Ink and Steel (Promethean Age Series #3)

Ink and Steel - Elizabeth Bear Dear Ms. Bear, It’s not you; it’s me. I enjoyed Hammered but there is something about your Promethean novels that just puts me off. I don’t know quite what it is. Okay, that’s not entirely true, Blood and Iron felt a little like a check list. My problem with Ink and Steel is different. How can you write such a dull sounding Elizabeth? It’s quite clear that you don’t mean to, and maybe it is because every Elizabeth in film or novel gets held up to Glenda Jackson, and almost everyone is found wanting, except perhaps Cate. It also feels like in some parts of the book that you are trying to shock the reader with Kit’s behavior, but it doesn’t shock. True, Kit was shocking for his time, but for ours? Not so much. It almost feels like you are trying so hard to get into the mind of Kit and Will and utterly failing. Maybe, because I know about the time period and characters, I am being too picky. That is most likely it. I did like the cast list, and I really liked your take on Will’s marriage.