Penny Dreadful

(4.5 / 5)

A long time ago, White Wolf still existed and while they were still shocking to be shocking in parts, they weren't also Nazi helpers. So, sometimes things were better in the past. Yay for being old.

One of the great things was the fun fiction that White Wolf had for their World of Darkness RPG world. The best one they released on the site, IMHO, was Penny Dreadful. The main character is a Mage, but this is the first novel I'm aware of that had cross-splat characters that weren't just fodder. That White Wolf put out at least. From the site, I gift you a blurb:

Penelope Anne Drizkowski-Penny Dreadful to her friends-leads an interesting life, but it's starting to get just a bit too interesting. First off, a young lady has enough trouble fending off unwanted advances, but what is one to do when they're from vampires? What about werewolves?

Then again, most girls aren't witches. With the help of a silver luckpiece, a mummified hand and a talking black cat, any number of things are possible. For example, protecting two helpless orphans. Well, not completely helpless-and their father's a vampire, so they're not precisely orphaned either-but Melanie and Malory Gorian still need her help, and she intends to give it.

Of course, mixing Jewish folklore with Catholic heresy isn't the best idea, especially when you add magick. And looking for helpful hints in an evil sorceress's Books of Shadows doesn't exactly help matters, especially when our heroine is forced to use an ancient and obscene rite, too dreadful to be mentioned here, except to relate that it will shock, horrify and amaze!

Black magick, windswept mansions, ghostly visitations, sinister housekeepers and any number of locked chests-as well as butter knives, Number Two pencils, fountain pens and Hello Kitty. After all, this is '90s, and Goth is in.

As of time of publishing, you've got 16 hours to get it for a super-cheap price; otherwise you'll just have to settle for a cheap price. It was fun, silly, and had about as an interesting a way of dealing with a rampaging Werewolf you'll ever read.

Eep.