As I have grown old, I have watched the world of my youth fade with me. The damage done by the Great War will never be calculated. And yet, even now, I hear from my friends in the circles of power – in truth, most are now the children of my friends – that a third war in Afghanistan is all but certain. Even more than the war on the continent just passed, I find myself in dread of this new conflict and the powers it may provoke. And yet, also I feel the nostalgia of old hunts, old games, old enemies now lost to history, and feel again not the rush of conflict but its echo. And recall the unparalleled eyes of a most singular woman I once knew…

~From the Last Notebooks of Mr. Meriwether, 1919

At a Glance: SnackReads offers up two bite-sized tales of gentlemen’s adventure Victoriana from the imagination of fantasy and science fiction author Daniel Abraham. Agents Balfour and Meriwether use their cunning and their skill with weaponry to protect Queen and country against threats mechanical and supernatural in these late nineteenth century thrillers.

The Good: Quick and satisfying story telling; engaging protagonists; strong female character in each tale; only two greenbacks for two stories; more stories to come.
The Bad: The snack is devoured all too quickly.
The Ugly: Plentiful spelling/copy editing errors, especially in the first story, leaves me less than impressed with SnackReads as a fledgling e-publisher.{UPDATE: These were corrected, details to come}

My Experience: Balfour and Meriwether have the chemistry of Jude Law and Robert Downey, Jr’s Holmes and Watson with just a dash more of the gentlemanly air and when danger threatens the realm these two respond with alacrity and panache. Daniel Abraham deftly captures the spirit of the late 1800’s while weaving in fantastical elements that enhance but don’t overwhelm the focus on these two appealing protagonists. The second story is stronger than the first but both are well worth reading, especially at the price offered.

My Rating: 7.5/10

In “The Adventure of the Emperor’s Vengeance” Balfour and Meriwether are called to the scene of the British museum to investigate the presumed death of a man who locked himself in a room with an Egyptian sarcophagus believed to be a forgery created during the days of the Napoleonic wars. They soon discover that something has escaped, something BIG, and that a wounded party is following it. Their dogged pursuit leads them to discover a horrific part of humanity’s past that was unknown to all but a small sect of the Jewish race.

This is a nice introduction to the world and the characters that Abraham has created.

“The Vampire of Kabul” finds Balfour and Meriwether disturbed from their leisure by a past nemesis in the person of Maria Feodorovna, Czarina of Russia. It seems her husband was attacked by an apparition with red eyes and is now a shadow of his former self and England’s own Queen may be the next target of this apparently supernatural villain. A reluctant partnership is formed replete with the sparks of admiration between both capable parties.

This second story is stronger than the first in large part because Maria Feodorovna is an engaging character in her own right and her interactions with Balfour and Meriwether have the subtle nuance of a skilled dance. The atmosphere of this story is thick with mystery and it left me excited that Abraham has already announced an upcoming novella featuring these two characters to be published by Subterranean Press. I hope future stories bring us more of the interaction between our intrepid heroes and the Czarina.

Daniel Abraham wrote these slightly anachronistic stories the way they should be written, with respect to the detail of the time period including language and descriptions worthy of the Arthur Conan Doyle stories which are a part of their inspiration. Each story is told in a three act format with each act corresponding to a chapter in the tale. I enjoyed that Abraham wrote a strong female character into each story and was able to give them both their own unique personality and flair in a comparatively brief amount of screen time.

Lord Carmichael listened, his eyes wide and his expression the rapt fascination of a boy sitting at a campfire, regaled with ghost stories.

I was mildly entertained by the first story, but it was the second story that grabbed me in its clutches and thrilled my imagination. In the years between which he wrote each story it is obvious that Abraham had gotten a stronger hold on who these characters were and the story unfolds with greater precision.

An enticing review by Paul Weimer on SF Signal turned me on to these stories and I sat down in my recliner last night in front of a roaring (fake) fire and got more than my two dollars’ worth of entertainment. The only real frustration with the experience was the amount of proof-reading errors present in the offering, especially in the first story. {UPDATE: SnackReads contacted me about the errors which were reported to be a mistaken upload for the Kindle version. Errors in the first story have been corrected and the second will be reviewed as well. I give kudos to SnackReads for their prompt response and their desire to make things right.}

To close, I do recommend these stories, especially if you are in the mood for a couple of short stories with strong characters and a mysterious, atmospheric mood. I’ll be back for more when Balfour and Meriwether return.
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Author Daniel Abraham is a writer of both short and long-form science fiction and fantasy who has garnered much praise and several nominations for the top awards in SFF. Abraham, along with author Ty Franck, have penned their Expanse series under the name James S.A. Corey including the novels Leviathan Wakes and Caliban’s War. Abraham’s third novel in The Dagger and the Coin Quintet fantasy series is due out in March 2013 and the third Expanse novel is slated for release in June.