Agatha H. and the Siege of Mechanicsburg: Girl Genius, Book Four (Girl Genius, #4)

by Phil Foglio and Kaja Foglio

In a time when the Industrial Revolution has become an all-out war, mad science rules the world--with mixed success. In Agatha H and the Siege of Mechanicsburg, Agatha Heterodyne, the last of the Heterodyne family, has returned to her family's hereditary town with the might of the Wulfenbach Empire hot on her heels. The only thing holding off an outright attack is Gilgamesh Wulfenbach, the heir to the Empire, who has joined Agatha and her friends inside the great artificially intelligent fortress of Castle Heterodyne. Now they must race to repair the mechanisms that once allowed the Castle to defend Mechanicsburg, before the rest of Europa shows up to take all the revenge the mad Heterodynes of the past so richly earned. From the Hugo Award-winning Girl Genius online comics comes this fourth book in the Agatha H. series, and like the previous three books, it will engage you in a unique world of adventure, romance, and mad science!

• ISBN13: 9781949102277
• Publish Date: 17 March 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Night Shade Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 456
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Agatha H. and the Siege of Mechanicsburg is the 4th book in the series by Phil & Kaja Foglio. Released 17th March 2020 by Night Shade, it's 456 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This book (and indeed the series) is absolutely full of exuberant humor (especially the footnotes), clever plotting, larger-than-life characterizations, and over-the-top action at a breakneck pace. Although the crazy pacing and light-speed dialogue might easily overshadow, this is a really well written novelization from a technical standpoint as well. There are so many differences between graphic and textual storytelling and relatively few novelizations really make the transition well. Emphatically not the case here. This is a well written book on its own merits, and a fun read and I recommend it highly.

This is the 4th book in the series with a somewhat complex back-story and a set of returning characters and as such might not work very well as a standalone (Think old-time action serials on radio or TV).

Really a distracting romp and just the "right book at the right time". Four and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.