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This novella was a fun story of Hollywood, A Midsummer Night's Dream and diamond retrieval. The cyborgs Lewis and Joseph figure prominently in other Company novels. I picked up the audio version for free online (http://subterraneanpress.com/index.php/magazine/spring2007/audio-rude-mechanicals-by-kage-baker/) and the reading by Mary Robinette Kowal (I recently enjoyed her book, Shades of Milk and Honey) is a little screechy, but not uncharmingly so. ( )

Joseph and Lewis, immortal cyborgs from the fantastic Company series, have a gleeful romp together through 1930s Hollywood. I would recommend this book if you have already read the full Company series and are jonesing for another fix, but keep your expectations low--it's only 114 pages long and there is very little substance. ( )

Company men Joseph and Lewis are on assignment in 1940s Hollywood, tasked with finding a legendary lost jewel, the Tavernier Violet. (No, it wasn't really cut into the Hope Diamond.) Against a backdrop of a German director attempting to put on a production of 'A Midsummer's Night's Dream,' the two men chase the diamond through an increasingly-absurd set of rapidly-changing circumstances, in a madcap caper. ( )

Originally posted at Fantasy Literature: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/reviews/rude-mechanicals/

I love pretty much everything that Kage Baker wrote �?? her concise to-the-point style, the ironic way she looks at the world, and her wry subtle sense of humor suits me perfectly, more so than any other author I know save Jack Vance. Iƒ??m sure that if Iƒ??d ever met Ms. Baker while she was living that she would have been one of my favorite people on Earth. I say this because I feel the need to warn anyone reading this review that Iƒ??m unlikely to ever think any of Kage Bakerƒ??s stories are badƒ?? So do with that what you will.

Rude Mechanicals is a novella set in Bakerƒ??s well-known futuristic COMPANY world. The Company is a group of cyborg time-travelers who work for Dr. Zeus. He sends travelers back in time to fetch or hide objects that will be valuable when theyƒ??re ƒ??foundƒ? and sold by the Company in the future. In Rude Mechanicals, two familiar travelers, Joseph and Lewis, are on two separate quests that overlap and eventually converge in Hollywood in 1934.

Lewis, an expert in literature, is acting as assistant to Max Reinhardt who is preparing his famous stage production of A Midsummer Nightƒ??s Dream in the Hollywood Bowl amphitheater. Lewis is supposed to secretly replace Reinhardtƒ??s stage notes with a forgery and steal the original notes so they can be sold in the future by the Company. Lewis spends his evenings creating the forgery. Joseph is trying to retrieve the Hope Diamond which he lost on a previous mission. When the diamond ends up in Hollywood in 1934, Josephƒ??s mission gets tangled up with Lewisƒ??s and chaos ensues as they chase the diamond through Hollywood streets, famous parties, an elementary school, a Shakespearean play, and even a pornographic movie set.

Anyone who loves Kage Baker, Hollywood history, or madcap adventure will enjoy Rude Mechanicals. You donƒ??t need to have read the rest of the COMPANY novels ƒ?? it can stand-alone. In fact, if youƒ??re new to Kage Baker, itƒ??s a great way to quickly determine whether you might enjoy her work. Itƒ??s not her best, butƒ??. itƒ??s Kage Baker.

I listened to the audio version of Rude Mechanicals which was read by author and audiobook narrator Mary Robinette Kowal. You can download a free copy at Subterranean Pressƒ??s website. I would have preferred a male narrator for this book since it follows two of Bakerƒ??s male characters, but Robinette Kowal gets the tone just right and, hey, itƒ??s hard to beat free. ( )