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

by Phil Foglio and Kaja Foglio

[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.