The Owl Consults

We are the Owl. We are the terror that flaps in the--wait, no, that's someone else. But we are the Owl. We're the person all the other villains turn to when they get into a tight spot, and this time we've got two different villains on the line with us at the same time ... and wouldn't you know it, they're on the same airship. And bad things will happen if they meet.

This means we're switching between two different viewpoints as we control two different characters with very different powers and sensibilities. It's as much fun as it sounds, due in no small part to the writing. The two different viewpoints come off deliciously, balancing the snarky, cynical, and very British master thief with the predictably over-the-top mad--er, "sanity-challenged"--scientist. I did think we'd be in for a treat from the very opening, when the author managed to set the tone and the period in just a few economical lines.

You'd think the complexities of the plot--what with everything having to be described twice and all the jumping around between perspectives--would result in some coding hiccups, but what I found was pretty seamlessly put together. The experience was perfectly smooth, with nothing to hinder one's appreciation of the work.

Breakfast: on one side, a small crepe with ham and cheddar; on the other, a glazed brioche striped with chocolate; the two tied together with a cappucino so smooth the caffeine hit comes as a total surprise.