Steampunk Darcy is a lot of fun and also kind of a mess. It never fully resolves the conflict between the two main characters. It has a weird ethical problem in terms of an automaton. It ends on a cliffhanger with no planned sequel. But it also has a poignant story about familial loss and responsibility, great sexual tension, clever use of Pride and Prejudice motifs, plausible conflicts, cool world building, and lots and lots of airships for steampunk fans to enjoy.
The book takes place in the future, after extreme levels of environmental degradation have forced major changes in technology and society. At some point there was a regime called, without subtlety, The Repression. Seraphene’s family participated in a rebellion called The Uprising and as a result her father is dead, and her brother is missing. Her mother, who was arrested and then released, has dementia as a result of the drugs used on her during her imprisonment. The Uprising was successful but Seraphene prides herself on continuing to live on the edge of the law in an impoverished district. She works as an aviator and as a scientist and cares for her mom and rebellious teenage sister.
Darcy is one of a line of Darcys who are descended from Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. He is extremely wealthy and owns estates, including Longbourn and Meryton, that are completely sheltered from the elements. They are vast but enclosed, with recycled, purified air, clean water, etc.
Darcy wants Seraphene to work for him on his project of recreating Pemberley in every detail. He thinks of this project as creating “a living museum.” She refers to it as “a theme park.” Darcy is domineering and does what he thinks is best for people without consulting them first. Seraphene can’t bear to be controlled in any way. She refuses the job, he persists in trying to get her to take it, and the battle lines are drawn as the plot thickens.
In practical terms the conflict between Darcy and Seraphine doesn’t make a lot of sense. I never understood why he was so fixated on convincing her to work for him. In emotional terms it’s pure gold. Darcy was raised to be bossy. He is the actual boss of a huge corporation, and on top of that he was raised to be the only adult in the room while all the adults around him were feckless. So he does things assuming they are for the greater good of everyone involved without actually asking anyone what they want, which makes more sense given that the people he grew up with wanted shitty things anyway.
Meanwhile, Seraphene’s life has been shaped almost exclusively by resistance to authority. She witnessed her father being beaten and dragged away by Authorities when she was very young (during this incident, she was also beaten). She lost her brother and to an extent her mother, who wants to watch Peter Rabbit all day and has severe memory and cognitive losses. She has to parent her mother and her sister, but where Darcy finds meaning in being a benevolent overlord, Seraphene can only find meaning in her loss by focusing on freedom from control of any kind.
On one level, this book is a pretty decent steampunk/post apocalyptic book. It has good worldbuilding, fun tech, and loads of action. It would make a great movie. However, I was upset by the treatment of a character who is revealed to be an automaton. He has a tragic story that is barely acknowledged and that leads to all kinds of potential future ethical problems that also go unacknowledged. Otherwise, it’s steampunk fun complete with goggles.
As an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, this works quite well. Darcy is very Darcy – right down to be a reliable rescuer who comes across as uncaring and rude. Seraphene has Elizabeth Bennet’s intelligence, tendency toward nonconformity, and loyalty to family. Themes involving supporting characters are handled in clever ways that allow those supporting characters to be more sympathetic while continuing to support the elements of the original Pride and Prejudice.
Alas, as a romance, the book struggles. Darcy’s big gesture at the end is super lovely, but it doesn’t resolve the true issue between Seraphene and Darcy. I wanted Seraphene to say, “Darcy, if it involves me, ask me first.” They dance around this but it’s never actually spelled out in a way that, in my experience, the Darcys of the world need to have things spelled out (specifically and in Caps Lock). Then the book just..stops. It stops in mid scene.
It’s jarring.
This book has so much going for it that I recommend it to steampunk fans despite its flaws. Just brace yourself for some frustration. I give Seraphene and Darcy six months to one year of hot sex and incredible happiness before they break up following a truly operatic argument. At least they won’t be bored.
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I got through this book, but with effort. I didn’t find the romance realistic or engaging, more of a HFN than HEA, but the world building was great and the tech was a lot of fun. Lots of suspension of disbelief required.
Is that Carrie Underwood on the cover?
@Violet Bick I wondered the same thing! It made me think of Carrie Underwood’s music video for Blown Away because there’s this one part around the 40 sec. mark where she’s looking kind of off and up with that same expression on her face.