Boston Metaphysical Society: Prelude by Madeleine Holly-RosingMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Madeleine Holly-Rosing has created a wonderful alternative world in her Boston Metaphysical Society series. I read her A Storm of Secrets novel prior to reading this collection. I had high expectations for these stories and wasn't disappointed. My favorite was Steampunk Rat, which was nominated for a 2013 Steampunk Chronicle Reader's Choice Award. Its plot revealed some of the history that led to the story in A Storm of Secrets. Holly-Rosing also has published some graphic novels with the same setting.
These are steampunk stories, which means they fit in a genre of science fiction where history is re-imagined to create a world with huge steam powered machinery. There is still a Boston, but it is a very different place than what would have existed if the world had followed the path we live on. In addition these stories have a supernatural side with ghosts, demons, and mediums.
As with any genre, the true test of a good story is how the characters are developed and how their relationships unfurl. Here's where I believe these stories earned a five star rating. There are rebellious children, unhappy marriages, and many different types of love woven into the book, all fully developed.
These stories take place in different time frames, some following A Storm of Secrets, some preceding it, but they all stand well on their own.
Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul, White Horse Regressions, Hopatcong Vision Quest, Under a Warped Cross, and Living in a Star's Light
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