J.C. Bemis Proudly Presents THE MYSTIFYING MEDICINE SHOW* by JOHN CLAUDE BEMIS.
BACK COVER BLURB: Orphan Ray has been separated from his sister. The only clue to finding her is a lodestone left to him by his father before he vanished. The lodestone tugs Ray towards a medicine show Train bursting with astounding characters.
But something dark is following the train. Something that wants to steal people's spirits. How long before Ray realises it? And can he and his new friends do anything to stop it?
But something dark is following the train. Something that wants to steal people's spirits. How long before Ray realises it? And can he and his new friends do anything to stop it?
FIRST SENTENCE {CHAPTER 1: THE ORPHAN TRAIN}: The age of trains had come.
'So?' Marisol lifted the fat viper, caressing him like a pet Pomeranian.
SOURCE: Ex-library stock.
READ FOR: The 17th of 24 books read for the Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2017.
MY THOUGHTS: Fun, action packed, a terrific ensemble of superheroes; both male and female and African-American (not much represented in this genre in my experience), wonderful world building, the type of book that makes you want to read up on the legend that inspire the story.
American folklore meets steampunk, a sideshow peopled by the unexpected (the majority of them children of former 'Ramblers'), an ancient evil, the re-building of a monstrous machine fed by ... Aah! That would be telling, you'll have to read the book for yourself.
American folklore meets steampunk, a sideshow peopled by the unexpected (the majority of them children of former 'Ramblers'), an ancient evil, the re-building of a monstrous machine fed by ... Aah! That would be telling, you'll have to read the book for yourself.
Seriously though, if the thought of Hoodoo (Folk Magic), a siren, a pirate queen and the like, of what would happen if the legend of John Henry wasn't, well, just a story - to say nothing of all of the other elements (the rise of the railways, alienation, friendship, acceptance etc) that go to make this one of my favourite reads of 2017 - piques your interest then chances are you are in for a real treat.
* The first book in a trilogy (I'm delighted to have finally managed to get hold of the other two books). Largely published as The Nine Hundred Pound Hammer. As I cannot find a link on Amazon.co.uk to the book no matter its title, today I'm including a link to it on the GoddReads page. TT
