It's basically about a mild-mannered watchmaker (who was the son of a notorious gangster, but is well out of that life, really) who gets caught up in a plot engineered by various shadowy organizations and a quasi-immortal dictator, all vying for a clockwork beehive with the potential to end the world. Loving sci-fi-tinged riffs on pulpy spy novel clichés ensue.
And it has SUCH a good cast of characters. Among them:
EDIE BANISTER (She is my favourite.), a little 90-year-old lady with a terrible pug, and a not-so-former superspy. (She's bi and has a complicated romantic relationship with the genius mathematician lady who creates the beehive doomsday device. She also has an extensive history of crossdressing for the purposes of missions and foiling plots to take over the world. SHE’S SO GREAT.)
And a motley crew of gangsters, thieves, submarine captains, attorneys, and various others. The language in the book is great fun, too--really verbose in a way that I found delightful (but might be a bit much for some). Basically, it's pulpy and clever while also being a bit philosophical and occasionally heartbreaking in the best way.
Re: One book
It's basically about a mild-mannered watchmaker (who was the son of a notorious gangster, but is well out of that life, really) who gets caught up in a plot engineered by various shadowy organizations and a quasi-immortal dictator, all vying for a clockwork beehive with the potential to end the world. Loving sci-fi-tinged riffs on pulpy spy novel clichés ensue.
And it has SUCH a good cast of characters. Among them:
EDIE BANISTER (She is my favourite.), a little 90-year-old lady with a terrible pug, and a not-so-former superspy. (She's bi and has a complicated romantic relationship with the genius mathematician lady who creates the beehive doomsday device. She also has an extensive history of crossdressing for the purposes of missions and foiling plots to take over the world. SHE’S SO GREAT.)
And a motley crew of gangsters, thieves, submarine captains, attorneys, and various others. The language in the book is great fun, too--really verbose in a way that I found delightful (but might be a bit much for some). Basically, it's pulpy and clever while also being a bit philosophical and occasionally heartbreaking in the best way.