Rapid Review - Tooth and Claw

Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton: I'm pretty sure I saw a recommendation for this on somebody's blog, if it was you, please feel free to comment so I can give you proper credit and a link.

This is a wonderful Victorian style novel about the circumstances following a family after their father dies, including the adventures of the younger daughters in finding future husbands and getting enough money to make up a dowry, the eldest brother's worries about his status in the church, and the younger brother's life in the big city. Unlike the real Victorian novels, this book is short enough to read in a couple of sittings. Also unlike real Victorian novels, the main characters in the book are all dragons. There were moments that I felt that the story could have moved along just a wee bit faster, but to do so would have sacrificed some of the style along with the motivations of a couple of characters.

In any case, this was a fun read, well worth picking up at the store or library, and Jo Walton is definitely an author to watch. A paperback version of this book is due out in December.