Ann Walker
10/17/2015
Joyful!
Ok, that might not be the first word to come in to your mind to describe a historical/alt-historical fantasy featuring NIKOLA TESLA and DEATH RAYS KNOCKING AIRPLANES FROM THE SKY - but that's my reaction. This addition to Jo Graham and Melissa Scott's "Order of the Air" series was well worth the wait. It's a delicious fusion of scifi and fantasy, with oh, lovely, lovely characterization. I love the meticulously researched background details - dinner at New York's Harvard Club, refueling stops between New York and Colorado Springs, radio hits of 1932, all of which add color and depth to the story. (And the story, too, is pretty topical for us today - quasi-political nutjobs, economic instability, xenophobia - wow.) And a joyful, hopeful ending for characters we've come to love - Al and Lewis, Stasi, Mitch, Jerry.