#BookRecommendation-‘The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter’ by Theodora Goss

About the book…

Mary Jekyll, alone and penniless following her parents’ death, is curious about the secrets of her father’s mysterious past. One clue in particular hints that Edward Hyde, her father’s former friend and a murderer, may be nearby, and there is a reward for information leading to his capture…a reward that would solve all of her immediate financial woes.

But her hunt leads her to Hyde’s daughter, Diana, a feral child left to be raised by nuns. With the assistance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, Mary continues her search for the elusive Hyde, and soon befriends more women, all of whom have been created through terrifying experimentation: Beatrice Rappaccini, Catherin Moreau, and Justine Frankenstein.

When their investigations lead them to the discovery of a secret society of immoral and power-crazed scientists, the horrors of their past return.

Now it is up to the monsters to finally triumph over the monstrous

So I have just finished what is possibly my favourite book of the year so far, ‘The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter’ by Theodora Goss.

This is the first in a trilogy which is wonderful but also doesn’t seem enough room to explore the stories of these extraordinary women(because it is so good I would ideally love at least 20 books in the series and a HBO tie in, it’s not much to ask!).

The story is told as a narrative by Catherine Moreau with interspersed comments from the main characters , adding snippets on how they feel the book is progressing.

It could be distracting from the pace but it actually adds an intimacy to the story as well as tantalising titbits of other adventures that the ‘Athena Club’, as they come to be known, have been embroiled in.

In the midst of trying to solve the mystery of why ‘ladies of the night’ have been found murdered AND missing organs or limbs, Mary Jekyll, the protagonist, is on a quest to find out what happened to drive her mother to madness, how her father died, and who is this half sister, Diana Hyde, that she suddenly inherits on her mother’s death.

She gathers around her women who have been side-lined in literature to adjuncts of the male characters e.g Beatrice Rappaccini and drops in sly winks to gothic literature throughout like Easter Eggs.

It’s a rip-roaring adventure that I would highly recommend,

Full Review-Goodreads review

‘The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter’ by Theodora Goss

‘European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman’ by Theodora Goss

About the author…

Theodora Goss’s publications include,amongst others, the short story collection ‘In The Forest Of Forgetting’ (2006); ‘Interfictions’(2007), a short story anthology coedited with Delia Sherman; ‘Voices from Fairyland’ (2008), a poetry anthology with critical essays and a selection of her own poems; and ‘The Thorn And The Blossom’(2012), a two-sided novella in an accordion format. She has been a finalist for the Nebula, Crawford, Locus, and Mythopoeic Awards, and on the Tiptree Award Honor List. She has won the World Fantasy and Rhysling Awards.

https://theodoragoss.com/

Twitter @theodoragoss