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The Diamond Device
*A semifinalist in the 2022 Self-Published Science Fiction Contest*After diamond power promises to replace steam, an unemployed labourer and a thieving noble unite to foil an international plot and avert a war.
Alf Wilson resents the new technology that cost him his factory job, especially as his clockwork leg bars him from army enrolment. He daren’t confess his unemployment to his overbearing mother. Desperate over the rent, he ends up in a detention cell with a hangover.
Impoverished Lord Richard Hayes maintains his expensive parliamentary seat by a mixture of charm and burglary. During a poorly planned break-in, he inadvertently witnesses a kidnapping. To cap it all, the police arrest him for the crime. At least he's using a fake identity. The real criminals make off with not just the professor who discovered diamond power, but her plans for a diamond-fuelled bomb.
When Rich encounters Alf in the neighbouring cell, he sees an opportunity to keep his noble reputation intact. He persuades Alf he's a secret agent who needs an assistant. This chance association will take them to the oddest locations. But law-abiding Alf’s first assignment? Break Rich out of jail.
Alf Wilson resents the new technology that cost him his factory job, especially as his clockwork leg bars him from army enrolment. He daren’t confess his unemployment to his overbearing mother. Desperate over the rent, he ends up in a detention cell with a hangover.
Impoverished Lord Richard Hayes maintains his expensive parliamentary seat by a mixture of charm and burglary. During a poorly planned break-in, he inadvertently witnesses a kidnapping. To cap it all, the police arrest him for the crime. At least he's using a fake identity. The real criminals make off with not just the professor who discovered diamond power, but her plans for a diamond-fuelled bomb.
When Rich encounters Alf in the neighbouring cell, he sees an opportunity to keep his noble reputation intact. He persuades Alf he's a secret agent who needs an assistant. This chance association will take them to the oddest locations. But law-abiding Alf’s first assignment? Break Rich out of jail.
- GenresSteampunkScience Fiction
270 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 10, 2020
53 people want to read
About the author
M.H. Thaung
7 books34 followersM.H. Thaung was born in Scotland and has moved progressively southwards throughout her career in pathology, ending up in a biomedical research institute in London, England. (As a staff member, not a specimen!) She loves her job and academic writing (where she publishes as C. Thaung). She also enjoys wondering "What if...?" and seeing what might happen in alternate worlds. Her creative writing is split between novels and microfiction.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 5, 2023
SPSFC disclaimer: The At Boundary’s Edge team has narrowed our original allocation down from 28 books to 7 “Quarterfinalists”, all of which we are now reading in full and scoring out of 10 points. The top three books will move forward as semifinalists. As always, this is my own review and reflects only my own individual opinion and score, not that of the team
MY THOUGHTS:
First and foremost in my mind is that The Diamond Device is a shorter, fast paced read that is exceptionally light on sci-fi for what I was expecting to read here. It’s a variation on steam punk where diamonds are newly used as a power source, but there’s no indication on how it works including from the character trying to assemble a device or from the scientist who created it. Anyway, we decided it’s close enough, so genre questions did not affect my score.
Overall I enjoyed the read through. The pacing was steady, with bursts of action tempered by fairly low consequences in most cases. The writing is solid, flowing, and easily digestible. It just all felt more like a cozy British mystery to me than sci-fi, complete with blundering policemen and over the top shenanigans.
The characters are likeable, a lord and a laborer. Watching them try to mix their worlds and work together was the most entertaining part for me, especially so once a hilariously temperamental cop was thrown into the mix. That said, the character’s reactions to major events felt so muted that I almost wondered if the author wasn’t targeting a young adult audience, although no indication of this is given.
Science or lack of it aside, I think Thaung managed to cram an amazing amount of world building into the pages too. We see all about how the classes live, the airships, what they eat, how they comport themselves, and political relations.
Overall, I think it was a fun and inoffensive book full of shenanigans. If you like light steampunk you might want to check out The Diamond Device!
MY THOUGHTS:
First and foremost in my mind is that The Diamond Device is a shorter, fast paced read that is exceptionally light on sci-fi for what I was expecting to read here. It’s a variation on steam punk where diamonds are newly used as a power source, but there’s no indication on how it works including from the character trying to assemble a device or from the scientist who created it. Anyway, we decided it’s close enough, so genre questions did not affect my score.
Overall I enjoyed the read through. The pacing was steady, with bursts of action tempered by fairly low consequences in most cases. The writing is solid, flowing, and easily digestible. It just all felt more like a cozy British mystery to me than sci-fi, complete with blundering policemen and over the top shenanigans.
The characters are likeable, a lord and a laborer. Watching them try to mix their worlds and work together was the most entertaining part for me, especially so once a hilariously temperamental cop was thrown into the mix. That said, the character’s reactions to major events felt so muted that I almost wondered if the author wasn’t targeting a young adult audience, although no indication of this is given.
Science or lack of it aside, I think Thaung managed to cram an amazing amount of world building into the pages too. We see all about how the classes live, the airships, what they eat, how they comport themselves, and political relations.
Overall, I think it was a fun and inoffensive book full of shenanigans. If you like light steampunk you might want to check out The Diamond Device!
Read
April 30, 2023Read for SPSFC2
October 30, 2021
What is steampunk? Basically a tale set in a fictionalised Victorian type era with some wacky technology eg a diamond powered, clockwork prosthetic leg or steam powered handsome cabs.
There are several plotlines including an aristocrats parents go missing, a culture clash between working class Alf and upper class Rich (who is actually so poor he resorts to theiving), a kidnapping of a prominent scientist, industrial espionage, a maid who may be more than she seems, a cold War between two countries, so there is a lot going on. In fact on occasion I felt like a lion trying to pick out one wildebeest out of the herd to chase down.
The characters were an interesting ensemble. Alf seemed honourable but not too savvy and Rich seems savvy but not too honourable. Also they don't particularly get along. A partnership of inconvenience from across the social divide.
found the reasons why Rich's parents abandoned him without resources to be odd as was his nonchalance when he finds out.
The relationship between the scientist and her husband was an odd one as well. She seemed caring to others while he did not, and yet he was devoted her.
The strength of this novel was the world building. The author has created a vibrant environment that is very familiar yet very different at the same time.
There is a sense of adventure in the narrative rather than fear, or impending doom and while the multi plots may be a problem for an old git like me, I feel that there is plenty to capture the attention. In addition to the above reasons I believe the pace of the book and the author's world building aptitude may lend themselves to a YA audience.
@GrumpyOldBooks
There are several plotlines including an aristocrats parents go missing, a culture clash between working class Alf and upper class Rich (who is actually so poor he resorts to theiving), a kidnapping of a prominent scientist, industrial espionage, a maid who may be more than she seems, a cold War between two countries, so there is a lot going on. In fact on occasion I felt like a lion trying to pick out one wildebeest out of the herd to chase down.
The characters were an interesting ensemble. Alf seemed honourable but not too savvy and Rich seems savvy but not too honourable. Also they don't particularly get along. A partnership of inconvenience from across the social divide.
found the reasons why Rich's parents abandoned him without resources to be odd as was his nonchalance when he finds out.
The relationship between the scientist and her husband was an odd one as well. She seemed caring to others while he did not, and yet he was devoted her.
The strength of this novel was the world building. The author has created a vibrant environment that is very familiar yet very different at the same time.
There is a sense of adventure in the narrative rather than fear, or impending doom and while the multi plots may be a problem for an old git like me, I feel that there is plenty to capture the attention. In addition to the above reasons I believe the pace of the book and the author's world building aptitude may lend themselves to a YA audience.
@GrumpyOldBooks
November 22, 2020
“The Diamond Device” is an inventive romp through a steampunk world peopled by quirky, unpredictable characters. It’s both light-hearted and good-hearted, so there’s no impenetrable darkness here, but you’ll enjoy the technology and the scrapes the main characters get themselves into. Fast-paced, cheery and involving, this novel is all too brief and surely invites further explorations alongside the author.
November 10, 2020
The Diamond Device is a breezily-paced, light-hearted steampunk adventure that’s full of exciting action and humor.
We first meet Alf, a down-on-his-luck laborer with a clockwork leg, who I found immediately sympathetic. Recently fired, with rent due, and a mother and headstrong sister depending on him, he’s at his lowest point.
In classic Dickensian fashion, he soon crosses paths with the roguish Lord Rich, noble in title but poor in purse, who burglarizes homes to fend off the debt collectors. Witty and confident, his daring lands him in more trouble than he bargained for, when a bit of innocent thievery turns into an international incident.
Reluctantly, they join forces on a mission that takes them into a foreign land and entangles them in plots beyond their imagining. Through surprising twists, and heartfelt moments, this story entertained me from beginning to end — which arrived too soon.
For anyone who enjoys steampunk, or is just in the mood for a fun, well-written adventure with compelling characters, I highly recommend The Diamond Device!
We first meet Alf, a down-on-his-luck laborer with a clockwork leg, who I found immediately sympathetic. Recently fired, with rent due, and a mother and headstrong sister depending on him, he’s at his lowest point.
In classic Dickensian fashion, he soon crosses paths with the roguish Lord Rich, noble in title but poor in purse, who burglarizes homes to fend off the debt collectors. Witty and confident, his daring lands him in more trouble than he bargained for, when a bit of innocent thievery turns into an international incident.
Reluctantly, they join forces on a mission that takes them into a foreign land and entangles them in plots beyond their imagining. Through surprising twists, and heartfelt moments, this story entertained me from beginning to end — which arrived too soon.
For anyone who enjoys steampunk, or is just in the mood for a fun, well-written adventure with compelling characters, I highly recommend The Diamond Device!
January 1, 2021
Super spy stuff!
When everything goes crazy wrong, a Lord and dock worker help a policeman chase the answers. M. H. Thaung has created a fantasy world with overtones of old England. In The Diamond Device you will have lots of amazing adventures as you solve all the mysteries.
When everything goes crazy wrong, a Lord and dock worker help a policeman chase the answers. M. H. Thaung has created a fantasy world with overtones of old England. In The Diamond Device you will have lots of amazing adventures as you solve all the mysteries.
November 16, 2020
The Diamond Device is a steampunk novel that revolves around a poor worker, Alf, who’s recently lost his job, and a wealthy lord, Rich, who actually makes a living as a thief. The two characters run into each other and end up reluctantly joining forces due to unforeseen circumstances.
I found that the steampunk atmosphere was captured wonderfully and I loved the descriptions of the world and people. It was so easy to visualize.
Both Alf and Rich are fun characters and I found myself cheering for both of them to have happy endings.
The plot is well constructed and has a few nice twists that keep the reader guessing. I did find the first half stronger than the second, as the novel seemed to be kind of one note rather than building up in excitement and the world building details that I enjoyed in the first half were less present in the second.
All in all, The Diamond Device is an enjoyable read, particularly if you’re into the steampunk genre.
I found that the steampunk atmosphere was captured wonderfully and I loved the descriptions of the world and people. It was so easy to visualize.
Both Alf and Rich are fun characters and I found myself cheering for both of them to have happy endings.
The plot is well constructed and has a few nice twists that keep the reader guessing. I did find the first half stronger than the second, as the novel seemed to be kind of one note rather than building up in excitement and the world building details that I enjoyed in the first half were less present in the second.
All in all, The Diamond Device is an enjoyable read, particularly if you’re into the steampunk genre.
Want to read
February 6, 2024This is not a full review. I read through the beginning of all 300 SPFBO9 contest entries. This was a book I wanted to read more of.
A laborer with a clockwork leg is out of a job as a new diamond powered technology begins to take over amidst a war.
This has a slow and steady character and setting introduction. Our MC (or one of them) is out of work and disabled. Stream powered carriages trundle past, splashing him with icy water. He wouldn’t want to join the war even if he did have two legs.
The 3rd person close pov captures our character’s voice well as he limps down the street at night. It doesn’t overwhelm us with setting explanations and details, but creates an emerging sense of the setting as the pages turn.
The prose is competent, and as natural as the very little dialogue that appears in this first section.
I think the steampunk setting is interesting. The backdrop of a war and shifting technology that is changing things is intriguing, and I wonder if and how these things will be incorporated into the story.
This isn’t an explosive opening, but I think it is purposeful and focused, and the introduction of a playboy burglar in the second section indicates this story will be anything but mundane.
Perusing the description, it seems this will be some kind of steampunk espionage/mystery with unlikely protagonists working together. I’m deeply intrigued! I’m in!
With only 22 ratings on goodreads, this <300 pg SPSFC may very well be criminally underrated. If it sounds at all your vibe, check it out.
A laborer with a clockwork leg is out of a job as a new diamond powered technology begins to take over amidst a war.
This has a slow and steady character and setting introduction. Our MC (or one of them) is out of work and disabled. Stream powered carriages trundle past, splashing him with icy water. He wouldn’t want to join the war even if he did have two legs.
The 3rd person close pov captures our character’s voice well as he limps down the street at night. It doesn’t overwhelm us with setting explanations and details, but creates an emerging sense of the setting as the pages turn.
The prose is competent, and as natural as the very little dialogue that appears in this first section.
I think the steampunk setting is interesting. The backdrop of a war and shifting technology that is changing things is intriguing, and I wonder if and how these things will be incorporated into the story.
This isn’t an explosive opening, but I think it is purposeful and focused, and the introduction of a playboy burglar in the second section indicates this story will be anything but mundane.
Perusing the description, it seems this will be some kind of steampunk espionage/mystery with unlikely protagonists working together. I’m deeply intrigued! I’m in!
With only 22 ratings on goodreads, this <300 pg SPSFC may very well be criminally underrated. If it sounds at all your vibe, check it out.
November 11, 2024
Picked this up free at Glasgow 2024.
The Diamond Device is a fun steampunk adventure? Mystery? thingamabob. Genre definitions are hard. There are British class vibes (impoverished lord trying to pretend he's doing fine, his last household servant is more loyal to him and his family than to her own friends), cosy mystery vibes (neither Alf Wilson nor Richard Hayes are detectives, and yet they must help the police solve this mystery without creating an international disaster), and all round fun shenanigans.
Alf Wilson is pulled into a lot of things he doesn't want to do out of a sense of duty and honour, and overwhelming concern for his sister and mother. Lord Richard Hayes is desperately trying to find enough money to pay his property taxes whilst pretending that everything is fine! And obviously getting a job is not going to cut it, just because of his title. It makes for a very interesting pairing as they both try to navigate each other's foibles.
The Diamond Device was a breeze to read, and I was captured from the start. The plot is twisty enough to keep you on your toes - you think the kidnapping is solved at the 50% mark, but ohoho! More complications crop up!
The one thing that didn't quite sit well was the Hayes' parents very odd lack of concern for him. In some ways, it felt inevitable that they would have to come appear sometime, but after all the explanations, I found myself going, "You knew all that and yet you just... didn't do anything?"
It also felt like Richard accepted their reasoning much too easily and calmly, like, sure, everything's fine now because he found them again.
Anyway, there is book 2 (The Sapphire Solution) so I may proceed on to that after I'm done with my current read.
The Diamond Device is a fun steampunk adventure? Mystery? thingamabob. Genre definitions are hard. There are British class vibes (impoverished lord trying to pretend he's doing fine, his last household servant is more loyal to him and his family than to her own friends), cosy mystery vibes (neither Alf Wilson nor Richard Hayes are detectives, and yet they must help the police solve this mystery without creating an international disaster), and all round fun shenanigans.
Alf Wilson is pulled into a lot of things he doesn't want to do out of a sense of duty and honour, and overwhelming concern for his sister and mother. Lord Richard Hayes is desperately trying to find enough money to pay his property taxes whilst pretending that everything is fine! And obviously getting a job is not going to cut it, just because of his title. It makes for a very interesting pairing as they both try to navigate each other's foibles.
The Diamond Device was a breeze to read, and I was captured from the start. The plot is twisty enough to keep you on your toes - you think the kidnapping is solved at the 50% mark, but ohoho! More complications crop up!
The one thing that didn't quite sit well was the Hayes' parents very odd lack of concern for him. In some ways, it felt inevitable that they would have to come appear sometime, but after all the explanations, I found myself going, "You knew all that and yet you just... didn't do anything?"
It also felt like Richard accepted their reasoning much too easily and calmly, like, sure, everything's fine now because he found them again.
Anyway, there is book 2 (The Sapphire Solution) so I may proceed on to that after I'm done with my current read.
February 28, 2023
3.5 rounded up because I want to support the author.
Main takeaway: It takes a long time to assemble the team and I was waiting for it. Please don’t make me wait that long again.
Reminds me in a good way of Honor Raconteur’s Case Files/Shinigami Detective series - could take some pointers on pacing from that author.
Interesting cultural observations and it’s always nice to see a minimum of stupid sexism. I feel like the 2 main characters are almost too similar - the toff doesn’t differ from the regular guy as much as he would if he weren’t an immigrant. The third guy gets added late enough that it feels weird that he’s still there in the denouement.
Also was a bit put off by the deus-ex-machina nature of some of the plot devices - for an international story, it felt a lot like a small town.
Overall a nice cozy steampunky mystery for a weeknight.
Main takeaway: It takes a long time to assemble the team and I was waiting for it. Please don’t make me wait that long again.
Reminds me in a good way of Honor Raconteur’s Case Files/Shinigami Detective series - could take some pointers on pacing from that author.
Interesting cultural observations and it’s always nice to see a minimum of stupid sexism. I feel like the 2 main characters are almost too similar - the toff doesn’t differ from the regular guy as much as he would if he weren’t an immigrant. The third guy gets added late enough that it feels weird that he’s still there in the denouement.
Also was a bit put off by the deus-ex-machina nature of some of the plot devices - for an international story, it felt a lot like a small town.
Overall a nice cozy steampunky mystery for a weeknight.
May 1, 2021
I’ve only read a few steampunk books but have enjoyed them. When this one came on my radar, it sounded like a fun read - and it was. The author did a great job helping me understand the gadgets that were being used and at the same time gave me ‘real’ characters that I could connect with. While I think Sally might be my favorite, I have a feeling if this book should continue into a series, Rich’s mom could also be a gem. The main characters of Rich and Alf were the perfect team who verbally played off each other.
January 4, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this ebook and am looking forward to hopefully more adventures with the assembled characters. The characters were very believable, the plot easily followed throughout all the twists and turns of a really good story, and the ending was most satisfactory. I highly recommend both this book and the author. She has written other exceedingly fun stories.
May 2, 2023
SPSFC 2 Semi-Finalist Review.
Competition Score (my personal scoring): 6.5/10
Personal Enjoyment Score: 7/10 (rounded up to 4/5 on a 5 point scale)
You may notice two ratings on this review – and why two ratings you ask? Although I don't want to be seen as gatekeeping what falls under the Science Fiction umbrella, I guess I'm going to second guess this one a little bit. For pure enjoyment, I love steampunk as a subgenre, and this was a perfectly good steampunk story, hence my personal enjoyment score.
However, I have a hard time justifying steampunk as Sci Fi to myself, especially when, as in this case, the steampunk mechanism isn't terribly well-examined, it's just a bit of handwavy alternate energy source. We don't spend a lot of time on the science or contemplating the results of the science. To me that's a key component of great Sci Fi. The story needs to really take something current or imagined for the future and extrapolate from it. I didn't find that in this story, so for the purposes of this Science Fiction-centered competition I'm taking a bit off the score.
As far as protagonists go, we have a bit of an odd couple situation on our hands. Alf Wilson is a factory worker with a clockwork leg from an earlier accident. Unfortunately, Alf has just lost his job as a result of growing automation (an admittedly Sci Fi theme, but not a new one) and is trying to figure out what he'll do next to support his Mother and Sister. Alf has a bit of a chip on his shoulder when it comes to anyone he perceives as rich or privileged.
Which of course takes us to the other half of our odd couple, Lord Richard Hayes who is desperately trying to keep up appearances and scrape up the money to keep from losing his family property and council seat to taxes. While Richard certainly has a title, he has no money to back it up as his parents disappeared several years earlier, leaving him “in charge” but with no access to funds. In order to support himself and the very expensive tax burden of the family house, Richard has turned to a bit of theft.
When things go poorly for both Alf and Richard they find themselves thrown in jail and from there paths continue to cross and stories intertwine. Richard's efforts to keep his identity secret to avoid disgrace keeps ending up with more and more outlandish results.
Richard's last remaining servant, Sally, of course happens to be an old school-mate of Alf's and one he had a bit of a crush on then. Sally is a great side character and I enjoyed her presence on the page.
There's a political intrigue plot in play as well as tensions mounting with the neighboring country (and Richard's parents' country of origin) Calesia.
I didn't always find the plot to hang together perfectly or the character actions to make the most sense, but it was still a fun adventure story and I enjoyed the ride. I also found myself a bit frustrated with Alf from time to time as he could be overly dense in catching on to what's going on around him or dealing with various situations. This was especially true once the story takes us into Calesia – without going into spoilers, I found this portion of the story really stretched my suspension of disbelief – not because of the setting, but because of the turns of the plot at this juncture.
Recommended for/Similar suggested reads: The Cinder Spires by Jim Butcher, Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series, or Curtis Craddock's The Risen Kingdoms series
Competition Score (my personal scoring): 6.5/10
Personal Enjoyment Score: 7/10 (rounded up to 4/5 on a 5 point scale)
You may notice two ratings on this review – and why two ratings you ask? Although I don't want to be seen as gatekeeping what falls under the Science Fiction umbrella, I guess I'm going to second guess this one a little bit. For pure enjoyment, I love steampunk as a subgenre, and this was a perfectly good steampunk story, hence my personal enjoyment score.
However, I have a hard time justifying steampunk as Sci Fi to myself, especially when, as in this case, the steampunk mechanism isn't terribly well-examined, it's just a bit of handwavy alternate energy source. We don't spend a lot of time on the science or contemplating the results of the science. To me that's a key component of great Sci Fi. The story needs to really take something current or imagined for the future and extrapolate from it. I didn't find that in this story, so for the purposes of this Science Fiction-centered competition I'm taking a bit off the score.
As far as protagonists go, we have a bit of an odd couple situation on our hands. Alf Wilson is a factory worker with a clockwork leg from an earlier accident. Unfortunately, Alf has just lost his job as a result of growing automation (an admittedly Sci Fi theme, but not a new one) and is trying to figure out what he'll do next to support his Mother and Sister. Alf has a bit of a chip on his shoulder when it comes to anyone he perceives as rich or privileged.
Which of course takes us to the other half of our odd couple, Lord Richard Hayes who is desperately trying to keep up appearances and scrape up the money to keep from losing his family property and council seat to taxes. While Richard certainly has a title, he has no money to back it up as his parents disappeared several years earlier, leaving him “in charge” but with no access to funds. In order to support himself and the very expensive tax burden of the family house, Richard has turned to a bit of theft.
When things go poorly for both Alf and Richard they find themselves thrown in jail and from there paths continue to cross and stories intertwine. Richard's efforts to keep his identity secret to avoid disgrace keeps ending up with more and more outlandish results.
Richard's last remaining servant, Sally, of course happens to be an old school-mate of Alf's and one he had a bit of a crush on then. Sally is a great side character and I enjoyed her presence on the page.
There's a political intrigue plot in play as well as tensions mounting with the neighboring country (and Richard's parents' country of origin) Calesia.
I didn't always find the plot to hang together perfectly or the character actions to make the most sense, but it was still a fun adventure story and I enjoyed the ride. I also found myself a bit frustrated with Alf from time to time as he could be overly dense in catching on to what's going on around him or dealing with various situations. This was especially true once the story takes us into Calesia – without going into spoilers, I found this portion of the story really stretched my suspension of disbelief – not because of the setting, but because of the turns of the plot at this juncture.
Recommended for/Similar suggested reads: The Cinder Spires by Jim Butcher, Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series, or Curtis Craddock's The Risen Kingdoms series
July 28, 2022
I really enjoyed this steampunk adventure story set in a world of diamond powered devices. The feel of the story was historical British style society, with cops on the beat, 'toffs' who were above the law, and the working classes who just got on with life. When labourer Alf meets toff-turned-thief Rich in prison, their social worlds collide and they join forces to root out the kidnapper of renowned scientist Dr Bergrim-Hoyt. Their unlikely partnership takes them on a journey to a neighbouring country with very different social standards, as they not only chase the kidnapper, but unearth their own individual family secrets at the same time. The trio of working class Alf, Rich the 'nob', and the solid Inspector Castor make for a light-hearted fast-paced adventure, that will leave you wanting more.
February 9, 2021
I enjoyed this lighthearted take on the steampunk genre. Not the book for you if you're expecting a grim and gritty adventure as this felt more like a delicious cozy mystery cake with steampunk icing on top. The worldbuilding and characters are both fun and intriguing. I particularly liked Alf, our much put-upon everyman protagonist who gets caught up in the nefarious dealings of an impoverished nobleman. Poor Alf finds himself at the center of increasingly complicated political shenanigans and has to rise to the occasion in order to stop a dangerous plot. Would recommend this well-written novel to readers who enjoy a more cheerful and comical take on what can sometimes to be a very serious genre. A fun read.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews