The Steam Pump Jump (The Chronicles of St Mary’s #9.6)

Max is laid up in sick bay after falling off the roof in the last book of St. Marys Chronicles. Gotta read the earlier books for this one to make any sense to you. Anyway, Max calls Markham in for a special assignment. She wants him to match make Peterson and Lingoss. Peterson is still grieving the loss of his lover and feeling sad most of the time. Max wants Markham to make the next jump back to view the first steam engine blow water in the air and to help Peterson and Lingoss bond. Well, as you can imagine what can go wrong goes wrong. They almost drown in the moat and then must endure sick bay when they return..dirty water in the moat. It is short but sweet and gets the reader in the mood for the next long story which will be out soon….I hope.

This short story very much needs the context of pretty much all of the novels in the Chronicles of St. Mary’s series so far to understand the detail of what’s going on. But otherwise, it’s a “typical” St. Mary’s lark, full of the usual shenanigans and mayhem (#disastermagnets). And as an added bonus, it’s from Markham’s point of view! Any perspective from security department versus the historians is fun, but Markham just adds that much extra flavor.

I felt that the beginning of the tale was a bit drawn out until we got to the interesting bits, but even that section had it’s laugh out loud moments of humor. This tale is not to be missed by St. Mary’s fan(atic)s.

This short story narrated by Markham comes immediately before Hope for the Best. Max is still recuperating from her injuries in the previous novel so while she instigates the jump, she does not go on the trip to see the first steam pump demonstration. It wont spoil anything to tell you that Max is matchmaking for Peterson. This story is light, and the complications are slight by the standard set by the Chronicles of Saint Marys. I much prefer the novels in this series, although when the stories are compiled into a collection, they are more satisfying. This story is referenced several times in Hope for the Best, but I did not read this story until afterwards and it did not diminish my appreciation for Hope for the Best, nor did it lead to any confusion. On the other hand, The Chronicles of Saint Marys series should be read in order. This series has surprisingly linear continuing story arch when you consider that the characters jump back and forth in time. This story is no exception. It will not make sense to you (and trust me, you do want your nonsense to make sense) if you have not read the previous books. And besides, they are good entertainment.

Can’t put my finger on it exactly, but, when I read a story that evokes a strong emotional response it’s magic. Never mind the grammar or punctuation faux pas. The basic reason we read is to be either informed or entertained. Entertainment is Ms Taylor’s forte and she is a Maestro!. It’s always the best part of my day when I’m being entertained by her craft and I’m grateful to her for the gift. Thank you. If you’re reading this and wondering on whether or not to purchase this short story, let me help you. Buy it, it’ll be the best thing you’ll do today and you’ll be hooked. You’ll see.

I love when Markham gets to narrate. Max is laid up after Argumentation and entrusts Markham with a personal project. Lingoss wants to jump to some steam pump demonstration that happens just before the English Civil War. As R&D she loves that nonsense. Peterson seems happy-ish around her so Max wants to give it a prod. She enlists Markham to help get them alone time on the jump. Of course this is St Mary’s and it is Markham so things go a bit sideways but in a lovely way. Lingoss is smart and figures out what is going on which should make things lovely in the next book! So excited and always love a visit to St Marys even the short ones

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