Pax Britannia book reviews

In recognition of Mssr Blease's recent reviews here of the Pax Britannia books, erudite gentleman and author Mssr Green has posted a link to WWS at his own Blog here:
http://jonathangreenauthor.blogspot.com/2010/12/pax-britannia-book-reviews.html

But not only that, he has also posted a short story as a Christmas present to all, titled "SILENT KNIGHT, or, 'TWAS THE DARK KNIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS"
http://abaddonbooks.blogspot.com/2010/12/and-pax-britannia-freebie.html

Told you he is a smashing Chap!

Pax Britannia: Unnatural History

After a hard day's work defending the Empire or out hunting there is nothing more than a gentleman likes to do than sit down with a good port, a fine cigar and a cracking H. Rider Haggard adventure. Sadly with Haggard being dead and all, he won't be writing any new yarns and one can only read King Solomon's Mines so many times without becoming a tad bored. Fortunately the old Memsahib has come across a new series of penny dreadfuls that she spotted whilst looking for the latest bodice-ripper.

Under the banner of Pax Britannia, the first one I read was called Unnatural History by a wordsmith called Jonathan Green (who is a teacher during the day and hopefully gives the whelps in his workhouse a jolly good thrashing before meals). The novels are unusually set at the end of the twentieth century in a world where the sun never sets on the Empire and Queen Victoria still sits on her throne (hurrah!). There is some weird scientific romance stuff to explain all this including babbage machines (a kind of thinking typewriter) and aerial ships.

The hero of our adventure is one Ulysses Quicksilver, on the surface a bit of a dandy, but secretly an agent for the Queen. His mission is to track down the Professor of Evolutionary Biology who has gone missing from the Natural History Museum, but soon he is fighting villains on the London Overground, hunting down escaped dinosaurs through the streets of London, fighting anarchists in flooded Underground tunnels and uncovering corruption in the heart of government and a threat to Her Majesty!

All in all a spiffing tale to be enjoyed by gentlemen (and boys of an appropriate age) after dinner in the drawing room once the Memsahib has retired, preferably with a glass of port or a stiff brandy (for the gentlemen only).

Pax Britannia: Leviathan Rising

Spiffing day out by the mere today chaps, snagged a couple of trout which chef is now preparing, so I'll sit down in the drawing room with a fine malt to warm the bones and tell you about the third Pax Britannia book.

Leviathan Rising is another Ulysses Quicksilver by that Green chappie and a jolly wheeze it is too, the best of the three penny dreadfuls I've read so far.

Quicksilver is invited to join the party on board a giant passenger aquanef on its maiden voyage, but before you can go "watch out for that iceberg" we're on a rollicking adventure with ocean bed cities, inquisitive ladies of the press (a bit too inquisitive for some - hurrumph!), nefarious oriental agents, giant squid and a plot of murder and sabotage that would thwart that Holmes bod!

As with the previous volume we get another cracking short story with Quicksilver entitled Vanishing Point, full of weird science, that bally spiritualism Conan Doyle blathers on about and some of those pesky Nazi Prussian types.

Overall gentlemen, heartily recommended and a must be found in any discerning fellows library.

Pax Britannia: Human Nature

In our enlightened age there is nothing much more pleasing for a gentleman and his memsahib than a jolly trip to the seaside to enjoy the bracing sea air, gets salt in your whiskers and looks at the waves we rule!

Upon the out latest trip to Clacton, the memsahib picked up the latest penny dreadful in the Pax Britannia collection for me from a vendour on the pier which I read on the train back to the estate.

Another cracker from that Green chappie entitled Human Nature, it starts as a jolly innocuous wheeze for the dandy Ulysses Quicksilver, investigating the theft of the so-called Whitby Mermaid but soon becomes a rum adventure with our hero beset by nefarious coves, a wild beast on the moor, murder, shocking discoveries of medical insanity and to top it all a terrible fate befalls our hero! (one had to have a stiff brandy and sit down at this stage).

The volume also contains another top notch short story entitled Christmas Past. All I'll say is if this Saint Nick pops down my chimney, he'll be getting both barrels of my twelve bore up him!

Pax Britannia: Moving Pictures

Genetlemen, it has been brought to my attention that those of you of a more modern disposition are able to view a short "movie" (I think that's the term) made with one of those chronophotographic cameras on your personal Babbage engine about the Pax Britannia penny dreadfuls.

Personally one would rather watch Così Fan Tutte down the Garden but there is no accounting for taste.

Pax Britannia: Dark Side

Blooming Memsahib! Seems she toke umbridge about my reference to cook's Christmas Puddings yesterday and has banished me to the gardener's potting shed. Daft old bird... Fortunately with the snow laying all crisp and even I had the good sense to grab a bit of game pie, a bottle of brandy, my cigars and the latest Pax Britannia penny dreadful!

That wordsmith Green don't half knock them out you know? Dark Side is the newest Quicksilver adventure and what a hoot, definitely the best to date! Following his brother Barty to the her Majesty's colony on the moon, we meet up with characters from the short story Vanishing Point and have astronef, Martian separatist anarchists, asteroids, mechanical automatons on the rampage, more pesky Nazi Prussians, a plethora of fillies, a series of murders, infernal devices, selenites, secret bases, tragedy, vengeance and the possibility of the end of everything, everywhere! Blimey, one needed a stiff one after all that I can tell you!! Hats off to Mister Green for a highly entertaining romp...

As usual he treats us with a short Quicksilver story entitled Proteus Unbound. A tragic tale featuring two of the survivors from the Leviathan penny dreadful that brought a veritable lump to the throat and proof to gentlemen everywhere to be wary of what those medical quacks try and force down your throat to cure your gout of lumbago! I'll be making sure mine takes a quick swig first in future I can tell you!

Pax Britannia: El Sombra

The Memsahib picked up the second Pax Britannia penny dreadful for me which I've sat down and read after my evening constitutional. I must say that despite a fine tawney port and spiffing cheese board I did not enjoy this yarn as much as the first.

Entitled El Sombra and written by some chap called Al Ewing, it is the story of some Mexican chappie who wears a mask and battles some baddies called Nazis (a kind of even nastier than normal Prussians with steam weapons) in Mexico. The Nazis are so bad that obviously any gentlemen would defeat them, even one who is not British. Despite having gargantuan steam conveyances, automatons, flying baddies and lots of derring-do it was not as good as the previous volume Unnatural History but passed an evening away.

The good news though was the inclusion of a jolly exciting short story at the end of the penny dreadful called Fruiting Bodies written by wordsmith Jonathan Green. This sees the return of our hero Ulysses Quicksilver (hurrah!) in a mystery set at Kew Gardens that threatens the Empire. I won't spoil it for any gentlemen planning to read it but suffice to say I won't be entering the arboretum without the twelve bore in a hurry!

Unnatural History: Redux

Some time ago that splendid chap Mssr Blease posted his thoughts on this fantastical tale
http://pauljamesog.blogspot.com.au/2010/09/pax-britannia-unnatural-history.html

Well blast me if I hadn't forgotten all about it since then, but recently my man servant was doing a bit of a tidy up in the Library and brought it to my attention.  I immediately corrected the oversight of not reading it before and dashed if it wasn't a ripping yarn of the highest calibre!  I went through it like a Gentleman's Club consumes cognac and it left me wanting more, which I will be enjoying rather shortly.

Do yourself a favour and make sure you don't miss the adventures of dandy adventurer and agent of the throne Ulysses Quicksilver, Esq and his servant Nimrod.

Pax Britannia: Evolution Expects

What ho chaps! Apologies for the lack of updates recently but I've been helping brave little Belgium in her efforts against the pesky Frogs! More on this another day but suffice to say those snail-eaters were soon beating a retreat to Paris with their tails between their legs.

Anyhow, I was pleased to find that the Memsahib had not only packed a fine bottle of brandy in my traveling chest but some of the most recent penny dreadfuls by that Jonathan Green wallah. Evolution Expects is the fourth Quicksilver yarn which sees our hero pitched into an adventure to save the capital from old enemies, whilst encountering all manner of strange friend and foe including Spring-Heeled Jack and the Limehouse Golem. A ripping yarn up to the usual quality and worthy of adding to any gentleman's library.

As usual Green provides us with a short story after the main course and this little triffle, entitled Conqueror Worm, is set two hundred years before the time of our usual hero and recounts an adventure of some filly called Cassandra Tyrell, a female secret agent would you believe, dealing with a secret cult at a stately home. Bit different one must say, but a jolly wheeze and one would certainly like to encounter that Cassandra filly again, harrumph!

Pax Britannia: Movies On The Moon

Shocking revalations appear to be afoot gentlemen, having accessed this chronophotographic record via my personal Babbage engine regarding the next installment of Ulysses Quicksilver adventures. I will be giving them a thorough investigation imminently and will report back toodle suite (as they say over the Channel). It looks like it could be our hero's most challenging adventure yet...

Pax Britannia: The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus

Jolly good news for any gentlemen (or young boys of a strong disposition) who have missed out on the penny dreadful tales of derring-do from the wordsmith Jonathan Green about hero of our future Empire Ulyssess Quicksilver. The publishers of these wonderful adventures have compiled a number into one large omnibus volume simply entitled The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus (obviously to prevent confusion with servants from the lower classes one might send to purchase it when it is released in November).

This omnibus contains the following penny dreadfuls:

Unnatural History - missing professors, dinosaurs and mad anarchist plots in London.

Leviathan Rising - aquanef, underwater disaster, murder, revenge and giant squid.

Human Nature - missing mermaids, vicious beasts and incompetent police officers in Whitby.

The omnibus also contains the following short tales:

Vanishing Point - spiritualism, mad science and Nazi agents in a stately home.

Christmas Past - murder and St. Nick in Oxford.

Unfortunately the bally publishers types have forgotten to include the other Quicksilver short story Fruiting Bodies which is a lamentable oversight and they deserve a jolly good thrashing for this! That said at least a gentlemen can enjoy his sprouts without too much worry if he has not read this shocking tale.

Human Nature: Redux

The third book in the Pax Britannia series, Human Nature sees a couple of characters from previous penny dreadfuls pop up once more as dandy adventurer and Hero of the Empire Ulysses Quicksilver delves into the mystery of the Whitby Mermaid.  Adventure, excitement  swooning lovely ladies, bounders and cads all come together to make this another great yarn.

At the back of the book is a short story which will leave you worried next festive season!

Another great offering from Mssr Green that any VSF fan cant afford to pass up.

Pax Britannia: Blood Royal

Wonderful smells wafting from the kitchen this snowy morn' as cook prepares some grub for the festive feasting. Her brandy mince pies are jolly spiffing and I can't wait to get my hands on her Christmas puddings you know!

Whatever, whilst relaxing in the library with a nice snifter of sherry, for it is that time of the year, I finished reading another jolly jape from that wordsmith Green, this time called Blood Royal.

This volume follows on from the catastrophe that befell our fair capital in the last penny dreadful with London subject to curfew as strange beasties roam the streets. Our hero, Quicksilver, is soon drawn into intrigue following the kidnapping of a friend's daughter and an adventure follows that leads him to far flung places such as the Isle of Wight and Moscow. Airships, vampires, bandits, femme fatales and werewolves, this book is chock full of exciting derring-do and will certainly keep one on tenterhooks to see whether that dandy agent succeeds or not.

As ever there is a short Quicksilver yarn at the end entitled White Rabbit which is very, very strange. Obviously Green has been spending too many nights in the opium dens of Whitechapel and needs a good thrashing with a birch to beat this laudanum induced nonsense out of him! Jabberwocky indeed...

Pax Britannia: A few more to Crow about

Its been a bit hard to update the blog of late, but that doesn't mean a chap has been slacking off on his VSF reading- Nossir it does not!  I've been steaming along at full speed with more of the jolly adventures of Dandy Adventurer and Hero of the Empire Ulysses Quicksilver, Esq.

Evolution Expects - a fiend from the past re-emerges, causing havoc and carnage in Londinium and Magna Brittania.  Can our Hero (and Nimrod of course) stop him in time from wrecking his vengeance?  And who is this flying vigilante - friend or foe?


Blood Royale - dastardly plots from distant realms sees the Agent of the Throne  travel to Imperial Russia and become entangled with Vampires, Werewolves and other nasties.  I really enjoyed this one and the sneak peak view of the world outside the isles of the United Kingdom.





Dark Side - Go off planet with Quicksilver as he travels to the moon and quickly becomes embroiled in more nefarious schemes and chased by danger and mayhem all over the satellite rock.  The ending is a cliff hangar, leading right onto the next installment which I'm devouring now...