Book Review: The Caelimane Operation
The Caelimane Operation. Chris Pavesic. Musa Publishing, January 16, 2015, E-Book, 108 pages.
Reviewed by Christine Collins Cacciatore.
Although science fiction/fantasy is not my normal cup of tea, I was intrigued at the thought of reading something outside my normal fare of romance, paranormal, and non-fiction and agreed to give it a whirl.
The Caelimane Operation is one of several stories in The Darkside Codex, which is a collection of stories by authors who all wrote about the same world. I have not read any of the other books in this series but I might now, just to see how other authors handled it.
One thing I found enjoyable reading this book is the way the author is so matter-of-fact about the steampunk details built into her story, like, “of course my horse is made of metal and some people live in the sky.” I also was happy that she seemed very knowledgeable and comfortable about the world in which she was writing.
I hope the other authors who write for The Darkside Codex handled their world building as well as Ms. Pavesic did. Once you start reading this genre, the scenarios described in the pages become increasingly likely.
I was very pleasantly surprised when I started reading this book. From the moment you start reading, you are plummeted into the world of mechanicals and zombies and hooked with wonderful descriptions of the landscape. I truly enjoyed her descriptions of the land, the costumes, and the appearances of different people. They are so clear you can actually put yourself in the book in a matter of minutes. It is a world where the undead are real but the horses are not.
Catherine, the main character, is a Hierocrat. It is sort of an official holy figure. She is also a bard who plays the harp. She lives in the city of Southwatch, which is burdened with a terrible pollution problem.
Catherine is tasked by her superior Merci, Hierophant of the Caelimane Temple, with the job of traveling to a gathering of the Seelie Court in order to find out what she can about the necromancer and who exactly is behind the atrocities. To keep her safe, she has to make the journey with a family of traveling minstrels and pose as a new bride to one of them. As she plays the harp, it is the perfect cover.
Another character who is introduced is Devyn. He is fae (fairy) and he is convinced that the zombie plague originates in the Seelie Court. He and Catherine end up joining forces and working together, along with another man named Benedict. Catherine is acting as Benedict’s bride.
The author has a wonderful writing style. The dialogue is relevant and fresh, and there aren’t unnecessary words; the zombies are described with such detail that it becomes disturbing and as the reader, you’re really cheering on the protagonist.
I also really enjoyed the fact that the romance in this book, although present, doesn’t overpower the story. Our heroine seems to be a very strong woman, with or without a man in her life.
Who would enjoy reading this book? I enjoyed it, and this is not the genre I typically read. People who enjoy reading fantasy, steampunk, and science fiction as well as anyone looking for a good story and a bit of escapism will really like reading this story. I hope we see more by Chris Pavesic.