Oh, you're a Steampunk fan. You just don't know it yet. The Alexander Legacy company includes a diverse collection of classic characters on the track of a ruthless enslaver of souls. Prowl the foggy London streets. Encounter a nightmare from an Indian jungle. Travel the Thames in Sluefoot Sue's giant Catfish. Soar on a stealth glider with a Bohemian prince. When Oliver Twist unwraps an Algerian mummy at Charley Bates' funeral, will he discover his true enemy? Or is it all just another "Dodge"? "I'm sorry, but my time is very short just now. I have tried for months to locate you, and have only just today succeeded. The other members of the group I propose to create are en route or are already here. Everyone else has been made aware of my plan. I truly wish to explain things more clearly to you, and then if you agree, to invite you to attend our first meeting as a formal association tomorrow. Can I count on you to come, please, and will you hear my plan?" the woman pleaded. "This is the most important thing I've ever done, and I pray God I have chosen the right people. I also pray that the right people will choose to pledge their help."

Oliver Twist takes up the tale of the company's adventures after "the Battle of the Bronze Cascade". Can he trust Spring-heeled Jack when so many strange things happen each time he comes around? Costume balls conceal more than the faces of the wealthy and powerful. Trevor Newsome disappears just days before the election but they can't search for him from the London Lockup. When the trip to Switzerland finally becomes a reality, it's for a funeral, not for a wedding. They begin to learn about quests for power and immortality. In Switzerland they see different kinds of worship of very different kinds of men with terrifying and tragic consequences. And when Long John Silver arrives, Oliver has to do some fast thinking to protect more than just his own life from the pirate who says he only cares about rescuing his daughter. "Twist! Look out!" I spun and swung wildly as the crack of a Colt revolver split the air. Sluefoot Sue had both her firearms out and was shooting at something below me. To my astonishment tentacles rose out of the Thames and wrapped themselves around the Catfish. Each time one of Sue's bullets struck them they disappeared under the water again, but when she paused to reload they re-emerged and began to reach for me, climbing the Catfish sub. I hastily winched myself over toward the dock but a tentacle grabbed hold of my leg just as I started to set myself down.