Publisher's Synopsis:
It's 1865 and three close friends; the immortal magician Celwyn, the automat Professor Xiau Kang, and Bartholomew, a scientist and widower from Sudan, set out on another adventure as they travel to Singapore to fetch the professor's wife. Prepare to explore a world reminiscent of our own yet filled with magic and steampunk!
Their private, magically enhanced train, the Elizabeth, is carrying them through the countryside when they witness the purposeful crash of a hot air balloon next to them. Jules Verne emerges from it and joins their party. As they continue east, the danger following the author shadows their train, and the murders begin. When they arrive in Singapore, Captain Nemo uses a unique method to trick Professor Kang into climbing aboard the Nautilus.
My Review:
This series has a lot of ways to entice readers into the story. Interested in literary characters like Phileas Fogg or Captain Nemo? Perhaps you enjoy clashes between witches and vampires? Maybe magicians or automatons are more your style? What about the intrigue of traveling on a private train and dealing with a series of baffling murders? A little bit of all of these can be found in the pages of Music Shall Untune the Sky.
The Violins Played Before Junstan, the first book in the series, introduced the main characters. This time they are traveling from Prague to Singapore to reunite Kang and his wife. But along the route they are waylaid by angry Russians, spied on by nosy reporters, joined by author Jules Verne, and have a visit on board the Nautilus. What more could you want out of a road trip?
Celwyn has lived for hundreds of years, but still enjoys using his magic to play tricks on his friends such as turning Kang's nose blue or giving one of the porters a different style of mustache each day. Kang is a mechanical man, an automat, but he has human emotions and loves his wife and friends. Bartholomew is a big man with a big heart and enjoys science and engineering, but also doesn't mind providing lessons to the orphan they rescued during their last adventure.
Together they make a great team and each of their strengths and areas of knowledge complements the others to help them overcome obstacles and reach their goals. With the different personalities, the intrigues, the action...there is something for every fantasy reader to like.
Available January 23, 2023.
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