Line #49 Literature/TheSinisterMysteryOfTheMesmerizingGirl


1	[[quoteright:331:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/51mvcqmnzll_sx329_bo1204203200.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:331: Finally, they realized they were the monsters.]]
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4	A 2019 ScienceFiction, MassiveMultiplayerCrossover, [[MysteryFiction mystery]] written by Theodora Goss. It is the third and final entry in the ''Literature/ExtraordinaryAdventuresOfTheAthenaClub'', following after ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfTheAlchemistsDaughter'' and ''Literature/EuropeanTravelForTheMonstrousGentlewoman''.
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6	Life's always an adventure for the Athena Club... especially when one of their own has been kidnapped! After their thrilling European escapades rescuing [[Literature/{{Dracula}} Lucinda Van Helsing]] Mary [[Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde Jekyll]] and her friends return home to discover that their friend and kitchen maid Alice has vanished - and so has their ally and employer [[Franchise/SherlockHolmes Sherlock Holmes]]!
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8	As they race to find Alice and bring her home to safety, they discover that Alice and Sherlock's kidnappings are only one small part of a plot that threatens UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria and the very future of the British Empire. Can Mary, Diana, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rappaccini%27s_Daughter Beatrice]], [[Literature/TheIslandOfDoctorMoreau Catherine]], and [[Literature/{{Frankenstein}} Justine]] save their friends - and save the empire?
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10	----
11	!! This book provides examples of:
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13	* EleventhHourRanger: Though Alice has been present since the first book, she only really joins with the rest of the Athena Club for the final battle and becomes a member in the trilogy's second to last scene.
14	* AdaptationalHeroism: Dorian Gray is a hedonist and ultimately responsible for Oscar Wilde's imprisonment, but he proves to be helpful to the Athena Club and develops a true friendship with Justine, making him a far cry from the murderer he was in Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray.
15	* AdaptationalVillainy:
16	** [[Literature/TheJewelOfSevenStars Margaret Trelawny]] in this version is a resentful and ambitious woman who will do whatever it takes to gain power.
17	** Though she's more of a tragic villain, Helen Raymond applies as she was a member of the Athena Club in Theodora Goss's original novella, [[http://strangehorizons.com/2010/20100118/daughter-f.shtml "The Mad Scientist's Daughter."]]
18	* AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent: The book starts with eight whole pages (fifteen minutes in the audio version) of Ayesha as a young woman in Ancient Egypt before Mary steps in and makes Catherine start with the main characters. Catherine had intended to go much longer before going to the rest of the Athena Club. She says it'll be less exciting to start with the Athena Club.
19	* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: Moriarty, Dr. Raymond, Dr. Seward, Quincy Morris, Lord Godalming, Colonel Moran, and arguably Jonathan Harker; all of whom die horribly from Queen Tera's fire.]] More than one person says that they're glad to know that [[spoiler: Dr. Seward and Dr. Raymond]] are dead.
20	* BadassInDistress: Sherlock Holmes is kept locked up and/or drugged for the majority of the novel.
21	* BadassNormal: Laura Jennings, despite having absolutely no special abilities of her own, [[spoiler: shoots [[KnightOfCerebus Queen Tera]] six times, incapacitating her long enough for Diana to cut her head off.]]
22	* BigBad: Queen Tera.
23	* TheBigDamnKiss: [[spoiler: Mary and Sherlock; though Mary wishes that scene wasn't included.]]
24	* BitchInSheepsClothing: Margaret Trelawny starts out genuinely nice to Alice, but she is extremely ruthless, not caring for who gets in her way, [[spoiler: eventually trying to shoot Alice in the final battle. Helen takes the bullet for her.]]
25	* BoringReturnJourney: While SCAD subverted this, SMMG has Mary, Justine, and Diana (and later, Catherine, Beatrice, Lucinda, and Laura) return to England in short order because the important plot details are going on back in England.
26	* UsefulNotes/{{Cornwall}}: Nearly the entire second volume takes place in Cornwall.
27	* DeathByAdaptation: Malcolm Ross died in the experiments done by Professor Trelawny.
28	* DemotedToExtra:
29	** Played straight with most of the supporting characters from [[Literature/EuropeanTravelForTheMonstrousGentlewoman ETMG]], except for Laura.
30	** ZigZagged with Holmes and Watson. Holmes and Watson were major characters in SCAD and hardly present during ETMG, but they are much more important once again.
31	* DesignatedGirlFight: Inverted. In the Battle of Kyllion Keep, 12 of the 13 participants (except Sherlock Holmes) are women.
32	* DiabolicalMastermind: This is certainly how Moriarty is presented in the first half of the novel, and he certainly thinks of himself this way. [[spoiler: Surprisingly subverted with Moriarty (given his reputation in other adaptations) halfway through the novel when he gets completely blindsided by Helen Raymond and Margaret Trelawny and incinerated by Queen Tera.]]
33	* DiedInYourArmsTonight: [[spoiler: Helen dies in Alice's arms after being shot by Margaret Trelawny.]]
34	* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: In [[Literature/{{Dracula}} Dracula]], [[spoiler: Quincy Morris is mortally wounded in the final battle with Dracula. In the Athena Club's world, that confrontation never took place, but he dies along with the other men by being burned alive by Queen Tera.]]
35	* DisneyDeath: Justine is struck by Queen Tera in the British Museum, crumpling to the floor. Yet, she wakes up later in 11 Park Terrace and participates in the rest of the novel. Ayesha believes that anybody who wasn't as MadeOfIron as Justine would have died from Queen Tera's lightning.
36	* EvilCannotComprehendGood: It doesn't even seem to cross Helen Raymond's mind that Alice might not ''like'' to see Dr. Watson or the Baker Street boys shot at, her Athena Club friends menaced, or her country betrayed and overthrown. Likewise, she takes it for granted that Alice must've hated being a maid, a job the girl was quite content with.
37	* FirstNameBasis: Helen Raymond goes from being referred to in the text as "Mrs. Raymond" to "Helen" as she becomes more sympathetic, though this varies depending on whose perspective the story is being told from.
38	* FlatCharacter: Unlike the rest of the Order of the Golden Dawn, Lord Godalming has next to no characterization at all.
39	* HistoricalDomainCharacter:
40	** Queen Victoria is the target of the plot by the villains and has a cameo at the end.
41	** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertha_Benz Bertha Benz]] is a friend of Carmilla and Laura and the one who designed thier motorcar. She is responsible for transporting Laura and Lucinda to England while she is touring to show off her newest model of motorcar.
42	* HumanSacrifice: [[spoiler: Required for the resurrection of Queen Tera.]] See AssholeVictim above.
43	* IndyPloy: Attempted by ''[[TheStrategist Mary]]'' of all people at the British Museum.
44	--> '''Mary:''' Help me! I have to get to Sherlock!
45	--> '''Justine:''' Mary, what are you going to do?
46	--> '''Mary:''' I don't know! I'll think of something!
47	* InstantDeathBullet: While most gunshot wounds in the series avert this, [[spoiler: Helen Raymond drops dead the moment Margaret Trelawny shoots her.]]
48	* KnightOfCerebus: Queen Tera is certainly the most [[PunnyName terrifying]] villain the Athena Club ever faces, and she is introduced by [[spoiler: horribly killing seven men at once.]]
49	* LaterInstallmentWeirdness: In terms of perspective. Unlike the first book, almost exclusively from Mary's perspective, and the second one, in which perspective was consistent within a chapter before switching, the perspective switches between characters far more frequently in SMMG than either of the other books, sometimes multiple times within a chapter. SMMG is also the only book to feature Lucinda's point of view (or her commenting on the narrative like the other Athena Club members have been doing the whole time), Alice's point of view (other than the last page of ETMG), and Ayesha's point of view.
50	* LeeroyJenkins: The Baker Street Boys try to rescue Alice from the well-guarded Soho house via a raid without waiting for information, and against Mary's orders. Nobody dies, but it does not go well.
51	* MassiveMultiplayerCrossover: In addition to the [[Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde intellectual]] [[Literature/TheIslandOfDoctorMoreau properties]] [[Literature/{{Frankenstein}} used]] [[Literature/{{Dracula}} in]] [[Franchise/SherlockHolmes the]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rappaccini%27s_Daughter previous]] [[Literature/{{She}} novels]], this novel features two cameos by [[Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray Dorian Gray]] and fully introduces characters from the fairly obscure ''Literature/TheGreatGodPan'' and ''Literature/TheJewelOfSevenStars''. "Green Tea" by [=LeFanu=] is referenced near the end.
52	* MedalsForEveryone: In the final chapter, Queen Victoria herself visits the Athena Club and gives them all medals for service to the commonwealth.
53	* NoJustNoReaction: By the end of the novel, Mary is absolutely sick of Catherine's advertisements for her other books.
54	--> '''Catherine:''' Every book is as hard to write as every other book. They are never easy.
55	--> '''Mary:''' But I would think the process gets easier, over time?
56	--> '''Catherine:''' You would think. But no, it doesn't. I've had just as hard a time writing this book as I had with the first one. Which is available for sale-
57	--> '''Mary:''' Please. Just stop.
58	* [[OffWithHisHead Off with Her Head!]] [[spoiler: Diana defeats Queen Tera by cutting off her head. Subverted in that it actually takes Diana a long, gross, time to do this and she needs Laura's help to complete the job.]]
59	* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Irene, Mina, and Carmilla destroy a whole nest of the last of Van Helsing's vampires without any help from the rest of the cast or any relevance to the rest of the plot.
60	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: While Diana is probably the most irritable member of the Athena Club, she is genuinely hurt when she learns that the Athena Club has an inside joke policy of "Don't Wake Diana" which is a way to leave her out of things. Instead of cursing them out or being petulant, the Diana commenting on the story runs away from the room Catherine's writing from and is very upset with Catherine for a good chunk of the rest of the commentary.
61	* PerceptionFilter: The most common use of mesmeric waves. Mrs. Raymond, Queen Tera, and Alice use their mesmeric powers to make people's appearances change, people invisible, or once, an entire castle invisible.
62	* PlaceWorseThanDeath: While Diana frequently complains about being left out of the Athena Club's adventures, she straight up refuses to ever return to the Magdalen Society even to investigate it.
63	* PowerGlows: Margaret Trelawny's scarab necklace glows bright red during the ritual at the British Museum and Helen Raymond's energic waves glow all sorts of colors during said ritual.
64	* PutOnABus: Hyde plays no part in SMMG, despite having played such a large part in the first two books. Instead, he's into Castle Frankenstein and he's still probably doing experiments.
65	* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Ayesha tells her story of how she was alive in the time of Ancient Egypt.
66	* RedemptionEqualsDeath: In the second half of the book, [[spoiler: Helen Raymond becomes much more loving toward Alice/Lydia even than she was in the first volume, and Margaret Trelawny shoots Helen in the final battle when she comforts Alice instead of helping in the fight. She]] is still partially responsible for the girls who died in Whitechapel back in the first book, though.
67	* SketchySuccessor: Sister Margaret (now known as [[InsistentTerminology Matron McTavish]]) is not nearly as competent at keeping the Magdalenes under control as Helen Raymond was. Subverted in that the Magdalenes are much happier than they were under Mrs. Raymond's thumb.
68	* SmugSnake: Mary views Professor Moriarty as this.
69	* TakeThatKiss: [[spoiler: Beatrice burns Professor Petronius with a kiss on the cheek when she and Alice rescue the mesmerists in Southwark. The kiss is described as longer than any she ever gave Clarence.]]
70	* VillainDecay: The Alchemical Society was a GreaterScopeVillain in the first book. Van Helsing's faction was the main threat in the second book, while Ayesha and the establishment members of the Alchemical Society were more neutral. Since Van Helsing and his forces were defeated and Seward went on to the Order of the Golden Dawn, the Alchemical Society is not a threat at all in this book.
71	* WhamLine:
72	-->[[spoiler: '''Margaret Trelawny:''' "Preistess of Isis, Queen of Egypt, accept our sacrifice!"]]
73	** Moreso, [[spoiler: Moriarty and Raymond's]] OhCrap reactions to that line.

Context Literature / TheSinisterMysteryOfTheMesmerizingGirl