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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is set in an alternative 1860's,following explorer Richard Burton's investigations into Spring-Heeled Jack a strange leaping apparition.This book employs many'steampunk'conventions like advanced retro technology,real historical figures,and some variation of the classic vampire zombie werewolf monster.Spring-Heeled Jack,however is a genuine Victorian urban myth.Mass hysteria or not,this bouncing,blue lighted sex-pest remains one of the most intriguing, bizzare mysteries out there.
Without spoiling the reveal,Hodder uses Jack to provide a logical justification for some of the more advanced science in his world.He has skillfully woven documented Jack encounters into his plotting and this is the most satisfactory part of this work.However,it is about 200 pages too long and this story,although well-constructed and logical does not exite.I wanted it to be just a bit more surprising,clever or funny than it actually was.
Entertaining enough and rekindled my interest in the real SHJ.
Without spoiling the reveal,Hodder uses Jack to provide a logical justification for some of the more advanced science in his world.He has skillfully woven documented Jack encounters into his plotting and this is the most satisfactory part of this work.However,it is about 200 pages too long and this story,although well-constructed and logical does not exite.I wanted it to be just a bit more surprising,clever or funny than it actually was.
Entertaining enough and rekindled my interest in the real SHJ.
17 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this book having read the positive reviews and because of the endorsement from George Mann, whose books I have enjoyed. All the ingredients were there for a great read; Victorian London, interesting characters, pea-soupers, a mysterious Villain, Bedlam and Rakes. The scenes involving the poet, Swinburne, also provide some welcome light-relief and humour.
The book started promisingly introducing a plot that seems slightly more complex and involved than you'd usually expect from books of this genre; the characters also seem like they'll be interesting as well as flawed. I `steamed' (sorry) through the first hundred pages but then found that the writing started to get a little tired. Frustratingly, this continued until the last hundred or so pages which tied everything up.
Some of the more interesting aspects of the plot were abandoned in favour of a convoluted, repetitive and largely boring storyline. It was almost as if Hodder had loads of ideas that he was excited about and so put them all in without really thinking about their purpose. This novel showed huge promise and I'd love to read another, but preferably when the author has managed to hone his technique.
The book started promisingly introducing a plot that seems slightly more complex and involved than you'd usually expect from books of this genre; the characters also seem like they'll be interesting as well as flawed. I `steamed' (sorry) through the first hundred pages but then found that the writing started to get a little tired. Frustratingly, this continued until the last hundred or so pages which tied everything up.
Some of the more interesting aspects of the plot were abandoned in favour of a convoluted, repetitive and largely boring storyline. It was almost as if Hodder had loads of ideas that he was excited about and so put them all in without really thinking about their purpose. This novel showed huge promise and I'd love to read another, but preferably when the author has managed to hone his technique.
18 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Well if this book was launched with a fanfare I must have been out of the country! and despite it being exactly the kind of book I love, for once Amazon failed to 'recommend' it to me. Still, I do still trawl book shops and came accross this little known about gem in the fantasy section.
This whole 'steam punk' genre seems to be growing all the time, and for those readers as yet unblooded in it, this makes an excellent point to jump in as it were. For those already familiar with the work of Stephen Hunt this is very similar, just as enjoyable but perhaps a little easier to get into.
If Hunt takes the Victorian era, chops it up into a broth and stirs in a bag full of magic mushrooms! Mark Hodder rather takes the same era and re-looks at it through a prism. A psychaedelic prism perhaps though!
The tale
Sir Richard Burton (the explorer not the hubbie of Elizabeth Taylor) is back from his attempt to find the source of the Nile. His planned debate with rival Speke is interupted, when his one time friend, shoots himself. Rushing to London to try reconcile their differences before Speke dies, Burton is accosted by the legendry Spring heeled Jack.
The assaulter of young women and inspiration for Rolling Stones songs!
Things only get weirder from there. Speke is snatched from hospital by seeming werewolves, the King offers Burton a job and the great and the good of Victorian England all start to behave rather differently to our history books version of them!
What on earth is going on! Burton needs help and enlists the alcaholic and masochistic poet Algernon Swinburne, the young paper boy Oscar Wilde and even a flock of foul mouthed parakeets to find out!
What follows is a fast flowing, exciting and witty caper with Hodder's tongue firmly stuck to his cheek.
There are some more serious ethical questions posed. Genetics and industrialisation, but this is a 'romp' of a book.
One word of warning. If you do decide to read it don't do what I did and read the Appendix till you have finished the book. It gives a factual potted history of the real people Hodder uses in the story but also gives away some of the plot.
In summary a thoroughly enjoyable book and an author who is a very welcome addition to this writing genre (in my book!). Who would I be, to disagree with the legend that is Michael Moorcock?
I hope this is a series as I want another!
This whole 'steam punk' genre seems to be growing all the time, and for those readers as yet unblooded in it, this makes an excellent point to jump in as it were. For those already familiar with the work of Stephen Hunt this is very similar, just as enjoyable but perhaps a little easier to get into.
If Hunt takes the Victorian era, chops it up into a broth and stirs in a bag full of magic mushrooms! Mark Hodder rather takes the same era and re-looks at it through a prism. A psychaedelic prism perhaps though!
The tale
Sir Richard Burton (the explorer not the hubbie of Elizabeth Taylor) is back from his attempt to find the source of the Nile. His planned debate with rival Speke is interupted, when his one time friend, shoots himself. Rushing to London to try reconcile their differences before Speke dies, Burton is accosted by the legendry Spring heeled Jack.
The assaulter of young women and inspiration for Rolling Stones songs!
Things only get weirder from there. Speke is snatched from hospital by seeming werewolves, the King offers Burton a job and the great and the good of Victorian England all start to behave rather differently to our history books version of them!
What on earth is going on! Burton needs help and enlists the alcaholic and masochistic poet Algernon Swinburne, the young paper boy Oscar Wilde and even a flock of foul mouthed parakeets to find out!
What follows is a fast flowing, exciting and witty caper with Hodder's tongue firmly stuck to his cheek.
There are some more serious ethical questions posed. Genetics and industrialisation, but this is a 'romp' of a book.
One word of warning. If you do decide to read it don't do what I did and read the Appendix till you have finished the book. It gives a factual potted history of the real people Hodder uses in the story but also gives away some of the plot.
In summary a thoroughly enjoyable book and an author who is a very welcome addition to this writing genre (in my book!). Who would I be, to disagree with the legend that is Michael Moorcock?
I hope this is a series as I want another!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Victorian Rollercoaster
This is a great Steampunk debut for Mark Hodder. I found it compulsive reading from start to finish, a rip-roaring good read. Read more
Published 6 months ago by missyspoons
Lots of Fun!!
Really enjoyed this! I'm sure there are better examples of alternate history, or steampunk or whatever you choose to call it, available but this book zips along so nicely it's... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Kevan James
Some great ideas but...
A steampunk extravaganza set in an alternate Victorian England where Queen Victoria was actually killed in the 1840 assassination attempt and Prince Albert now rules as regent. Read more
Published 11 months ago by H. M. Holt
An entertaining romp through time
Burton and Swinburne in a nineteenth-century adventure? Sounds good to me. But then I did (disclosure) write a novel featuring Algernon Swinburne myself. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Michael Allen
A GREAT READ
An outstanding novel, likeable characters,plenty of action,wierd victorian engineering,werewolves and time travel.
whats not to like.Bring on book 2.
whats not to like.Bring on book 2.
Published 13 months ago by Andy
.....make it a little easier please Amazon
I only wanted to give this book a star rating for my recommendatiions, however, the quick tick for indicating ownership and star rating seems to have disappeared - Amazon please... Read more
Published 14 months ago by pigsmayfly
Needed a better editor
This book has a terrific central idea, some excellent time-travel shenanigans worthy of Tim Powers, some genius takes on Victoriana, and some great description and action... Read more
Published 14 months ago by KA Bodsworth
Excellent and highly recommended
I am a huge SF fan but have never really 'got' the steam punk genre. I was hugely impressed by Philip Jose Farmer's Riverworld Series to the point where I actually read a great... Read more
Published 15 months ago by G. Fergus
top notch stuff from Mr Hodder
This is a fine example of the genre with excellent slants on both realistic and alternative historys , with more of an edge than its contemporaries such as George Manns "Immorality... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Matthew J. Holder
Trippin' the Time fantastic
The title and the cover illustration certainly was an enticing combination ~ but the pleasure of reading this novel far surpassed any expectation! Read more
Published 20 months ago by Barbara F. Ister-liltz
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