Book Review: The Perils of Prague

The Perils of Prague

By:  Doc Coleman

Publish Date:  April 25, 2017

Format:  ebook

Genre:  Fantasy, Steampunk

Series:  1st in The Adventures of Crackle and Bang series

First Impression:  Classy adventure with danger.

Synopsis:
It is the reign of Her Eternal Majesty, Empress Victoria the first. Steam power is still ascendant and the digital age never arrived. While the people feel safe in their homes under Victoria’s Peace, ambitious men and woman plot to gain power without incurring the wrath of the Eternal Queen and her lightning powered armies. Onto this stage comes Professor Harmonious Crackle and his colleague Miss Titania Bang. Exiled for a crime he did not commit, Professor Crackle tries to prove his loyalty to the crown by seeking out those who threaten the empire.

A night at the Opera of Prague leads a young English Lord to a chance meeting with an eccentric professor and his lovely young companion. But before the evening’s entertainment is over, a hidden assassin strikes at a visiting member of the royal court, destroying the opera house and putting our trio on the track of a mad scientist bent on toppling the Imperial Court from power. Can they find him and stop him before he makes another attempt? Or will they have front row seats for the first salvo in a war for control of the empire? In either case, can they survive the Perils of Prague?

First Sentence:
"Faster! Faster, man! Macht schnell! Rychleji!" I screamed at the driver as we careened around a corner, the carriage momentarily tipping up on two wheels as we narrowly avoided colliding with a wagon going the other way.

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My Thoughts and Summary:
*I read this book for my own enjoyment and in exchange for an honest review.

Our dashing lord is visiting with his uncle in Prague at his parents direction before traveling on to his next relative in another country now that he's graduated. However, things blow up. Well, the Opera House blows up after he meets a strange man and gorgeous woman in his Uncle's booth. And things get more complicated after that.


We have a few main characters. There is our main character and POV we live through, the Lord. See, I can't tell you his name as it's not one that people expect to hear. And... many are offended by it. It was a way for his great-great grandfather to shake up the social politeness of society and a string of profanity. Then we have Professor Crackle who seems a bit absentminded from time to time. However, there is something very special about him. We get hints and my curiosity is kept guessing about him. We do learn, in the end, what is so special about the professor. You'll like it. Lastly we have the lovely Miss Bang. She is a colleague of Professor Crackle's and handy in her own right and mind. This is a pair that are brilliant together and the Lord gets to see and participate with them in this adventure.

Can I tell you I love these names? I love that they are different and seem to fit the characters personalities. They roll off my tongue easily too.

Doc Coleman takes us on adventures on land, above land, and below ground. All cool in their own rights. I can't imagine where the characters could go in future books, in other cities, with all they lived through in this one! Wow, I didn't think we'd go through all that! lol.

There are many cool elements brought together here. I love when steampunk is used in the book and not just a surrounding in the setting. Steampunk is used here and something I enjoy. The adventures and actions that happen are well done in moments we need them, keeping the story higher paced. The moments where we learn details is done in a way that kept me interested as I didn't know what was going to be shared. It was all arranged to keep me interested and turning pages.

There are many additional attracting elements here as well. The crew of people we see, very neat! Another member of Crackle's crew, which we don't see as often here, is a very special woman. You have to meet her. The idea of immoral is very interesting. The Queen is the one and only. But is she really? This is interesting as it's explained and could become a bigger problem for others when you learn what you do.

Doc Coleman has set a high bar in this book and I look forward to seeing what he does in the next city as we carry on with Crackle and Bang.