The Resurrectionist of Caligo

Tremboli and Zaloga’s cumbersome quasi-Victorian debut has the bones of an intriguing fantasy, but is bogged down by excessive worldbuilding minutia. Myrcnia’s royal family rules by divine right, tied to their magical blood, but science is beginning to challenge magic’s supremacy. Resurrectionist (which is to say, corpse robber), aspiring physician, and ex-convict Roger Weathersby suspects a connection between peculiar manifestations in recent corpses and the notorious Greyanchor Strangler, who’s been terrorizing Caligo, the capital of Myrcnia. Roger and Divine Maiden Sibylla, the returned-from-exile granddaughter of the reigning queen, shared a childhood romance but are only in occasional communication via Roger’s half-brother, Sibylla’s warden, Capt. Harrod Starkley. Nonetheless, the story supposedly pivots on their connection. Roger’s odd friendship with an impoverished nine-year-old girl somewhat redeems his generally unappealing character, but there’s little insight into what draws Sibylla to him and vice versa. Readers who persevere through the extensive details of the unpleasantries and challenges of Victorian-era life will eventually be rewarded by the development of political intrigues that enliven the last section of the book. This is far from the top echelons of steampunk, but its unusual concepts (fungus magic, blood magic) will be of interest to genre aficionados. (Sept.)