A captivating steampunk inspired tale overflowing with intricate worldbuilding, an intriguing magic system and a compelling main character. I can't wait to read more about this world.

I'll alway read steam punk, and so will my students.

An entertaining gaslamp fantasy, though not especially memorable. It mainly functions as a sort of extended prologue to Book 2.

Charlotte is a plucky heroine caught in a tricky situation that she handles with aplomb -- if one can still call it aplomb when it includes youthful stupidity. Charlotte gets into trouble, gets her whole family into trouble, really, and while the narrative seems to argue that the trouble is unavoidable, it largely seems down to Charlotte's own behavior and selfishness. She's the type of character who quietly rails against the status quo whilst trying to have her cake and eat it too.

Fortunately, this all results in a rather interesting offer of employment... which will presumably feature next time 'round.

I find myself gravitating towards novellas more lately (they're perfect for short journeys or those evenings where you want to read something without the risk of staying up 'til stupid o'clock in the morning to finish it...) and this didn't disappoint. It took a little while to become immersed and I'd have liked a few more pages but that's difficult to avoid in this format. A great start to a historical urban fantasy series that I'll happily continue to read.

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

Ben and Charlotte of gotten themselves in a bit of trouble. Mostly because while they both have magic Charlotte is the better mage and Ben needs her. They find themselves in over their heads as they deal with the Society.

It's a simple story, a comedy of error and circumstance that becomes a cross between a heist and a romance. I think it was quite fun. It's a simple setup and Charlotte is an interesting character with a magical secret. And she deeply mistrusts the magical Society which turns out to be a good thing. I liked Ben and I really liked Magus Hopkins.

I very much enjoyed reading this book, and it definitely fits into the Historical Urban Fantasy AKA a victorian supernatural fantasy. My quibble is that this short book really functions more as an introduction to the characters and the scenario than as a complete story, just barely brushing the surface of the underlying conflict. The book is less than 200 pages and I really wanted there to be more.

I know this is old news, but I am a BIG fan of Tor.com’s publishing of novellas in physical formats. While I can’t speak to everyone, this has certainly increased the number of novellas that I have read in the last few years, and it has dramatically increased the number of novellas I’ve read from new authors who I hadn’t read before (usually I would read novellas by established authors I was already a fan of, when they would release a novella to tide their readers in-between books).

Emma Newman is one of the new authors that I was introduced to because of Tor.com’s novella publishing plan, and I’m certainly glad that I was.

Newman’s Brother’s Ruin begins in 19th century England, where those that have magical talents are required to turn themselves into the government for training and regulation. This system is heavily based on a carrot and stick incentive program, if you report yourself, then your family will be handsomely rewarded, and if you don’t then the mages will find you and drag you to them, your family will get nothing, and your family will have shame rain down upon it from the neighboring communities. So, it is no great surprise that the main character, Charlotte, is talented and has been keeping it a secret. What makes it more interesting and what gets the ball rolling is that her brother, Ben, offers himself for conscription into the Royal Society of the Esoteric Arts (the mages), when he thinks he is performing magic, when in reality it was his sister. A testing occurs and events are struck into motion that place both Charlotte and Ben into the mages sight lines.

Without giving more away, this was a fun novella that felt as if it was setting the stage for a larger series. A larger conspiracy is hinted at, a dastardly plot ruined, and the players put in place for larger roles and training in the world of magic.

As for the characters, while at times some of the minor characters such as Charlotte and Ben’s parents seemed a bit one-dimensional, many of the other characters offered great promise for future character growth, which is all one can hope for in a 192 page book.

All in all, I enjoyed Brother’s Ruin. I tried it out because of it’s awesome title and I’m certainly glad that I did. I’d be happy to pick up a future installment of this potential series.

There hasn't been an Emma Newman book that I haven't liked she has an amazing way of telling a story. I read this in a day I enjoyed it that much

Charlotte knows that she has a talent for magic. She knows that her duty - and legal obligation - is to make her magic known, so that the government can train her talents to be best used for the good of the country. But it's unsettling that street preachers rant on with dire warnings about the evils of the magical Academy, and besides, Charlotte has other plans for her life: she's a talented commercial artist, even if as a woman, she has to take her commissions anonymously, and she has plans to marry her fiance. Magicians are required to live a celibate life: not the most enticing inducement.

However, Charlotte's beloved father has got himself into debt, and when the suspicion arises that the debt collectors that are after him are committing serial murder, Charlotte may have to put her family's interests before her own.

However, not all is as simple as it seems: some kind of nefarious plot is going on involving magic, and its threads are there to entangle Charlotte no matter which way she turns.

I very much enjoyed reading this book, and would recommend it to any fan of Victorian/supernatural fantasy. However, I'd have to include the caveat: wait until the sequel is ready. This short book really functions more as an introduction to the characters and the scenario than as a complete story. it doesn't just end on a cliffhanger - it barely gets into the meat of the conflict! As it's less than 200 pages; I really feel that the 'sequel' should've been bundled together with this.

Many thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are independent and unaffected by the source of the book.

This novella is the first entry in a new series by Emma Newman, and it mainly functions as a sort of introduction to its characters and urban fantasy setting.
Charlotte is a young girl with plenty to hide (she has strong magical powers and she works in secret as an illustrator). She lives in a London in which anyone with magical potential must join and work for the Royal Society, something she’s trying to avoid by all means. When her father, who has some serious financial problems, decides that her brother is a good candidate for the Royal Society, she’ll have to help him to pass the tests and in the process will meet three very different mages.
This is a quick and entertaining enough read. The plot and the writing were not bad, but, on the whole, I found the story a bit predictable and too easy to read, with a bit too much emphasis on the incipient romance (on how handsome and attractive Magus Hopkins was), and with characters not interesting and complex enough. I don’t know if this is supposed to be a YA novella, but that’s what it felt to me. I tried to keep in mind that this is just the first part of a series, but, despite that, I felt a bit disappointed and the story and characters didn’t grab my interest enough as to keep on reading the future installments.

Perfect for fans of Zen Cho and Naomi Novik! Great mix of history and fantasy.

If you liked Zen Cho's Sorcerer to the Crown a couple of years ago and are getting impatient for the sequel, this is the book you should be reading in the meantime to scratch that itch. My only complaint is that now I'm waiting on a sequel for this one, too. Also, considering how superb Tor.com's cover art/design usually is, this one is surprisingly ho-hum and far gloomier than the story it's meant to represent.

BROTHER'S RUIN is my first in the gaslamp fantasy (sub)genre, and I was intrigued and fascinated all at the same time. I love the mix of magic with the historical era, in this case, Victorian, if I'm not mistaken. This is a novella introducing the Industrial Magic series, and it's a good first book in the series, as I want the next one now!

In Charlotte's world, people who show magic--especially one as powerful as hers--are often taken away to be trained in the Royal Society of Esoteric Arts. While the mages are then trained to control their magic, the downside is that they lose their freedom. Or so Charlotte believes. Thus, she hides her magic, but when her father became indebted and needed money, he had no choice but to report her brother, Benjamin, who had exhibited some talent so that the family could be compensated for "losing" their son to the arts. But Ben isn't the talented one, but his sister...

Charlotte is a resourceful and enterprising young woman, and she's strong in the face of wanting to protect her family and save her society from certain menace. I love that she was so affected by Magus Hopkins and look forward to their relationship developing into romance in the future (or so I hope!). But first she had to get over her "infatuation" with Hopkins, who is so "beautiful". Otherwise, she'd never see the him beneath the face.

There's also some mystery intertwined, and Charlotte was really so brave to solve it herself. I look forward to more of her adventures in succeeding books.

YES EMMA NEWMAN YES! THANK YOU!

In not even 200 pages you’ve given me everything I love - action, skirts, manners, magic, siblings, mystery, espionage, great characters and so much more. It’s like you wrote this novella specifically just for me. I loved it. The pacing was excellent and the characters were so vivid and alive. I’m especially impressed with how quickly they managed to charm me considering the short amount of time they had to introduce themselves to me.

The story was compelling and even though it only dipped into a very small happening of a fascinating world (that I definitely want to see more of), it was well balanced and though out. Exciting and wondrous!

This novella reminded me a bit of Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series, it had the same strong and colourful characters, but was less whimsical and with a different tone. It also reminded me of Genevieve Cogman's The Invisible Library series. So if you liked any of those two great series this novella will most surely be of interest to you.

Having finished this novella minutes ago I am feeling wonderfully content and uplifted – a feeling that only a great book can give me. So thank you and please Emma Newman, give me more. Soon. Now.

This is a great introduction to a new series from Emma Newman. The magic system is fascinating, and the characters compelling. My only complaint is that it clearly reads as the first act of a larger work, not as a self-contained novella.

Sorry for missing last week. I was a bit behind schedule on quite a few things including the books I had planned on reading. But here I am with 2 books to tell you about

I didn't think it was possible for Heide Goody and Iain Grant to get any funnier but they do. Beelzebelle - book 5 of the Clovenhoof series - is 100% crazy and 150% hilarious.

In this installment Jeremy ends up with a baby...well not his baby but after a series of ridiculous events he ends up taking care of baby Bea who is quickly renames Beelzebelle. When baby Belle won't stop crying Jeremy calls SCUM - not quite what you think - Sutton Coldfield Union of Mums with what he describes as a 'five boob emergency'. Somehow Jeremy is quite popular with the members of SCUM and when they protest against the local new church kicking them out of their hall for breast feeding it's up to Jeremy to fight for the cause. While Jeremy finds his feet (or in his case hooves) being a dad Michael is busy working for the leader of the aforementioned new church creating apps and basically missing the fact that his new boss isn't a very nice guy. Nerys and Ben are back and feature heavily in the plot especially after Clovenhoof destroys their block of flats and gets them kicked out. All these minor plots threads come together into one hilariously, crazy resolution. I dare you not to laugh all your way through.

I didn't think it was possible to laugh more during a book but I thought I was going to need surgery from busting my guts in nearly every chapter. From chesticles to lady cushions Goody and Grant just keep the laughs coming page after page.

Read number 2 is a gaslamp fantasy novella Brothers Ruin by Emma Newman. This is the first in Newman's Industrial Magic series. Set in a England in the 1850s where children who show magical talent are sold by their family to the Royal Society who use them as an elite force to protect the country. Charlotte is satisfied with her life as an book illustrator waiting to marry her plain but stable fiance. When Charlotte's brother comes to the attention of the Royal Society Charlotte knows she must do something. Charlotte's brother is not a magical talent but she is. In order to save him she combines her magic with his. When she discovers Doctor Ledbetter's evil plot she knows she must act and act quickly to save her family.

If you are looking for a quick read then look no further. I think that Brother's Ruin took only 2-3 hours to read cover to cover. I call this is a 2 commute book. My commute to work gives me about an hour of concentrated reading time and I had this book read in less than 3 trips to work. While it was quick to read I think that Newman left out too much detail and I felt that both Charlotte and the nefarious plot were a bit one dimensional. I was quite disappointed in this first instalment of the series. As with Newman's Split Worlds series the relationships between characters rely heavily on class structure and it takes the plucky but not very high class heroine to save the day. Worth a read if you want a story that isn't going to challenge you and doesn't take ages to read.

That's it for me. The next time you hear from me it will be April! Until then Happy Reading!

Conjuring up the beginning of a grand fantasy adventure, Emma Newman’s novella “Brother’s Ruin” (Tor) offers a magical journey to Victorian London where those who have the talent are tried and trained as mages in the Royal Society of Esoteric Arts. Taking the Industrial Revolution out for a spin, Newman tests societal gears and nips at the fabric of a reality that replaces science with magic.

All the elements of well-built foundation — a female protagonist unwilling to face her destiny save to keep her father out of debtor’s prison and to help a bumbling brother, an exotic setting infused with tension between Crown and commoner and a storyline driven by action and dialogue — launch what is sure to be Newman’s next successful fantasy series.

Because Newman writes from the Southwest of the United Kingdom, the popular author recently agreed to answer a few questions about “Brother’s Ruin” — and the next volume, due out in October — by email.

Tom: You’ve chosen to set your newest novel, “Brother’s Ruin: Industrial Magic, Book 1” squarely in the category known as gaslamp fantasy — fantasy set in a Victorian or Edwardian setting. Why did you choose to visit 1850s London in this new series?

Emma: I have always been fascinated with this period of British history because there were so many social and political upheavals caused by the Industrial Revolution that were really coming to a head by then — for example, the mass migration of the working populace from rural areas and tiny, disparate cottage industries to huge swollen cities. I love the tension between the landed gentry, many of whom had high social status yet dwindling wealth, and the super wealthy industrialists who had the money, but found it hard to gain acceptance into the upper classes.

Lastly, I find the technological advances of the period fascinating, not only in and of themselves, but in juxtaposition with the atrocities carried out by the British Empire across the globe. So many brilliant people were inventing and innovating like never before, their work taking place alongside cruelty and exploitation on a level never seen by our country before. I find myself disgusted and ashamed of that aspect of my country’s history, whilst simultaneously in awe of how much technological advancement there was at that time. It is a complex and rich period to work with.

Tom: From where did the idea of replacing science with magic as the engine powering the Industrial Revolution come?

Emma: This is going to sound terrible, but it literally popped into my head! So many stories begin with a, “What if?” … and for me it was, “What if the Industrial Revolution came about because of a mastery of magic, rather than science? How would that affect society? How could I examine the social tensions that fascinate me through that lens?

Tom: Please tell me about the inspiration and creation of the Royal Society of the Esoteric Arts and its three colleges.

Emma: The Royal Society of the Esoteric Arts is a product of a sort of mental transmutation from the real world Royal Society which exists to further the study of science. It was (and still is!) a very influential body, and so it was a logical progression to make it the Royal Society of the Esoteric Arts. I also wanted to show that it’s an institution that bears a royal charter. The relationship between my Royal Society and the Crown is a delicate one, and that is something I plan to explore in the future!

As for the three colleges, well, I considered the major technological innovations of the first half of that century and boiled the simplified underpinnings of those down to the mastery of three different areas: the ability to influence temperature (seen in the advancement of smelting iron that was a fundamental necessity of the Industrial Revolution), the ability to manufacture and run complex machinery with many moving parts and the ability to exert powerful forces with large scale machinery. These three areas, working in concert, can make the vast majority of Victorian innovation possible, so they formed the basis of the three colleges of magic. 

Tom: Charlotte is a strong female protagonist, faced with difficult choices about her future. Ultimately, she must choose between her own happiness or the security of her family (and possibly the good of the nation). This story is about magic, but might women of this actual era had to face similar choices because of family and/or the ethos of the time?

Emma: Women have had to face this across all periods of history, across all cultures. The real women of the 1850s were bound by strict societal expectations that were rarely fair, so I imagine the struggle to find personal happiness at the same time as living a life that was best for one’s family would be very common.

A good example of this was the life of the governess. Such a lonely profession, and often such a miserable one, caught as they were in a very strange social status within the employer’s home. Many took that work out of necessity, rather than the pursuit of happiness.

Unlike the heroine of my other fantasy series, “The Split Worlds,” Charlotte is very happy with what society expects of her; all she wants to do is marry her fiance and be happily married. But, as a latent mage, she is taking a huge risk in keeping her power a secret. I wanted to play with a character who is the opposite of what I would be like in her circumstances! I’d be desperate to go and learn all the magic, to discover my full potential, unlike Charlotte who just wants to be an average woman. I guess it’s my way of turning the old story of the normal person who discovers they have great power on its head. She knows she has great power and tries to hide it, so that she can pass as a normal woman with a normal life.

Tom: You use the bulk of this short novel to build character and back story, both of which come across as fully developed, but some readers — myself included — have mentioned that they felt the book ended before the real story began. Do you think you might have cut this first installment a bit thin in terms of plot?

Emma: Well… no! But I would say that, wouldn’t I, being the author! Novellas have a strict limit on their length, and, in “Brother’s Ruin,” I had a complex world and characters to establish, along with two plot lines; one regarding the heroine’s father and his debt, the second involving the conundrum of her brother’s test.

I suppose you could view “Brother’s Ruin” like the first episode of a television series; everything is established, there is a story that is resolved, but there are also hints of a much bigger world and plots to follow in the future. If you watched the first episode of a TV show thinking it was a film, I guess it would seem like it ends too soon. I see “Brother’s Ruin” as the first part of a greater story, but hopefully enjoyable in its own right.

Tom: Because you’ve given us anxious readers such an intriguing build-up to the series in “Brother’s Ruin,” can you give me a hint about the next book in terms of plot and a publishing timeline?

Emma: The next novella is called “Weaver’s Lament” and will be released in October. Charlotte is summoned to Manchester by her brother to help him with a problem he’s encountered during his apprenticeship. She gets tangled up in mysterious goings on at a cotton mill and … and, I fear that if I say any more than that, I’d spoil it! 

Tom: I note that we can credit veteran illustrator Cliff Nielsen with the beautiful wraparound cover artwork. You must have been pleased with the outcome centering both on the Victorian era and a centerpiece image of the story. Any idea if Cliff will work on subsequent titles for the series?

Emma: I was absolutely thrilled when I saw it! It’s my understanding that he is currently working on the cover for “Weaver’s Lament.”

Brother’s Ruin by Emma Newman (Amazon | B&N | Kobo) tells the story of Charlotte “Charlie” Gunn. In 1850s England Charlie and her family hover on the edge of ruin. Her father is an illustrator, her mother takes in mending and they have a small home in a modest but respectable neighborhood. Their debts are mounting though and they are not sure how long it can all continue. It would seem they are destined for destruction especially since Charlie harbors a dark secret. She can do magic. By law her family is required to report her to the Royal Society of Esoteric Arts. She will be bought from her family and will go live with the other magi, never to marry or live among ordinary mortals again.

Brother’s Ruin by Emma Newman
Brother’s Ruin by Emma Newman

Charlie doesn’t want this to happen; she is engaged and wants only to live out her life in the usual manner. And she is in extra danger since she is already bending the law: Women aren’t really allowed a means to earn a living in this era but Charlie has been working as an artist who is becoming increasingly famous for “his” fabulous illustrations. Then disaster strikes: When her father notices latent magic occurring around the house he immediately assumes it is her brother and contacts the esoteric society. How can Charlie save both herself and her brother from the magi?

This novella is a great introduction to a new gaslight fantasy from a talented author. While it doesn’t offer an HEA, it does offer an intriguing look at a possible epic love story in the coming novels.

I can never quite articulate why I find all of Emma Newman's books so utterly enthralling, but I'm pleased to say that <i>Brother's Ruin</i> is no exception. Compared to some of her other more serious works such as <i>Planetfall</i>, I found this novella a pure escapist pleasure. The story takes place in an alternate Victorian London where magic battles it out with the Industrial Revolution. Those born with the gift of magic must renounce their lives and instead dedicate their lives to the nation. Families are punished for hiding their magically gifted children, and paid for having their children taken by the mages. Charlotte has been hiding her magical gifts from her family and fiancee, but that's not her only secret: she is also a talented and successful illustrator. Hiding who she is, protecting her ailing brother, and surreptitiously aiding her family's finances, she thinks she is keeping it all together until the mages arrive at her doorstep.

It's an interesting world: although the books themselves are radically different, the general idea of magic practitioners as powerful pawns required to serve the desires of their government reminded me a bit of Myke Cole's Shadow Ops series. Given that in this case, mages rival the nobility in power and they don't appear to be enslaved, I'm not really sure I accept that they would give up all sense of private life out of pure duty for their country, but I'll be interested to see where the story goes. The alternate London is well-researched and has sly references to real historical events; for example, Charlotte's fiancee mentions that he has been mapping out cholera outbreaks to help out his peculiar friend <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Snow">John Snow.</a> The book explores Newman's familiar themes of agency and feminism, and there's also what I'm pretty sure will end up as a budding romance. I read the whole novella in one sitting and I can't wait for more. My major complaints: (1) that it's a novella instead of a full novel, and (2) I don't yet have a sequel in my greedy hands. If you're a fan of Victorian magic or steampunkery, <i>Brother's Ruin</i> is well worth a look.

I sat down intending to read a few pages of Brother’s Ruin and an hour and a half later I was finished. I haven’t read many novellas, but I can say that this is definitely one of the best I’ve read. I dearly wish this had been a full length novel, only so I could have enjoyed it for several more intense hours of reading. Fortunately, this is the first book in Emma Newman’s Industrial Magic series, so I have more to look forward to!

Brother’s Ruin is set in a version of 1800’s era London where magic exists and plays an important role in society. The downside to being talented is that the mage’s family must submit them for an official test with the Royal Society of Esoteric Arts, otherwise the family members can face prison time or a fine. Charlotte Gunn is a talented illustrator, caring sister, and un-tested mage. Her parents and fiancé are unaware of both her income as an illustrator and her less mundane talents… her brother on the other hand is aware of both of her secrets. Until Ben came down with an illness, Charlotte had been secretly supporting him through his schooling and topping up her parents’ coffers on occasion. An unusual set of circumstances has brought the entire Gunn household in contact with members of the Royal Society and it’s becoming more difficult to keep her gifts hidden.

Charlotte is surprisingly detailed, especially considering she’s only given 160 pages to shine, and that while a world is being unfolded simultaneously. This alternate, magical London is fantastically interesting- Emma Newman manages to squeeze in political dissent, sinister plots, and even a bit of amateur spying. I’ve found that most of the novellas leave me wanting more, but in a negative way. That is not the case with Brother’s Ruin at all- this leaves me wanting more in the very best of ways.

Overall, if you’re going to pick up a novella this year, you would do well to pick Brother’s Ruin. I can only hope that the sequels will be soon in coming because I’m dying to know what happens next!