The Doctor by C.S. Poe

Narrated by Declan Winters

C.S Poe’s steampunk Magic & Steam series gets better and better with each instalment, delivering a cracking blend of romance, humour, high-stakes action and nail-biting tension as our two heroes – quiet, self-contained lawman Gillian Hamilton and sexy outlaw Gunner the Deadly – battle mad scientists, mechanical men and dangerous gangsters in a steampunk version of New York in the 1880s.

Note: There are spoilers for the previous books in the series this review.

The author dropped a massive bombshell at the end of The Gangster when the past Gillian has worked so long and hard to hide finally caught up with him and he was revealed to be Simon Fitzgerald, a wanted war criminal known as the Butcher of Antietam on account of the atrocities he was forced to commit during the Great Conflict when he was a ten-year-old boy. Just before he was taken into custody by agents of the Federal Bureau of Magic and Steam, a desperate Gillian urged Gunner to leave him to his fate – and when the book opens, Gillian has been spent almost two months incarcerated in the Home for the Magically Insane on Blackwell’s Island.

During those months, starved, abused, subjected to experimental ‘treatments’ and heartbroken over losing Gunner, Gillian is on the verge of giving up hope. Not only does he fear for his life and his sanity, he knows it’s just a matter of time before the Council – the non-magical politicians who regulate magic users – will want to use him as a weapon once more. Worse, he’s powerless to do anything about the very real danger to the magical community being caused by the use of the illegal magic Quintessence, which threatens the undercurrent of power drawn on by all magic users. But everything changes when a visiting doctor by the name of Eugene Barrie actually listens to his concerns and takes them seriously. Barrie helps Gillian to escape, and when Gillian explains his plan to travel to California to track down the architect – spell-maker – who created Quintessence, and the man known as Sawbones, who created Tick Tock’s gruesome army of man-machines, Barrie offers to accompany him – an offer Gillian gratefully accepts. He also hopes that maybe – just maybe – he’ll be able to find Gunner, too, and beg his forgiveness for sending him away.

Well, of course, Gillian and Gunner are reunited in a most satisfying and dramatic manner, and once that happens, everything kicks up a gear as our heroes discover the truth about Quintessence – what it’s really being used for and by whom – and learn more about each other and their pasts. The revelations come thick and fast in this one; it seems Gillian isn’t the only keeper of big secrets and more of Gunner’s backstory comes to light here. He’s always been enigmatic – he never lies, but is always careful about what he discloses – so the truth about his past comes as a complete surprise and the author plays a blinder when she reveals the exact nature of the thread tying Gillian and Gunner together.

Both characters are superbly characterised and developed. Gillian has spent the last ten years of his life hiding in plain sight, behind a nondescript appearance and a self-effacing persona, as a way of ensuring his survival. It’s been clear for some time that his magical abilities are way stronger than anyone has ever suspected – and he’s been very careful to keep it that way, only too aware of what could happen if he were to be found out. But beneath the proper lawman is an endearingly sweet yet vulnerable badass with a dry sense of humour and a yearning to love and be loved, and it’s wonderful to see him at last leaving behind that life of rigidity and repression to be himself – both in terms of his magic and who he loves. His backstory is heart-breaking and he’s been through a lot, but he’s a survivor. Gunner is his perfect match; he’s always seen through the mask Gillian wore to the man behind it struggling to remain unobtrusive and ordinary, and has clearly suspected the truth about his magic. He’s your classic strong, silent type, but he’s so much more than that; he may be an outlaw, but he has a big heart and a more deeply held idea of honour than most, and his love for Gillian is evident in everything he says and does. Best of all, he really sees Gillian and knows what he needs in a partner – someone to believe in him and have his back without question.

C.S. Poe does an absolutely fabulous job in The Doctor of combining a fast-paced, high-stakes plot with the unfolding of backstory, the development of the romance and some wonderfully evocative set pieces and action scenes. The series may be set in an AU, but this version of 1880s New York City is so meticulously researched as to have the real ring of authenticity about it. We get to catch up with series regulars Loren Moore (I may have sighed just a little bit over the emergence of Jealous!Gunner) – and bare-knuckle fighter Addison O’Dea, who is instrumental in helping Gillian to safety after his escape. There’s little let-up as we barrel towards the explosive – in more ways than one – climax in which Gillian and Gunner are confronted with the stuff of nightmares.

Declan Winters has very quickly become a favourite narrator – largely because of his work on this series – and he delivers another terrific performance here. Many of the people I know who are listening to these books are more than a little in love with his version of Gunner the Deadly (or is that just me?!), with those deep, gravelly tones that move between wry humour, tenderness and affection and cold-as-steel ruthlessness, sometimes in the blink of an eye. He adopts a slightly higher pitch and softer timbre for Gillian, expertly rendering the different facets of his character – his reticence and vulnerability, but also his determination and new-found confidence – and packs a real punch in the more intense and emotional moments, so that the listener is right there with Gillian as he brokenly stands before Addison, or pours out his heart to Gunner. Their interactions, their chemistry and their connection are all perfectly judged, the action scenes are imbued with just the right degree of urgency and tension, and the secondary characters are clearly differentiated (although Addison’s Irish accent can be a bit wobbly!).

The Doctor is another enthralling instalment in what is proving to be a truly excellent series. It’s a fantastic story full of action, adventure and romance with a well-realised setting and two protagonists who are easy to like and root for. Add in the superb performance by Declan Winters and you’ve got one of my favourite audiobooks of 2022 so far.

Caz

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