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Girl Genius #3
Agatha H. and the Voice of the Castle
Airships! Imposters! Mad science!
Agatha Heterodyne is the last heir to the Maddest of Mad Scientist families, and now she's returning to her ancestral home, the warped little town of Mechanicsburg, to claim her inheritance. Unfortunately, it turns out that she's not the only one with that idea in mind. When an imposter claiming to be the rightful heir appears, Agatha must convince the artificial intelligence that animates her family's castle that she is, in fact, the new Heterodyne.
But as Agatha soon discovers, this will be no simple task, as the Castle itself is completely insane.
Agatha Heterodyne is the last heir to the Maddest of Mad Scientist families, and now she's returning to her ancestral home, the warped little town of Mechanicsburg, to claim her inheritance. Unfortunately, it turns out that she's not the only one with that idea in mind. When an imposter claiming to be the rightful heir appears, Agatha must convince the artificial intelligence that animates her family's castle that she is, in fact, the new Heterodyne.
But as Agatha soon discovers, this will be no simple task, as the Castle itself is completely insane.
496 pages, Paperback
First published July 21, 2014
54 people are currently reading
970 people want to read
About the author
Phil Foglio
167 books357 followersA popular science fiction fan artist in the 1970s, Phil Foglio began writing and drawing cartoons and comics professionally in the 1980s. His work includes Magic: The Gathering, Buck Godot, and the popular series of comics and novels, Girl Genius, co-written with his wife, Kaja Foglio.
Awards:
Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist (1977 and 1978)
Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story (2009, 2010, 2011)
Awards:
Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist (1977 and 1978)
Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story (2009, 2010, 2011)
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
October 24, 2015
As with the previous two books, I enjoyed this one quite a bit.
It's odd for a comic to be adapted into a novel, but. (And by rare, I mean to say that I can't think of another example at all.) But the Girl Genius world and storyline are sufficiently rich that there is plenty of additional material so that the novels aren't mere re-hashings. They provide information and insight into characters and plots that you simply didn't have access to in the comics.
Of course, this would be impossible if they weren't put together by Phil and Kaja Foglio, who know all the secrets of the story. So it's all cannon, too.
So yeah. If you read and enjoy Girl Genius, these are worth your time.
And if you haven't read them... well... this might serve as a nice entry point into the story for those of you who are a little gunshy about picking up a graphic novel....
Also, just as a side note: Listened to these as audiobooks. Didn't read the paper versions.
It's odd for a comic to be adapted into a novel, but. (And by rare, I mean to say that I can't think of another example at all.) But the Girl Genius world and storyline are sufficiently rich that there is plenty of additional material so that the novels aren't mere re-hashings. They provide information and insight into characters and plots that you simply didn't have access to in the comics.
Of course, this would be impossible if they weren't put together by Phil and Kaja Foglio, who know all the secrets of the story. So it's all cannon, too.
So yeah. If you read and enjoy Girl Genius, these are worth your time.
And if you haven't read them... well... this might serve as a nice entry point into the story for those of you who are a little gunshy about picking up a graphic novel....
Also, just as a side note: Listened to these as audiobooks. Didn't read the paper versions.
March 3, 2019
Still loving this series a great deal! Agatha travels to Mechanicsburg with the aim of convincing the artificial intelligence that runs the castle that she is a member of the Heterodyne family. Of course the castle was damaged long ago in the battle with the Other, and the AI is fragmented. And not all the pieces are sane. With survival within being chancey, castle repairs have become a way to punish criminals.
Meanwhile, with rumors of a true Heterodyne spreading, various factions are beginning to jockey for power, and with Baron Wulfenbach being injured, keeping everyone in line is more problematic than usual …
I’ve been a fan of Phil Foglio’s work ever since the early black & white days of his “What's New?” comic strip in the pages of Dragon magazine. He does funny so well that it's easy to forget that he writes with equal facility. This novel is the third in a series of prose adaptations of his Girl Genius web comics and graphic novels. Even if you're familiar with the originals, these books are worth reading as they add depth and detail to the story, and are every bit as fun and enthralling as the original comics. Highly recommended!
Meanwhile, with rumors of a true Heterodyne spreading, various factions are beginning to jockey for power, and with Baron Wulfenbach being injured, keeping everyone in line is more problematic than usual …
I’ve been a fan of Phil Foglio’s work ever since the early black & white days of his “What's New?” comic strip in the pages of Dragon magazine. He does funny so well that it's easy to forget that he writes with equal facility. This novel is the third in a series of prose adaptations of his Girl Genius web comics and graphic novels. Even if you're familiar with the originals, these books are worth reading as they add depth and detail to the story, and are every bit as fun and enthralling as the original comics. Highly recommended!
July 29, 2015
It seemed to take ages for this book to be published and I was beginning to think the authors had given up on this series, so when this finally came out I was looking forward to it. I have to say though I don't think this was quite as fun as the first two books in the series (its also MUCH longer in length). The real killer though is that it ends on a big fat cliffhanger (you are warned!) and many readers would be advised to wait till book 4 is available before starting this novel. I really hope it doesn't take as long for book 4 to be released. With the very unsatisfying ending in mind I really didn't know if I should give this book 3 or 4 stars as its really somewhere between those choices.
February 9, 2018
As the third book, and after the various fiascos with Nightshade's purchase as their publisher, I was happily surprised to find that this one read just as well as the other two, and was perhaps a bit better edited for clarity and sentence structure.
February 9, 2018
A little long compared to the previous installments and it ends on a cliffhanger, but it's still enjoyable.
Now I have to convince the publisher to release the 4th book.
Now I have to convince the publisher to release the 4th book.
January 10, 2019
Airships! Imposters! Mad Science!
Review to come :)
Review to come :)
January 22, 2022
I am gobbling down 460 page book adaptations of comics I've already read--I really like this series! I feel like this is a both/and thing. If you're not into comics but like steampunk fantasy, then these books are fun, fast reads. If you've already read the comics and enjoy them, then these are a good complement, plus they have additional Easter eggs. (Like, when the Baron is in the hospital after Agatha dropped a clank on him in the last book, he tells Gil to watch out for the Skifandrian princess. This book drops a bunch of hints; now I am excited for when they get to this backstory, and some jokes hit different.)
Each Agatha H novel adhere to adapting about 3 volumes of the comic, and this one ends awkwardly, with some main conflicts tied up, then a huge cliffhanger. I think it would have helped this book to stand alone if the main conflicts (against the castle, with an illness) would have been more decisively ended, leaving the cliffhanger as a short, tantalizing lead-in to the next book. The pacing and weight of a long running web comic doesn't always translate to a book series in the same way, and I'd have preferred them to have been handled differently and not as a straight adaptation
Each Agatha H novel adhere to adapting about 3 volumes of the comic, and this one ends awkwardly, with some main conflicts tied up, then a huge cliffhanger. I think it would have helped this book to stand alone if the main conflicts (against the castle, with an illness) would have been more decisively ended, leaving the cliffhanger as a short, tantalizing lead-in to the next book. The pacing and weight of a long running web comic doesn't always translate to a book series in the same way, and I'd have preferred them to have been handled differently and not as a straight adaptation
March 14, 2015
The third installment in the Girl Genius novelizations, Agatha H. and the Voice of the Castle covers Vols. 7-9 of the graphic novels, plus about half of Vol. 10.
That the narrative stands well on its own, without the Foglios' hilarious artwork, is a testament to how cracking good a story Girl Genius is. The Profs. Foglio generally stick to a straight-up description of the comic, but here, as in the previous two novels, have included several bits of important information missing from (or unclear in) the comic. (I won't tell you what they are—that would be cheating.) The writing shows that the Foglios can hold their own in a purely written medium, though I wouldn't recommend the book just on the strength of its prose.
As before, the lack of attention to proofreading was a significant distraction. Actually, the text was much cleaner than in the second novel, Agatha H. and the Airship City; besides a plague of run-on sentences, I only spotted a few errors, and none as cringe-inducing as the classic eggcorn near the end of Airship City.
That the narrative stands well on its own, without the Foglios' hilarious artwork, is a testament to how cracking good a story Girl Genius is. The Profs. Foglio generally stick to a straight-up description of the comic, but here, as in the previous two novels, have included several bits of important information missing from (or unclear in) the comic. (I won't tell you what they are—that would be cheating.) The writing shows that the Foglios can hold their own in a purely written medium, though I wouldn't recommend the book just on the strength of its prose.
As before, the lack of attention to proofreading was a significant distraction. Actually, the text was much cleaner than in the second novel, Agatha H. and the Airship City; besides a plague of run-on sentences, I only spotted a few errors, and none as cringe-inducing as the classic eggcorn near the end of Airship City.
November 19, 2014
Agatha returns in another novelization. It starts off smoothly enough, a new beginning despite the the volumes that have gone before, but be forewarned it does end on a cliff-hanger.
Agatha comes for the first time to her rightful town, Mechanicsburg. Which is waiting for, longing for, a new Heterodyne. There are skeptics -- making a coffee machine helps quell that -- and a pink airship carrying a well-prepared imposter.
So it involves her learning about the Castle's problems -- it's badly broken, despite having had years of repairs from Sparks and other criminals -- Othar's being caught by a monster hunter (who just flirts with one in the Baron's service), Moloch and Agatha meeting again, the backstory of Gil and Tarvek, Agatha's walking across a narrow bridge, Gil standing off an army, and much more.
Agatha comes for the first time to her rightful town, Mechanicsburg. Which is waiting for, longing for, a new Heterodyne. There are skeptics -- making a coffee machine helps quell that -- and a pink airship carrying a well-prepared imposter.
So it involves her learning about the Castle's problems -- it's badly broken, despite having had years of repairs from Sparks and other criminals -- Othar's being caught by a monster hunter (who just flirts with one in the Baron's service), Moloch and Agatha meeting again, the backstory of Gil and Tarvek, Agatha's walking across a narrow bridge, Gil standing off an army, and much more.
May 16, 2016
I was looking forward to this book, as the Castle Heterodyne portion of the webcomic was a bit muddy and confusing, and Tarvek is one of my favorite characters.
Maybe a high expectation is not so desirable, but I found it followed more closely the webcomic than the previous book in the series, and there were not enough, for me, peeks behind the curtain which is one of the main aspects of the book series, seeing the thoughts, feelings and expectatives of the main characters. It is still hilarious at times, and the story and plot feel as tight as ever, as if everything is clearly planned in advance. It is just that we do not feel as if we are accessing privileged information as we were in the past books.
Maybe a high expectation is not so desirable, but I found it followed more closely the webcomic than the previous book in the series, and there were not enough, for me, peeks behind the curtain which is one of the main aspects of the book series, seeing the thoughts, feelings and expectatives of the main characters. It is still hilarious at times, and the story and plot feel as tight as ever, as if everything is clearly planned in advance. It is just that we do not feel as if we are accessing privileged information as we were in the past books.
December 15, 2015
I might have to just skip ahead and read the comics... because this book series is just so exciting!! The first two were fantastic, but this third book seems to fully suck you in. The footnotes pretty much made the read -- if you happen to be reading an ebook that does not link to these (it happens), MAKE SURE you find them elsewhere!
Action, adventure, comedy, a little bit of romance, and SCIENCE! The Girl Genius books are truly fantastic! I've never been that much into steampunky type things, but I love every scientific/fantastical/mechanical creature that the Foglio's have created, with the Jagers quite possibly being my absolute favorite.
Anxiously awaiting the 4th novelization!
Action, adventure, comedy, a little bit of romance, and SCIENCE! The Girl Genius books are truly fantastic! I've never been that much into steampunky type things, but I love every scientific/fantastical/mechanical creature that the Foglio's have created, with the Jagers quite possibly being my absolute favorite.
Anxiously awaiting the 4th novelization!
June 27, 2015
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Agatha is back in another clever, madcap romp! Along for the ride are the ever snarky Krosp, more then one would-be suitor, and many others in a cast of eccentric characters. And let's not leave out the demented castle with a unique case of multiple personality disorder. Witty, entertaining, and laugh out loud funny! I can't wait for the next Agatha H. book.
Agatha is back in another clever, madcap romp! Along for the ride are the ever snarky Krosp, more then one would-be suitor, and many others in a cast of eccentric characters. And let's not leave out the demented castle with a unique case of multiple personality disorder. Witty, entertaining, and laugh out loud funny! I can't wait for the next Agatha H. book.
July 29, 2018
I adore the Girl Genius webcomic. It's one of the highlights of my week. Thus, I expected to devour this novelization of a piece of Agatha's story.
I just...didn't.
The writing is clumsy; that's the best word for it. The language doesn't flow well, and isn't as compelling as the webcomic. Perhaps that's a consequence of working largely in a visual medium for most of their material. But despite my love for the series and the characters, this didn't grip me.
I just...didn't.
The writing is clumsy; that's the best word for it. The language doesn't flow well, and isn't as compelling as the webcomic. Perhaps that's a consequence of working largely in a visual medium for most of their material. But despite my love for the series and the characters, this didn't grip me.
February 14, 2017
I thought this was the weakest one so far. Too much flirting for my taste, fourth grade style. Not enough action. It seemed the storyline was hung up in one plot roadblock; two steps forward one step back. It left me irritated. This might have worked better in the comics but not when converted into a novel. And the book ends on a cliffhanger with no sequel in sight.
May 21, 2016
My only complaint is a cliff hanger ending when the next book isn't out yet.
January 15, 2018
I remember a review that explained that the difference of the novels with the graphics work was... it wasn't as colorful and funny. And I kind of get the point. Girl genius novels are, all in all, very raw. The graphics work is colorful, funny and cartoonish. It's adventures beyond the impossible, with characters that are most of the time opera actors than real people. The world is brutal, violent, broken and the heroes barely make a difference between the plots after almost 20 years of real time, yet you can't stop feeling uplifted, entertained, hopeful and excited about their adventures. The authors don't try to hide the darkest part of the world, but it was originally treated as a canvas, as a background to explain malevolent villains and the larger than life heroes it needed.
In many ways, I would describe it essence as almost pratchianian. But the books, the books just by looking at the art, are put in the "real world". There is no cartoonish characters or violence, even when it (fails) to transplant scenes from the comic to the page. Thanks to the footnotes and the more complex description of the scenes (in many instances of the comic, characters either smirked or rolled their eyes while in here, they cry, scream, they whisper and whimper) take out any theatrics and just left the human reaction of the situation. And the world and the characters Phil and Kaja had created, as with many things you take a moment to think about them, are broken. Warped. Sick.
The mad scientist is monster with everything it encompasses. You can see and root for Otto in his quest to eradicate them because you can't, just can't forgive them. In many ways, if the graphic novel is Discworld, this is more "Song of Ice and Fire" and "Malazan book of the fallen". There is no curtain to stop the horrors from hitting you right in the face. No actors getting up after the tragedies that keep occurring. It's in many ways a mean, disgusting world and you just hope that Agatha can be a somewhat competent ruler and bring somewhat peace to the world. It truly, honestly makes the Baron the ultimate paragon that has ever existed in the world, far better than the heterodynes boys could ever be and if you know about the comic, a more tragic figure.
There are no slapsticks.
There is barely any humor if you haven't read the comic beforehand.
It's very entertaining.
But I think I'm going to keep the graphic novel, because the more I immerse in this world, the more it depresses me.
And also, the death ray of Agatha is pure garbage. Seriously, it's beyond broken and the fact that not a single weapon has appeared in the comic ever since or that Agatha didn't reconstruct is the biggest plot hole in the entire series. I wish they had toned down the weapon or remove it completely, because how it breaks flow from the entire setting and in the next books. Seriously, they should stop trying to put their colorful world into this version of the book, because it really doesn't work.
In many ways, I would describe it essence as almost pratchianian. But the books, the books just by looking at the art, are put in the "real world". There is no cartoonish characters or violence, even when it (fails) to transplant scenes from the comic to the page. Thanks to the footnotes and the more complex description of the scenes (in many instances of the comic, characters either smirked or rolled their eyes while in here, they cry, scream, they whisper and whimper) take out any theatrics and just left the human reaction of the situation. And the world and the characters Phil and Kaja had created, as with many things you take a moment to think about them, are broken. Warped. Sick.
The mad scientist is monster with everything it encompasses. You can see and root for Otto in his quest to eradicate them because you can't, just can't forgive them. In many ways, if the graphic novel is Discworld, this is more "Song of Ice and Fire" and "Malazan book of the fallen". There is no curtain to stop the horrors from hitting you right in the face. No actors getting up after the tragedies that keep occurring. It's in many ways a mean, disgusting world and you just hope that Agatha can be a somewhat competent ruler and bring somewhat peace to the world. It truly, honestly makes the Baron the ultimate paragon that has ever existed in the world, far better than the heterodynes boys could ever be and if you know about the comic, a more tragic figure.
There are no slapsticks.
There is barely any humor if you haven't read the comic beforehand.
It's very entertaining.
But I think I'm going to keep the graphic novel, because the more I immerse in this world, the more it depresses me.
And also, the death ray of Agatha is pure garbage. Seriously, it's beyond broken and the fact that not a single weapon has appeared in the comic ever since or that Agatha didn't reconstruct is the biggest plot hole in the entire series. I wish they had toned down the weapon or remove it completely, because how it breaks flow from the entire setting and in the next books. Seriously, they should stop trying to put their colorful world into this version of the book, because it really doesn't work.
June 2, 2021
The farther the Foglios get into the Girl Genius stories the more they lean into their inner Terry Pratchett. The characters and situations become more absurd and exaggerated, and the humorous footnote asides come fast and furious. If you're a Disc World fan you'll likely not see this as a negative, whether or not you see it as a positive.
For all I know it was Pratchett who started off channeling his inner Foglio, actually. Before I ever discovered Disc World--which in many ways started as a D&D parody novel--I remember being a fan of the wit in Foglio's D&D comic strips, some of which did employ footnote commentary.
All through this series I've been able to see some of the storytelling seams where the original comic-strip serialization of the story shows through stylistically. For the most part, the bobbing and weaving this leads to in the story has been a bit refreshing as it breaks up standard, predictable rhythms common to fantasy novels.
Toward the end of this one, though, the style became a bit onerous as I waded through what felt like countless random interruptions to reach the resolution of what felt like the important plotlines. I'm sure the authorial intention was to build to a frenetic and zany climax, but by the time we got there I was just wanting them to get to the point. Partly that was from the sheer volume of intentionally pseudo-scientific steampunk plot devices that had begun flying around simultaneously, introduced with little to no warning.
I still have every intention of picking up the next book, but I hope it starts to feel a little more cohesive again.
For all I know it was Pratchett who started off channeling his inner Foglio, actually. Before I ever discovered Disc World--which in many ways started as a D&D parody novel--I remember being a fan of the wit in Foglio's D&D comic strips, some of which did employ footnote commentary.
All through this series I've been able to see some of the storytelling seams where the original comic-strip serialization of the story shows through stylistically. For the most part, the bobbing and weaving this leads to in the story has been a bit refreshing as it breaks up standard, predictable rhythms common to fantasy novels.
Toward the end of this one, though, the style became a bit onerous as I waded through what felt like countless random interruptions to reach the resolution of what felt like the important plotlines. I'm sure the authorial intention was to build to a frenetic and zany climax, but by the time we got there I was just wanting them to get to the point. Partly that was from the sheer volume of intentionally pseudo-scientific steampunk plot devices that had begun flying around simultaneously, introduced with little to no warning.
I still have every intention of picking up the next book, but I hope it starts to feel a little more cohesive again.
March 24, 2017
This is the 3rd book based on an award winning web comic series. Yes, please start with the first book or be up to date on the comics!
This is a great example of classic and crazy steampunk, I adore it! In this world there are Sparks who are capable of amazing feats of brilliant invention that bend the laws of physics themselves. Everyone else is a minion, or potential minion, and their best shot at staying alive is to stay away from a Spark in full on creation mode. Sparks are like evil geniuses gone even more crazy and they have little to no regard for human life as well as not being able to take care of their own basic needs.
Agatha H. is the long lost heir to a line of Sparks going back 1000 years. Her father and uncle changed the rules of the game when they started going out and defending the common people from the crazy machines of the Sparks. Agatha was not raised as a Spark and does not have the same disregard for life, but she is a powerful inventor in her own right. In this book she is trying to claim her birthright of a semi-sentient castle in her family's capital city of Mechanicsburg.
This is an amazing series! It has great characters, amazing machines, and plenty of twists and turns. I will say that the final 1/4 of the book does seem to drag a bit. The whole being interrupted while performing a life saving experiment did drag out a bit long but I did still enjoy the solution they came up with. There is a 4th book promised at the end but I expect it will be a long time coming. The comics will need to come out first and then the books. Each book covers stories from multiple comics. I am very much looking forward to the next book in the series!
This is a great example of classic and crazy steampunk, I adore it! In this world there are Sparks who are capable of amazing feats of brilliant invention that bend the laws of physics themselves. Everyone else is a minion, or potential minion, and their best shot at staying alive is to stay away from a Spark in full on creation mode. Sparks are like evil geniuses gone even more crazy and they have little to no regard for human life as well as not being able to take care of their own basic needs.
Agatha H. is the long lost heir to a line of Sparks going back 1000 years. Her father and uncle changed the rules of the game when they started going out and defending the common people from the crazy machines of the Sparks. Agatha was not raised as a Spark and does not have the same disregard for life, but she is a powerful inventor in her own right. In this book she is trying to claim her birthright of a semi-sentient castle in her family's capital city of Mechanicsburg.
This is an amazing series! It has great characters, amazing machines, and plenty of twists and turns. I will say that the final 1/4 of the book does seem to drag a bit. The whole being interrupted while performing a life saving experiment did drag out a bit long but I did still enjoy the solution they came up with. There is a 4th book promised at the end but I expect it will be a long time coming. The comics will need to come out first and then the books. Each book covers stories from multiple comics. I am very much looking forward to the next book in the series!
October 26, 2016
Girl Genius (the comic) is awesome. There's a reason it won the first three Hugo's for Best Graphic Story (and then the Foglio's announced they were refusing the nomination, or they probably would have won more). The Agatha H. books are a very well done series of novelizations of the comic, with both the advantages and drawbacks you'd expect of a novelization. This installment covers the arrival of Agatha in Mechanicsburg and subsequent adventures in Castle Heterodyne. Many things are revealed, and new mysteries arise. Who is Airshipman Higgs and why is he so amazingly badass (and why does no one around him notice that?) Just what the heck is Lucrezia up to? What really happened to the Heterodyne Boys? If Agatha does decide on a harem, will she need separate wings of the Castle for Gil and Tarvek? Would that even be enough to prevent them from killing each other? Who's the fake Heterodyne girl with the pink airship and what does she have to do with Tarvek? Will Zeetha ever find either her father or a way home? What would happen if Agatha drank coffee? (Hilarity my friend, hilarity would happen). What kind of person becomes a Spark's minion anyhow? (Heck, the comics are years ahead and most of these things still haven't been answered.) The Pratchett Rule of comedy writing is in full force, ignore the footnotes and miss some of the best jokes.
November 25, 2018
I just finished reading this last night, and I have to say, I was disappointed to find out it wasn't the end. There is so much going on and so many characters in play, it can be difficult to keep up with them at times. I really am enjoying the series, but it doesn't look like Book 4 is available to read, and it makes me upset. I want to know what happens next since this book was left on a cliff-hanger. I know it's based off the Girl Genius graphic novels, and I'm enjoying the adventure, brainy main character, and the evolution of her journey and those around her, but I want to know more. I want to read through to the end, but I'm not a graphic novel/comic book reader per se. Great fictional read for those who like sci-fi/fantasy and adventure, but I wouldn't invest all of the time to read it if the next book isn't out yet because you might forget half of what's going on before then.
January 22, 2022
The third book of this series didn’t disappoint! Chock full of adventure, intrigue and steampunk elements it was a full steam ahead story. The main characters are now very familiar and fleshed out even more. The plot has evolved and become more intricate while still maintaining its integrity. Foot notes continue to add depth to the world history. It is a very dense read that took me longer than a lot of books to finish but it is absolutely worth it. Can’t wait to carry on the story in book four.
June 10, 2021
Agatha, Hagatha...Say What Was Your Name Again?
GirlGenius3
This is a romp of a series! Sparks are more than static electricity and in the Folios’ hands become a word to describe scientific explorations that brave the gap between reality, possibility and morality as practiced by the analytically gifted. In this steampunk universe, dirigible travel is highly sophisticated and lightning is a force to be harnessed in a cane. Fun!
GirlGenius3
This is a romp of a series! Sparks are more than static electricity and in the Folios’ hands become a word to describe scientific explorations that brave the gap between reality, possibility and morality as practiced by the analytically gifted. In this steampunk universe, dirigible travel is highly sophisticated and lightning is a force to be harnessed in a cane. Fun!
July 2, 2017
Agatha's adventures continue. Comedic bathos. I found it fun but one star taken away for the cliffhanger. I gave it back because there is nothing else like this series. Thank you Foglio. I did laugh and grind my teeth in frustration at the same time. I know I've lost it because I started talking to the characters on my audiobook. Sigh.
July 10, 2017
I spent a long time thinking what to write for this book review. How do I do justice for this masterpiece? There is so much to love in this series. Steampunk technology, triangle love, humor, memorable characters, and unexpected plot twists. I can't just sit still and wait for the next book in the series. Gotta find the online comic version. Help, I am addicted!
April 4, 2019
This is one of my favorite audiobooks. It's superscience done right, the Girl Who Kicks Butt version of what I think of as the golden age of early 90s fantasy (even though this was written much later). Everything about this story and its characters work for me; it's only a shame I got this one first because I feel like I missed out on a lot of great story twists by coming in so late.
February 24, 2020
Read via Audible. This is the third instalment of the Girl Genius books covering books 7 through 9 and a bit into book ten. I have been following the comics for years and I really like these versions of the story. The footnotes are great as they add a fun depth into the world and help flesh out what you can't see in the wonderful artwork of the authors.
May 3, 2018
A Marvelous undertaking!
A prose retelling of the events chronicled in the web comic "Girl Genius", this book, the third volume in the series, expansion that genre with flair and imagination to produce a time we'll worth reading.
A prose retelling of the events chronicled in the web comic "Girl Genius", this book, the third volume in the series, expansion that genre with flair and imagination to produce a time we'll worth reading.
December 31, 2018
A delightful read from start to finish, full of drollery and steam-punk and lovely bits of terrifying detail. My only criticism is that, like the comic itself, it neither begins nor ends, just transitions to the next volume.
January 17, 2019
It’s pretty obvious this is just a rewrite of the comic books, and I think it holds up better in that format. Not bad though, just more entertaining with the action and expressions illustrated rather than described.
December 19, 2019
Excellent read - had me laughing out loud at several points. Follows very closely the story from the webcomic it is based on, but expands upon it, too, to give more details. Some of the footnotes are BRILLIANT - any fan of Terry Pratchett is highly recommended to read this one!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews