My first impression after reading this book is there must be more of the adventures of Belimai Sykes and his lover Captain William Harper. Just inside the front cover, Hale includes two maps of the world of Wicked Gentlemen; one depicting the layout of Crowncross, the Holy Capitol; and Hopetown, also called Hell’s Below. Both are elaborate and descriptive with Hopetown having the most detail, but many of the features of the maps do not figure into the novel, which is actually two short stories, the second a sequel to the first. In fact, a significant portion of the sequel, Captain Harper and the Sixty-second Circle takes place beyond the maps.
With such attention to detail, one would expect Hale to include those points but are left with questions are other places of interests, called out on the maps. But that’s not to say Wicked Gentlemen is not enjoyable. I found it to be a lot of fun to read and loved the concepts. Belimai Sykes is a Prodigal, which is a descendant of ancient demons from long ago. Captain William Harper is an Inquisitor, a member of an organization that seems to be the love-child of Nazism and the Spanish Inquisition.
The first story, Mr. Sykes and the Firefly, opens with Captain Harper entreating Belimai’s help in finding a woman who has been kidnapped. It appears that Belimai is a bit of a detective and a hustler (where have I seen this before?). It is unclear why the Prodigal is approached for this assignment since his background is sketchy and references to other cases are vague.
Hale does a good job of incorporating the aspects of the fantasy world and its social interactions between the Prodigals and the Sons of Adams. Here again, one gets the feeling that Hale put more thought into the fantasy world than into the story.
The characters are fleshed out well enough. The heat between Harper and Sykes becomes apparent quickly, but almost too quickly. After a night of drinking, they fall into bed together quite easily. It’s not until the second story that we find out why the staunch, upright and militaristic Harper is so beguiled after only a few drinks by a man whose race is considered sub-human.
Captain Harper and the Sixty-second Circle opens with the Inquisitor heading to a family estate for vacation but dreading the experience. His trip is interrupted by the mysterious death of a wealthy and prominent citizen’s daughter. Harper smells the putrid stench of a cover-up but the powers-that-be immediately suspect the flight-capable Belimai Sykes. Through a furious thunderstorm, Harper manages to keep one step ahead of his fellow Inquisitors to rescue his Prodigal lover and whisk him away to the family estate.
The rest of the story is an exciting ride as Harper leaves Belimai in capable hands and returns to Crowncross to clear his name and bring the guilty party to justice. It’s a great read but the plot, lowly good guy brings down the almighty rich establishment, is so old isn’t practically petrified. The sci-fi/fantasy spin does give a refreshing approach to such an over-used concept, but the reek of decay lingers.
Mr. Sykes and the Firefly is told in First Person from Belimai’s point of view, but the Sixty-second Circle is Third Person from the Harper’s perspective. Hale returns to First Person in Circle’s epilogue with Belimai as the narrative. This switching back and forth is a little tedious and confusing.
This being said, I’d like to read more of the adventures of Captain Harper and Belimai Sykes. Despite the old we’ve-seen-that-before plots, Wicked Gentlemen is a fun and entertaining read.
With such attention to detail, one would expect Hale to include those points but are left with questions are other places of interests, called out on the maps. But that’s not to say Wicked Gentlemen is not enjoyable. I found it to be a lot of fun to read and loved the concepts. Belimai Sykes is a Prodigal, which is a descendant of ancient demons from long ago. Captain William Harper is an Inquisitor, a member of an organization that seems to be the love-child of Nazism and the Spanish Inquisition.
The first story, Mr. Sykes and the Firefly, opens with Captain Harper entreating Belimai’s help in finding a woman who has been kidnapped. It appears that Belimai is a bit of a detective and a hustler (where have I seen this before?). It is unclear why the Prodigal is approached for this assignment since his background is sketchy and references to other cases are vague.
Hale does a good job of incorporating the aspects of the fantasy world and its social interactions between the Prodigals and the Sons of Adams. Here again, one gets the feeling that Hale put more thought into the fantasy world than into the story.
The characters are fleshed out well enough. The heat between Harper and Sykes becomes apparent quickly, but almost too quickly. After a night of drinking, they fall into bed together quite easily. It’s not until the second story that we find out why the staunch, upright and militaristic Harper is so beguiled after only a few drinks by a man whose race is considered sub-human.
Captain Harper and the Sixty-second Circle opens with the Inquisitor heading to a family estate for vacation but dreading the experience. His trip is interrupted by the mysterious death of a wealthy and prominent citizen’s daughter. Harper smells the putrid stench of a cover-up but the powers-that-be immediately suspect the flight-capable Belimai Sykes. Through a furious thunderstorm, Harper manages to keep one step ahead of his fellow Inquisitors to rescue his Prodigal lover and whisk him away to the family estate.
The rest of the story is an exciting ride as Harper leaves Belimai in capable hands and returns to Crowncross to clear his name and bring the guilty party to justice. It’s a great read but the plot, lowly good guy brings down the almighty rich establishment, is so old isn’t practically petrified. The sci-fi/fantasy spin does give a refreshing approach to such an over-used concept, but the reek of decay lingers.
Mr. Sykes and the Firefly is told in First Person from Belimai’s point of view, but the Sixty-second Circle is Third Person from the Harper’s perspective. Hale returns to First Person in Circle’s epilogue with Belimai as the narrative. This switching back and forth is a little tedious and confusing.
This being said, I’d like to read more of the adventures of Captain Harper and Belimai Sykes. Despite the old we’ve-seen-that-before plots, Wicked Gentlemen is a fun and entertaining read.
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