What do you think?
Rate this book
The Baskerville Affair #0.5, 1.5, 2.5
The Baskerville Tales (Short Stories): The Adventure of the Wollaston Ritual, The Strange and Alarming Courtship of Miss Imogen Roth, The Steamspinner Mutiny
These three short stories return us to the world of Emma Jane Holloway’s delightful novels featuring Evelina Cooper, the niece of the great Sherlock Holmes. Together they expand the bounds of Holloway’s irresistible vision of Victorian London, which has enchanted readers with a seamless mix of paranormal fantasy, romance, and mystery. Now this trilogy of prequels is available in one convenient eBook THE ADVENTURE OF THE WOLLASTON RITUAL Prequel to A Study in Silks THE STRANGE AND ALARMING COURTSHIP OF MISS IMOGEN ROTH Prequel to A Study in Darkness THE STEAMSPINNER MUTINY Prequel to A Study in Ashes In a Victorian era ruled by a council of ruthless steam barons, mechanical power is the real monarch and sorcery the demon enemy of the Empire. Nevertheless, the most coveted weapon is magic that can run machines—something Evelina Cooper has secretly mastered. But rather than making her fortune, her special talents could mean death or an eternity as a guest at Her Majesty’s secret laboratories. What’s a polite young lady to do but mind her manners and pray she’s never found out? But first there’s murder and mayhem to deal with. Praise for The Baskerville Affair “As Sherlock Holmes’s niece, investigating murder while navigating the complicated shoals of Society—and romance—in an alternate Victorian England, Evelina Cooper is a charming addition to the canon.”—Jacqueline Carey, New York Times bestselling author of the Kushiel’s Legacy series “This book has just about magic, machines, mystery, mayhem, and all the danger one expects when people’s loves and fears collide. I can’t wait to return to the world of Evelina Cooper!”—Kevin Hearne, New York Times bestselling author of The Iron Druid Chronicles, on A Study in Silks “Holloway stuffs her adventure with an abundance of characters and ideas and fills her heroine with talents and graces, all within a fun, brisk narrative.”—Publishers Weekly, on A Study in Silks “Riveting . . . The villains and scoundrels continue to be wonderfully complex, and heroine Evelina only grows more interesting as she explores the fearsome and fascinating darker side of her Blood magic.”—RT Book Reviews, on A Study in Darkness “An exciting trilogy . . . what a stunning conclusion to such a phenomenal series!”—Fresh Fiction, on A Study in Ashes
133 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 4, 2014
12 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
About the author
Emma Jane Holloway
18 books244 followersEver since childhood, Emma Jane Holloway refused to accept that history was nothing but facts prisoned behind the closed door of time. Why waste a perfectly good playground coloring within the timelines? Accordingly, her novels are filled with whimsical impossibilities and the occasional eye-blinking impertinence—but always in the service of grand adventure.
Struggling between the practical and the artistic—a family tradition, along with ghosts and a belief in the curative powers of shortbread—Emma Jane has a degree in literature and job in finance. She lives in the Pacific Northwest in a house crammed with books, musical instruments, and half-finished sewing projects. In the meantime, she’s published articles, essays, short stories, and enough novels to build a fort for her stuffed hedgehog.
Struggling between the practical and the artistic—a family tradition, along with ghosts and a belief in the curative powers of shortbread—Emma Jane has a degree in literature and job in finance. She lives in the Pacific Northwest in a house crammed with books, musical instruments, and half-finished sewing projects. In the meantime, she’s published articles, essays, short stories, and enough novels to build a fort for her stuffed hedgehog.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 20, 2015
The Baskerville Tales contains three short stories in the Baskerville world. Each short story includes characters we have become familiar with as protagonists. They are an accompaniment to The Baskerville Affair series and don't really add much to what we already know.
The Adventure of the Wollaston Ritual
This short story takes place while Emma and Imogen are still at Wollaston Academy. It is a prequel to A Study in Silks. With her time at the academy coming to an end Emma is concerned about her future because unlike her fellow classmates, coming out in London and searching for a husband just isn't in her cards. Though the Academy has done much to turn her into a proper lady and smooth down the rough edges she acquired living in a circus with her father's family, traces of all she learned are still with Emma.
When a deliver girl brings a rotting arm to the Academy campus, as proof of the supposed ramblings of Dr. Larch, Emma and Imogen are the only ones convinced that this isn't just a sign that Dr. Larch has taken leave of reality but a sign that something unnatural has occurred. When Imogen catches a chill due to her weak constitution, it's up to Emma to develop a plan of execution.
By the time we meet Emma in A Study in Silks her affinity with devas and mechanicals is well established. This story explains how it is that Emma combines magic with mechanical objects. To solve the mystery of the shambling zombie, Emma must trust in her abilities and accept that the blood (read: magic) will always be with her. Emma learns that there is place to employ the skills of proper feminine behaviour and place to cut to the chase and deal with what's at hand. I do however wish that there had been less time spent on the mystery of the zombie and more time spent delving into how Emma felt about her powers and the conflict she faces regarding them.
The Strange and Alarming Courtship of Miss Imogen Roth
As the title infers, this short story is about the romance between Bucky and Imogen. It occurs just after the end of A Study in Silk. Emma has been sent away in disgrace, and Imogen's father is facing great financial difficulties. Imogen is being pressured to make a good match to help improve the family's fortunes and standing. Imogen however has her heart stuck on Bucky who while set to inherit a fortune does not have the class background that her family approves of.
As with all romance stories, this one includes a misunderstanding between the couple before leading to a dramatic HEA. Unfortunately, I found the drama to be trite an uninteresting. What drew me to this series is most certainly not the relationship between Imogen and Bucky and I found my eyes skipping over sentences in a rush to finish this story. Imogen didn't appear strong in this story and in fact acted like an infatuated school girl, leaving me to wonder where the quiet confidence she had displayed in other books went?
In keeping with the steampunk theme of this series, Holloway does include small elements through the use of Bucky's inventions; however, it's not enough to give this story a real steampunk feel. More than anything this is a short story about romance with small steampunk elements thrown in. For me, it was a disappointing read.
Read More
The Adventure of the Wollaston Ritual
This short story takes place while Emma and Imogen are still at Wollaston Academy. It is a prequel to A Study in Silks. With her time at the academy coming to an end Emma is concerned about her future because unlike her fellow classmates, coming out in London and searching for a husband just isn't in her cards. Though the Academy has done much to turn her into a proper lady and smooth down the rough edges she acquired living in a circus with her father's family, traces of all she learned are still with Emma.
When a deliver girl brings a rotting arm to the Academy campus, as proof of the supposed ramblings of Dr. Larch, Emma and Imogen are the only ones convinced that this isn't just a sign that Dr. Larch has taken leave of reality but a sign that something unnatural has occurred. When Imogen catches a chill due to her weak constitution, it's up to Emma to develop a plan of execution.
By the time we meet Emma in A Study in Silks her affinity with devas and mechanicals is well established. This story explains how it is that Emma combines magic with mechanical objects. To solve the mystery of the shambling zombie, Emma must trust in her abilities and accept that the blood (read: magic) will always be with her. Emma learns that there is place to employ the skills of proper feminine behaviour and place to cut to the chase and deal with what's at hand. I do however wish that there had been less time spent on the mystery of the zombie and more time spent delving into how Emma felt about her powers and the conflict she faces regarding them.
The Strange and Alarming Courtship of Miss Imogen Roth
As the title infers, this short story is about the romance between Bucky and Imogen. It occurs just after the end of A Study in Silk. Emma has been sent away in disgrace, and Imogen's father is facing great financial difficulties. Imogen is being pressured to make a good match to help improve the family's fortunes and standing. Imogen however has her heart stuck on Bucky who while set to inherit a fortune does not have the class background that her family approves of.
As with all romance stories, this one includes a misunderstanding between the couple before leading to a dramatic HEA. Unfortunately, I found the drama to be trite an uninteresting. What drew me to this series is most certainly not the relationship between Imogen and Bucky and I found my eyes skipping over sentences in a rush to finish this story. Imogen didn't appear strong in this story and in fact acted like an infatuated school girl, leaving me to wonder where the quiet confidence she had displayed in other books went?
In keeping with the steampunk theme of this series, Holloway does include small elements through the use of Bucky's inventions; however, it's not enough to give this story a real steampunk feel. More than anything this is a short story about romance with small steampunk elements thrown in. For me, it was a disappointing read.
Read More
January 18, 2017
This is a series of 3 short stories that expand on references from the main series. The first is about Hyacinth, the second about Bucky and Imogen, and the third about Striker. I didn't read these until after I'd finished the series but if I could redo I'd suggest the reading order: Silks, Imogen/Bucky's story, Darkness, Hyacinth's story, Strikers story, Ashes. Overall a nice accompaniment to the books!
March 12, 2015
Three longish short stories offer glimpses at what was happening just before each of the three volumes of The Baskerville Affair opens (so they are numbered 0.5, 1.5, and 2.5). Each is interesting and provides a fuller picture of important characters in the series (Evalina and Miss Hyacinth, Imogen and Bucky, Stryker). Not a long read and well worth the $.99. Oh, and more Poppy, too!
October 5, 2015
This was nice to read after reading the trilogy of The Baskerville Affair. It gave you a bit more of some of the characters, especially Striker.
November 17, 2017
Really enjoying this series. These stories give some background on Evelina, Imogen's love life and we see some great steampunk machines in the third one.
Now I am on to the 2nd book of the series Cheers!
Now I am on to the 2nd book of the series Cheers!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews