Angelmaker
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Review
"One of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in ages… It’s brilliantly entertaining… Pure, unhinged delight. What a splendid ride."--Patrick Ness, The Guardian
"A novel of adventure, love and intrigue… Makes the reader grin with pleasure… Harkaway has given us, for the second time, a box of delights."--The Independent
"Wildly imaginative… Wonderfully entertaining… A hardback that looks as gorgeously ornate as its contents."--The Times
"Fizzingly imaginative… A wildly, irrepressibly exuberant new-weird/fantasy/thriller/comedy."--Daily Mail
"A must for fans of John Le Carré and Jasper Fforde…"--Elle --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
"A novel of adventure, love and intrigue… Makes the reader grin with pleasure… Harkaway has given us, for the second time, a box of delights."--The Independent
"Wildly imaginative… Wonderfully entertaining… A hardback that looks as gorgeously ornate as its contents."--The Times
"Fizzingly imaginative… A wildly, irrepressibly exuberant new-weird/fantasy/thriller/comedy."--Daily Mail
"A must for fans of John Le Carré and Jasper Fforde…"--Elle --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Book Description
An adventure story, a war story, and a love story, all wound into one brilliant narrative that runs like clockwork.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Joshua Joseph Spork is a name that will be with me for a long time, if not the rest of my life. He is an antique dealer, expert repairer of things clockwork, son of a submachine toting crook, and the main character in Nick Harkaway's spy adventure novel, "Angelmaker".
When I reviewed Nick's previous novel, "The Gone-Away World", I described it as "a fast paced tale that covers a lot of ground and doesn't let you rest for a minute". Well, he's done it again. The same pace; subtle, and not so subtle humour; intricate plot, and breadth of scope are all present. "The Gone-Away World" convinced me I should read anything Nick writes. "Angelmaker" reinforced this conviction.
Without being specific I can tell you that Joe Spork, like any central character in a spy novel, finds himself in a troublesome situation with different elements of his life falling asunder. For someone who just wants a quiet life this is rather troubling. In addition, he is surrounded by characters who may be on his side, or possibly the other. For that matter, he doesn't know what or who the other side is.
We also meet Edie Banister and her pet dog. Don't be fooled by Edie Banister's outward appearance. She may be a little old lady in her eighties, but in her heart she is something very different.
Nick's characters are impeccably drawn, his language artful, and his plot intriguing. This was one of those books that I was sorry to finish and that, I have to admit, had me with a lump in my throat at the end.
"Angelmaker" is much more than a spy novel. It is a tale of struggle and loyalty; a story of family and righteousness; and a narrative of how a legacy of former years can visit havoc on the present day world. It also poses the questions, "Who is really in control?", "What are they really trying to do?" and "Do they have a clue what they're doing?"
When I reviewed Nick's previous novel, "The Gone-Away World", I described it as "a fast paced tale that covers a lot of ground and doesn't let you rest for a minute". Well, he's done it again. The same pace; subtle, and not so subtle humour; intricate plot, and breadth of scope are all present. "The Gone-Away World" convinced me I should read anything Nick writes. "Angelmaker" reinforced this conviction.
Without being specific I can tell you that Joe Spork, like any central character in a spy novel, finds himself in a troublesome situation with different elements of his life falling asunder. For someone who just wants a quiet life this is rather troubling. In addition, he is surrounded by characters who may be on his side, or possibly the other. For that matter, he doesn't know what or who the other side is.
We also meet Edie Banister and her pet dog. Don't be fooled by Edie Banister's outward appearance. She may be a little old lady in her eighties, but in her heart she is something very different.
Nick's characters are impeccably drawn, his language artful, and his plot intriguing. This was one of those books that I was sorry to finish and that, I have to admit, had me with a lump in my throat at the end.
"Angelmaker" is much more than a spy novel. It is a tale of struggle and loyalty; a story of family and righteousness; and a narrative of how a legacy of former years can visit havoc on the present day world. It also poses the questions, "Who is really in control?", "What are they really trying to do?" and "Do they have a clue what they're doing?"
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Back in June 2008 I picked up a debut novel `The Gone-Away World' that frankly blew me away and left me wondering what Nick Harkaway would come up with next and indeed how he could write anything better. When a proof copy of `The Angelmaker' came into my possession I couldn't have been happier and all other reading was put on hold. Anyone who enjoyed `The Gone-Away World' is going to love this.
Joe Spork is trying to live a quiet life, not easy when your (deceased father) was an infamous mobster - Matthew `Tommy Gun' Spork. On the first page we learn of how his father hijacked a lorry load of Argyll socks destined for St Andrew's Golf Club, ridiculous, bizarre but hilarious to read. Joe spends his life mending clockwork and when a `friend' hears of a clockwork mechanism that needs repairing Joe is called in. Unfortunately this leads to him unknowingly triggering a doomsday device `The Apprehension Engine' and a bit like Richard Hannay in `The 39 Steps' he is on the run and caught between the Government and a sinister organization known as `The Ruskinites', taking their name from the 19th century art and literary critic John Ruskin. This weapon is unlike anything you have come across before.
Joe comes into contact with another inspired creation in Edie Bannister, a former spy now in her 80's who has grown bored and craves excitement again. She spent years trying to kill her nemesis Shem Shem Tsien but he just refused to die. Joe and Edie join forces to save the world's population from a fate worse than death, with some help from his underworld contacts. Nick Harkaway has a slightly warped and subversive sense of humour which suffuses just about every page. In `The Angelmaker' he successfully combines action with tragedy he throws in a bit of philosophy, some romantic interest for our hero, memorable characters and of course, bees, the ending had me almost cheering out loud. It often happens that great story tellers are not particularly good writers, Nick Harkaway combines both skills to great effect.
This is a thoroughly entertaining novel that I can't recommend highly enough for anyone who is looking for something a bit different. And if you don't know who his Dad is I am not going to tell you, but it definitely goes a long way to explain his story telling ability. I just hope that there is not such a long wait for his next novel!
Just noticed that a short story is available for Kindle 'Edie Investigares', involving Edie Bannister from 'Angelmaker', so if you have a Kindle and are unsure about Harkaway's novels this would be a good way to discover him.
Joe Spork is trying to live a quiet life, not easy when your (deceased father) was an infamous mobster - Matthew `Tommy Gun' Spork. On the first page we learn of how his father hijacked a lorry load of Argyll socks destined for St Andrew's Golf Club, ridiculous, bizarre but hilarious to read. Joe spends his life mending clockwork and when a `friend' hears of a clockwork mechanism that needs repairing Joe is called in. Unfortunately this leads to him unknowingly triggering a doomsday device `The Apprehension Engine' and a bit like Richard Hannay in `The 39 Steps' he is on the run and caught between the Government and a sinister organization known as `The Ruskinites', taking their name from the 19th century art and literary critic John Ruskin. This weapon is unlike anything you have come across before.
Joe comes into contact with another inspired creation in Edie Bannister, a former spy now in her 80's who has grown bored and craves excitement again. She spent years trying to kill her nemesis Shem Shem Tsien but he just refused to die. Joe and Edie join forces to save the world's population from a fate worse than death, with some help from his underworld contacts. Nick Harkaway has a slightly warped and subversive sense of humour which suffuses just about every page. In `The Angelmaker' he successfully combines action with tragedy he throws in a bit of philosophy, some romantic interest for our hero, memorable characters and of course, bees, the ending had me almost cheering out loud. It often happens that great story tellers are not particularly good writers, Nick Harkaway combines both skills to great effect.
This is a thoroughly entertaining novel that I can't recommend highly enough for anyone who is looking for something a bit different. And if you don't know who his Dad is I am not going to tell you, but it definitely goes a long way to explain his story telling ability. I just hope that there is not such a long wait for his next novel!
Just noticed that a short story is available for Kindle 'Edie Investigares', involving Edie Bannister from 'Angelmaker', so if you have a Kindle and are unsure about Harkaway's novels this would be a good way to discover him.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Once in a while, if you're spectacularly lucky, you come across a book so magnificent you simply have to share the joy with others, yet so utterly barking you honestly don't know where to begin! An absolute treat from start to finish, this is one such rare and wonderful gem. Read it for the quiet clockmaker. Read it for the spies and secret agents. Read it for the marvels of engineering. Read it for the bees. Read it for the baby elephant. Read it for the fiendish villain. Read it for the gangsters. Read it for the nearly-toothless pug. Read it for the nostalgia, the optimism, the embrace of a more stylish way to live. Read it for the simple delight of a tale well told. Just, whatever you do, read it!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Six stars!!!!!!
Nick Harkaway's first book, "The Gone-Away World", was a blockbuster tour-de-force that defied categorisation and displayed a unique combination of a versatile, far-ranging... Read more
Published 11 days ago by Steve Benner
Read this book!!!!
Love this book. Cannot put it down (except to quickly write this review - which is why it is short). Read more
Published 29 days ago by Sara
A thoroughly good read.
This is an excellent thriller/fantasy novel which is engaging from start to finish. The story is complex and requires concentration, especially in the earlier part, but is... Read more
Published 29 days ago by Mary Derwent
Angel maker
[[ASIN:043402094X Angelmaker. Very disappointing but maybe I'm too old. Implausible plot and characters. Not the best writing style. Glad it wasn't full price!
Published 1 month ago by jpm
Well crafted tale.
I read Nick Harkaway's last novel and was blown away - a hard act to follow. Whilst Anglemaker doesn't quite match its predecessor, this story is full of characters that I would... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Steve Page
Miyazaki needs to make a film of this book!!
Nick Harkaway has a tremendous imagination, and this book is a glorious romp through a steampunk version of London combined with tremendous characters, including an inspiring older... Read more
Published 1 month ago by S. Williams
Tall Tale of Awesome
With Angelmaker, his second novel, Nick Harkaway proves that he has a distinct 'voice' - both in the way he arranges words on the page and the ideas that his writing explores - and... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Kiray007
All you need: a girl, a gun and a good lawyer
"Angelmaker" is a rattlingly good SF/ thriller/ generally weird crossover of a book.
It opens in present day London, following the life of Joe Spork, clockmaker and... Read more
It opens in present day London, following the life of Joe Spork, clockmaker and... Read more
Published 1 month ago by D. Harris
One of those books that stays with you!
This book is superb , I like whimsical stories and love reading Neil Gaiman and this is along the same line i feel as Neverwere and American Gods. Read more
Published 1 month ago by R. Packham
Running on Clockwork
This is a great read, requiring unfettered imagination (and stamina at almost 570 pages).
The author follows family tradition with superb third party descriptions and a... Read more
The author follows family tradition with superb third party descriptions and a... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Scot
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