M is for A Matter of Temperance by Ichabod Temperance

A Matter of Temperance

Amazon Summery:

In a past that never was... 
The year is 1869. Earth experiences the close pass of a comet never before seen. In its wake, many of Terra's inhabitants find themselves changed. Among men, prodigies rise in unprecedented numbers, while many ordinary adults suddenly find themselves possessed of preternatural genius. Likewise, non-hominid animals become self-aware and intelligent. 
Fast forward to 1875. A young “comet prodigy” from humble beginnings, Ichabod Temperance, has become the world's foremost inventor. He travels to England to deliver his latest brilliant invention to a famous explorer, until Fate intervenes. Meanwhile, a lovely young Bluestocking, Miss Persephone Plumtartt, survives an experimental accident only to find herself imbued with a power she can neither understand nor control, while dark forces and malevolent creatures pursue her, leaving a gruesome wake of death. 
Yet, worse is to come. The naïve young inventor and the lovely intellectual find themselves fighting not only to save their own lives, but to prevent the destruction of all life on Earth.

My Review:

I love alternate earth/history novels.  Seeing the 'new' old world the author creates is always fun and A Matter of Temperance did not disappoint.

A Matter of Temperance is told through the eyes of both Ichabod Temperance and Persephone Plumtartt. It's an interesting combination, since you get to see both characters view of events and things aren't always exactly the same.   It's neat to see two different perspectives on the same space of time. I like both Ichabod and Persephone. They are fun and smart characters.  I also liked a lot of the people the met on the journey.
The story itself is super fast paced. Which is great because it keeps the pages turning, but I think it is also part of the stories faults.  Everything is going soooo fast that some things, such as extra characters that the heroes meet on the way,seem to barely get a passing glance.  I liked a lot of these characters, even though they were only on the page a few moments. I think they could have had a bit more page time and helped keep the story from feeling so rushed.
I think that was the only problem I really had with the book overall. Even the detailed descriptions of the different technology felt rushed. Plus at one point it felt as if part of a scene must be missing because it was going by so fast.
I have to say though that despite the novels break neck speed, I did enjoy the ride.  As I said before I enjoyed all the characters, even the ones that I didn't get a large amount of time with. The main characters are just plain fun, and the supporting characters are memorable. Honestly it reminded me of a great movie with lots of cameos by famous stars.   I also love the world building that the author has done.  Seriously, Temperance's world is amazing.  The author has a fine eye for technological detail as well as amazing descriptive abilities.   I really felt as if I could just step onto the page, although since most of the time they are fighting evil creatures from another dimension I probably would hesitate to do so. lol.
I can't wait to start reading A World of InTemperance.  I hope that I get to see more of the characters that were introduced  in this book, as well as more of Ichabod and Persephone's world.   It's my book this month for the letter W and I was also lucky enough to get an interview with the author himself.  So be sure to check back in at the end of the month to see if I enjoyed the second book as much as the first, and be sure to check out the authors spotlight this month to delve into the mind of this fresh new writer.