[review] The Colonel and the Bee by Patrick Canning * book frolic

The Colonel and the Bee by Patrick Canning

The Colonel and the Bee had me venturing back into a genre I rarely read, but have enjoyed in the past – steampunk (with a bit of science fiction and fantasy thrown in for good measure). Described as a “globe-trotting adventure that reads like Sherlock Holmes meets Around the World in Eighty Days”, how could I resist?

Title: The Colonel and the Bee
Author: Patrick Canning
First Published: June 1, 2018
Publisher: Evolved Publishing
Categories: Fantasy, Science Fiction
Acquired: from the author

*** Thank you to the author, Patrick Canning, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. ***

The Amazing Beatrix (Bee) is a teenaged acrobat in a 19th century circus who has no real home or family. At the start of the story, Bee is performing at a private showing and sees English Colonel James Bacchus in the audience. Hoping for a better life and an escape from the abusive ringleader, Ziro, Beatrix convinces the Colonel to take her with him and he reluctantly agrees (although he does warn her that she will need to work for her passage). The duo flies to safety aboard the Colonel’s miraculous four-story hot air balloon.

Thus begins a grand quest to find a priceless figurine, The Blue Star Sphinx. Along the way, the unlikely duo encounter other treasure hunters, escaped convicts, feuding families and a myriad of colourful characters.

The Colonel and the Bee is full of colourful characters ad vivid descriptions

The Colonel and the Bee by Patrick Canning

Bee is smart and highly capable, but she is also very wary of people (who can blame her?) and can be a bit overdramatic in her reactions. I can understand why she was slow to trust anyone (well, except for the Colonel who she literally ran away with). However, it was nice to see how she grew as a character and as a person throughout the story. I was rooting for her and wanted her to find her place in the world by the end of the book.

The Colonel is very intelligent, but he is eccentric, unpredictable and a bit odd. He’s described as a ladies’ man and a rogue and as a fictional character, he is wholly entertaining. I wasn’t sure of his motives at the beginning, but at the end you realize that there is a kind heart underneath that bluster and bravado. In his own words, the Colonel introduces himself to Bee as a “citizen explorer of this marvelous world and tenacious solver of its inhabitants’ many problems.”

Together, “the Colonel and the Bee” make a very unique duo who travel to many beautiful places, from Switzerland to Gibraltar to the Sahara.

There are some very interesting characters sprinkled throughout their journey. I especially loved the charming “Newlyweds”, George and Thelma. They have actually been married for years (and they banter like an old married couple) but the Colonel refers to them as newlyweds because they act like it. Bee also immediately takes a liking to the Scottish couple.

But the real star of this story (in my opinion) is the Oxford Starladder (The Ox), the four-story hot air balloon! It not only graces the cover, but it looms large in the story itself. The descriptions are vivid and fantastic and makes me want to explore it more. It is a mansion in the air and is the main source of all their adventures (I want to spend all my time in its library!)

A fun steampunk adventure

So, as I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I don’t read a lot of steampunk books (although one of my favourite series ever, Stoker and Holmes by Colleen Gleason is a steampunk series) so I won’t really comment on how well it does as a steampunk adventure, but I can tell you that this is definitely a FUN adventure. I loved it. I loved every minute of it. From the Colonel to Bee, from all the interesting characters they meet to the cities they visit and all the shenanigans in between, this is a really fun read. I feel like this would make a great TV series – the visuals alone (and The Ox!) would be fantastic to see come to life.

I’m not sure if there will be a sequel (the book ends on a high note and wraps things up very neatly) but I sure hope so. I feel like there definitely could be more adventures on the horizon for the Colonel and Bee.