The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter

Theodora Goss

Jun 2017 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

Based on some of literature’s horror and science fiction classics, this “tour de force of reclaiming the narrative, executed with impressive wit and insight” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) debut is the story of a remarkable group of women who come together to solve the mystery of a series of gruesome murders—and the bigger mystery of their own origins.

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.

Ratings and reviews

4 stars as I definitely 'liked it'. A fun and oddly quirky tale that for the most part serves its characters - many of whom are supposedly the offspring of literary monsters or monsters in their own right - very well. Although I'm not generally a fan of 'historical fiction', Goss does a good job of blending the tale into both the time and ways of 19th century London. Even her use of 4th wall intrusions via 'interjections and thoughts to the telling of the story' by her main group is (eventually, that is, once we know who is talking) quite funny. The main plot is also quite interesting, surrounding a string Jack the Ripper-esque murders that even get the attention of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. However, the book itself suffers from uneven pacing and interuptions that are perhaps necessary but often fall at the wrong moments (Justine's Story is a prime example of plottus interuptus aggravatia). There are also several scenes of very exciting and intense action but it takes nearly half the book to get these into gear. The book reads as many obviously intended 'first in a series' stories do that also include so many main players, that is, that it spends a great deal of time setting up the needed background characterizations and day-to-day banalities so that the next books can flow more naturally. Still, I respect anyone who respects the lore of monsters and treats them with the (in)humanity they so richly deserve. Albeit not on the same level of absolute enjoyment and plot quality as the first two Vivian Shaw 'Greta Helsing' books, Goss's expanded short-story slash converted thesis is an enjoyable jaunt. I look forward to reading Book 2.

Holmes and Frankenstein. Jeckle and Hyde. Moreau and Van Helsing. Al together. Wow.

This book is like if Penny Dreadful decided not to be desperately sad. I loved it!

About the author

Theodora Goss is the World Fantasy Award–winning author of many publications, including the short story collection In the Forest of Forgetting; Interfictions, a short story anthology coedited with Delia Sherman; Voices from Fairyland, a poetry anthology with critical essays and a selection of her own poems; The Thorn and the Blossom, a novella in a two-sided accordion format; and the poetry collection Songs for Ophelia; and the novels, The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter, European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman, and The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl. She has been a finalist for the Nebula, Locus, Crawford, Seiun, and Mythopoeic Awards, as well as on the Tiptree Award Honor List, and her work has been translated into eleven languages. She teaches literature and writing at Boston University and in the Stonecoast MFA Program. Visit her at TheodoraGoss.com.