Library Journal
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Popular poet Lionel Savage has a problem. His poetry has run dry, his sister Lizzie has been kicked out of boarding school, and he has inadvertently sold his new bride, Vivien, to the Devil (the gentleman of the title). Lionel has also discovered that, contrary to his expectation, he both dearly loves his wife and wants her back. When his brother-in-law, the famous adventurer Ashley Lancaster, comes to town, the two form a plan to steal back Vivien. With the help of the unconventional Lizzie, their mysterious butler, the adventurous Ashley, and an inventor of a steam-powered flying machine, Lionel needs only to find the entrance to Hell and save his beloved. What could go wrong? Narrating his tale as an edited autobiography, Lionel offers shallow introspection as he talks of his exploits. The hilarious footnotes offered by his "editor" add depth and insight to his musings. VERDICT With lively illustrations by -Mahendra Singh (The Hunting of the Snark), this debut Victorian steampunk novel is a fun romp with witty wordplay, a diverse array of quirky characters, and a surprisingly lovely ending. [See Prepub Alert, 2/8/16.]-Jennifer Beach, -Longwood Univ., Lib. Farmville, VA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly
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In this riotous send-up of Victorian literature and Victorian manners, Lionel Savage is a middling poet who runs out of money. To avoid penury, he enters into a loveless marriage with the wealthy Vivien Lancaster. But six months into the marriage, Lionel finds that the marriage has sapped his vital poetic spark. Then, at a masked party held by his wife, he meets the Gentleman, a stranger who ultimately reveals himself to be the "Dev'l." The next day, Vivien is missing and Lionel realizes that he must have accidentally sold her to the Gentleman. To rescue her, Lionel recruits an intrepid band consisting of Simmons, his back-talking manservant; Ashley Lancaster, his brother-in-law, an explorer newly returned to London; Will Kensington, an inventor of flying machines; and his 16-year-old sister, Lizzie Savage, recently expelled from boarding school for having sex with the dean's son. Pinpointing a volcano in Iceland as the entrance to hell, Lionel and company find it difficult to get out of London when they are mistaken for government spies, then anarchists, and are forced to flee from the police. Lionel is also challenged to no fewer than three duels on the way to a surprising ending. In his debut, Leo does an inspired job of parodying the conventions of Victorian fiction. Hilarious dialogue, a Pythonesque sense of the absurd, and comical complications worthy of Thorne Smith at his "dev'lish" best round out the tale. Agent: Mitchell Waters, Curtis Brown. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.