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Girl Genius #1
Agatha H and the Airship City
The Industrial Revolution has escalated into all-out warfare. It has been eighteen years since the Heterodyne Boys, benevolent adventurers and inventors, disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Today, Europe is ruled by the Sparks, dynasties of mad scientists ruling over — and terrorizing — the hapless population with their bizarre inventions and unchecked power, while the downtrodden dream of the Hetrodynes' return. At Transylvania Polygnostic University, a pretty, young student named Agatha Clay seems to have nothing but bad luck. Incapable of building anything that actually works, but dedicated to her studies, Agatha seems destined for a lackluster career as a minor lab assistant. But when the University is overthrown by the ruthless tyrant Baron Klaus Wulfenbach, Agatha finds herself a prisoner aboard his massive airship Castle Wulfenbach — and it begins to look like she might carry a spark of Mad Science after all.
264 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2011
About the author
Phil Foglio
158 books343 followersA popular science fiction fan artist in the 1970s, Phil Foglio began writing and drawing cartoons and comics professionally in the 1980s. His work includes Magic: The Gathering, Buck Godot, and the popular series of comics and novels, Girl Genius, co-written with his wife, Kaja Foglio.
Awards:
Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist (1977 and 1978)
Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story (2009, 2010, 2011)
Awards:
Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist (1977 and 1978)
Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story (2009, 2010, 2011)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 487 reviews
May 3, 2023
*** 4.44 ***
This was so much fun 😃! A first book in an YA Steampunk series, which throws you into a world full of monsters, constructs, some magic, contained within people who have The Spark, and a lot of humor! I had a ball reading it and would recommend it to all who love light and fantastical whimsy! 😊👍
This was so much fun 😃! A first book in an YA Steampunk series, which throws you into a world full of monsters, constructs, some magic, contained within people who have The Spark, and a lot of humor! I had a ball reading it and would recommend it to all who love light and fantastical whimsy! 😊👍
June 28, 2014
Agatha H. and the Airship City is based on a number of graphic novels by the same authors. And it's... okay. It's a fun adventure story, female protagonist with brains, etc. But something felt off to me -- the way her figure was constantly emphasised, the whole bit where she was in her underwear... I don't know what the context of that is, but if it worked in the comics, it didn't work here. Especially since the opening made her seem so very young, and then suddenly it's all about her being a young woman and people perving on her. Bleh.
I might check out the graphic novels, but I'm not going to read any more of the books. I don't think they make good adaptations, or the authors don't translate their ideas well to a novel rather than a webcomic. It felt pretty mediocre, which is kinda disappointing since I know people adore the series.
I might check out the graphic novels, but I'm not going to read any more of the books. I don't think they make good adaptations, or the authors don't translate their ideas well to a novel rather than a webcomic. It felt pretty mediocre, which is kinda disappointing since I know people adore the series.
November 16, 2011
Story: B+
Narration: A
Sometimes I like a book because the writing is evocative or a character resonates with me. Sometimes the descriptions are so eloquent I can’t help but be in awe of the writer’s skill. Sometimes there’s a breakneck current of action that sweeps me past any less-than-stellar-writing rocks. Sometimes, I come across a book that is just plain downright fun. Agatha H and the Airship City is that kind of audiobook. It is chock full of mildly amusing lines that are delivered with more than mildly amusing vocal attributes and inflections as part of a very accomplished narration and it all takes place in a fantastic world that invites the listener to sit back and watch events go by.
In an alternate-history world where some people have the Spark (think mad geniuses) and can create amazing mechanical constructs, Agatha Clay is a less-than-accomplished student at Transylvania Polygnostic University. The worst day of her life begins when she loses her locket (a gift from her long-absent uncle) in a mugging. When Baron Klaus Wulfenbach arrives at the university with his heir Gilgamesh, Agatha’s boss ends up dead and she is banned from TPU. The Baron takes over the city of Mechanicsburg and Agatha soon finds herself removed from her home, taken from the constructs who have acted as her parents for the past sixteen years, and ensconced at Castle Wulfenbach, the Baron’s airship stronghold. There she falls in with a group of youth who are being held as hostages to ensure the good behavior of their parents or other family members, all of whom are using their Spark in the employ of the Baron. It soon becomes clear that there is more to Agatha than meets the eye and the core adventure of the story begins.
When I picked up this audiobook several months ago, I was aware that it was based on a comic book/webcomic series named Girl Genius but other than that and the book description, that’s all I knew about it. I mention that because I can’t speak to how the book varies from the comic and can only offer the perspective of someone unfamiliar with the whole series. The story portion has a lot to recommend it. There’s a plucky heroine with a nice blend of smarts, some insecurity over her inability to create things, otherwise decent self-confidence, and an admirable practicality; a large cast of interesting and varied characters whose motivations never boil down to a simple case of good or evil intent; plus nifty world-building with a nice “gaslight fantasy” vibe and a good dash of romance. The pacing is excellent and although I was initially a bit lost as to how the pieces of the world fit together, everything soon lined up nicely in my head. The ending wasn’t a cliff-hanger but there were a ton of loose plot threads that were left flapping in the wind. I can console myself with the fact that I can always turn to the webcomic but I’m really hoping for another audiobook.
I would have enjoyed this as a dead-tree book but as a listen? Angela Dawe knocked it out of the park with this one. Although this was written as a long-form story, I think the vibrancy of the narration took the place of the illustrations that a comic/graphic version would have included and added that extra something to the story. Differentiation between characters (and there were a lot of them) was the most varied I have heard in a single-narrator audio: from Othar Tryggvassen (Gentleman Adventurer) and his bigger than life egotistical super-hero-like voice, to the Jägermonsters with their Germanic accents who always talk like they are delivering bad pick-up lines, to Krosp, the cat construct who speaks like, well, like you’d imagine a cat would if he could talk - smug and with a hint of a meow to many words. The voices of the younger kids in the story, often a problematic narration point for me, were excellent. There was a cornucopia of accents (American, English, East Indian, German, French, Irish) and I enjoyed every one. The humorous lines had just the right snap to them and the delivery of the narrative was nicely paced.
Quite frankly, this book could have been a thousand times longer and I would have been content to listen to the continuing story for the next year.
Narration: A
Sometimes I like a book because the writing is evocative or a character resonates with me. Sometimes the descriptions are so eloquent I can’t help but be in awe of the writer’s skill. Sometimes there’s a breakneck current of action that sweeps me past any less-than-stellar-writing rocks. Sometimes, I come across a book that is just plain downright fun. Agatha H and the Airship City is that kind of audiobook. It is chock full of mildly amusing lines that are delivered with more than mildly amusing vocal attributes and inflections as part of a very accomplished narration and it all takes place in a fantastic world that invites the listener to sit back and watch events go by.
In an alternate-history world where some people have the Spark (think mad geniuses) and can create amazing mechanical constructs, Agatha Clay is a less-than-accomplished student at Transylvania Polygnostic University. The worst day of her life begins when she loses her locket (a gift from her long-absent uncle) in a mugging. When Baron Klaus Wulfenbach arrives at the university with his heir Gilgamesh, Agatha’s boss ends up dead and she is banned from TPU. The Baron takes over the city of Mechanicsburg and Agatha soon finds herself removed from her home, taken from the constructs who have acted as her parents for the past sixteen years, and ensconced at Castle Wulfenbach, the Baron’s airship stronghold. There she falls in with a group of youth who are being held as hostages to ensure the good behavior of their parents or other family members, all of whom are using their Spark in the employ of the Baron. It soon becomes clear that there is more to Agatha than meets the eye and the core adventure of the story begins.
When I picked up this audiobook several months ago, I was aware that it was based on a comic book/webcomic series named Girl Genius but other than that and the book description, that’s all I knew about it. I mention that because I can’t speak to how the book varies from the comic and can only offer the perspective of someone unfamiliar with the whole series. The story portion has a lot to recommend it. There’s a plucky heroine with a nice blend of smarts, some insecurity over her inability to create things, otherwise decent self-confidence, and an admirable practicality; a large cast of interesting and varied characters whose motivations never boil down to a simple case of good or evil intent; plus nifty world-building with a nice “gaslight fantasy” vibe and a good dash of romance. The pacing is excellent and although I was initially a bit lost as to how the pieces of the world fit together, everything soon lined up nicely in my head. The ending wasn’t a cliff-hanger but there were a ton of loose plot threads that were left flapping in the wind. I can console myself with the fact that I can always turn to the webcomic but I’m really hoping for another audiobook.
I would have enjoyed this as a dead-tree book but as a listen? Angela Dawe knocked it out of the park with this one. Although this was written as a long-form story, I think the vibrancy of the narration took the place of the illustrations that a comic/graphic version would have included and added that extra something to the story. Differentiation between characters (and there were a lot of them) was the most varied I have heard in a single-narrator audio: from Othar Tryggvassen (Gentleman Adventurer) and his bigger than life egotistical super-hero-like voice, to the Jägermonsters with their Germanic accents who always talk like they are delivering bad pick-up lines, to Krosp, the cat construct who speaks like, well, like you’d imagine a cat would if he could talk - smug and with a hint of a meow to many words. The voices of the younger kids in the story, often a problematic narration point for me, were excellent. There was a cornucopia of accents (American, English, East Indian, German, French, Irish) and I enjoyed every one. The humorous lines had just the right snap to them and the delivery of the narrative was nicely paced.
Quite frankly, this book could have been a thousand times longer and I would have been content to listen to the continuing story for the next year.
March 26, 2011
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.
Notes: This rating reflects my satisfaction with the novelization of Girl Genius. The comic itself is worth 5 stars. Artwork (used with permission) shown in the review at fantasyliterature.com.
Adventure! Romance! MAD SCIENCE!
Agatha H. and the Airship City is a novelization of the first three volumes of the Girl Genius comic created by Phil and Kaja Foglio. This beautiful comic strip, which won the 2009 and 2010 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story, is ongoing and can be read from the beginning at Girl Genius Online. In fact, if you read or listen to the novelization, I’d suggest that you occasionally view the comic along with it so you can see the story’s strange characters and constructs (and, also, just because it’s gorgeous and deserves to be seen). At the bottom of each page is an archive with titles of the chapters, so it’s easy to find the pages you need while reading. The novelization follows the strip almost exactly, but there are some minor differences.
Phil & Kaja Foglio Girl Genius 1. Agatha H. and the Airship CityGirl Genius is a “gaslamp fantasy” set in a Victorian-style world which produces “Sparks” — admired, but also somewhat mad, geniuses who are able to create bizarre machines and biological constructs — some which make life easier for people, and some which can be used as deadly weapons. For years, the Sparks have been warring with each other and leaving devastation in their wakes. Things are beginning to stabilize, though, as Baron Wulfenbach, a particularly ambitious Spark, continues to annex more lands and to control them with his weird minions.
The story begins several years after the disappearance of the Heterodyne Boys, a couple of hero Spark brothers who fought evil and protected the regular people from the less benevolent Sparks. Without the protection of the Heterodynes, the people try to stay out of the way of the mad scientists, while hoping for the Heterodynes’ return. The heroine of Girl Genius is Agatha Clay, a girl who, though she isn’t aware of it at the beginning of the story, is actually Agatha Heterodyne, daughter of one of the Heterodyne Boys, and a very powerful Spark.
Agatha makes a charming heroine — she’s smart and brave, but somewhat clueless and not always capable. And, of course, as a Spark, she sometimes teeters on the edge of madness. The other characters, and even the machines and biological constructs, are also vivid and likable (or extremely unlikable when appropriate). The world, with its castles, airships, steam engines, metal monsters, and talking animals, is a lot of fun to explore. The plot is fast-paced and exciting and, as promised, contains “Adventure! Romance! MAD SCIENCE!”
Girl GeniusAll of this comes across so well in the comic, which has been published as a series of graphic novels available in hardback and paperback. So, why turn Girl Genius into novels? … I don’t know… I suppose that those who don’t read comics might read the Girl Genius story in novel form. Also novelization allows it to be put on audio, which is how I read Agatha H. and the Airship City. The audiobook is narrated by Angela Dawe, who is simply amazing — she’s enthusiastic and vibrant and has a wide range of voices and accents. She’s a lot of fun to listen to and a perfect choice for this zany story.
Readers who pick up Agatha H. and the Airship City while ignoring the comic will be missing out. The novelization is successful, but because it essentially recreates the story frame-by-frame, the scene and viewpoint transitions don’t always come across smoothly, and much of the humor that comes from the art is missing (though some of it is maintained through careful description). But, most importantly, so much of the charm of the comic comes from the stunning art! Thus, Agatha H. and the Airship City works as a novel, but it’s much better in graphic form. If you don’t have time to read years’ worth of the Girl Genius comic, then the audiobook is the next best thing. Just be sure to supplement your listening by occasionally following along with the artwork online. You can’t fully appreciate it otherwise.
Notes: This rating reflects my satisfaction with the novelization of Girl Genius. The comic itself is worth 5 stars. Artwork (used with permission) shown in the review at fantasyliterature.com.
Adventure! Romance! MAD SCIENCE!
Agatha H. and the Airship City is a novelization of the first three volumes of the Girl Genius comic created by Phil and Kaja Foglio. This beautiful comic strip, which won the 2009 and 2010 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story, is ongoing and can be read from the beginning at Girl Genius Online. In fact, if you read or listen to the novelization, I’d suggest that you occasionally view the comic along with it so you can see the story’s strange characters and constructs (and, also, just because it’s gorgeous and deserves to be seen). At the bottom of each page is an archive with titles of the chapters, so it’s easy to find the pages you need while reading. The novelization follows the strip almost exactly, but there are some minor differences.
Phil & Kaja Foglio Girl Genius 1. Agatha H. and the Airship CityGirl Genius is a “gaslamp fantasy” set in a Victorian-style world which produces “Sparks” — admired, but also somewhat mad, geniuses who are able to create bizarre machines and biological constructs — some which make life easier for people, and some which can be used as deadly weapons. For years, the Sparks have been warring with each other and leaving devastation in their wakes. Things are beginning to stabilize, though, as Baron Wulfenbach, a particularly ambitious Spark, continues to annex more lands and to control them with his weird minions.
The story begins several years after the disappearance of the Heterodyne Boys, a couple of hero Spark brothers who fought evil and protected the regular people from the less benevolent Sparks. Without the protection of the Heterodynes, the people try to stay out of the way of the mad scientists, while hoping for the Heterodynes’ return. The heroine of Girl Genius is Agatha Clay, a girl who, though she isn’t aware of it at the beginning of the story, is actually Agatha Heterodyne, daughter of one of the Heterodyne Boys, and a very powerful Spark.
Agatha makes a charming heroine — she’s smart and brave, but somewhat clueless and not always capable. And, of course, as a Spark, she sometimes teeters on the edge of madness. The other characters, and even the machines and biological constructs, are also vivid and likable (or extremely unlikable when appropriate). The world, with its castles, airships, steam engines, metal monsters, and talking animals, is a lot of fun to explore. The plot is fast-paced and exciting and, as promised, contains “Adventure! Romance! MAD SCIENCE!”
Girl GeniusAll of this comes across so well in the comic, which has been published as a series of graphic novels available in hardback and paperback. So, why turn Girl Genius into novels? … I don’t know… I suppose that those who don’t read comics might read the Girl Genius story in novel form. Also novelization allows it to be put on audio, which is how I read Agatha H. and the Airship City. The audiobook is narrated by Angela Dawe, who is simply amazing — she’s enthusiastic and vibrant and has a wide range of voices and accents. She’s a lot of fun to listen to and a perfect choice for this zany story.
Readers who pick up Agatha H. and the Airship City while ignoring the comic will be missing out. The novelization is successful, but because it essentially recreates the story frame-by-frame, the scene and viewpoint transitions don’t always come across smoothly, and much of the humor that comes from the art is missing (though some of it is maintained through careful description). But, most importantly, so much of the charm of the comic comes from the stunning art! Thus, Agatha H. and the Airship City works as a novel, but it’s much better in graphic form. If you don’t have time to read years’ worth of the Girl Genius comic, then the audiobook is the next best thing. Just be sure to supplement your listening by occasionally following along with the artwork online. You can’t fully appreciate it otherwise.
February 11, 2016
First things first: for the uninitiated, this is the novel version of Girl Genius, a 14 year-old webcomic with 3 Hugo wins under its belt. It's a wacky steampunk story with a visual trend towards pinup anatomy, which makes it hard to get into for some, but the story develops interestingly and is well worth the effort. If you pick up the books and find yourself wanting to know what happens next - the comic is free! Go read it!
Review-wise: I've read the comic, but the last time I was caught up was... let me check. 2012, actually. I have a tendency to binge-read and then ignore webcomics for a while; so it goes. Anyhow, for obvious reasons, I've retained a lot of the major components of the story (IE, Agatha's parentage), but few of the details. This was a surprisingly effective refresher course, and an enjoyable, if quick, read.
The part I like best about this whole series is still the concept of the Spark, the quality of advanced intelligence and occasionally-lowered decision-making capabilities with which some people in this world are blessed/cursed. The effect it has on the structure of Europan society (fracturing political systems and fostering smaller states ruled by individual Sparks) and on the environment in which ordinary people live (tiny mammoths in the sewer? must be Tuesday) is the right balance of off-the-wall and fairly logical. Plus, the Spark is just a damn fun idea. It's a superpower which is as much a danger to its wielder as anyone else, and there are a number of ethical considerations which go along with its existence that the story does raise.
Other excellent things: the Jagers. Love the accent, love the attitudes, love their hat obsession. They've always been my faves in the comics and that doesn't change in print.
Now - the most important thing about this book is probably how it compares to the original webcomic format. The bad news is that there are some structural/grammatical problems, especially sentence fragments and scenes whose pacing worked for a visual format, but is too slow in prose. Also, I found the book to be a much speedier read, which meant I was more aware of how rapidly the romantic subplot developed and consequently more annoyed with its existence.
The good news is that there's a lot more character and worldbuilding background information available in the book. Obviously, a visual medium doesn't fare well with long digressions into the protagonist's head, but it's kind of nice to get a better view of Agatha's thoughts and reactions than what can be conveyed via facial expressions.
The Kindle edition is no longer free (as it was when I picked it up), so if you have to pick between the comic and the book, right now I'd say go for the comic. However, if webcomics aren't your thing (I'm sure there are some reasons why, though I can't think of any), this book does a great job of conveying the same story, and as long as you can accept the weirdness for what it is, you'll probably enjoy it.
Review-wise: I've read the comic, but the last time I was caught up was... let me check. 2012, actually. I have a tendency to binge-read and then ignore webcomics for a while; so it goes. Anyhow, for obvious reasons, I've retained a lot of the major components of the story (IE, Agatha's parentage), but few of the details. This was a surprisingly effective refresher course, and an enjoyable, if quick, read.
The part I like best about this whole series is still the concept of the Spark, the quality of advanced intelligence and occasionally-lowered decision-making capabilities with which some people in this world are blessed/cursed. The effect it has on the structure of Europan society (fracturing political systems and fostering smaller states ruled by individual Sparks) and on the environment in which ordinary people live (tiny mammoths in the sewer? must be Tuesday) is the right balance of off-the-wall and fairly logical. Plus, the Spark is just a damn fun idea. It's a superpower which is as much a danger to its wielder as anyone else, and there are a number of ethical considerations which go along with its existence that the story does raise.
Other excellent things: the Jagers. Love the accent, love the attitudes, love their hat obsession. They've always been my faves in the comics and that doesn't change in print.
Now - the most important thing about this book is probably how it compares to the original webcomic format. The bad news is that there are some structural/grammatical problems, especially sentence fragments and scenes whose pacing worked for a visual format, but is too slow in prose. Also, I found the book to be a much speedier read, which meant I was more aware of how rapidly the romantic subplot developed and consequently more annoyed with its existence.
The good news is that there's a lot more character and worldbuilding background information available in the book. Obviously, a visual medium doesn't fare well with long digressions into the protagonist's head, but it's kind of nice to get a better view of Agatha's thoughts and reactions than what can be conveyed via facial expressions.
The Kindle edition is no longer free (as it was when I picked it up), so if you have to pick between the comic and the book, right now I'd say go for the comic. However, if webcomics aren't your thing (I'm sure there are some reasons why, though I can't think of any), this book does a great job of conveying the same story, and as long as you can accept the weirdness for what it is, you'll probably enjoy it.
January 20, 2011
I am a Girl Genius fan. I've been reading the comic since it started up, have most of the volumes in hardcover, and think it is da bomb.
Which is, in part, why I am disappointed in the novelization.
Robbed of Phil's imaginative and baroquely-detailed artwork, too much of the tale of Agatha Clay becomes ... well, rather unpleasant, rather than zany and humorous. Sure, the Jaegermonsters are always a hoot, and Othar and Krosp can't help but be amusing. But half the fun of GG are the myriad details that Phil sneaks into the background. Book case in the panel? Gotta read all the titles. Crazy steampunky contraption in someone's hand? It will, of course, have a humorous label on its side, or a droll warning sign on the wall.
The book drops pretty much all of this. We don't even get the name of the University, let alone its motto. In exchange, to be sure, we get some nice background exposition. For example, a prolog tells us a lot about the Hive Engines and Slaver Wasps, not to mention some of the things going on before the Heterodyne Twins vanished. And a number of the characters get some otherwise missing backgrounds -- the murderous pirate Bangladesh Dupree comes to mind.
And, of course, with experience the Foglios have massaged the story a bit, setting up some later conflicts more clearly, altering some details here and there. It's 98% the same, but after reading the book I went through the three graphic novels it's made up of -- Agatha H and the Beetleburg Clank, ... and the Airship City, and ... and the Monster Engine -- and the differences are there, storyline-wise, and largely improvements.
Still, without the art (not even on the cover!), or even an attempt to describe it, the tale loses the particular humorous pizazz it has. Which is a darned shame. I realize it wouldn't be easy -- telling rather than showing is rarely as good a way to convey humor. But without it, it's a rather grim (especially toward the beginning) tale of tragedy and loss and monsters. Which is not what I think of Girl Genius (though, with this book as consideration, that's sort of what it is).
Don't get me wrong. I liked it. I enjoyed reading it. I'll be loaning it to my wife, an even more hepped GG fan than I. And I'll be rooting for a sequel.
But if someone asked me for a Girl Genius tale, I'd hand them the first graphic novel. It's just that much better.
Which is, in part, why I am disappointed in the novelization.
Robbed of Phil's imaginative and baroquely-detailed artwork, too much of the tale of Agatha Clay becomes ... well, rather unpleasant, rather than zany and humorous. Sure, the Jaegermonsters are always a hoot, and Othar and Krosp can't help but be amusing. But half the fun of GG are the myriad details that Phil sneaks into the background. Book case in the panel? Gotta read all the titles. Crazy steampunky contraption in someone's hand? It will, of course, have a humorous label on its side, or a droll warning sign on the wall.
The book drops pretty much all of this. We don't even get the name of the University, let alone its motto. In exchange, to be sure, we get some nice background exposition. For example, a prolog tells us a lot about the Hive Engines and Slaver Wasps, not to mention some of the things going on before the Heterodyne Twins vanished. And a number of the characters get some otherwise missing backgrounds -- the murderous pirate Bangladesh Dupree comes to mind.
And, of course, with experience the Foglios have massaged the story a bit, setting up some later conflicts more clearly, altering some details here and there. It's 98% the same, but after reading the book I went through the three graphic novels it's made up of -- Agatha H and the Beetleburg Clank, ... and the Airship City, and ... and the Monster Engine -- and the differences are there, storyline-wise, and largely improvements.
Still, without the art (not even on the cover!), or even an attempt to describe it, the tale loses the particular humorous pizazz it has. Which is a darned shame. I realize it wouldn't be easy -- telling rather than showing is rarely as good a way to convey humor. But without it, it's a rather grim (especially toward the beginning) tale of tragedy and loss and monsters. Which is not what I think of Girl Genius (though, with this book as consideration, that's sort of what it is).
Don't get me wrong. I liked it. I enjoyed reading it. I'll be loaning it to my wife, an even more hepped GG fan than I. And I'll be rooting for a sequel.
But if someone asked me for a Girl Genius tale, I'd hand them the first graphic novel. It's just that much better.
March 22, 2013
I really liked this book and the sequel, Agatha H and the Clockwork Princess (review to follow). Since it was originally a comic, there’s a strong sense of imagery to the novel. It’s very easy to picture Agatha and her world in your mind. Phil and Kaja Foglio call it a gaslamp fantasy, instead of steampunk, since biology is a technology as well as mechanics.
Agatha is a strong-minded young woman literally discovering who she is. Her family has lied to her for her entire life, and her beloved locket, that she thought was a memento of her long-lost parents has actually been controlling her mind, giving her terrible migraines and preventing her from being able to think clearly so she could not figure anything out about herself. It is only when the locket is stolen and broken that she can finally think freely and come into her own considerable power and talents. While it was all for her own good, to hide her from her family’s enemies and help smooth her transition into being a full-fledged Spark (traditionally difficult, especially for all the people that the emerging Spark’s inventions kills), she is naturally very conflicted about the whole thing. It only gets worse when Gilgamesh Wulfenbach decides that he loves her–he may be handsome and rich and brilliant, and even respectful of her talents and work, but he can also be as ruthless and arrogant as his father.
This is a great, well-layered adventure story, full of the mystery of Agatha and the Heterodynes and the Other, the great enemy who vanished so many years ago. The tagline for the series is “Adventure, Romance, Mad Science!” and it lives up to all three.
Agatha is a strong-minded young woman literally discovering who she is. Her family has lied to her for her entire life, and her beloved locket, that she thought was a memento of her long-lost parents has actually been controlling her mind, giving her terrible migraines and preventing her from being able to think clearly so she could not figure anything out about herself. It is only when the locket is stolen and broken that she can finally think freely and come into her own considerable power and talents. While it was all for her own good, to hide her from her family’s enemies and help smooth her transition into being a full-fledged Spark (traditionally difficult, especially for all the people that the emerging Spark’s inventions kills), she is naturally very conflicted about the whole thing. It only gets worse when Gilgamesh Wulfenbach decides that he loves her–he may be handsome and rich and brilliant, and even respectful of her talents and work, but he can also be as ruthless and arrogant as his father.
This is a great, well-layered adventure story, full of the mystery of Agatha and the Heterodynes and the Other, the great enemy who vanished so many years ago. The tagline for the series is “Adventure, Romance, Mad Science!” and it lives up to all three.
February 24, 2012
I picked up Agatha H. and the Airship City, and tucked myself into a chair to enjoy the afternoon. Agatha H. is based off of a Hugo-winning webcomic Girl Genius, and though I haven't read the comic, I thoroughly enjoyed this version of the first three volumes and am thinking of checking out the comic as a result.
I felt a little awkward at the start of the story because even with the prologue, it felt like I was jumping into the middle and that there was history I probably should have known. But, that faded fairly quickly as I followed Agatha on her day.
As the day went on, I learned about her world at the Transylvania Polygnostic University and about how the Sparks (read: mad-scientists) ruled Europa. The Jägermonsters brought humor to the story and gave the feeling that they knew more than they were telling, even the ones that seemed a lot less smart than others.
One of my favorite parts of the book was at one point where Agatha had run across a prisoner once on the airship and she said to him:
I'd rather not end up being the Easily Duped Minion Who Sets the Insanely Dangerous Experiment free or the Hostage Who Ensures the Smooth-Talking Villain's Escape.
All-in-all, I rate this a 4/5 for enjoyment and I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for some light-hearted steampunk reading.
I felt a little awkward at the start of the story because even with the prologue, it felt like I was jumping into the middle and that there was history I probably should have known. But, that faded fairly quickly as I followed Agatha on her day.
As the day went on, I learned about her world at the Transylvania Polygnostic University and about how the Sparks (read: mad-scientists) ruled Europa. The Jägermonsters brought humor to the story and gave the feeling that they knew more than they were telling, even the ones that seemed a lot less smart than others.
One of my favorite parts of the book was at one point where Agatha had run across a prisoner once on the airship and she said to him:
I'd rather not end up being the Easily Duped Minion Who Sets the Insanely Dangerous Experiment free or the Hostage Who Ensures the Smooth-Talking Villain's Escape.
All-in-all, I rate this a 4/5 for enjoyment and I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for some light-hearted steampunk reading.
February 1, 2021
This book is not perfect. A lot of the word choices and sentence structure are questionable. The action scenes practically induce whiplash. The love story feels rushed. I’m even going to ignore the blatant racism concerning the baron’s Jägermonsters (I’m pretty sure they’re supposed to be some weird combination of anthropomorphic wolves and Nazis). You know what, though? It all just works. I found myself thoroughly enjoying the world and the eccentric characters that populate it. There’s a lot of bad steampunk out there. I’ve read a lot of it. This, however, is brilliant, it’s goofy, and it’s not afraid to wave its freak flag in your face. I wish more authors would embrace the crazy like Phil and Kaja Foglio do.
June 18, 2011
Agatha H. and the Airship City is a delightful book of tongue in cheek heroism set in a Steampunk alternate reality version of Europe. Mad scientists with bizarre names, a wealth of robotic constructions and the very funny Jagermonsters populate the pages. I kept bursting into giggles as I devoured this wonderful book, which I assume is the first in what should be a very popular series.
Agatha is intelligent, likeable, creative and stands up for herself, but is also rather volitile. The other characters, particularly all the wonderful Jagermonsters; Gil, the brilliant young spark; his father, the Baron; Bangladesh, the murderous ex - air pirate; and the little automaton, Zoing, were all believable and as delightful as their names. In the context of a culture addicted to heroic stories, even Othar, a renegade spark, was believable in his pseudo-heroic-story language and seemingly inability to die. Klaus is the arch bad guy, (not all bad) but as delightfully mad as all the others. You could say that he and Othar are stereotypes, but in this larger than life cartoon-style they are meant to be. They are a satire of themselves.
I liked the way that the relationship between Agatha and Gil developed from his respect for her intellect rather than from an attraction to her physical charms. Their connection is one of like minds meeting and the recognition of a shared passion. This is a refreshing change to the physically based instant attraction so often seen in young adult novels these days.
The story, whilst fitting squarely in the one-installment-of-the-epic-hero-style was imaginative, unpredictable and had me devouring the pages. The ending was perfectly satisfying with plenty of strands to follow up in sequels, and it left us pondering which one is evil, Gil or Otho? To find out, we will have to have a sequel or two .
I give this 5 stars and recommend it for all lovers of Steampunk, mad characters, fascinating inventions and humour. If you like comics, you’ll like this. Although it was listed on netgalley as Adult, it’s a wonderful book for young adults too.
Agatha is intelligent, likeable, creative and stands up for herself, but is also rather volitile. The other characters, particularly all the wonderful Jagermonsters; Gil, the brilliant young spark; his father, the Baron; Bangladesh, the murderous ex - air pirate; and the little automaton, Zoing, were all believable and as delightful as their names. In the context of a culture addicted to heroic stories, even Othar, a renegade spark, was believable in his pseudo-heroic-story language and seemingly inability to die. Klaus is the arch bad guy, (not all bad) but as delightfully mad as all the others. You could say that he and Othar are stereotypes, but in this larger than life cartoon-style they are meant to be. They are a satire of themselves.
I liked the way that the relationship between Agatha and Gil developed from his respect for her intellect rather than from an attraction to her physical charms. Their connection is one of like minds meeting and the recognition of a shared passion. This is a refreshing change to the physically based instant attraction so often seen in young adult novels these days.
The story, whilst fitting squarely in the one-installment-of-the-epic-hero-style was imaginative, unpredictable and had me devouring the pages. The ending was perfectly satisfying with plenty of strands to follow up in sequels, and it left us pondering which one is evil, Gil or Otho? To find out, we will have to have a sequel or two .
I give this 5 stars and recommend it for all lovers of Steampunk, mad characters, fascinating inventions and humour. If you like comics, you’ll like this. Although it was listed on netgalley as Adult, it’s a wonderful book for young adults too.
March 18, 2011
For those of you who don't know, this book is a novelisation of the webcomic Girl Genius. I was introduced to Girl Genius about a month ago, and I have been hooked ever since. I got caught up by the end of the week (neglecting some possibly important other work) and I have been frustrated at the webcomic format ever since - mostly because I can't get the rest of the story fast enough! So, when I found out there was a book, I was very excited! I wanted more of Agatha's story, and here was the chance to get it.
Well, no, not so much. The book, it turns out, is simply a novelisation of the first three volumes of the Girl Genius Comics (they're on volume 9 now). It did add some interesting back-story in a few places, and I loved the fact that it allowed us to see inside the characters' heads a little more. But it was just the same story in a different format, which was slightly disappointing. On the other hand, it was a good story in the first place, so not much can go wrong, once you get past my (completely wrong) expectations.
In the end, I would recommend this book to anyone who has trouble with or is unsure about webcomic format. The comic is brilliant, and if you can handle it, start there, and read the book only if you're an extreme geek (like me!)
Oh, and can I just put in my vote for a movie of Girl Genius? I think we need more Steampunk films out there, and Girl Genius would lend itself so well to that format - I already have half cast it in my head. Film producers, call me!
Well, no, not so much. The book, it turns out, is simply a novelisation of the first three volumes of the Girl Genius Comics (they're on volume 9 now). It did add some interesting back-story in a few places, and I loved the fact that it allowed us to see inside the characters' heads a little more. But it was just the same story in a different format, which was slightly disappointing. On the other hand, it was a good story in the first place, so not much can go wrong, once you get past my (completely wrong) expectations.
In the end, I would recommend this book to anyone who has trouble with or is unsure about webcomic format. The comic is brilliant, and if you can handle it, start there, and read the book only if you're an extreme geek (like me!)
Oh, and can I just put in my vote for a movie of Girl Genius? I think we need more Steampunk films out there, and Girl Genius would lend itself so well to that format - I already have half cast it in my head. Film producers, call me!
August 5, 2012
Honestly, I haven’t’ had this much fun in months.
Novelizations of the webcomic, and adorable, absurd, alarming hilarity from start to finish. It’s “gaslamp fantasy” about historical not!Europe. Not about science but instead about mad science, which is a completely different thing. A classic/cliche story about a young orphans adventures on-the-run from the powers chasing her, with all the expected familial entanglements, and also about being dangerously gifted. Except told so freshly and charmingly, it all feels new again.
Sight unseen, I would bet the novels follow the comic frame-by-frame, which I know sounds horrible, but really isn't. There's definitely a . . . visual sensibility here, and a particular timing optimized for moments of frozen physical humor, but they really make it work in another medium.
The two prose novels barely cover the first third of the published comic so far. I await the next book with a lot of stomping and sulking -- no spoilers, please.
Novelizations of the webcomic, and adorable, absurd, alarming hilarity from start to finish. It’s “gaslamp fantasy” about historical not!Europe. Not about science but instead about mad science, which is a completely different thing. A classic/cliche story about a young orphans adventures on-the-run from the powers chasing her, with all the expected familial entanglements, and also about being dangerously gifted. Except told so freshly and charmingly, it all feels new again.
Sight unseen, I would bet the novels follow the comic frame-by-frame, which I know sounds horrible, but really isn't. There's definitely a . . . visual sensibility here, and a particular timing optimized for moments of frozen physical humor, but they really make it work in another medium.
The two prose novels barely cover the first third of the published comic so far. I await the next book with a lot of stomping and sulking -- no spoilers, please.
March 19, 2011
Very good, weird, hilarious, and sometimes creepy steampunk. Can't wait to read more of these!
Reviewed for Bitten by Books. http://bittenbybooks.com
Reviewed for Bitten by Books. http://bittenbybooks.com
January 3, 2016
My first book completed in 2016, finished at 1:00 a.m. It was fun to start the year with Agatha and her crazy pals, and enemies. I can't judge the book on it's merits alone though. I discovered the web comic a couple of years ago. I tried reading it on my phone, which of course wasn't ideal, it's so tiny. I was able to get the first three volumes out of the library, so that was great. That's all that the library had so I went back to the web after that but it just didn't work and I petered out somewhere in the middle of volume five or six. I wanted to try the novels for a long time and I finally got this out, but as soon as I started it I felt like something was missing. I had to look at the web comic and see what the things I was reading about looked like. Of course I remembered exactly what Agatha looked like, but the world she lives in is so richly detailed and so beautiful, I couldn't just let my imagination do the work, I needed to see it. It was such a different experience than reading other novels, where I prefer to read the novel before seeing the movie or show and to build my own images of the characters and world because they're sure to be bigger and better than it could be on a screen. It turned out that the comic and novel matched up almost word for word, so instead of just flipping through the comic to check out a couple of images, I ended up reading the ebook that I borrowed from the library on my kindle at the same time that I was flipping through the web comic on my tablet. (So much better than the phone! Girl Genius was one of the main reasons I wanted to get the tablet, or things like it that just don't work on a small device.) I was actually wondering if I wanted to even keep reading the novel for a bit, the comic is so great and since the novel is so faithful to it, I wondered if I should just re-read the comic to refresh my memory. But I decided that it was really fun to do both at the same time. There are some elaborations in the text that added depth to the story and characters. Sometimes the novel helped me notice things in the comic that I missed because I went too fast or because I'm still not that good at reading comics and picking up all of the visual cues. And there were a few small deviations or changes in the novel from the comic, but not many. It's essentially the same story. And the comic is beautiful, seeing the art while reading the novel enhanced the text experience and highlighted some things in the book as well. It was like reading the best illustrated novel ever, not just the five or six pictures some books might have, usually black and white sketches, but every page and fully illustrated in glorious color. It brought the steampunk feeling to life in a way that the book didn't. The first volume of the comic is in darker colors, beautiful brass and bronze and gold tones that set such a strong steampunk tone. And when it switched to brighter colors it seemed almost garish, I didn't get why it changed until Agatha had a dream near the end of volume two/chapter six when her uncle gave her the locket and she put it on, and the music stopped and the world faded and lost its colors. Some things are so effective visually. In this case one page and then one panel showed so much. This whole sequence wasn't even in the novel at all. So for me it really worked to read them both at the same time, and I plan to keep doing that with the rest of the novels, assuming the stories keep matching up so faithfully.
So as for the story, I think it was a ton of fun. Agatha was super easy to identify with. She started off as a sheltered college student brainiac with the worst case of engineer's block ever. Everything she made didn't work or exploded and she had no idea why. And she had horrible headaches every time she got even a little upset, which was a problem because she was a volatile person. She was a lab assistant to the most important person in the town, the head of the university and the ruler of the city. People thought she was a bit of a screw-up, but she had a nice quiet life living with her foster parents and going to school. Until things all went crazy one day when the scary man who controlled most of Europe came to inspect the lab and the project they were working on for him, arriving weeks earlier than expected. And her whole life snowballed out of control. It was fun to read about this smart young woman who didn't wait for anyone to save the day, she kept on stepping in to do the saving herself. She didn't annoy me the was some heroines who are suddenly perfect do, because she was using the abilities she was born with and had been developing her entire life, even if some of it was suppressed for part of that time. The story was populated with a wide variety of characters, which is something I always like to see. They weren't all caucasian Europeans, especially the students in the "Airship City," who came from a wide variety of lands and ethnicities. And the monsters and constructs, of course, there are a variety of them as well. I can't judge how well the humor, action or emotion came across in the novel for people reading the text alone, or people who never saw the web comic, but I thought it was consistently cute, if not perfect and perhaps occasionally a bit questionable. For example, Agatha was in her underwear a lot, why? And the accents the Jägermonsters use is odd, none of the other characters have an accent, even the children who seem to be from foreign countries from their outfits. But maybe it's because that's where castle Heterodyne is and they were Heterodyne constructs.)
Do I think this was the best novel ever? Definitely not. If the authors wanted to write a better novel they would have had to add more depth, deviated more from the comic and expanded things more. Gone more into different characters' backgrounds and motivations, maybe. I don't know, I'm not an author. That's what I was hoping the novels would be, a more in-depth expansion of the Girl Genius universe. I don't think I would recommend anyone read the novels just on their own unless they really don't like graphic novels at all. But I would suggest trying it the way I did and using the web comic (or the comic books, a more expensive option if you've just purchased the book but you could get them from the library as well) to supplement the novel, to act simply as illustrations or to read both at the same time and try to get the best out of both of them. Taken together the experience was a four star one, but I'd have to say that on its own the book is probably a three.
So as for the story, I think it was a ton of fun. Agatha was super easy to identify with. She started off as a sheltered college student brainiac with the worst case of engineer's block ever. Everything she made didn't work or exploded and she had no idea why. And she had horrible headaches every time she got even a little upset, which was a problem because she was a volatile person. She was a lab assistant to the most important person in the town, the head of the university and the ruler of the city. People thought she was a bit of a screw-up, but she had a nice quiet life living with her foster parents and going to school. Until things all went crazy one day when the scary man who controlled most of Europe came to inspect the lab and the project they were working on for him, arriving weeks earlier than expected. And her whole life snowballed out of control. It was fun to read about this smart young woman who didn't wait for anyone to save the day, she kept on stepping in to do the saving herself. She didn't annoy me the was some heroines who are suddenly perfect do, because she was using the abilities she was born with and had been developing her entire life, even if some of it was suppressed for part of that time. The story was populated with a wide variety of characters, which is something I always like to see. They weren't all caucasian Europeans, especially the students in the "Airship City," who came from a wide variety of lands and ethnicities. And the monsters and constructs, of course, there are a variety of them as well. I can't judge how well the humor, action or emotion came across in the novel for people reading the text alone, or people who never saw the web comic, but I thought it was consistently cute, if not perfect and perhaps occasionally a bit questionable. For example, Agatha was in her underwear a lot, why? And the accents the Jägermonsters use is odd, none of the other characters have an accent, even the children who seem to be from foreign countries from their outfits. But maybe it's because that's where castle Heterodyne is and they were Heterodyne constructs.)
Do I think this was the best novel ever? Definitely not. If the authors wanted to write a better novel they would have had to add more depth, deviated more from the comic and expanded things more. Gone more into different characters' backgrounds and motivations, maybe. I don't know, I'm not an author. That's what I was hoping the novels would be, a more in-depth expansion of the Girl Genius universe. I don't think I would recommend anyone read the novels just on their own unless they really don't like graphic novels at all. But I would suggest trying it the way I did and using the web comic (or the comic books, a more expensive option if you've just purchased the book but you could get them from the library as well) to supplement the novel, to act simply as illustrations or to read both at the same time and try to get the best out of both of them. Taken together the experience was a four star one, but I'd have to say that on its own the book is probably a three.
January 13, 2011
I have been looking forward to this ever since I got to interview the Foglios for Galactic Suburbia way back at Aussiecon4, when they announced they'd been given a deal with Night Shade Books for the novels.
Actually, in some ways I have been looking forward to this for even longer: I first read about Agatha Clay in Girl Genius vol 9, the Hugo-nominated (and winning!) graphic novel. I had never heard of it before I got it in the Hugo packet, and... well... it was love. Pure, sweet, love. I read the entirety of vol 9; bought the ebook of vol 1; then discovered that you could just read the whole lot online, one page at a time. So I did that. One volume is one year's worth of comics, and pages come out regular as clockwork every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so... yeh. You figure out how much reading that was.
Yes, I know. I lot. But I love it. It's got Adventure! Romance! Mad Science!! And this is the sans-illustration novelisation of, I think, the first three volumes of the graphic version. So yes yes, I've read the story before. But this is a different version. It's like... the novelisation of a movie. Only better.
Officially, the Foglios - wife&husband team Kaja and Phil - call this 'Gaslamp Fantasy'. Which is different from steampunk, and I can sort of see how but I can't always explain. I think, basically, that with steampunk things are meant to make sense, in the same way that good SF makes sense in a scientific way (sorta). Fantasy, though - fantasy gets to cheat outrageously, when it wants to, by wiggling its fingers and saying ta-DA! And as long as it does it in an entertaining enough way, it's fine. I know, I know - I'm exaggerating ridiculously here, and the genre purists will pull me up for it. Whatever. This is gaslamp fantasy because it's kinda the European nineteenth century, but at the same time it's really not, and there are serious mad scientists running around, mostly with The Spark. A Spark is like someone with The Knack: whatever they want to make, whatever they fix, it Just. Works. Although most Sparks end up going nuts or being crushed by their creations.
There are numerous things I love about this series. Firstly, the characters. The main character is Agatha: a sometimes-bumbling, sometimes-competent wannabe mechanic. In the graphic novel, especially, she's wonderful because she's this voluptuous woman unaware of her own looks and perfectly capable of looking after herself, thanks very much. The rest of the cast, as appearing in the novel, are also great: both men and women, good and bad and somewhere in between, and - something that only occurred to me in reading it rather than looking at the pictures, which is a bit crazy - a wide ethnic mix, too. Black people, Jewish people, white people, Chinese people, the marvellous Bangladesh DuPree... not to mention all the slightly non-human types, too. And a talking cat. We love talking cats. Most of all, we love the Jagerkin. The Jagerkin inspired my title, because that's how they talk: with the most outrageous faux-German accents you could possibly imagine (having heard Phil do his impersonation, I understand the inspiration now). They are crazy, they are mischievous, and they love their hats. They also have a propensity for lusting after entirely inappropriate women.
I love the plot, too. Sure you could roll your eyes at yet another story about a poor orphan girl who discovers something amazing about herself, but you know what? Who cares! It's fun! Agatha makes it worthwhile! There's a reason those stories get written so often. And here, along with the self-discovery stuff, there's some serious mad science, a one-km-long dirigible, lots of explosions, and a touch of romance.
I bought the hardcover version, because the trade paperback isn't out until August and that's waaaay too long to wait (and it's not very expensive anyway). It's a lovely little production, with nice paper and cool cover art. My one gripe, and I'm a bit sad about it, is that there are some editing issues. There are a few spelling mistakes ('access' for 'assess'), and someone really doesn't like semi-colons - which would be fine if they used periods in their place, but mostly they used commas, and that just really, really, grated.
Is it original? Not if you've read the comic, no. I have no idea what it would be like to read this cold; I imagine there are some bits that might be a little confusing, but I can't be sure. But did I enjoy it? Hell yes. And I will certainly be buying the second one (Agatha H and the Clockwork Princess) and third (title still TBA), because I am that much of a fangirl.
Actually, in some ways I have been looking forward to this for even longer: I first read about Agatha Clay in Girl Genius vol 9, the Hugo-nominated (and winning!) graphic novel. I had never heard of it before I got it in the Hugo packet, and... well... it was love. Pure, sweet, love. I read the entirety of vol 9; bought the ebook of vol 1; then discovered that you could just read the whole lot online, one page at a time. So I did that. One volume is one year's worth of comics, and pages come out regular as clockwork every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so... yeh. You figure out how much reading that was.
Yes, I know. I lot. But I love it. It's got Adventure! Romance! Mad Science!! And this is the sans-illustration novelisation of, I think, the first three volumes of the graphic version. So yes yes, I've read the story before. But this is a different version. It's like... the novelisation of a movie. Only better.
Officially, the Foglios - wife&husband team Kaja and Phil - call this 'Gaslamp Fantasy'. Which is different from steampunk, and I can sort of see how but I can't always explain. I think, basically, that with steampunk things are meant to make sense, in the same way that good SF makes sense in a scientific way (sorta). Fantasy, though - fantasy gets to cheat outrageously, when it wants to, by wiggling its fingers and saying ta-DA! And as long as it does it in an entertaining enough way, it's fine. I know, I know - I'm exaggerating ridiculously here, and the genre purists will pull me up for it. Whatever. This is gaslamp fantasy because it's kinda the European nineteenth century, but at the same time it's really not, and there are serious mad scientists running around, mostly with The Spark. A Spark is like someone with The Knack: whatever they want to make, whatever they fix, it Just. Works. Although most Sparks end up going nuts or being crushed by their creations.
There are numerous things I love about this series. Firstly, the characters. The main character is Agatha: a sometimes-bumbling, sometimes-competent wannabe mechanic. In the graphic novel, especially, she's wonderful because she's this voluptuous woman unaware of her own looks and perfectly capable of looking after herself, thanks very much. The rest of the cast, as appearing in the novel, are also great: both men and women, good and bad and somewhere in between, and - something that only occurred to me in reading it rather than looking at the pictures, which is a bit crazy - a wide ethnic mix, too. Black people, Jewish people, white people, Chinese people, the marvellous Bangladesh DuPree... not to mention all the slightly non-human types, too. And a talking cat. We love talking cats. Most of all, we love the Jagerkin. The Jagerkin inspired my title, because that's how they talk: with the most outrageous faux-German accents you could possibly imagine (having heard Phil do his impersonation, I understand the inspiration now). They are crazy, they are mischievous, and they love their hats. They also have a propensity for lusting after entirely inappropriate women.
I love the plot, too. Sure you could roll your eyes at yet another story about a poor orphan girl who discovers something amazing about herself, but you know what? Who cares! It's fun! Agatha makes it worthwhile! There's a reason those stories get written so often. And here, along with the self-discovery stuff, there's some serious mad science, a one-km-long dirigible, lots of explosions, and a touch of romance.
I bought the hardcover version, because the trade paperback isn't out until August and that's waaaay too long to wait (and it's not very expensive anyway). It's a lovely little production, with nice paper and cool cover art. My one gripe, and I'm a bit sad about it, is that there are some editing issues. There are a few spelling mistakes ('access' for 'assess'), and someone really doesn't like semi-colons - which would be fine if they used periods in their place, but mostly they used commas, and that just really, really, grated.
Is it original? Not if you've read the comic, no. I have no idea what it would be like to read this cold; I imagine there are some bits that might be a little confusing, but I can't be sure. But did I enjoy it? Hell yes. And I will certainly be buying the second one (Agatha H and the Clockwork Princess) and third (title still TBA), because I am that much of a fangirl.
March 5, 2017
4.5/5 stars
This book is based on the popular webcomic Girl Genius and is a novelization of the story in the comic.
I've been a fan of the comic for 7 years now, but was unsure if I should pick up the books or not. I was afraid the writing wouldn't be any good, and therefor ruin the comic for me.
Turned out I had nothing to be scared about.
As a fan of the comic I already knew where the story was going in this book, but that didn't hold me back. On the other hand I think it enlightened the story for me, 'cause I now could look for tips to what was going to happen early in the story. The story is also fleshed out in the book, so I got some answers I've missed or forgotten while reading the comic, and at the same time I got a better perspective of time in the story, and there were some original parts as well that were great fun!
As I mentioned over, I was scared the writing wouldn't work for me, but thankfully it did!
The writing is easy to follow and I flew through the pages. The chapters were all rather long - none under 20 pages - but I didn't really notice.
My only problem with this book was that some places the writing made me think of notes taken to the comicpages. A few sentences here and there in the book that slowed the general flow, and some places the writing seemed a bit childish.
But all in all this book was a lot of fun, and I actually laughed out loud - something I never do with books - but Jägerkin just speaks to me!
Also, this is what I think of when I think of steampunk. Fun clanks, fighting, corsets and goggles.
All in all a fun fast read I'm SO glad I picked up!
NOTE: I may find this book so good because I already have a big relationship to the story and characters, so if you haven't checked out the comic, you may not find it as fun.
Link to comic: http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic...
This book is based on the popular webcomic Girl Genius and is a novelization of the story in the comic.
I've been a fan of the comic for 7 years now, but was unsure if I should pick up the books or not. I was afraid the writing wouldn't be any good, and therefor ruin the comic for me.
Turned out I had nothing to be scared about.
As a fan of the comic I already knew where the story was going in this book, but that didn't hold me back. On the other hand I think it enlightened the story for me, 'cause I now could look for tips to what was going to happen early in the story. The story is also fleshed out in the book, so I got some answers I've missed or forgotten while reading the comic, and at the same time I got a better perspective of time in the story, and there were some original parts as well that were great fun!
As I mentioned over, I was scared the writing wouldn't work for me, but thankfully it did!
The writing is easy to follow and I flew through the pages. The chapters were all rather long - none under 20 pages - but I didn't really notice.
My only problem with this book was that some places the writing made me think of notes taken to the comicpages. A few sentences here and there in the book that slowed the general flow, and some places the writing seemed a bit childish.
But all in all this book was a lot of fun, and I actually laughed out loud - something I never do with books - but Jägerkin just speaks to me!
Also, this is what I think of when I think of steampunk. Fun clanks, fighting, corsets and goggles.
All in all a fun fast read I'm SO glad I picked up!
NOTE: I may find this book so good because I already have a big relationship to the story and characters, so if you haven't checked out the comic, you may not find it as fun.
Link to comic: http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic...
January 2, 2022
DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK FOR ANY YOUNG FANTASY FANS. And don’t read this book unless your idea of “girl genius” is very young women with big boobs whose clothing mysteriously goes missing regularly.
It felt like it was written by one of the creepy male teachers who used to openly ogle me in middle school. Gross! And this is coming from someone who has read the entire Dresden Files multiple times. I can put up with a lot of casual sexism and male authors who I wouldn’t trust with a Barbie doll. This book made me rage quit.
Several times during the reading I thought that this might feel less pervy as a show or a comic. I’m reading now that this was a novelization of a comic. Maybe that works, but if the author ever sees this — I am a woman who has to live in a very exaggerated, comic book heroine body. Your book is bringing up a lifetime of suppressed rage at being treated like a sex doll who might have other promising characteristics, but nobody knows or cares because we’re all so distracted by the boobs. It’s a burden and it’s gross, to be a young woman with big boobs and deal with everyone’s issues with that. I feel so bad for your heroine. She might be interesting and I think you’re trying to tell us that she’s smart, but for some reason we keep talking about her boobs and how she’s accidentally running around in her underwear again! Fuck right off with that!
It felt like it was written by one of the creepy male teachers who used to openly ogle me in middle school. Gross! And this is coming from someone who has read the entire Dresden Files multiple times. I can put up with a lot of casual sexism and male authors who I wouldn’t trust with a Barbie doll. This book made me rage quit.
Several times during the reading I thought that this might feel less pervy as a show or a comic. I’m reading now that this was a novelization of a comic. Maybe that works, but if the author ever sees this — I am a woman who has to live in a very exaggerated, comic book heroine body. Your book is bringing up a lifetime of suppressed rage at being treated like a sex doll who might have other promising characteristics, but nobody knows or cares because we’re all so distracted by the boobs. It’s a burden and it’s gross, to be a young woman with big boobs and deal with everyone’s issues with that. I feel so bad for your heroine. She might be interesting and I think you’re trying to tell us that she’s smart, but for some reason we keep talking about her boobs and how she’s accidentally running around in her underwear again! Fuck right off with that!
May 18, 2018
This was an inventive YA steampunk adventure novel based on the Girl Genius webcomic. The beginning was great, the ending was terrific, and the middle sagged. I loved the medieval steampunk world with mechanical construct armies, insectoid zombies, mind-controlled revnants, and mad-scientist overlords. The main character was brave, independent and resourceful, but she did not feel like a real person. There were too many distracting characters, side plot tangents, and convenient interruptions which slowed the story down. That being said, my 11 year-old son thought it was one of the best books he's ever read, so I think this book better hits its mark with a younger reader.
May 30, 2023
Great webcomic turned novel... I love steampunk, and the myriad ways authors find to make their steampunk world unique... this one is all about Mad Scientists and their inventions reshaping the world... the webcomic style translates well... quick POV cuts, lingering in a scene after the main characters leave to get a joke in... etc...
I love the Jagermonsters... and the many accents and voices in the narration... immediately continued on to the next one...
I love the Jagermonsters... and the many accents and voices in the narration... immediately continued on to the next one...
September 18, 2019
I may be biased as I've read and enjoyed the webcomic. I've heard that it doesn't translate nearly as well for those unfamiliar with the webcomic. Easily solved, go check it out!
Fun, interesting and much more fleshed out than the comic itself so I appreciated all the details that I didn't know before.
Fun, interesting and much more fleshed out than the comic itself so I appreciated all the details that I didn't know before.
December 27, 2018
Agatha's inventions never work. And then her locket's stolen, her boss's lab is raided, and her parents disappear. Dazzling world-building, a sly sense of humor, and escalating events that carry enough twists and reveals to intrigue. My, my, but it's hard to predict the actions of mad-boys! And I've grown quite fond of the Jagerkin.
I put Bk2 on order since I'm eager to see what's to come.
I put Bk2 on order since I'm eager to see what's to come.
January 27, 2013
This felt like a parody, except I don't know what the original subject of the parody is.
I've never read the web comic that this novelization is based on, but it probably works better as a comic than a novel. Lots of jumping around, very little characterization.
I've never read the web comic that this novelization is based on, but it probably works better as a comic than a novel. Lots of jumping around, very little characterization.
May 6, 2018
Really bad. Go read the Girl Genius comic instead, it's entertaining. There was nothing redeeming about this, except to illustrate how exactly moving one medium to another can be a complete failure.
November 24, 2018
Adventure! Romance! Mad Science!
Review to come :)
Review to come :)
June 4, 2020
This is a very enjoyable, light-hearted steampunk romp. I was aware of Phil Foglio as an artist, but not as a writer - although he did have his wife as co-author.
This is pretty much classic steampunk stuff - mad scientists and crazy inventions, airships, automatons, everything that makes steampunk fun.
This is the first in a series and I believe it was based on the first two Girl Genius graphic novels.
This is pretty much classic steampunk stuff - mad scientists and crazy inventions, airships, automatons, everything that makes steampunk fun.
This is the first in a series and I believe it was based on the first two Girl Genius graphic novels.
January 9, 2022
A good companion to the graphic novel/webcomic series, with some spots where we get a bit more backstory, which I enjoyed, and get to slow down in certain key scenes like when Gil welcomes Agatha to his lab. But, the writing is workmanlike, not deft and fast like the comic, so the result often was clunkier and less delightful than the comic, rather like the first clank of a new Spark.
April 9, 2024
It’s a slow burn with lots of names and characters to digest, losing track can make the politics and motives in the story confusing.. and it’s easy to lose track. The book is jam packed, I read that three arcs of the web comic are crammed together so it makes sense that the pacing feels so fast and like a dump of information. All that aside the story is fun and the ending makes me curious to continue reading Agatha’s story.
November 7, 2019
A fast paced and fun read full of enjoyable characters and plenty of witty banter to go around.
The only time the book slogs is when delving into the world building exposition, which, unfortunately, is nowhere near as compelling or exciting as the characters inhabiting it.
That and when they ‘hint’ at an extremely obvious twist again.
Once the book has finally kicked into high gear and the (fully rounded) lady protagonist is ready for her adventure, it’s over.
Here’s to hoping there’s more soon.
The only time the book slogs is when delving into the world building exposition, which, unfortunately, is nowhere near as compelling or exciting as the characters inhabiting it.
That and when they ‘hint’ at an extremely obvious twist again.
Once the book has finally kicked into high gear and the (fully rounded) lady protagonist is ready for her adventure, it’s over.
Here’s to hoping there’s more soon.
January 23, 2013
Fantasy Review Barn
How seriously do you take a book that in no way, shape, or form takes it’s self seriously? ‘Agatha H and the Airship City’ is a novelization taken almost directly from a web comic, and it shows. How much enjoyment a reader takes from the book would depend on how capable they are of turning their brain off. Lucky for me, I can turn my brain off at will, so I enjoyed the hell out of this little steampunk yarn.
This is steampunk with all the trimmings. Alternative Europe, mechanical everything, airships, even characters in goggles. It is also very Saturday morning cartoon, with mad scientist a plenty, daring heroes, and non-stop action. You see history has been turned sidewise by ‘Sparks,’ super-geniuses that snap into their ‘powers’ with little warning. Often they use their new found super intelligence to build lots of machines and take over the surrounding area, mad scientist style. Constant battles between sparks are slowed down when one particular talented man named Baron Klaus Wulfenbach consolidates his power and finds way to control other sparks, using their talents to consolidate it further. The plot moves at such a fast pace that any other background would really be a spoiler, so let’s move on.
First for the good. By running at a comic book like pace the story moves along very quickly. The action is exciting, and if you like classic steampunk the world building will work great for you. While none of the characters are particularly complex, they are fun to follow. The Baron seems way to nice to be a tyrant, but shows his darker side from time to time. His son Gilgamesh rebels in the tiniest ways, and has some of the stories best lines (I love his constant attempts to explain that a now dead professor WAS trying to throw a bomb at him). And of course the story wouldn’t work at all if Agatha wasn’t fairly engaging. Her genius is kept under wraps early on, and while it drives the plot, she is much more fun when it comes out near the end. For most the story she is guided by the plot rather than in control, but toward the end that changes quite nicely.
Fans of this sub-genre will also love the various constructs and techs that are shown. Once I got past the idiotic accent the Jagermonsters are always worth a chuckle. I wanted to know more about the slaver wasp hives. And I am a sucker for airships, for reasons I can’t explain.
Of course everything I just considered a plus could be seen as a negative in a different light. There is very little back story, once you know that you’re in alt-Europe and history has been taken over by mad scientist you know it all. If your consider steampunk trite by this point then you will see nothing new to this story. And if you’re looking for more than action scene followed by action scene, keep looking. Lastly, if you can’t stand the cheese factor (such as said Jagermosters talking in horrible German accents, cities called Mechanicsburg, people named Doctor Doomsfrenzy, and a lab called Large Dangerous Mechanical Lab), then run far, far away.
I want to give this book 4 stars, because I enjoyed it a lot. But I got to be honest with myself, it was a pretty simple story, and having now checked out the “Girl Genius’ web comic, I think it would have been a lot better if I had read the same story with the fun artwork. In fact, I plan too.
3 stars
How seriously do you take a book that in no way, shape, or form takes it’s self seriously? ‘Agatha H and the Airship City’ is a novelization taken almost directly from a web comic, and it shows. How much enjoyment a reader takes from the book would depend on how capable they are of turning their brain off. Lucky for me, I can turn my brain off at will, so I enjoyed the hell out of this little steampunk yarn.
This is steampunk with all the trimmings. Alternative Europe, mechanical everything, airships, even characters in goggles. It is also very Saturday morning cartoon, with mad scientist a plenty, daring heroes, and non-stop action. You see history has been turned sidewise by ‘Sparks,’ super-geniuses that snap into their ‘powers’ with little warning. Often they use their new found super intelligence to build lots of machines and take over the surrounding area, mad scientist style. Constant battles between sparks are slowed down when one particular talented man named Baron Klaus Wulfenbach consolidates his power and finds way to control other sparks, using their talents to consolidate it further. The plot moves at such a fast pace that any other background would really be a spoiler, so let’s move on.
First for the good. By running at a comic book like pace the story moves along very quickly. The action is exciting, and if you like classic steampunk the world building will work great for you. While none of the characters are particularly complex, they are fun to follow. The Baron seems way to nice to be a tyrant, but shows his darker side from time to time. His son Gilgamesh rebels in the tiniest ways, and has some of the stories best lines (I love his constant attempts to explain that a now dead professor WAS trying to throw a bomb at him). And of course the story wouldn’t work at all if Agatha wasn’t fairly engaging. Her genius is kept under wraps early on, and while it drives the plot, she is much more fun when it comes out near the end. For most the story she is guided by the plot rather than in control, but toward the end that changes quite nicely.
Fans of this sub-genre will also love the various constructs and techs that are shown. Once I got past the idiotic accent the Jagermonsters are always worth a chuckle. I wanted to know more about the slaver wasp hives. And I am a sucker for airships, for reasons I can’t explain.
Of course everything I just considered a plus could be seen as a negative in a different light. There is very little back story, once you know that you’re in alt-Europe and history has been taken over by mad scientist you know it all. If your consider steampunk trite by this point then you will see nothing new to this story. And if you’re looking for more than action scene followed by action scene, keep looking. Lastly, if you can’t stand the cheese factor (such as said Jagermosters talking in horrible German accents, cities called Mechanicsburg, people named Doctor Doomsfrenzy, and a lab called Large Dangerous Mechanical Lab), then run far, far away.
I want to give this book 4 stars, because I enjoyed it a lot. But I got to be honest with myself, it was a pretty simple story, and having now checked out the “Girl Genius’ web comic, I think it would have been a lot better if I had read the same story with the fun artwork. In fact, I plan too.
3 stars
August 15, 2014
I was not trilled to discover that this is a retelling of the first graphic novel, now in prose form, and the question that kept popping into mind is "Why was this necessary?"
The graphic novel / webcomic is such an intensely visual experience, from the character designs to the panorama shots to the intricate Easter Eggs buried in detail-packed backgrounds that it was so hard to take the book at face value, especially since much of it is a line-by-line rendering. And reading this as an ebook on a tablet meant thrashing between it and the web version to see how each scene plays out. The additional narrative expanding the other characters and some back story and whatnot doesn't quite compensate for the madcap joy of the artistry in the original.
The story? The story is phenomenal.
The burlesque-and-slapstick routine (both done well) of the setting does not entirely hide its dark undercurrent. For all their destructive rue-the-day power, Sparks, especially rural/uneducated Sparks, are in a position of weakness. Especially female Sparks. Especially female Sparks whose family lineage make them a political football. There's a lot to read in this in regard to real-world gender politics and traditional gender roles.
Agatha is always floundering, always half (or perhaps a quarter) in control of any situation, only having time to wrangle the current threat partially into submission before some lumbering, obtuse Gentleman Adventurer comes through the door with death-ray gun, taking the action in some orthogonal direction. It's a repeated theme for the graphic series that has escalated matters to dizzying heights and which cannot possibly continue forever.
The graphic novel / webcomic is such an intensely visual experience, from the character designs to the panorama shots to the intricate Easter Eggs buried in detail-packed backgrounds that it was so hard to take the book at face value, especially since much of it is a line-by-line rendering. And reading this as an ebook on a tablet meant thrashing between it and the web version to see how each scene plays out. The additional narrative expanding the other characters and some back story and whatnot doesn't quite compensate for the madcap joy of the artistry in the original.
The story? The story is phenomenal.
The burlesque-and-slapstick routine (both done well) of the setting does not entirely hide its dark undercurrent. For all their destructive rue-the-day power, Sparks, especially rural/uneducated Sparks, are in a position of weakness. Especially female Sparks. Especially female Sparks whose family lineage make them a political football. There's a lot to read in this in regard to real-world gender politics and traditional gender roles.
Agatha is always floundering, always half (or perhaps a quarter) in control of any situation, only having time to wrangle the current threat partially into submission before some lumbering, obtuse Gentleman Adventurer comes through the door with death-ray gun, taking the action in some orthogonal direction. It's a repeated theme for the graphic series that has escalated matters to dizzying heights and which cannot possibly continue forever.
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