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The Errant Earl: An Ingenious Mechanical Devices Short Story
"The Errant Earl" is an 8,000 word companion short story to the Ingenious Mechanical devices series that takes place seven years before the events of The Earl of Brass (IMD #1).
Forethought is not a virtue Lord Sorrell possesses. At nineteen, he feels as if his life is beyond his control. He wants nothing more than to get away from his father, his teachers, and especially England, but he may have found a way with a little help from his friend and valet, Patrick.
He has one shot to escape to the East: catch the first Orient Express dirigible out of England when he returns home from university. The only problem is his mother has planned a party.
With a house crawling with guests and his brother scrutinizing his every move, will Lord Sorrell be able to sneak away or will he lose himself to the duties of the earldom once and for all?
Forethought is not a virtue Lord Sorrell possesses. At nineteen, he feels as if his life is beyond his control. He wants nothing more than to get away from his father, his teachers, and especially England, but he may have found a way with a little help from his friend and valet, Patrick.
He has one shot to escape to the East: catch the first Orient Express dirigible out of England when he returns home from university. The only problem is his mother has planned a party.
With a house crawling with guests and his brother scrutinizing his every move, will Lord Sorrell be able to sneak away or will he lose himself to the duties of the earldom once and for all?
21 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2016
1 person is currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Kara Jorgensen
22 books210 followersKara Jorgensen (they/them) is a queer, nonbinary oddball with a penchant for all things antiquated, morbid, or just plain strange. While in college, they realized they no longer wanted to be Victor Frankenstein but instead wanted to write like Mary Shelley and thus abandoned their future career in science for writing. Kara melds their passions through their books and graduated with an MFA in Creative and Professional Writing in 2016. When not writing, they can be found hanging out with their dogs watching period dramas or trying to convince their students to cite their sources.
To find out more about their books go to https://karajorgensen.com
Sign-up for their newsletter and get a free sapphic novella: eepurl.com/bfJTW9
Historical Fantasy/Steampunk Novels
The Ingenious Mechanical Devices:
The Earl of Brass (IMD #1)
The Winter Garden (IMD #2)
"An Oxford Holiday" (short story)
The Earl and the Artificer (IMD #3)
"The Errant Earl" (short story)
Dead Magic (IMD #4)
Selkie Cove (IMD #5)
The Wolf Witch (IMD #6)
The Reanimator Mysteries
The Reanimator's Heart (TRM #1)
"An Unexpected Valentine" (TRM #1.5)
The Reanimator's Soul (TRM #2)
"An Unexpected Question" (TRM #2.5)
The Reanimator's Remains (TRM #3 FORTHCOMING 2024)
A Paranormal Society Romance
Kinship and Kindness (PSR #1)
Trousers and Trouble (PSR #2) (FORTHCOMING)
Tempests and Temptation (PSR#3) (FORTHCOMING)
Untitled (PSR #4) (FORTHCOMING)
To find out more about their books go to https://karajorgensen.com
Sign-up for their newsletter and get a free sapphic novella: eepurl.com/bfJTW9
Historical Fantasy/Steampunk Novels
The Ingenious Mechanical Devices:
The Earl of Brass (IMD #1)
The Winter Garden (IMD #2)
"An Oxford Holiday" (short story)
The Earl and the Artificer (IMD #3)
"The Errant Earl" (short story)
Dead Magic (IMD #4)
Selkie Cove (IMD #5)
The Wolf Witch (IMD #6)
The Reanimator Mysteries
The Reanimator's Heart (TRM #1)
"An Unexpected Valentine" (TRM #1.5)
The Reanimator's Soul (TRM #2)
"An Unexpected Question" (TRM #2.5)
The Reanimator's Remains (TRM #3 FORTHCOMING 2024)
A Paranormal Society Romance
Kinship and Kindness (PSR #1)
Trousers and Trouble (PSR #2) (FORTHCOMING)
Tempests and Temptation (PSR#3) (FORTHCOMING)
Untitled (PSR #4) (FORTHCOMING)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 18, 2017
What a charming story!
The Errant Earl describes Eilian's mission to break from the expectations of noble life and explore the world outside of England. It gives another look into Eilian's character, as well as further develops his endearing friendship with his valet, Patrick.
A 20-minute read, the story serves as a short prequel to The Earl of Brass but could also be read in isolation.
Definitely worth picking up for fans of The Ingenious Mechanical Devices series and steampunk readers in general.
The Errant Earl describes Eilian's mission to break from the expectations of noble life and explore the world outside of England. It gives another look into Eilian's character, as well as further develops his endearing friendship with his valet, Patrick.
A 20-minute read, the story serves as a short prequel to The Earl of Brass but could also be read in isolation.
Definitely worth picking up for fans of The Ingenious Mechanical Devices series and steampunk readers in general.
October 25, 2016
This is a story about a young Earl defying his upbringing to find himself. He and the story are in a hurry to see this happen. While I enjoyed the story, it hurtles along a bit too fast for my taste. I don’t think other readers will mind the pace. I simply haven’t read a lot of steampunk, so I wanted more detail about the world, the machines and how it all fits together - especially with a subtitle like Ingenious Mechanical Devices etc. I’m certainly curious to read on, so as an introduction to a new series and characters, this short story does a fine job.
August 25, 2016
Escape
Excellent short view of a 17 year old Eilian, heir to the Earl of Dorset and his close friend, Patrick. Gives more insight into the family relationships and the youthful problems facing Eilian before the first main novel of the series, The Earl of Brass. A treat for those following the series. I rated at 4 stars due to its brevity not its quality.
Excellent short view of a 17 year old Eilian, heir to the Earl of Dorset and his close friend, Patrick. Gives more insight into the family relationships and the youthful problems facing Eilian before the first main novel of the series, The Earl of Brass. A treat for those following the series. I rated at 4 stars due to its brevity not its quality.
August 22, 2016
I recieved an ARC from the author in return for an honest review.
This was a good story, delving into the background of Eilian Sorrell and how restrictions can chafe and escape is the only option.
Well worth the read.
This was a good story, delving into the background of Eilian Sorrell and how restrictions can chafe and escape is the only option.
Well worth the read.
August 31, 2016
Awesome short, took me far and away to that magnificent Victorian world of personal struggle, technology, self expression and detail. Would love a future one of Eilian doing a Jones style archaeological adventure solo. Well done, Kara Jorgensen!
January 24, 2023
I have not read any of Jorgensen's Ingenious Mechanical Devices books, but I'm a fan of the author and received this short story after signing up for her newsletter. This was a quick read, but one that kept me turning the pages. I really was nervous for poor Lord Sorrell as he plotted to escape his overbearing family! This short story also seems like a good introduction to the steampunk world Jorgensen has created; there was just enough world-building to immerse me in the world without overwhelming. I think anyone interested in steampunk would enjoy this series.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews