Kathleen Bartholomew (2)

Originally posted at FanLit. http://www.fantasyliterature.com/reviews/nell-gwynnes-on-land-and-at-sea/

The �??ladiesƒ? of Nell Gwynneƒ??s work hard for their money, providing elite custom ƒ??servicesƒ? to the important men who run England. These men think Nell Gwynneƒ??s girls are very good at what they do, but they have no idea whatƒ??s really going on inside those pretty little heads. In actuality, all of Nell Gwynneƒ??s ladies are thoroughly educated and quite accomplished because their ƒ??realƒ? job is to spy for the Gentlemenƒ??s Speculative Society (the predecessor of Kage Bakerƒ??s The Company).

Their work is exhausting, so each year Nell Gwynneƒ??s takes a holiday ƒ?? without men, of course! This year theyƒ??ve gone to Torquay where they plan to spend a month resting, sunbathing, swimming, shopping, reading, and pursuing some of their personal hobbies (such as archaeological excavation). But when they get to the seaside town, they run into a loud and boisterous American man who may be planning a crime that will threaten Englandƒ??s security. When the ladies alert the Gentlemenƒ??s Speculative Society about the suspected plot, the Society has no agents to send to Torquay, so the ladies must investigate and, if necessary, stop the madmanƒ??s plans. There are other delicate associated issues; the crazy American has fallen in love with one of the ladies and Mrs. Corvey, the proprietor of Nell Gwynneƒ??s, must find and hire a new cook before they get back to London. Can the girls accomplish their goals without blowing their cover? And will they get to enjoy their vacation?

Kage Baker is one of my favorite writers and she doesnƒ??t disappoint with Nell Gwynneƒ??s On Land and At Sea, her final work. This is a quick-moving short novel with likable characters and plenty of action, but two things set it apart from other fun stories. One is Kage Bakerƒ??s excellent storytelling skills and her succinct style. Similar to Ursula Le Guin, Baker makes every word count and she can tell a better story with 25,000 words than most authors can with twice that many. Therefore, characters and setting feel fully developed but the plotƒ??s pace never suffers with detailed backstories and description.

The other is Bakerƒ??s delightful sense of humor which, similar to Jack Vanceƒ??s, is best described as droll. You wouldnƒ??t call Nell Gwynneƒ??s On Land and At Sea a comedy, at least not on the surface, but itƒ??s very funny nonetheless. The subplot with the cook, for example, is hilarious but subtle, relying on the absurdity of the situation and its deadpan delivery rather than the sarcastic snark which counts for humor in so many fantasy novels these days. In fact, the entire premise of a spying whorehouse is pretty comical and Baker has fun with it. In an early scene she shows the ƒ??ladiesƒ? at work, gamely fulfilling their clientsƒ?? silly fantasies and, in an incongruous contrast, we later see them donning bullet-proof corset stays before heading out to stop the bad guys.

Nell Gwynneƒ??s On Land and At Sea was unfinished when Kage Baker died two years ago. She left notes which helped her sister, Kathleen Bartholomew, finish the novella. I wouldnƒ??t have known that Baker hadnƒ??t written the whole thing if I hadnƒ??t seen Bartholomewƒ??s name on the cover. The book is illustrated by J.K. Potter.

Fans will definitely want to read Nell Gwynneƒ??s On Land and At Sea, but this is also a fine place to start if youƒ??re new to Bakerƒ??s work. You donƒ??t need to have read the previous novels about Nell Gwynneƒ??s, The Company, or The Gentlemenƒ??s Speculative Society, but after youƒ??ve read Nell Gwynneƒ??s On Land and At Sea, I think youƒ??ll want to.
… (altro)