Mollie E. Reeder

A brilliant, electric, engaging, deep, heartwarming, powerful, and character-driven novel. I immensely enjoyed nearly every moment and detail of The Electrical Menagerie by Mollie E. Reeder. It’s bright and warm and joyful, yet sometimes gritty and raw and dark, and it’s an entertaining adventure that has surprising depth of theme and heart. The Electrical Menagerie is primarily fascinating steampunk--with a dash of sci-fi, a healthy dose of real-feeling fantasy, and a rich background that reminds me of Sherlock Holmes-style Victorian Britain, while also being totally its own. I wouldn’t have thought I would enjoy steampunk, and this is the first time I’ve ever read steampunk fiction--but I absolutely loved the book, including the steampunk element.

I loved so many aspects of this stellar and exemplary book. The characters and relationships are vivid and real, the setting and worldbuilding is imaginative and totally unique, the writing style is potent and powerful, the themes are poignantly gorgeous and meaningful, and the plot is riveting, twisty, well-paced, and skillfully woven. The story and each of its words are expertly crafted, packing an electrifying punch. I enjoyed the fact that it’s an adventure story, and that it’s focused on a male friendship--an awesome duo of men, at that. But it also has strong female characters in a prominent role, which I appreciate.

The Electrical Menagerie immediately made it into the ranks of my all-time favorite books, and my top five favorites of this year. It kept me up much too late at night, and I tore through it at record speed--a fraction of the time it usually takes me to read a book of this length.

The characters of The Electrical Menagerie, especially the protagonist, Carthage, were by far my favorite part of the book. I loved the characters’ personalities and character arcs--again, Carthage in particular. Several of the characters were lifelike and well-developed, so that they leaped off the page in energetic and fascinating detail. Huxley was my other favorite--I found his high-strung, intense personality, boyish wildness, and hidden struggles endearing. Most of the other characters weren't as compelling as the two main guys, but that duo made the entire book.

But my favorite aspect of the book was, without a doubt, the protagonist. I deeply, deeply identified with Carthage, because of what he goes through and because of his past. That isn’t usually true for a character that much older than me. And I loved him as a person, even without that. He has a sweet, innocent, childlike spirit, wonder, and imagination. But he’s also a strong, mature man with unwavering and noble character and ideals. He succeeds in embodying the best aspects of childhood and manhood. He has a soaring ability to dream sparkling dreams, chase them, and succeed in capturing them, while also being honest, humble, and down-to-earth. And I love that he’s compassionate and kind--that’s one of the most important things. But underneath, he’s insecure, hurting, and struggling--while all the while keeping it locked away deep inside, behind a confident exterior. My heart went out to him from the first page, and I spent the whole book wanting to protect and comfort him and keep him safe--while also knowing that with his strong, independent, manly personality, he’d hate that! I loved Carthage’s characterization and character development so much, and I loved watching him grow. He felt so, so real to me, like someone I know intimately--like a beloved friend, but in an even deeper way than that, because his skillfully written narration conveyed all his thoughts and feelings in a sharply powerful yet understated way.

I identified with Carthage so deeply that this book made me cry, not once, but twice within a single chapter, only the second chapter of the book. And throughout the first chapter, I was overwhelmed by wave after wave of emotion as I experienced the brilliantly written, sweetly heartbreaking scene and discovered the story and main character for the first time. My heart broke for him from the first, and I longed for him to find healing and peace. What he’s been through reminds me of what I have been through. And the second time I cried, I sobbed for myself as well as him. It’s rare that I cry actual tears in a book--it has to move me very deeply and take me completely by surprise, so I don’t usually cry real tears even though I emote. But this book made me freely and uncontrollably weep/bawl/sob with tears streaming down my face. The good kind of tears--the healing, freeing kind. Because not only did Carthage’s pain remind me of my own--his story and narration also conveyed a vital, healing truth I desperately needed to hear at the time I read the book, in a way that couldn’t have broke through to me if I had heard it from another source than this vivid, powerfully written novel. Carthage’s themes and character development, his struggles and his journey, were deep and poignant, and I loved every part of him and his story.

On a lighter note, this book made me laugh quite often, as well as making me cry! I chuckled or grinned at the wit and humor, at the entertaining interactions, mishaps, characters, and banter. Huxley was particularly hilarious from his first page, but so was Carthage, and their relationship was best of all.

The writing style was sharp and skillful, with an incredible and explosive impact. Each sentence was powerful and meaningful. I loved it so much. The author chose her words so perfectly, and her style is clear, crisp, and concise, never wasting a word. That said, almost my only complaint about this book--an miniscule one, for the sake of objectivity--was that in spite of the overall clarity, the occasional sentence lacked clarity because of the author’s concise style. I’m all for making every word count, and omitting any that are unnecessary, and the author does it incredibly well. But I think clarity is very important, and it’s important not to lose it. Again, that was an incredibly minor complaint that did not detract from my enjoyment in the least--and only a few sentences in the entire book had that problem. I applaud Ms. Reeder’s stellar writing, and the whole time I was reading, I was noticing wonderful sentences and basking in the joy of reading such a powerfully and skillfully written book.

Practically the only other thing that I found lacking was that the climax wasn’t nearly as spectacular or exciting as the rest of the book. The entire book was spent reeling from perfectly timed punches and recovery, with more and more amazing events. And there were some pretty exciting things that happened in the climax, but it didn’t quite match the build-up of the rest. However, I was so captivated that I barely noticed that, and it didn’t keep me from enjoying the climax and everything else--cause the characters are what I care about the most.

Practically the only other thing that I found lacking was that the climax wasn’t nearly as spectacular or exciting as the rest of the book. The entire book was spent reeling from perfectly timed punches and recovery, with more and more amazing events. And there were some pretty exciting things that happened in the climax, but it didn’t quite match the build-up of the rest. However, I was so captivated that I barely noticed that, and it didn’t keep me from enjoying the climax and everything else--cause the characters are what I care about the most.

I’m so, so glad I read this book. I almost didn’t. When I first heard about The Electrical Menagerie, I thought it looked like a great book, but not one I’d enjoy. I refused to read it even when a dear friend raved about it and told me I might love it. But she pestered me so much--and I trust her so much--that I finally heeded her and agreed to read it. I still wasn’t sure if I’d like it, but I thought there was a chance I would. But everything I kept hearing after that made me more and more excited to read The Electrical Menagerie, until I was nearly certain I’d love it--so much that it was at the top of my list of books to read and buy. I’m so glad I read it, and that I invested in a gorgeous paperback. Just look at that stellar blue-and-gold cover of the edition I own, and the elephant!!

I had very high expectations, but this book blew all of them away, and was completely unexpected and wonderful. My friend was right--I did love it. Far more, and in deeper and more personal ways, than I ever could have guessed! I’m so, so grateful to her for urging me to read it, because it’s a new favorite. I’ve already passed on the favor by recommending it ardently to other friends. My younger brother read and adored it already, and even my little sister--to young to read it yet--was exhilarated by the cover and the first hint of a premise, and she’s already dying to read it when she’s old enough.

I’m so glad I knew nearly nothing about this book when I started reading it--that allowed me to discover the story for myself as the author and characters skillfully revealed it to me, as I watched in wide-eyed, joyous wonder. I knew that it was something about a steampunk circus, but I didn’t know anything else--and I loved everything about it. So I won’t spoil any other details for anyone else, besides vague discussion of the characters.

This was my first time reading anything remotely steampunk, and I thought I wouldn’t like that aspect--but I adored even that, and it fascinated and delighted me. This book was a fantastic introduction to the genre, and it had just the right amount of steampunk without overwhelming me with robots I care nothing about--though it had one robot I did care about. I’m not too big on most speculative fiction, except some types of fantasy, but this fantastical, out-of-this-world book won me over completely from the first.

The Electrical Menagerie is classified as adult fiction, and most of the characters are adults, but it’s the sort of book that can be enjoyed equally by teens and adults of all ages. I recommend it for teens and up because of moderate violence (injury, fight scenes, and murder/attempted murder) and mild romance (very clean, with one almost-kiss). It’s nothing that would bother most teens, though extremely sensitive readers of any age would have a problem with the violence.

Let me pause here to say that this is exactly the type of book I’ve been craving--wholesome fiction for adults that appeals to all ages--and that doesn’t have any of the grossness or darkness that’s present in so much of adult and young adult fiction. In addition, it’s timeless and adventurous, both of which are things I love in any book. The Electrical Menagerie has such a bright, youthful quality, but the protagonist can’t be called young--and he himself has a youthfulness and a great maturity. I’ve been wanting fiction just like this, and I’ve been satisfied for now--but I want more!

I’ve heard people compare The Electrical Menagerie to The Greatest Showman and Jules Verne, and I heartily agree that it would appeal to fans of both. But I haven’t seen The Greatest Showman, and I haven’t read Jules Verne except for Around the World in Eighty Days--and I don’t think I’d enjoy either one. But I LOVED The Electrical Menagerie, so I recommend it highly whether or not you enjoy either of those other works.

The Electrical Menagerie would appeal to anyone who loves sci-fi, or fantasy, or historical fantasy--even though it’s none of those, it has elements of all three. And if you like historical fiction and don’t mind a dose of fantasy thrown in, or if you're a fan of Sherlock Holmes, you’ll love this as well. If you love steampunk or Jules Verne, however, this is absolutely a must-read! I don’t like steampunk, but I loved even the steampunk aspects of this book, so don’t be shy about reading it if you’re like me. So whoever you are, and whatever your tastes--go read The Electrical Menagerie without delay!


I absolutely cannot wait to read more by Ms. Reeder, and I’m eagerly anticipating the Celestial Isles sequels.


A glowing 5 stars. Highly, highly recommended.… (mere)

This awesome novelette is FREE on Amazon today!

I recently bought, read, and LOVED The Sixth Christmas, a holiday novelette by Mollie E. Reeder. I wanted to turn around and read it again long before I even finished my first read.

It's a perfect Christmas-y tale of redemption, and a worthy successor to A Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life.

Jack hates Christmas, and only a shocking disaster and crisis of existence has a chance of changing that. He's a workaholic jerk who's also charismatic and surprisingly lovable. The reader gets to witness his journey to something better, as we slowly find out what made him the person he is, and as we root for him to grow, change, and find his way back to his normal life--but as a better man.

Ultimately, Jack is faced with a vital choice. Will he keep walking on the path he's on, the path leading from his past and present into a frightening future? Or will he make the difficult decision to take a dramatic turn in the road, and go on to a harder but better life?

The Sixth Christmas is a powerful story in every way--characters, themes, writing, story, relationships. It has immense heart and depth.

Jack is a fabulous character, and I cared about him deeply from the start. I even liked him, in a way, even though he's not a likeable person--because he has good hidden deep down despite his selfishness. I love a good redemption arc, and this one is fabulous! It really is very much like A Christmas Carol, in the best way--for more than just the protagonist.

The Sixth Christmas is also witty and entertaining. I highly enjoyed the dialogue, narration, crazy situations, and general humor.

I literally could not put this book down--I stopped reading only once, for a meal. I HAD to find out what happened. I held on, with immense enjoyment and increasing wide-eyed wonder, and my heart in my throat, through every up, down, twist, and turn of the story. It wasn't intense in a usual way, but the characters and story were intense in a different way.

I was riveted the entire time I was reading, as I watched the fascinating story unfold. The story, characters, and writing kept me engaged, even though reading has been hard for me lately. My focus usually wavers, but it never did with this book.

In addition to the stellar protagonist and themes, one of my favorite aspects of the book was the primary supporting character, a young woman and friend of Jack's who inspires him to change. I loved her steadfast goodness, and her friendship with Jack.

I had very few quibbles and no significant dislikes.

The Sixth Christmas will appeal equally well to fans of contemporary, historical, or speculative fiction--so don't hesitate to read it, no matter who you are!

And even if, like me, you don't typically read or enjoy Christmas books, you'll still enjoy this one! Christmas is an important part of it, but the book truly centers around character growth and redemption.

I highly recommend this awesome novelette!

Reread December 2019:

I really did go back and read the book again just a few days after I read it the first time! It was just as amazing the second time, even if I wasn't glued to the pages, dying to find out what would happen next. I hardly ever read a book twice in one year, much less in the space of a week or two. It's a new favorite Christmas read.… (mere)

The Electrical Menagerie by Mollie E. Reeder and narrated by Travis Baldree is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary. This was a fresh change from what I had been reading. I love steampunk and this was excellent! Adding in a circus feel, the steampunk, and then murder, and more, it took this novel over the 'big top'! Loved the characters, especially one of the "electricals". Plot and twists kept the story rolling.
With Travis Baldree as narrator is was bound to be good! Excellent voices and emotions! Great job!… (mere)