The Girl in the Steel Corset (review)

She may be only a maid, but Finley Jayne has surprising assets; unfortunately, superhuman strength is tough to market in 1897 London. When she’s forced into the night to escape an employer with roving hands, she is rescued by someone who understands her power more than she does—Griffin King, a well-heeled young duke who has collected a small group of friends and relatives all with supernatural powers. Griffin’s parents were part of an expedition to the center of the earth that uncovered several unique power sources that Queen Victoria thought best left underground, but someone apparently disagreed; now most of the party has been murdered, and a mysterious archvillain is weaponizing the formerly benevolent automatons that many people in the society keep as servants. Finley’s origins are a mystery to Griffin and his friends, but they eventually sort out her connection to Griffin’s father, all while tracking the movements of the criminal, who is plotting to replace the queen with an automaton during her Jubilee. Disney aficionados will recognize the plot similarities to The Great Mouse Detective, but that aside, the steampunk elements and the interpersonal dynamics of the band of superfriends provide the real fun here. Overt references to the Jekyll and Hyde nature of Finley’s condition are the tip of an allusive iceberg that combines elements of The League of Extraordinary Gentleman with the X-Men and Sherlock Holmes on a Dickensian background to produce a thoroughly engaging action adventure punctuated by budding romantic entanglements among the characters. The ending promises a sequel set in America, as the friends lose one of their own to the American legal system. This series opener has all the elements that will make it a must-read for steampunk fans, who will clamor for the next entry.