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The Dracosinum Tales #3
A Steampunk Christmas Carol
In book three of the Dracosinum Tales, A Steampunk Christmas Carol, Professor Langdon has taken over Octagon Inn, and the lives of those around him. Selfish and greedy, no one can do right by him, and he even goes so far as to cut the wages of those working at the inn.
Lord Adrian and Lady Wylie are still mourning the loss of their friend, Professor Cornelius, and are sure that the dreams Adrian had for his esteemed steam-powered carriage setting the precedence for transportation in 1850’s New York, are a thing of the past. As Professor Langdon has his own agenda with Adrian’s carriage.
Can a down-trodden ghost and three of the celestial beings known as the Immortal Ones, along with a feisty dragon, change Langdon’s heart and mind, in time for the Christmas season?
Find out in this fun steampunk twist on a classic tale!
Lord Adrian and Lady Wylie are still mourning the loss of their friend, Professor Cornelius, and are sure that the dreams Adrian had for his esteemed steam-powered carriage setting the precedence for transportation in 1850’s New York, are a thing of the past. As Professor Langdon has his own agenda with Adrian’s carriage.
Can a down-trodden ghost and three of the celestial beings known as the Immortal Ones, along with a feisty dragon, change Langdon’s heart and mind, in time for the Christmas season?
Find out in this fun steampunk twist on a classic tale!
309 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2017
3 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Angelique S. Anderson
40 books220 followersAn award-winning author of sci-fi and fantasy, Angelique is an avid adventurer and chaser of dreams. Singer and songwriter in hobby, she is the mother to four precocious little ones and lover of all animals. She hopes to encourage others with her journey and passion for life. She is currently off adventuring in Stockton, Ca.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 1, 2018
This is a quirky retelling of literature’s most enduring Christmas fable. For Bob Cratchitt read Wylie and Adrian, while Langdon out-Scrooges Ebeneezer himself. The author handles her material with a sure hand and it’s an engaging romp throughout. I find her use of language pleasing and her pacing good. The only thing that holds this back from a full five stars is that I can’t get to like Wylie at all and I find Adrian a bit wet.
Four and a half well deserved stars and a recommendation.
Four and a half well deserved stars and a recommendation.
February 15, 2018
Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has been bunged through the remake blender so many times that it’s difficult to imagine anything new attached to it. Yet Anderson has come up with a fun, and refreshing take on the mythos. We are introduced to a woman named Wylie at the beginning. She’s a Teselym dragon tasked with bringing balance to the world. At least at night. During the day she’s human. It’s clear, early on, she’s not one hundred percent pleased with her existence. But she handles her duties expertly and becomes our avenue into a fascinating universe.
At the center of that universe is Professor Langford. Like Scrooge before him he’s a despicable human. Anderson goes out of her way to drive that point home when he’s visited by the first Immortal, a stand in for the ghosts of lore. The professor has abandoned his mother and sisters, leaving them to a life of abject poverty, after he’s stolen money from their business, fired the only honest help they had, and then went on to corrupt an honest man leaving him to be doomed for all eternity to be a Siapheg dragon; a creature that encourages evil in the hearts of men.
This guy is seriously warped. He values money, and power, so highly that he’s prepared to cut the wages of his staff before Christmas, just because, and steal the invention of his best employee and present it as his own. In his personal ethos a Thunderdome-like atmosphere in the work place is desirable. Those who are weak, in his view, will quit and those are strong, or desperate, will stay.
Really, he’s not a nice guy.
If you know Dickens’ original you have a pretty good idea of how this all plays out. Which is fine. In Anderson’s universe the characters are rich, the Immortals are flawed and fascinating, and the clockwork dragons are interwoven flawlessly into the narrative.
Anderson’s universe is wonderfully textured and clearly presented. This is an ideal book to share with your family or enjoy by yourself on a cold, winter’s, night.
At the center of that universe is Professor Langford. Like Scrooge before him he’s a despicable human. Anderson goes out of her way to drive that point home when he’s visited by the first Immortal, a stand in for the ghosts of lore. The professor has abandoned his mother and sisters, leaving them to a life of abject poverty, after he’s stolen money from their business, fired the only honest help they had, and then went on to corrupt an honest man leaving him to be doomed for all eternity to be a Siapheg dragon; a creature that encourages evil in the hearts of men.
This guy is seriously warped. He values money, and power, so highly that he’s prepared to cut the wages of his staff before Christmas, just because, and steal the invention of his best employee and present it as his own. In his personal ethos a Thunderdome-like atmosphere in the work place is desirable. Those who are weak, in his view, will quit and those are strong, or desperate, will stay.
Really, he’s not a nice guy.
If you know Dickens’ original you have a pretty good idea of how this all plays out. Which is fine. In Anderson’s universe the characters are rich, the Immortals are flawed and fascinating, and the clockwork dragons are interwoven flawlessly into the narrative.
Anderson’s universe is wonderfully textured and clearly presented. This is an ideal book to share with your family or enjoy by yourself on a cold, winter’s, night.
January 23, 2020
My review:
Wow. What a twist on the old classic.
This is the third book in the series Dracosinum Tales, A Steampunk Christmas Carol. Written by Angelique S. Anderson
Following where the story left off, with Lord Adrian and Lady Wylie. After travelling to America the pair are still mourning the loss of their friend, Professor Cornelius, and are sure that the dreams Adrian had for his esteemed steam-powered carriage setting the precedence for transportation in 1850’s New York, are a thing of the past. As the evil Professor, or is he? Professor Langdon has his own agenda with Adrian’s carriage. Will everything work out in the end or will this be the end for both Wylie and Adrian. With surprises install, you will not regret reading this fantastic spin on a classic tale.
Download a copy today and enjoy!
Wow. What a twist on the old classic.
This is the third book in the series Dracosinum Tales, A Steampunk Christmas Carol. Written by Angelique S. Anderson
Following where the story left off, with Lord Adrian and Lady Wylie. After travelling to America the pair are still mourning the loss of their friend, Professor Cornelius, and are sure that the dreams Adrian had for his esteemed steam-powered carriage setting the precedence for transportation in 1850’s New York, are a thing of the past. As the evil Professor, or is he? Professor Langdon has his own agenda with Adrian’s carriage. Will everything work out in the end or will this be the end for both Wylie and Adrian. With surprises install, you will not regret reading this fantastic spin on a classic tale.
Download a copy today and enjoy!
December 23, 2017
An enjoyable twist on a classic tale.
This new take on the classic tale is both enjoyable and intriguing. The steampunk elements added a different element, and the design of the spiritual world which Anderson has created and is really interesting. This spiritual layer of ‘administration’ is superimposed seamlessly over the Victorian society of which Dickens also wrote in ‘A Christmas Carol’, upon which this story idea is based.
The characters of Wylie and Adrian are likeable, and serve as an effective foil to Langdon, whose selfish and greedy ways come under scrutiny as the story progresses.
This novella works quite well as a stand-alone story, but is also interesting enough to make the reader want to read the rest of Anderson’s Dracosinum Tales series.
‘A Steampunk Christmas Carol’ is suitable reading for YA and older readers.
This new take on the classic tale is both enjoyable and intriguing. The steampunk elements added a different element, and the design of the spiritual world which Anderson has created and is really interesting. This spiritual layer of ‘administration’ is superimposed seamlessly over the Victorian society of which Dickens also wrote in ‘A Christmas Carol’, upon which this story idea is based.
The characters of Wylie and Adrian are likeable, and serve as an effective foil to Langdon, whose selfish and greedy ways come under scrutiny as the story progresses.
This novella works quite well as a stand-alone story, but is also interesting enough to make the reader want to read the rest of Anderson’s Dracosinum Tales series.
‘A Steampunk Christmas Carol’ is suitable reading for YA and older readers.
January 6, 2018
Wylie and Adrian have recovered from the trials they undertook in the first two books of the series. Now they are struggling to finish the newest version of the Petford pusher, Adrian's steam carriage so that grumpy Professor Langdon will let them enjoy their lives. Meanwhile, Langdon has moved into the Octagon Inn to keep an eye on his investment which is where the story takes on its own version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
You don't have to read the first two books, but I think it helps. The author does do a great job in catching up on the previous events though. You have the Marley character and the three ghosts that lead our steampunk Scrooge to a change of heart that allows all to have a Merry Christmas.
You don't have to read the first two books, but I think it helps. The author does do a great job in catching up on the previous events though. You have the Marley character and the three ghosts that lead our steampunk Scrooge to a change of heart that allows all to have a Merry Christmas.
December 19, 2019
A Christmas Carol goes steampunk in this Dracosinum Tales book. I love that the author worked this into her world, which features dragons, a balance of good and evil, and beings and forces beyond our world/dimension, all while creating a beautifully steampunk Victorian era.
The tale takes it's own deviations on the classic, leaving one wondering what the Immortal Ones really have in store for him.
Sweet, clean, and classic, this a fun read for Christmas.
The tale takes it's own deviations on the classic, leaving one wondering what the Immortal Ones really have in store for him.
Sweet, clean, and classic, this a fun read for Christmas.
December 27, 2019
Book 3 of Angelique Anderson's Dracosinum Tales is a fun twist on an old classic. We catch back up with Wylie and Adrian still in New York. While they are morning a loss they are also getting used to Adrian's new "boss". Who is as selfish as he is grumpy. I read this just before Christmas and it really put me in the holiday spirit.
November 18, 2021
That Was Awesome!!!
I love Christmas stories! They are so very much my favorites out of all the stories I’ve read. When I read a story that touches my heart, AND it also brings out the Christmas in me by striking a true chord, then I’m very well pleased indeed.And this is a corker.
I love Christmas stories! They are so very much my favorites out of all the stories I’ve read. When I read a story that touches my heart, AND it also brings out the Christmas in me by striking a true chord, then I’m very well pleased indeed.And this is a corker.
May 18, 2018
This is a fun twist on a classic Christmas story!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews