An anthology of steampunk-romps let down by the bad writing. It would have been mildly amusing if I hadn’t been jarred out of immersion by the author believing the banks of the Thames had beachcombers. Ugh, no.

I did like this collection of three (longish) short stories, although I was a bit at sea, having never read any of the novels set in this universe. Perhaps that was why I couldn't get deeply engaged with the main character--sometimes I really liked him, and other times he seemed inconsistent, but it could be my lack of background. If you want a different take on steampunk and alternate history and the British Empire, you'll likely find these stories intriguing, but you might be well-advised to start with a novel in the series. The world and characters are well-drawn and the writing itself is vivid, engaging, and fast-paced. ( )

While I love this series I would not recommend reading this collection if you didn't read at least a few Pax Britannia books (five would be perfect). It simply isn't fair to judge the series only from this collection.

You could either read the all three after the fifth book, or you could read [b:Unnatural History|580446|Unnatural History (Pax Brittania, #1)|Jonathan Green|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348635835s/580446.jpg|567344] and [b:Leviathan Rising|3300106|Leviathan Rising (Pax Britannia, #2)|Jonathan Green|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348711487s/3300106.jpg|3336857] first, then Fruiting Bodies and Vanishing Point, but you should read White Rabbit only after [b:Blood Royal|6370312|Blood Royal (Pax Britannia, #5)|Jonathan Green|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328027855s/6370312.jpg|6557882].

I enjoyed it very much, but I am sure it was because I love the characters and I've read more than a few books from this series. So in order to appreciate the world and its characters, it would be better if this weren't your first encounter with Ulysses Quicksilver, Nimrod and Pax Britannia world. You really have to know more about Ulysses to enjoy these books. The thing I love most is how he treats women (among other things). It doesn't matter if it is a prostitute, a lady, a fellow agent or just someone he met by chance. He never treats them as incompetent weaklings.

Fruiting Bodies
Something horrible is happening in Southwark. Bodies covered with fungi appear everywhere and nobody knows what is causing the outbreak. Each time police picks up a body, a fire brigade appears and burns the place down. This story is the most similar to the book series.

Vanishing Pointneeds more knowledge about the main character and its world. He is called to participate in a seance. Three months ago, the father of a girl he loved died and now they are trying to contact him. Next thing you know, the medium is dead and the apparition is still trying to communicate. Ulysses doesn't believe in ghosts, so he has to investigate.
The story has a bittersweet ending.

White Rabbit is definitely not a story I would recommend to someone who doesn't know anything about Pax Britannia. Of the three, this one needs more knowledge most. There is a part where you get a sort of recap of every previous book in a series of short dreams. I tried to imagine how that may look to someone who hasn't read those books. I admit I would be bored.
We see for the first time how Queen Victoria survived to have her 160 jubilee in the first book and who is responsible. Not a story to represent the series for certain. I wasn't surprised at the craziness considering the title. It reminded me of Resident Evil (the film, not the game) a bit in the end.

One star less because I really did not like where the author put Quicksilver in the third story (the beginning was really hard to read, but that's just me).
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