Balfour and Meriwether in 2 Adventures

Balfour and Meriwether #1-2

by Daniel Abraham

Sherlock Holmes crossed with James Bond. The first two Balfour and Meriwether stories collected in a SnackReads Steampunk Double. Two intrepid agents of the British crown battle ancient forces bent on destroying humanity, and more modern threats to their Queen.

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

Genres: Steampunk, Adventure

40 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Daniel James Abraham, pen names M.L.N. Hanover and James S.A. Corey, is an American novelist, comic book writer, screenwriter, and television producer. He is best known as the author of The Long Price Quartet and The Dagger and the Coin fantasy series, and with Ty Franck, as the co-author of The Expanse series of science fiction novels, written under the joint pseudonym James S.A. Corey.

Reviews

[Carl V.]

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.

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[Alex Sarll]

Not quite steampunk, these adventures propose less an alternate Victorian age than the secrets behind the one we got. 'The Vampire of Kabul' is fine as a romp with a slightly clunky political sting in its tale, but 'The Adventure of the Emperor's Vengeance' is astonishing - within 20 pages it fits a desperate dash around gaslit London, a secret history of the world and an ingenious spin on the era's suspicion of Jewish conspiracies. True, there isn't quite enough space to fully distinguish the eponymous leads - they need a bit clearer contrast to join the ranks of the great double-acts - but I'd certainly be happy to read their further exploits.

[Chris]

This was a quick hit - two stories for $1.99. I've spent more on worse.

I preferred the first story to the second. The main reason I splurged on these was to gauge whether I wanted to grab Balfour and Meriwether in the Incident of the Harrowmoor Dogs this fall (Subterranean Press!). I really liked the characters, and hopefully with a little more room to work I'll enjoy the upcoming story as much (or more).

[Michael Wintsch]

Short, easy to read, again loveable characters, nice period piece mixing Sherlock, steampunk, bond, and fast pace Saturday matinée movie kicks ! Great for a quick fix, second story better than first. I do hope Daniel Abraham considers upgrading these characters to a whole book adventure - that would be great, or make them at least his Dunk and Egg (a la GRRM) secret pleasures!

[Jason]

Fun but thoughtful steampunk Adam and Jaime meet Sherlock and Watson with robots, wizards and occasional cocaine. It's pretty awesome. Want more.

[Ananda]

Entertaining cloak-and-dagger steampunk/Sherlock mash-up. Two "special agents" of her Majesty Queen Victoria's special branch deal with the strangest threats to the kingdom and world.