The soul of the poet who would be king still seeks immortality - but will it find a home? And will that home be flesh or steel? Revisit the shared Victorian world of transferable souls and intelligent machines introduced in The Shadow Conspiracy. Judith Tarr's irrepressible Emma Rigby prances through a new adventure with automata. Nancy Jane Moore brings us more missions for the mysterious warrior woman, Jane Freemantle. Chris Dolley brings to life a wonderful parody reminiscent of P.G. Wodehouse. Then there are the historical characters who keep popping into our works of fiction. Amy Sterling Casil introduces us to insane artist Richard Dadd and makes us redefine madness. Irene Radford visits Dr. John McLaughlin and his wife Marguerite in the Oregon Country with some questions about when no government is too much government. Pati Nagle gives us some more insight into the life of mystical Marie LaVeau. And always, Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, hovers in the background along with her father, Lord Byron.