What Happens at Madame Antic’s stays at Madame Antics
Factory worker Anthony Reynolds is seeking to move up in his social status. Having recently become engaged he wants to give his bride to be a life more than the meagre living they are currently eking out. When he is invited out for a night out on the town by an affluent and influential coworker, he agrees as he feels this could be a step up the social ladder. Richard takes Anthony to the infamous Madame Antic’s Hotel Grotesque, a well-known house of ill repute in the middle of “Hell Town” where people pay to be mutilated without fear of lasting effects thanks to a special drug they take beforehand. When the establishment is raided and in the ensuing chaos in trying to escape capture, Anthony bumps into a large tumor looking man who gets some goo on him. Waking up in the police station and being falsely referred to by another name, he finds that he is now covered in pustules, but unlike the other detainees, instead of eventually returning to normal, his condition is only worsening. Working with a Blue Woman, Anthony goes on the run, in search of Ricard as well as the elusive Madame Antic to restore his mistaken identity and get back to his prior life. But the more Anthony delves into the mysteries surrounding Richard and this Peter Gideon that he has been mistaken for, the more it seems that his life has never been what he had thought. From his acquaintance and coworker, Ricard to several other persons and places, Anthony’s reality is shifting and it’s becoming harder to tell what is and is not real. Throughout it all, the only constant thread seems to be that all parties involved are after the person known only as “the Cancer” but for different reasons. Anthony’s reality and the fate of the entire city will depend on who gets to him first.
Madame Antic’s Hotel Grotesque by author Milo James Fowler was initially released in 2021 and can only be described as a noir/steampunk/Matrix-esque mash up. The protagonist, Anthony is quite likeable, and it was very easy for me to feel sympathy toward him. As his predicament became more and more ridiculous, due to the setting of the story it just felt like another twist in an already convoluted knot. Yes, some of the scenarios were outlandish and hard to believe, but Fowler calls himself a “Speculative Fictioneer” and in a genre where the sky is literally the limit, he excels in reaching new heights. For me, it was these most outlandish scenes and scenarios that really stuck in my memory. While this is the first in what was apparently going to be a series, the sequel appears to be on hold as any current copies of this installment are listed as unavailable both in online retail sites as well as the author’s page.
It’s a shame that I slept on this title for so long, this truly was an excellent story with great potential, and I hope that the author decides to pick it up for a future continuation. If you manage to get your hands on a copy of this title I highly recommend picking it up. You will not be sorry.
Full disclosure – I was provided an advanced reader’s copy of this book by the author or their representative but have voluntarily provided a review. All opinions are my own
Jennly Reads 