The Peculiarities

3.75 stars. CW: sexual assault This historical fantasy was a little iffy in the beginning, but it got much better after a certain point. Thomas Thresher is a 23 year old man who has lived a mostly carefree life without any hardships or obligations. Now he has a low-level clerical job at his family’s......more

This was my second read by this author, who writes mystery/historical fiction that seem to contain elements of finance. In Whiskey Rebels, you learned about 1700s trade and stock shares, and in this book, the central location is Threshers Bank in London. David Liss wrote a very bizarre, fantastical......more

4 stars--I really liked it. This book wanders a bit at the beginning, much as the protagonist wanders in indecision and inaction. The last quarter of the book, however, makes up for this with a riot of action. This is a strange book full of whimsy--but also horror. It combines a Victorian novel of ma......more

1899. London is about to turn a new century leaf and life has never been stranger. In fact, it’s downright peculiar. There are irregularities with the world, women are birthing rabbits, people are changing appearances, magic seems to be on the rise but there are few who can understand it and fewer s......more

What a slovenly wreck of wasted potential. This book had a charming premise, an interesting take on a supernatural historical fantasy, and the promise of comedy to recommend it. While many of these elements were present in the text, they were handled so ineptly, I almost wish they'd been omitted ins......more