A guest post review by my bride, who is both a fan of Jane Austen and Science Fiction:
I’m a fan of both the 1632 series and the novels of Jane Austen, so I was curious to see how they would be combined here. This mostly reads as a 1632-series novel rather than an Austen fan fic novel; however, certain characters from Pride and Prejudice certainly seem to have equivalents here (Lizzie Bennett, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mrs. Gardiner, Caroline Bingley), and there are certain plot points from the Austen novel (or film/TV adaptations) which are echoed here (the Rosings proposal, the “wet shirt” meeting from the 1995 TV miniseries adaptation).
Catholicism (especially the Sacrament of Confession and doing penance afterwards) appeared to be accurately and sympathetically portrayed. And (as the mother of an autistic son myself) I liked how Mary Russo was able to troubleshoot the Fugger teenager who appeared to be mildly autistic, but very good at math.
You don’t have to have read Pride and Prejudice before reading this (although it helps), but you probably will want to have read at least a few of the previous 1632 series books, as characters and events from earlier books are referenced in this one. With that caveat, highly recommended!
Go here to view the book on Amazon.
