An Ideal Vessel

by Sarah Hans

Not long ago, Zuzanna Uritski was a cleaner at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, Archibald Campion was the Fair’s most imaginative engineer, and Elspeth was a lifeless automaton. But now? Now they’re demon hunters, pursuing an ancient evil that has traveled across universes to take residence in one of history’s most famous serial killers. Travel to an alternate history where no one is safe from demon possession, automatons are self-aware, and the world’s greatest hope lies with a clever engineer, a dauntless young woman, and a paladin from another world.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Demons

140 pages, Paperback

Published May 28, 2018

Reviews

[Tabitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

That did not end how I expected it to. Super creepy (Sarah is the queen of things that make my skin crawl) and absolutely riveting. I seriously couldn't put the book down and read it in one sitting. A must read for fans of Steampunk and horror.

[Jocelynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not normally read in the horror genre and so I found that there are quite a few conventions in that genre that are not familiar to me. I have done my best to take that into account when reviewing this book. I was, in fact, scared by several passages of this engrossing read and had to pick it up during the day rather than trying to read it as part of my nightly routine. An interesting and evocative take on the H.H. Holmes murders, this is part urban fantasy, part steampunk, part horror and entirely fascinating. Intriguing characters and world building left me wanting more of the story rather than less.

[Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when you think you know everything about demon possession and the travailes of those nifty paladins who battle them across time and space, there comes a book that throws much of that into a tizzy.

So, we've got an engineer, his cleaner and an automaton possessed by the spirit of someone who has pledged to fight interdimensional demons and one of those very same demons possessing none other than H.H. Holmes., the guy who built a big old complicated murder mansion. That's where this steampunkish, Lovecraftian, gaslight-y horror mystery scooby-style adventure starts, and it only gets weirder from there.

Now, I know this sounds like a bit much, but bear with me. What holds this story together and keeps it from flapping its way off into gonzo-land is Columbus native Sarah Hans' ability to ground the characters. Each one comes across as flawed, but driven people who fit well into the world. None of them are perfect, they mess up a fair amount in fact, and they feel very real. Also, there is a ton of heart to the affair, which is my buttered jam on rye toast.

Please keep in mind that it is taking way to much of my personal reserves of restraint to not just blabber on an on about that end set piece, which is super bonkers and just plain wonderful.

On the down side, it does have that Victorian staunchiness to the prose that may put some people off a bit and names like Zuzanna, Elspeth and Archibald were a bit distracting to me. Also, I really would have liked one more chapter to round out Archibald and Zuzanna's narrative, as that felt too truncated. None of those are story killers, though, and I had a good amount of fun with this.

[J.M. Horn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique blend of demons and steampunk

Hans created a filled a dark world with some home in the form of a cleaner, inventor, and automatons . The story is tight and the plot keeps things moving to an unforeseen end.

An Ideal Vessel is worth adding to your library.

[Katinka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zuzanna had a job cleaning an exhibit in 1893. One night, after everyone else has left, one of the automatons in the exhibit comes to life. It claims that it is a spirit possessing the form and needs help. It is on a mission to hunt down a demon who has escaped from another realm and is wreaking havoc and death wherever it goes. The demon must be found and destroyed before it can commit even more harm than it already has.

This was a shorter book with a darker theme than I normally read, but I enjoyed this story. It ended feeling like there is or will be a sequel and I may have to hunt it down. But even if there isn't one, this story is a complete tale, even if the theme is a bit darker than my usual tastes. In my opinion, it carries a bit of a Frankenstein's monster theme about it that I believe many would likely enjoy.

[Michael]

Another winner from Dragon's Roost Press (please note, I do not review books that we publish).