Review: Steampunk spanking fic brings the Victorian
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 13, 2014
Thank goodness Dangerous Science sets up as an origin story for a steampunk romance series starring its heroine and hero, Drs. Gladys DeWalt and Sebastian Cromwell (semi-cybernetic)! Otherwise I would worry that first-time author Sidney Swann would not return to the fascinating steampunk world she has created, in which intellectual guardians and their intellectual wards can enjoy what amounts to more-or-less enforced ageplay while at the same time making the sorts of Victorian scientific discovery that makes steampunk such a diverting genre.Dr. Gladys DeWalt has been framed for causing the disaster that led to the death of a friend on her last expedition; she is turned over by a scientific council to Dr. Sebastian Cromwell, a reclusive steampunk (that is, really, proper Victorian) scientist who has been, er, cybernetically-enhanced after an accident. Together, without a great deal of misunderstanding, they unravel the plot that disgraced Gladys unjustifiably and set out on the expedition that will vindicate her. Along the way, of course, they fall in love, and develop the kind of disciplinary/erotic relationship that only a Victorian scientist and his lovely, scholarly ward can develop.I'm a little reluctant to recommend this book to anyone who looks for a great deal of erotica in his or her spanking fic reads, but anyone who enjoys Victorian fiction and science fiction, in addition to spanking and erotic elements will adore this book simply because the quality of the writing is so very high. The characters are well drawn and, when appropriate, very sympathetic. The little novel roars along from start to finish, and when the spanking and sex arrives, it's extremely hot. I have only one caveat, beyond, the low volume of the erotic element and in particular of the spanking element: the books sets up for a much more extended ending than we actually get, which is not a problem in itself but left me feeling a little less fulfilled than I was hoping for.I recommend Dangerous Science very highly to anyone who knows what steampunk is, and likes a little spanking with his or her romance.