Booklist Reviews
Stirling's latest is the second installment of a series set in an alternate WWI (after Black Chamber, 2018) in which Theodore Roosevelt is up for yet another term in office. The race for technological superiority is neck-and-neck between Germany and the US, and France and England were recently devastated by a poison-gas attack. Luz, one of Roosevelt's best spies, is sent to Germany to neutralize a potentially devastating new threat. She is accompanied by her lover, Ciara, spy-in-training and expert engineer. Two women traveling alone are easily overlooked as harmless, which serves to frustrate the German agents in pursuit of them, who know full well what these women are capable of. There is plenty of subterfuge, daring, and narrow escapes as they infiltrate the heart of German industry—this is certainly a solid spy thriller, with an interesting if uncomfortable setting. One hopes that future installments will address the glib imperialism more directly, as this one plays on stereotypes of "exotic" locales. But the divergence from historical precedent with tacit acceptance of Luz and Ciara's relationship will give readers a feeling of optimism about the alternate world Stirling has created. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.
LJ Express Reviews
It is 1916, and President Theodore Roosevelt leads the United States. As his elite spy network the Black Chamber keeps on top of the German forces and their gains across the Atlantic, the two best agents, Luz O'Malley Aróstegui and Ciara Whelan, take some time off after saving most of the American coastal cities from destruction. However, their time in California is ended when word of a new weapon is discovered. Luz and Ciara are assigned to Berlin to find the weapon before the Germans can use it and take control of the North Sea. With cover stories in place and all their wits about them, the couple head fast into the danger of duels, poison-gas factories, and the Imperial Sword, a revenge-bent German agent on their tail. With the highest of stakes, Luz and Ciara must battle enemy forces in this action-packed alternate history. VERDICT Sterling's sequel to Black Chamber showcases a sexy and intelligent female spy couple who garner comparisons with James Bond and Jack Ryan. A masterly mashup of historical context and sf plausibility.—Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton (c) Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.