''To Visit the Queen'' (1998) (titled ''On Her Majesty's Wizardly Service'' in the UK edition) is a fantasy
steampunk
Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and aesthetics inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the Victorian era or ...
novel by
Diane Duane
Diane Duane (born May 18, 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy author, long based in Ireland. Her works include the ''Young Wizards'' young adult fantasy series and the '' Rihannsu'' Star Trek novels.
Biography
Born in New York ...
.
Its plot deals with the invention of nuclear weapons in Victorian Britain, thanks to the evil intervention of the
Lone Power and the efforts of Duane's wizard feline adventurers to save the day.
It was a sequel to ''
The Book of Night with Moon'' (1997). In its review, ''
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...
'' said, "Duane presents her usual felicitous mix of magical high adventure and humor, avoiding much of the preciousness that can infect anthropomorphic fantasy. Even those who don't fancy felines should enjoy this purr of a tale." ''
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
'' was somewhat less kind, criticising what it termed "a slow start" and "mind numbing details" in a book aimed squarely at the young adult market.
Cultural reference
The title ''To Visit the Queen'' is a cultural reference to the English
rhyming
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds (usually, the exact same phonemes) in the final stressed syllables and any following syllables of two or more words. Most often, this kind of perfect rhyming is consciously used for a musical or aesthetic ...
poem known as "
Pussy Cat Pussy Cat
"Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat" or "Pussycat, Pussycat" is a popular English language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 15094.
Lyrics and melody
Common modern versions include:
:Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?
:I've been to ...
"; it is the second line of the poem.
[I. Opie and P. Opie, ''The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes'' (Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), p. 357.] The British title ''On Her Majesty's Wizardly Service'' is reminiscent of the James Bond title ''
On Her Majesty's Secret Service''.
One element of the plot bears a similarity to
Project A119
Project A119, also known as A Study of Lunar Research Flights, was a top-secret plan developed in 1958 by the United States Air Force. The aim of the project was to detonate a nuclear bomb on the Moon, which would help in answering some of th ...
.
See also
*''
Anti-Ice
This is the complete bibliography of British science fiction author Stephen Baxter.
Xeelee Sequence
Destiny's Children
The Destiny's Children series is part of the Xeelee Sequence
The Xeelee Sequence (; ) is a series of hard science f ...
''
*''
Queen Victoria's Bomb
''Queen Victoria's Bomb'' is a steampunk novel by Ronald W. Clark, published in 1967. Its plot surrounds the invention of a nuclear weapon in the Victorian era which might be used to win the Crimean War.
See also
*''Anti-Ice''
*''To Visit the ...
''
*''
Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office
Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office is the title of the official resident cat at 10 Downing Street, the residence and executive office of the prime minister of the United Kingdom in London. There has been a resident cat in the British government ...
''
References
1998 American novels
American fantasy novels
American steampunk novels
Young Wizards
Science fantasy novels
Sequel novels
Novels about cats
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