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Broken (novel)
Encyclopedia
Broken is a fantasy
novel
by written by Kelley Armstrong
. It is the sixth in her Women of the Otherworld
series and has the return of Elena Michaels
as narrator.
's From Hell letter
away from a Toronto collector who had himself stolen it from the British police files. It seems simple, but in the process Elena accidentally triggers a spell placed on the letter which opens a portal into the nether regions of Victorian London. With thieving vampires, killer rats and unstoppable zombies on the loose, Elena and the Pack must find a way to close the portal before it is too late. To add to the confusion, Elena herself is pregnant with Clay's child (actually twins).
The story begins with Elena worrying about her current pregnancy. She has concerns about what effect her werewolf
nature will have on the unborn child, something with no recorded precedent in Pack knowledge. Clay and Jeremy, also concerned, have imposed a number of restrictions on her actions too, which Elena accepts but is also frustrated by. She is, therefore, not entirely displeased to hear from Xavier Reese who offers her a deal: he will hand over information about a rogue mutt the Pack have been seeking in exchange for the Pack's help in stealing an artefact from a sorcerer - the From Hell letter.
The deal is agreed to and, after the mutt has been dealt with, Jeremy steals the letter. As they leave, however, Clay squashes a mosquito and smears Elena's blood on the document. This activates an inter-dimensional portal, which releases individuals previously entrapped there during the Victorian era
. Now zombies, these track Elena, putting her and her unborn offspring at risk.
Attempting to rescue her, the Pack kill these zombies, but to their shock they keep returning. In addition, cholera
has infected the Toronto
water-supply and the city's rats have become diseased and aggressive. Modern individuals disappear through the portal by accident, whilst murders take place that lead them to suspect that they have released Jack the Ripper himself upon an unsuspecting public.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by written by Kelley Armstrong
Kelley Armstrong
Kelley Armstrong is a Canadian author, primarily of fantasy works.She has published sixteen fantasy novels , set in the world of the Women of the Otherworld and the Darkest Powers series, also two crime novels in 2007 and 2009...
. It is the sixth in her Women of the Otherworld
Women of the Otherworld
Women of the Otherworld is the name of a fantasy series by Canadian author Kelley Armstrong.The books feature werewolves, witches, necromancers, and vampires struggling to fit as "normal" in today's world...
series and has the return of Elena Michaels
Elena Michaels
Elena Antonov Michaels is a young woman portrayed in the Women of the Otherworld series.She is a pack werewolf who was bitten by her lover Clayton Danvers. She is now married to him and they have two children. Logan and Katherine .-Early life:Elena's parents died in a car crash in 1973. She then...
as narrator.
Plot summary
In this story the half-demon Xavier calls in a favour - steal Jack the RipperJack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
's From Hell letter
From Hell letter
The "From Hell" letter is a letter posted in 1888 by a person who claimed to be the serial killer known as Jack the Ripper....
away from a Toronto collector who had himself stolen it from the British police files. It seems simple, but in the process Elena accidentally triggers a spell placed on the letter which opens a portal into the nether regions of Victorian London. With thieving vampires, killer rats and unstoppable zombies on the loose, Elena and the Pack must find a way to close the portal before it is too late. To add to the confusion, Elena herself is pregnant with Clay's child (actually twins).
The story begins with Elena worrying about her current pregnancy. She has concerns about what effect her werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
nature will have on the unborn child, something with no recorded precedent in Pack knowledge. Clay and Jeremy, also concerned, have imposed a number of restrictions on her actions too, which Elena accepts but is also frustrated by. She is, therefore, not entirely displeased to hear from Xavier Reese who offers her a deal: he will hand over information about a rogue mutt the Pack have been seeking in exchange for the Pack's help in stealing an artefact from a sorcerer - the From Hell letter.
The deal is agreed to and, after the mutt has been dealt with, Jeremy steals the letter. As they leave, however, Clay squashes a mosquito and smears Elena's blood on the document. This activates an inter-dimensional portal, which releases individuals previously entrapped there during the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
. Now zombies, these track Elena, putting her and her unborn offspring at risk.
Attempting to rescue her, the Pack kill these zombies, but to their shock they keep returning. In addition, cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
has infected the Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
water-supply and the city's rats have become diseased and aggressive. Modern individuals disappear through the portal by accident, whilst murders take place that lead them to suspect that they have released Jack the Ripper himself upon an unsuspecting public.
Characters in "Broken"
- Elena Michaels - Pack werewolf, Clayton's mate, pregnant with Clayton's child(ren).
- Clayton Danvers - Pack werewolf, foster son of Jeremy Danvers, top fighter in the pack, mate of Elena.
- Jeremy Danvers - Alpha werewolf of the Pack, foster father of Clayton Danvers
- Antonio Sorrentino - Pack werewolf, best friend of Jeremy.
- Nicholas (Nick) Sorrentino - Pack werewolf, best friend of Clayton.
- Jaime Vegas - Necromancer, works in Hollywood as a "fake" necromancer on tv, but is a real necromancer. Has a crush on Jeremy Danvers.
- Katherine Danvers - Daughter of Elena and Clay (Born at the end of the story).
- Logan Danvers - Son of Elena and Clay (Born at the end of the story).
- Xavier Reese - Half-demon (father was an Evanidus demon) with teleportation abilities (limited to approximately 10 feet). Gets Elena to agree to steal the "Ripper letter" by giving her information on a rogue mutt. Elena met him in Stolen (book number two in the series) when she was captured. Xavier saved her twice while she was imprisoned, once from being killed, and once from being raped by guards, and he comes back to get her to return the favor.
- Zoe - Vampire who helps Elena deal with her zombie problem.
Allusions/references to other works
- "I hadn't wanted to reveal the depths of my ignorance in front of Xavier, but say "From Hell" and "Jack the Ripper" to me, and the only association sparked was the Johnny DeppJohnny DeppJohn Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
movieFrom Hell (film)From Hell is a 2001 American crime drama horror mystery film directed by the Hughes brothers. It is an adaptation of the comic book series of the same name by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell about the Jack the Ripper murders.-Plot:...
..." (Elena, p. 33)
Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science
- The From Hell letterFrom Hell letterThe "From Hell" letter is a letter posted in 1888 by a person who claimed to be the serial killer known as Jack the Ripper....
around which the story is based was a real letter mailed in 1888 by a man who claimed to be the killer known as Jack the RipperJack the Ripper"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
.
Release details
- Published May 2006 in paperback by Bantam SpectraBantam SpectraBantam Spectra is the science-fiction division of Bantam Books, which is owned by Random House.According to their website, Spectra publishes "science-fiction, fantasy, horror, and speculative novels from recognizable authors" Spectra authors have collectively won 31 such awards in the fields of...
in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. - Published the same month in paperback by Seal Books in CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(ISBN 0770429793). - Published the same month in paperback by Time Warner Orbit in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(ISBN 1841493422).