watson & Holmes, Van Helsing, Jeckyll & Hyde, and Victor Frankenstein: until now, youve only heard half the story. Goss deft, poetic interweaving of edge-of-the-seat adventure with the artful voices of her characters creates a matryoshka doll of hidden Gothic fiction in the best sense. The Strange Case of the Alchemists Daughter proves the point that behind every evil genius youll find a team of fantastic women working to set things right. As if Charlies Angels, as written by Mary Shelley, took over the Bluestocking Society, with bonus well-mannered explosions. An utterly delightful, transformative read." -- Fran Wilde, award-winning author of Updraft, Cloudbound, and Horizon* "A tour de force of reclaiming the narrative, executed with impressive wit and insight." * Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW *"An enormously accomplished delight of a book...a brilliant novel." -- Liz Bourke"A pleasure, especially for fans of Victorian detective stories, classic sf and horror literature, and feminist remakes." * Booklist *"A delightful romp through Victorian gothic literature, with a decidedly feminist slant." * Library Journal *"A swiftly paced, immaculately plotted mystery full of winning characters you always thought you knew, as well as ones you would never have imagined." * NPR *"If youre looking for adventure, kick-ass ladies, a good mystery, and a touch of the monstrous, look no further—The Strange Case of the Alchemists Daughter is the brainy, gleefully madcap literary mashup of your dreams." * B&N SciFi & Fantasy Blog *" Like a literary magpie, Goss snaps up some of the shiniest bits of Victorian popular culture, but she makes them her own, seeing the possibilities beyond the efforts of their original creators and constructing an intelligent and engrossing 21st-century adventure." * The Portland Press Herald *"Goss skillfully balances the revisionist feminist themes with a crackling conspiracy adventure and a colorful portrait of Victorian London." * The Chicago Tribune *"They are just as much fun as their fictional fathers, and like the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, their talents play off against one other, anchored by Mary, the most normal of them: prudent, thrifty, genteel, her fathers revolver loaded and ready." * The Wall Street Journal *"Goss upends fantasy tropes to bring to life characters who would have been ignored in the period works that inspired them, and the result is a fantastic, gripping read that feels true to the spirit of the original works, but updated with a modern spin for the 21st century reader." * The Verge * Review Quote "They are just as much fun as their fictional fathers, and like the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, their talents play off against one other, anchored by Mary, the most normal of them: prudent, thrifty, genteel, her fathers revolver loaded and ready." Excerpt from Book The Strange Case of the Alchemists Daughter CHAPTER I The Girl in the Mirror Mary Jekyll stared down at her mothers coffin. "I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord." The rain had started again. Not a proper rain, but the dreary, interminable drizzle that meant spring in London. "Put up your umbrella, my dear, or youll get wet," said Mrs. Poole. Mary put up her umbrella, without much caring whether she would get wet or not. There they all were, standing by a rectangular hole in the ground, in the gray churchyard of St. Marylebone. Reverend Whittaker, reading from the prayer book. Nurse Adams looking grim, but then didnt she always? Cook wiping her nose with a handkerchief. Enid, the parlormaid, sobbing on Josephs shoulder. In part of her mind, the part that was used to paying bills and discussing the housekeeping with Mrs. Poole, Mary thought, I will have to speak to Enid about overfamiliarity with a footman. Alice, the scullery maid, was holding Mrs. Pooles hand. She looked pale and solemn, but again, didnt she always? "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord; even so saith the Spirit, for they rest from their labors." At the bottom of that rectangular hole was a coffin, and in that coffin lay her mother, in the blue silk wedding dress that matched the color of her eyes, forever closed now. When Mary and Mrs. Poole had put it on her, they realized how emaciated she had become over the last few weeks. Mary herself had combed her mothers gray hair, still streaked with gold, and arranged it over the thin shoulders. "For so thou didst ordain when thou createdst me, saying, dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. All we go down to the dust; yet even at the grave we make our song: Alleluia." "Alleluia," came the chorus, from Mrs. Poole, and Nurse Adams, and Cook, and Joseph, and Alice. Enid continued to sob. "Alleluia," said Mary a moment later, as though out of turn. She handed her umbrella to Mrs. Poole, then took off her gloves. She knelt by the grave and scooped a handful of dirt, scattering it over the coffin. She could hear small pebbles hit, sharper than the soft patter of rain. That afternoon, the sexton would cover it properly and there would be only a mound, until the headstone arrived. Ernestine Jekyll, Beloved Wife and Mother Well, at least it was partly true. She knelt for a moment longer, although she could feel water soaking through her skirt and stockings. Then she rose and reclaimed her umbrella. "Mrs. Poole, will you take everyone back to the house? I need to pay Reverend Whittaker." "Yes, miss," said Mrs. Poole. "Although I dont like to leave you alone . . ." "Please, Im sure Alice is hungry. Ill be home soon, I promise." She would follow Reverend Whittaker into the church and make a donation to the St. Marylebone Restoration Fund. But first she wanted to spend a moment alone with her mother. With what was left of Ernestine Jekyll, in a wooden box on which the raindrops were falling. MARY: Is it really necessary to begin with the funeral? Cant you begin with something else? Anyway, I thought you were supposed to start in the middle of the action--in medias res. Before Mary could stop her, Diana crouched by the body of Molly Keane, getting blood on the hem of her dress and the toes of her boots. She reached across the murdered girl to the stiff hand that lay on her bosom and pried open the clenched fingers. From that cold grasp, she withdrew what the girl had been holding: a metal button. "Diana!" cried Mary. MARY: Not that in medias res! They wont understand the story if you start like that. CATHERINE: Then stop telling me how to write it. It was no use standing there. It would accomplish nothing, and Mary needed to accomplish so much today. She looked at her watch: almost noon. She turned and walked under a gray arch, into the vestry of St. Marylebone to find Reverend Whittaker, who had preceded her inside. Ten pounds for the Church Restoration Fund . . . But she was Miss Jekyll, who had been baptized and confirmed at St. Marylebone. She could not give less. She emerged from the quiet of St. Marylebone into the hurry and bustle of Marylebone Road, with its carriages and carts, the costermongers by the sides of the road, crying their wares. Although it was out of her way, she took a detour through Regents Park. Usually, a walk through the park could lift her spirits, but today the roses just starting to bloom were bowed down with rain, and even the ducks on the pond seemed out of sorts. By the time she reached the staid, respectable brick house at 11 Park Terrace where she had spent her entire life, she was tired and wet, despite her umbrella. She let herself in, a procedure that would no doubt scandalize Mrs. Poole, and put her umbrella in the stand, then stopped in front of the hall mirror to take off her hat. There, she caught a glimpse of herself, and for a moment she stood, captured by her own reflection. The face that stared back at her was pale, with dark circles under the eyes. Even her hair, ordinarily a middling brown, seemed pale this morning, as though washed out by the light that came through the narrow windows on either side of the front door. She looked like a corpse. I have paused to show you Mary staring into the mirror because this is a story about monsters. All stories about monsters contain a scene in which the monster sees himself in a mirror. Remember Frankensteins monster, startled by his reflection in a forest pool? That is when he realizes his monstrousness. MARY: Im not a monster, and that book is a pack of lies. If Mrs. Shelley were here, I would slap her for all the trouble she caused. DIANA: Id like to see that! "What are you going to do?" Mary asked the girl in the mirror. "Dont you start talking to yourself, miss," said Mrs. Poole. Mary turned, startled. "It reminds me of your poor mother. Walking back and forth in that room of hers, until she near wore a hole in the carpet. Talking to who knows what." "Dont worry, Mrs. Poole," said Mary. "I have no intention of going mad, at least not today." "How you can joke about it, I dont know! And her just in the ground," said the housekeeper, shaking her head. "Would you like a cup of tea in the parlor? Ive started a fire. Cook says lunch should be ready in half an hour. And theres a letter for you, from Mr. Guest. I found it pushed through the slot when we arrived. Ive put it on the tea table." From Mr. Guest, her mothers solicitor. Well, hers now, although she did not think Mr. Guest would want to do business with her much longer. It had been different while her mother was alive. . . . "Thank you, Mrs. Poole. Could you tell everyone to come into the parlor? Yes, even Alice. And could you bring--you know. I think it had best be done right away, dont you?" "If you say so, miss," said Mrs. Poole, visibly reluctant. But there was nothing else to be done. Unless this letter from Mr. Guest . . . Could it possibly be about a change in her circumstances? Mary went into the parlor, took the letter from the tea table, and tore open the envelope--neatly, but without searching for a letter opener. Perhaps . . . but no. If you could come to my offices at your earliest convenience, we can settle a few final matters concerning your late mothers estate. That was all. She sat down on the sofa, stretching her hands to the fire. They were pale and thin, with the blue veins visible. She must have lost weight in the last few weeks, from worry and the long nights sitting by her mothers bed so Nurse Adams could get some sleep. She wished she could lie down now, just for a moment. The funeral had been so . . . difficult. But no, what had to be done should be done as soon as possible. There was no point in putting it off. "Here we are, miss," said Nurse Adams, leading what reminded Mary of a procession from a fairy tale: the cook, the footman, the maid, and the poor little scullion in the rear. Mrs. Poole followed them in and stood by the door, with her hands folded and the expressionless face of a disapproving servant. Well, this was it. How she hated to do it, but there was no alternative. "Thank you all so very much for coming to the funeral," Mary began. "And thank you also for your--your care and loyalty, particularly these last few weeks." While Mrs. Jekyll had screamed and torn her hair, and refused to eat, and finally declined into her last illness. "I wish I were calling you in here simply to thank you, but Im afraid theres more. You see, I have to let you go, every one of you." Cook took off and wiped her spectacles. Enid sniffed and started crying into a large handkerchief that Joseph handed her. Alice looked like a scared rabbit. How horrible this was! More horrible even than she had imagined. But Mary continued. "Before my mothers death, I met with Mr. Guest, and he explained my financial position. Cook remembers, for she was here while my father was alive, but I dont suppose the rest of you know. . . . My father was a wealthy man, but when he died fourteen years ago, we discovered that his fortune was gone. He had been selling his Bank of England securities and transferring the money to an account in Budapest Details ISBN1481466518 Author Theodora Goss Publisher Simon & Schuster Year 2018 ISBN-10 1481466518 ISBN-13 9781481466516 Format Paperback Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States Pages 432 Illustrations f-c cvr--sfx: spot uv Series The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club Media Book DEWEY 813.6 Imprint Simon & Schuster Language English Series Number 1 UK Release Date 2018-08-09 Publication Date 2018-08-09 NZ Release Date 2018-08-09 US Release Date 2018-08-09 AU Release Date 2018-03-31 Edition Description Reprint Alternative 9781481466509 Audience General We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:160750729;

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