Though playwright Gordon Dahlquist’s first novel is also set in Victorian London, the city he imagines contains a touch of magic. In The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Miss Celeste Temple sets out to discover why her mild-mannered fiancŽ Roger Bascombe has terminated their engagement. When she follows him to a mysterious mansion in the dead of night, Celeste uncovers an unbelievable plot that involves alchemy, mind control, murder and deviant (for Victorian society, that is) sexual activity. She joins forces with two men Cardinal Chang, an assassin, and Svenson, a gentle Swedish doctor who have also lost friends to this cult-like group, which is led by a beautiful and mysterious woman called the Contessa. Chang, Svenson and Celeste take turns narrating, which sometimes results in repetition or a break in momentum, but despite those flaws, readers will be eagerly turning the pages to discover just what happens to the intrepid trio and how those enthralling blue glass books get their power.
Valiant Women is a vital and engrossing attempt to correct the record and rightfully celebrate the achievements of female veterans of World War II.
