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Burton & Swinburne #2
The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man
It is 1862, though not the 1862 it should be. . . .
Time has been altered, and Sir Richard Francis Burton, the king’s agent, is one of the few people who know that the world is now careening along a very different course from that which Destiny intended.
When a clockwork-powered man of brass is found abandoned in Trafalgar Square, Burton and his assistant, the wayward poet Algernon Swinburne, find themselves on the trail of the stolen Garnier Collection—black diamonds rumored to be fragments of the Lemurian Eye of Naga, a meteorite that fell to Earth in prehistoric times.
His investigation leads to involvement with the media sensation of the age: the Tichborne Claimant, a man who insists that he’s the long lost heir to the cursed Tichborne estate. Monstrous, bloated, and monosyllabic, he’s not the aristocratic Sir Roger Tichborne known to everyone, yet the working classes come out in force to support him. They are soon rioting through the streets of London, as mysterious steam wraiths incite all-out class warfare.
From a haunted mansion to the Bedlam madhouse, from South America to Australia, from séances to a secret labyrinth, Burton struggles with shadowy opponents and his own inner demons, meeting along the way the philosopher Herbert Spencer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Florence Nightingale, and Charles Doyle (father of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle).
Can the king’s agent expose a plot that threatens to rip the British Empire apart, leading to an international conflict the like of which the world has never seen? And what part does the clockwork man have to play?
Burton and Swinburne’s second adventure�The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man—is filled with eccentric steam-driven technology, grotesque characters, and a deepening mystery that pushes forward the three-volume story arc begun in The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack.
Time has been altered, and Sir Richard Francis Burton, the king’s agent, is one of the few people who know that the world is now careening along a very different course from that which Destiny intended.
When a clockwork-powered man of brass is found abandoned in Trafalgar Square, Burton and his assistant, the wayward poet Algernon Swinburne, find themselves on the trail of the stolen Garnier Collection—black diamonds rumored to be fragments of the Lemurian Eye of Naga, a meteorite that fell to Earth in prehistoric times.
His investigation leads to involvement with the media sensation of the age: the Tichborne Claimant, a man who insists that he’s the long lost heir to the cursed Tichborne estate. Monstrous, bloated, and monosyllabic, he’s not the aristocratic Sir Roger Tichborne known to everyone, yet the working classes come out in force to support him. They are soon rioting through the streets of London, as mysterious steam wraiths incite all-out class warfare.
From a haunted mansion to the Bedlam madhouse, from South America to Australia, from séances to a secret labyrinth, Burton struggles with shadowy opponents and his own inner demons, meeting along the way the philosopher Herbert Spencer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Florence Nightingale, and Charles Doyle (father of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle).
Can the king’s agent expose a plot that threatens to rip the British Empire apart, leading to an international conflict the like of which the world has never seen? And what part does the clockwork man have to play?
Burton and Swinburne’s second adventure�The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man—is filled with eccentric steam-driven technology, grotesque characters, and a deepening mystery that pushes forward the three-volume story arc begun in The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack.
355 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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2,556 people want to read
About the author
Mark Hodder
74books511followersBritish author living in Valencia, Spain.
Burton & Swinburne Novels:
THE STRANGE AFFAIR OF SPRING-HEELED JACK (Winner of the Philip K. Dick Award 2010)
THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE CLOCKWORK MAN
EXPEDITION TO THE MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON
THE SECRET OF ABDU EL YEZDI
THE RETURN OF THE DISCONTINUED MAN
THE RISE OF THE AUTOMATED ARISTOCRATS
Other Novels:
A RED SUN ALSO RISES
THE SILENT THUNDER CAPER
A DARK AND SUBTLE LIGHT
Novels in Collaboration with Michael Moorcock:
CARIBBEAN CRISIS/VOODOO ISLAND
THE ALBINO'S SECRET (forthcoming)
THE ALBINO'S HONOUR (forthcoming)
THE ALBINO'S EYE (forthcoming)
As Editor:
SEXTON BLAKE AND THE GREAT WAR
SEXTON BLAKE VERSUS THE MASTER CROOKS
SEXTON BLAKE'S ALLIES
SEXTON BLAKE ON THE HOME FRONT
SEXTON BLAKE'S NEW ORDER
Burton & Swinburne Novels:
THE STRANGE AFFAIR OF SPRING-HEELED JACK (Winner of the Philip K. Dick Award 2010)
THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE CLOCKWORK MAN
EXPEDITION TO THE MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON
THE SECRET OF ABDU EL YEZDI
THE RETURN OF THE DISCONTINUED MAN
THE RISE OF THE AUTOMATED ARISTOCRATS
Other Novels:
A RED SUN ALSO RISES
THE SILENT THUNDER CAPER
A DARK AND SUBTLE LIGHT
Novels in Collaboration with Michael Moorcock:
CARIBBEAN CRISIS/VOODOO ISLAND
THE ALBINO'S SECRET (forthcoming)
THE ALBINO'S HONOUR (forthcoming)
THE ALBINO'S EYE (forthcoming)
As Editor:
SEXTON BLAKE AND THE GREAT WAR
SEXTON BLAKE VERSUS THE MASTER CROOKS
SEXTON BLAKE'S ALLIES
SEXTON BLAKE ON THE HOME FRONT
SEXTON BLAKE'S NEW ORDER
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 329 reviews
May 14, 2021
Thrilling! I loved it! Just wait until chapter 11... now THAT is how you end a chapter! This whole affair is right up my alley, scratching itches long left pruritic in my reading interests.
has crafted an intelligent steampunk British alt-history romp with superb pulp sensibilities and unbelievably complicated goings-on that are deftly juggled to a satisfying conclusion. It can't be easy to craft a compelling tale weaving together giant swans pulling riders in kites, foul-mouthed messenger parakeets, a diamond heist, automatons, giant millipede carapaces powered by steam engines, giant horses that poop constantly, sharp-toothed fairies, a suspect claimant to a wealthy but cursed estate, jewels linked to ancient legends of lizard people, ghosts, malaria, cocaine tincture, and more, all set in a historically-disturbed 1860's England. Hodder's imaginative application of many real-history elements is inspirational. He is an author that deserves greater recognition, and I now support him on Patreon since I started re-reading this outstanding series, which regretfully was not financially successful enough for him to quit his day job and be a full-time writer. We all miss out by having to wait longer for his next opus.
This was my second time reading this book, the first time occurring perhaps 8 years ago when it was my entry point to this series. It is advisable to read the first book first, but in this case there is no detriment to enjoying the story and the action here on its own. The first chapter is a little ponderous and may be confusing, but stick with it and the author will take you to places you never imagined. In some ways this book is an improvement on in its action sequences and slightly more linear story (although 'linear' is a highly imprecise word given all of the time-askew wonderful insanity of the plot). Our diminutive, energetic sidekick, Algernon Swinburne, gets a well-deserved larger presence for this outing. The alternate history launched in the prior book now has a global influence. There is a perfect balance of elements leading into the next book and wrapping up the mysteries of this volume in a satisfying way.
Other than chapter 11, my most memorable "Holy crap!" moment was the introduction of the claimant to the Tighborne estate. I was not expecting that! Glad I am that I had forgotten that much since the last time I read it.
If you like crazy adventure, the Victorian era (although it's not called that here, see the first book to learn why), steampunk, speculative fiction, or well-written pulp-inspired action, you will not find many better tales. I have my wife to thank for picking this up from the library for me, based solely on the cover art (and would you look at that artwork? Phenomenal covers by Jon Sullivan on the Pyr editions) at a time when I was keen for good steampunk but repeatedly disappointed by what I read in that vein. I have not yet read anything to match it.
has crafted an intelligent steampunk British alt-history romp with superb pulp sensibilities and unbelievably complicated goings-on that are deftly juggled to a satisfying conclusion. It can't be easy to craft a compelling tale weaving together giant swans pulling riders in kites, foul-mouthed messenger parakeets, a diamond heist, automatons, giant millipede carapaces powered by steam engines, giant horses that poop constantly, sharp-toothed fairies, a suspect claimant to a wealthy but cursed estate, jewels linked to ancient legends of lizard people, ghosts, malaria, cocaine tincture, and more, all set in a historically-disturbed 1860's England. Hodder's imaginative application of many real-history elements is inspirational. He is an author that deserves greater recognition, and I now support him on Patreon since I started re-reading this outstanding series, which regretfully was not financially successful enough for him to quit his day job and be a full-time writer. We all miss out by having to wait longer for his next opus.
This was my second time reading this book, the first time occurring perhaps 8 years ago when it was my entry point to this series. It is advisable to read the first book first, but in this case there is no detriment to enjoying the story and the action here on its own. The first chapter is a little ponderous and may be confusing, but stick with it and the author will take you to places you never imagined. In some ways this book is an improvement on in its action sequences and slightly more linear story (although 'linear' is a highly imprecise word given all of the time-askew wonderful insanity of the plot). Our diminutive, energetic sidekick, Algernon Swinburne, gets a well-deserved larger presence for this outing. The alternate history launched in the prior book now has a global influence. There is a perfect balance of elements leading into the next book and wrapping up the mysteries of this volume in a satisfying way.
Other than chapter 11, my most memorable "Holy crap!" moment was the introduction of the claimant to the Tighborne estate. I was not expecting that! Glad I am that I had forgotten that much since the last time I read it.
If you like crazy adventure, the Victorian era (although it's not called that here, see the first book to learn why), steampunk, speculative fiction, or well-written pulp-inspired action, you will not find many better tales. I have my wife to thank for picking this up from the library for me, based solely on the cover art (and would you look at that artwork? Phenomenal covers by Jon Sullivan on the Pyr editions) at a time when I was keen for good steampunk but repeatedly disappointed by what I read in that vein. I have not yet read anything to match it.
July 28, 2019
This book answers a question that few readers have ever bothered to ask: just how many fantasy elements can you cram into a short steampunk novel, anyway? The answer? Quite a few! We have and probably some others I’ve forgotten. This doesn’t count the rather fantastical technology.
This book was about as crazy and fun as the first book. For anybody who read the first book and was annoyed that its science wasn’t very scientific, you’ll probably not want to bother with this one. If you enjoyed the first book, I think you’ll likely enjoy this one also. I enjoyed the first story a bit more, but this book has stronger camaraderie between the characters and I enjoyed that.
I also really enjoyed the bit at the end which kind of explains all the fantasy elements. It doesn’t explain them in a scientific way of course, but it does explain them in an internally consistent way that I thought worked pretty well, and it tied together nicely with events from the first book.
Like the first book, this one tells a complete story. There are just enough dangling threads to make it clear what the next book will be about, and I look forward to reading it.
This book was about as crazy and fun as the first book. For anybody who read the first book and was annoyed that its science wasn’t very scientific, you’ll probably not want to bother with this one. If you enjoyed the first book, I think you’ll likely enjoy this one also. I enjoyed the first story a bit more, but this book has stronger camaraderie between the characters and I enjoyed that.
I also really enjoyed the bit at the end which kind of explains all the fantasy elements. It doesn’t explain them in a scientific way of course, but it does explain them in an internally consistent way that I thought worked pretty well, and it tied together nicely with events from the first book.
Like the first book, this one tells a complete story. There are just enough dangling threads to make it clear what the next book will be about, and I look forward to reading it.
July 24, 2022
Great follow up. Slower paced but still bonkers.
April 8, 2015
Burton & Swinburne are two drunken sots.....
Well thats how the story starts in the Royal Geographical Society & as they’ve off for some coffee to try & sober up the adventure begins with the discovery of said Bronze clockwork man by a Constable & Inspector Trouncer who makes a return from the first episode � Soon the fiendish plot is afoot with old foe the Eviiiil Isambard Kingdom Brunel & hotfoot in pursuit we are quickly reintroduced to the mechanical/clockwork world with Mecha-Drey Horses, crab Scuttlers, Parakeets, Giant Swans With box kite parachutes et al
The contraptions & devices interjected into the story are of shear brilliance at times, in fact even fiendishly devilish one might say!
We visit the Tichbourne residency which is in ‘ampshire as the philosopher tramp tells us whose a great new addition to the character list & find it “haunted� which gives us a coupla scenarios which are first-rate as you can picture the tension of Burton et al through the writing.
The main plot is of two mysteries which revolve around the Tichbourne claimant & then neatly segways into the other, that of the Black diamond theft. The mystery is great but for me its the banter, language & interaction between the characters that make for the story & bring it too life!
Every so oft the world is brought into the story via ways of short passages to explain how "things have come about" One such being - A novel approach to the Irish situation & the loss of the colonies is told in a few short paragraphs with the solution so simple.....! Introduce plant life to Ireland to counter the potato famine BUT the plant life turns carnivorous (an unfortunate side effect... cough cough) making Ireland uninhabitable & so they’re relocated in the colonies & fight FOR the Brits & the Confederates against the Union & that damnable Lincoln fellow!! Classic solution to both quandaries of the time.
The culmination of the story is grand fair if a little fantastical :) with gems such as - the escaping of the London “zombie� riots by Omnipede, read Giant millipede shell which has been turned into a bus...... driven by Burton with Hare (of Burke & Hare fame) riding shotgun with a “cactus gun� � Cant beat it for ingenuity! Then the Toff “Rake� Zombies are a marvellous invention & will have you rolling with their battle against the “Peelers� on the strand..... “I’m mortified�, one of them confessed as he jammed his fingers into a constable’s eye sockets, “this really is despicable behaviour & i offer my sincerest apologies� “I say� another exclaimed, plunging his blade into a man’s abdomen “What a terrible to-do!�
To keep in tune with the literary sense of the book I would rate this “Most splendid Indeed!� which for you lot is 4.5 Stars.
Recommend HIGHLY to all lovers of Steampunk Genre & to those wanting to try summit a little different this year.
Well thats how the story starts in the Royal Geographical Society & as they’ve off for some coffee to try & sober up the adventure begins with the discovery of said Bronze clockwork man by a Constable & Inspector Trouncer who makes a return from the first episode � Soon the fiendish plot is afoot with old foe the Eviiiil Isambard Kingdom Brunel & hotfoot in pursuit we are quickly reintroduced to the mechanical/clockwork world with Mecha-Drey Horses, crab Scuttlers, Parakeets, Giant Swans With box kite parachutes et al
The contraptions & devices interjected into the story are of shear brilliance at times, in fact even fiendishly devilish one might say!
We visit the Tichbourne residency which is in ‘ampshire as the philosopher tramp tells us whose a great new addition to the character list & find it “haunted� which gives us a coupla scenarios which are first-rate as you can picture the tension of Burton et al through the writing.
The main plot is of two mysteries which revolve around the Tichbourne claimant & then neatly segways into the other, that of the Black diamond theft. The mystery is great but for me its the banter, language & interaction between the characters that make for the story & bring it too life!
Every so oft the world is brought into the story via ways of short passages to explain how "things have come about" One such being - A novel approach to the Irish situation & the loss of the colonies is told in a few short paragraphs with the solution so simple.....! Introduce plant life to Ireland to counter the potato famine BUT the plant life turns carnivorous (an unfortunate side effect... cough cough) making Ireland uninhabitable & so they’re relocated in the colonies & fight FOR the Brits & the Confederates against the Union & that damnable Lincoln fellow!! Classic solution to both quandaries of the time.
The culmination of the story is grand fair if a little fantastical :) with gems such as - the escaping of the London “zombie� riots by Omnipede, read Giant millipede shell which has been turned into a bus...... driven by Burton with Hare (of Burke & Hare fame) riding shotgun with a “cactus gun� � Cant beat it for ingenuity! Then the Toff “Rake� Zombies are a marvellous invention & will have you rolling with their battle against the “Peelers� on the strand..... “I’m mortified�, one of them confessed as he jammed his fingers into a constable’s eye sockets, “this really is despicable behaviour & i offer my sincerest apologies� “I say� another exclaimed, plunging his blade into a man’s abdomen “What a terrible to-do!�
To keep in tune with the literary sense of the book I would rate this “Most splendid Indeed!� which for you lot is 4.5 Stars.
Recommend HIGHLY to all lovers of Steampunk Genre & to those wanting to try summit a little different this year.
August 6, 2015
I ended up picking up this book as a part of the Booktubeathon 2015 as the 'book I really want to read' challenge and I have to say I am very happy that I did chose this one because not only was it highly exciting and fun to get through, but returning to this world and these characters made me so very happy again.
This book once more focuses on the character of Sir Francis Burton, the famous explorer, and his good friend Swinburne as they become mixed up once more in the troubles and mysteries of this alternative London. Due to events we've discovered in the first book (Spring-Heeled Jack) we know that the London we see in these books is rather more advanced than the actual London of this time period, and we also know that there's many different groups of people such as the Inventors and Rakes etc etc.
I adore the characters of this world because they're so 'real' and they feel so genuine. One element I don't think we can dispute is that Hodder has surely done his research well because the way he emulates London in the 1800s (however bizarre a London it may be) is superb. The characters use the typical sayings of the day, the places referenced are all very relevant, and the manner with which people act is superb. The whole crazy adventure with all the mad things that happen and the silly, bizarre and wonderful cast somehow...works! It's a very impressive achievement.
This storyline in particular follows Burton and Swinburne after they encounter a rather peculiar Clockwork device that has been deposited in the Square. They are unsure who put it there or what its purpose is, but Burton soon has an idea and galavants off to discover whatever he may... It's fast-paced and full of humour, wit and ingenious sayings, phrases and moments. It's thoroughly convincing, and thoroughly entertaining all at once. A wonderful story!
Once again each chapter begins with a humorous or charming little advert of extract which is either essential to the storyline, or very entertaining. I particularly enjoyed the sound of the 'Caterpillar Dustbin' which is at the start of chap 4 and talks about how the caterpillars will become butterflies so instead of flies greeting you when you go to dispose of something, butterflies will fly free! Bizarre and funny :) The british humour is just SPOT ON :)
My only reason for not giving this a 5*s is because it didn't surprise me quite as much when it did come to the 'big reveal'. This is mainly because, after being so thoroughly fooled and bemused and enchanted by the first book and the 'big reveal' of that one, I was paying more attention and trying to figure out what was what much more than before. It's still, most certainly a jolly good 4.5* read :D
This book once more focuses on the character of Sir Francis Burton, the famous explorer, and his good friend Swinburne as they become mixed up once more in the troubles and mysteries of this alternative London. Due to events we've discovered in the first book (Spring-Heeled Jack) we know that the London we see in these books is rather more advanced than the actual London of this time period, and we also know that there's many different groups of people such as the Inventors and Rakes etc etc.
I adore the characters of this world because they're so 'real' and they feel so genuine. One element I don't think we can dispute is that Hodder has surely done his research well because the way he emulates London in the 1800s (however bizarre a London it may be) is superb. The characters use the typical sayings of the day, the places referenced are all very relevant, and the manner with which people act is superb. The whole crazy adventure with all the mad things that happen and the silly, bizarre and wonderful cast somehow...works! It's a very impressive achievement.
This storyline in particular follows Burton and Swinburne after they encounter a rather peculiar Clockwork device that has been deposited in the Square. They are unsure who put it there or what its purpose is, but Burton soon has an idea and galavants off to discover whatever he may... It's fast-paced and full of humour, wit and ingenious sayings, phrases and moments. It's thoroughly convincing, and thoroughly entertaining all at once. A wonderful story!
Once again each chapter begins with a humorous or charming little advert of extract which is either essential to the storyline, or very entertaining. I particularly enjoyed the sound of the 'Caterpillar Dustbin' which is at the start of chap 4 and talks about how the caterpillars will become butterflies so instead of flies greeting you when you go to dispose of something, butterflies will fly free! Bizarre and funny :) The british humour is just SPOT ON :)
My only reason for not giving this a 5*s is because it didn't surprise me quite as much when it did come to the 'big reveal'. This is mainly because, after being so thoroughly fooled and bemused and enchanted by the first book and the 'big reveal' of that one, I was paying more attention and trying to figure out what was what much more than before. It's still, most certainly a jolly good 4.5* read :D
January 16, 2022
Grab a seat, strap yourself in, buckle up and hold yourself tight, because this is gonna be a wild ride!
Well, at least that’s what the book was. Burton and Swinburne return to us in a story about London in a different timeline than what we’re used to � after the first book, we all know that the England we are now reading about is a very different England from what it’s supposed to be. The adventures that Burton and Swinburne embarked upon in Spring Heeled Jack were definitely thrilling and mind-blowing, and yet Hodder proves that it can become even more thrilling and mind-blowing. That is however the thing I’m struggling a bit with. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the first book, I loved it, and I was super excited about this one. It doesn’t disappoint, either, because the adventures in this book are so well thought through and the creatures that arise make complete sense in a world as crazy as theirs. However, I’m not a very big lover of anything that doesn’t exist in our real world, and in general, fairies and witches and ghosts and zombies are things that I usually stay well away from. So when zombies entered the stage for the first time, I was sceptical at first because, well, I just don’t very much like flesh-eating walking dead. Mark Hodder did a great job building up to that point, but the whole world-building part just went all haywire around the 70% mark (hah, see what I did there). At that point I began to feel a little� not so much revulsed, because I did still like the book and I wanted to know how it ended, but I caught myself thinking “oh yeah right, suuureeee, zombies�.
Another thing that began to annoy me a little (just a little, I promise) was the grand and “decorative� manner of speaking and the word choice of the main characters. Of course, I know that they’re from a high social class and that they want to flex their vocabularies and their level of education. But I’m not sure if people really talked like that in 19-century London; forgive me if I’m wrong and they did, but during action-packed scenes like escapes their language kind of ruined the urgency and the pace, if you know what I mean. At times, it seemed a little as if Hodder just pulled up Thesaurus or Google and sought out the most fancy-sounding synonyms or literary constructions. And again, if that’s really what a geographer sounded like during that era (I reckon a poet certainly did) then I take it back, but if they didn’t, then to me it seems like those fancy words were just a little over the top and out-of-context.
That’s just really all that irked me about this book. In a way, it’s a wonderful sequel to Spring Heeled Jack, to which it has a very elaborate plot relation. The way in which Hodder uses his outstanding writing skills to interweave the insane amount of inspiration he had, is almost frightening, because it makes me afraid that after this, I will never find another book with such elaborate plotting. The storyline just works, even though there’s a mad amount of mythical creatures and technology that was never seen before or even thought of. I really admire his amazing planning skills and how he managed to make it all come together so well.
So all in all, I loved this book. I think in hindsight I enjoyed Spring Heeled Jack a little more, just because there were no zombies in there. And the creatures that did exist in that book, made a little more sense. But even despite that, this book is very worthy of 5 stars.
Well, at least that’s what the book was. Burton and Swinburne return to us in a story about London in a different timeline than what we’re used to � after the first book, we all know that the England we are now reading about is a very different England from what it’s supposed to be. The adventures that Burton and Swinburne embarked upon in Spring Heeled Jack were definitely thrilling and mind-blowing, and yet Hodder proves that it can become even more thrilling and mind-blowing. That is however the thing I’m struggling a bit with. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the first book, I loved it, and I was super excited about this one. It doesn’t disappoint, either, because the adventures in this book are so well thought through and the creatures that arise make complete sense in a world as crazy as theirs. However, I’m not a very big lover of anything that doesn’t exist in our real world, and in general, fairies and witches and ghosts and zombies are things that I usually stay well away from. So when zombies entered the stage for the first time, I was sceptical at first because, well, I just don’t very much like flesh-eating walking dead. Mark Hodder did a great job building up to that point, but the whole world-building part just went all haywire around the 70% mark (hah, see what I did there). At that point I began to feel a little� not so much revulsed, because I did still like the book and I wanted to know how it ended, but I caught myself thinking “oh yeah right, suuureeee, zombies�.
Another thing that began to annoy me a little (just a little, I promise) was the grand and “decorative� manner of speaking and the word choice of the main characters. Of course, I know that they’re from a high social class and that they want to flex their vocabularies and their level of education. But I’m not sure if people really talked like that in 19-century London; forgive me if I’m wrong and they did, but during action-packed scenes like escapes their language kind of ruined the urgency and the pace, if you know what I mean. At times, it seemed a little as if Hodder just pulled up Thesaurus or Google and sought out the most fancy-sounding synonyms or literary constructions. And again, if that’s really what a geographer sounded like during that era (I reckon a poet certainly did) then I take it back, but if they didn’t, then to me it seems like those fancy words were just a little over the top and out-of-context.
That’s just really all that irked me about this book. In a way, it’s a wonderful sequel to Spring Heeled Jack, to which it has a very elaborate plot relation. The way in which Hodder uses his outstanding writing skills to interweave the insane amount of inspiration he had, is almost frightening, because it makes me afraid that after this, I will never find another book with such elaborate plotting. The storyline just works, even though there’s a mad amount of mythical creatures and technology that was never seen before or even thought of. I really admire his amazing planning skills and how he managed to make it all come together so well.
So all in all, I loved this book. I think in hindsight I enjoyed Spring Heeled Jack a little more, just because there were no zombies in there. And the creatures that did exist in that book, made a little more sense. But even despite that, this book is very worthy of 5 stars.
November 26, 2014
So this is what would have happened if Sir Richard Burton, Algernon Swinburne, Lord Palmerston, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Florence Nightingale and the young Oscar Wilde had collided in a futuristic Victoriana where fantastic steam devices were commonplace on every smog-subsumed by-way.
(So this is what would have happened if George MacDonald Fraser had written the Flashman books with a proper hero, an interest in science fiction and far less reverence for the actual course of history.)
The appearance of a clockwork man in a London square leads to a jewel robbery, the Tichborne Claimant, class chaos in London and an attempt by the future to influence the past. It’s impossible not to be swept away by the vivid brio of Hodder’s prose and imagination. Wild and amazing ideas pile on top of wild and amazing action scenes in a way which manages to be completely sane, so that this reader nodded along even as the fabric of reality bent around his skull. Perhaps Hodder’s grasp of the narrative does slip away from time to time, leading to fast paced chaos, but even then it’s entertaining fast paced chaos. And there might be one or two characters who noticeably exist as narrative functions rather than living and breathing, but then there are neglected historical figures who get a turn in the spotlight. This is wildly entertaining and invigorating stuff, a thrill-ride through an all so familiar alien world.
Annoyingly (because I’m an idiot and don’t do my research probably), this is the sequel to another Burton/Swinburne adventure. The earlier starred Spring Heeled Jack, a fire-eyed phantom who is said to have jumped dozens of feet in the air and terrorised London in the days before The Ripper made that particular Christian name his own. As a child I remember being somewhat fascinated by Spring Heeled Jack, and so will definitely get hold of that volume.
(So this is what would have happened if George MacDonald Fraser had written the Flashman books with a proper hero, an interest in science fiction and far less reverence for the actual course of history.)
The appearance of a clockwork man in a London square leads to a jewel robbery, the Tichborne Claimant, class chaos in London and an attempt by the future to influence the past. It’s impossible not to be swept away by the vivid brio of Hodder’s prose and imagination. Wild and amazing ideas pile on top of wild and amazing action scenes in a way which manages to be completely sane, so that this reader nodded along even as the fabric of reality bent around his skull. Perhaps Hodder’s grasp of the narrative does slip away from time to time, leading to fast paced chaos, but even then it’s entertaining fast paced chaos. And there might be one or two characters who noticeably exist as narrative functions rather than living and breathing, but then there are neglected historical figures who get a turn in the spotlight. This is wildly entertaining and invigorating stuff, a thrill-ride through an all so familiar alien world.
Annoyingly (because I’m an idiot and don’t do my research probably), this is the sequel to another Burton/Swinburne adventure. The earlier starred Spring Heeled Jack, a fire-eyed phantom who is said to have jumped dozens of feet in the air and terrorised London in the days before The Ripper made that particular Christian name his own. As a child I remember being somewhat fascinated by Spring Heeled Jack, and so will definitely get hold of that volume.
January 10, 2015
A lot less confusing than book one.
Some brilliant ideas like the non lethal pistol.
A lot of liberties taking with Victorian figure in very strange ways.
Some brilliant ideas like the non lethal pistol.
A lot of liberties taking with Victorian figure in very strange ways.
March 15, 2022
Quite good, as these things go, and quite funny in places. Recommended.
August 9, 2013
I got this at a Border's Going-out-of-Business sale (solely because it has the coolest cover art I've ever seen), only to later realize it was the second in a series, so I had to read the first one before reading this one. After finishing the first book, , I was even more excited to read this sequel.
It picked up right where the first left off, with a new case that echoed back to the events in the first book. Where the first book was a steam-punk book with some minor sci-fi elements, this second book is a sci-fi book set in a steam-punk world -- and despite the increase in sci-fi elements, it works brilliantly.
While the story elements were all over the map at various points, it all tied together at the end, and has me excited to read the conclusion of the trilogy that was just released, (which refers to mountains in Africa, not the actual moon).
My only complaint is that in two specific instances, the author tried to be too clever/cute for his own good: naming a police character Sergeant Slaughter, and having a Eugenist insect-shell-vehicle named the Folks Wagon Beetle.
It picked up right where the first left off, with a new case that echoed back to the events in the first book. Where the first book was a steam-punk book with some minor sci-fi elements, this second book is a sci-fi book set in a steam-punk world -- and despite the increase in sci-fi elements, it works brilliantly.
While the story elements were all over the map at various points, it all tied together at the end, and has me excited to read the conclusion of the trilogy that was just released, (which refers to mountains in Africa, not the actual moon).
My only complaint is that in two specific instances, the author tried to be too clever/cute for his own good: naming a police character Sergeant Slaughter, and having a Eugenist insect-shell-vehicle named the Folks Wagon Beetle.
August 16, 2017
The second book in a series, set in an alternate-history steampunk England. This time, Richard Burton and Algernon Swinburne are up against ghosts, family curses, Professor Charles Babbage, and manipulators of time and space, in what seems to be unwinding as an epic story presenting an existential threat to the British Empire. It reminds me a lot of Ian Tregillis's Milkweed Triptych trilogy.
This is a thick, meaty adventure in a genre I'm not usually that interested in (steampunk), but I enjoyed it, though I thought sometimes the author just threw in extra historical references and characters in to pad it out. The big reveal of the secret arch-villain was entertaining, followed of course by an even bigger Big Bad. There is a meta-story about how their timeline has been changed and that a handful of people (including Burton and Swinburne) know they are living in a altered timeline and all these psychic powers and strange science inventions aren't supposed to work.
Mostly Hollywood-style entertainment, but a good read.
This is a thick, meaty adventure in a genre I'm not usually that interested in (steampunk), but I enjoyed it, though I thought sometimes the author just threw in extra historical references and characters in to pad it out. The big reveal of the secret arch-villain was entertaining, followed of course by an even bigger Big Bad. There is a meta-story about how their timeline has been changed and that a handful of people (including Burton and Swinburne) know they are living in a altered timeline and all these psychic powers and strange science inventions aren't supposed to work.
Mostly Hollywood-style entertainment, but a good read.
June 23, 2013
First off, I must declare my want to grow a proper mustachio. Or are they mustachios? Whatever they are, mine should be proper, what what! Fast paced and brilliantly visual. My mother-in-law pegged me for this one, and she was precisely correct in her recommendation as well as her comment "reads like a graphic novel." This series is a great, uh, riff on historical personalities and the character arcs are have much more curve than many of Ye Olde mysteries. Putting this one back on the shelf near another contemporary favorite, I wondered if this will also remain in my personal top 10 of all time. With time-travel, robots, (unique) zombies, and mutton chops, this is surely a contender.
On a side note, Herbert Spencer's existential rant towards the middle was mind blowing, and there are many comments in the subtext about other mind-benders such as Burton's driving torment of destiny vs free will. Make no mistake: these books are smart.
On a side note, Herbert Spencer's existential rant towards the middle was mind blowing, and there are many comments in the subtext about other mind-benders such as Burton's driving torment of destiny vs free will. Make no mistake: these books are smart.
September 22, 2017
Sir Burton znovu v akci - tentokrát spolu s natahovacím filozofem Spencerem a parním vynálezcem Brunelem čelí revoluci, vyvolané duchem Grigorije Rasputina!
Výborně jsem se bavil, a je poznat že se při psaní bavil i sám autor. Oproti prvnímu (trochu kostrbatému) dílu je druhá část o třídu lepší. Nenechte si ujít, moc dobrá parodie na viktoriánskou Anglii.
Výborně jsem se bavil, a je poznat že se při psaní bavil i sám autor. Oproti prvnímu (trochu kostrbatému) dílu je druhá část o třídu lepší. Nenechte si ujít, moc dobrá parodie na viktoriánskou Anglii.
July 4, 2016
I liked the first one better. I am not sure why. There is some lovely imaginative work here though
September 11, 2015
There are a number of things which connect this book with , so some spoilers are inevitable (at least for the first book).
When Spring Heeled Jack had altered time, he changed the original future. One of the main questions in this book is "When you take route A over route B, does route B cease to exist?". It seems that is not the case. Each time Spring Heeled Jack jumped, he disturbed what was supposed to happen, but that didn't mean the original events or people disappeared. They just continued to exist in some other time line, they became inaccessible. Thanks to Spring Heeled Jack, Burton and Swinburne don't live in Victorian, but Albertian England since Queen Victoria was assassinated. While Spring Heeled Jack sought to fix his future with technology (he built the time travel suite), here we have something completely opposite. I'll leave it at that.
What started with a clockwork automaton left at the square and a diamond robbery, soon became something more serious. The stolen diamonds and their origin are the focus of the story. Burton got an assignment from the Prime Minister to investigate the newest sensation - the man claiming to be Sir Roger Tichborne.
While the story is great, the main antagonist in this case was disappointing (it could be just me though).
One of the things I love in these books is humour. (When Burton hears someone in the street and recognize his friend and partner:
“Arguing with a cabbie, I’ll wager,� Burton agreed. “He’s convinced that any cab ride, whatever the distance, costs a shilling, and he’ll argue until he’s blue in the face if the cabbie disagrees!�
*Footsteps sounded, the study door opened, and Mrs. Angell announced: “The eleven-thirty express has just pulled in at platform three, Sir Richard. Will there be much more traffic passing through the station this morning, or can I go and bathe my aching corns?�)
December 26, 2016
Druhý díl šestidílné série Burton & Swinburne a určitě o třídu lepší než ten první (). Hodder se usadil, text má pevnější strukturu, je tam míň logických děr a byť je nakonec záporák klasicky klišoidní, tak to sice zamrzí, ale není to až takový problém.
Trochu se to v tomto dílu komplikuje s počtem realit - paralelně jich tu vedle sebe běží už několik, ale kupodivu jsem se v tom ještě nezačala ztrácet, což je určitě Hodderovo plus a knížce to jenom přispívá - není tu totiž jen jedna alternativní historie, ale hned několik a ty jsou konfrontovány mezi sebou a také s naší realitou - a to jsem si opravdu užila.
Knížka pracuje cíleně s dějem prvního dílu, takže i když tam občas něco vysvětlí, tak je určitě dobré držet se chronologie série a číst to postupně.
Překvapivě velmi čtivá záležitost, která má nápad, není to samé klišé a udrží Vás to v napětí a také přinutí číst další díly - skvělá žánrovka za čisté 4 hvězdičky a jsem opravdu zvědavá, jak to bude dál.
Kontext: Čteno těsně před Vánoci - letos jsem odmítla to předvánoční vyšilování - ono se to také nezblázní - to budu radši z dětma a manželem nebo s dobrou knihou.
První věta: "Sir Richard Burton byl mrtvý."
Poslední věta: "„Kravina!� ozvalo se příšerné vřísknutí Pox."
Trochu se to v tomto dílu komplikuje s počtem realit - paralelně jich tu vedle sebe běží už několik, ale kupodivu jsem se v tom ještě nezačala ztrácet, což je určitě Hodderovo plus a knížce to jenom přispívá - není tu totiž jen jedna alternativní historie, ale hned několik a ty jsou konfrontovány mezi sebou a také s naší realitou - a to jsem si opravdu užila.
Knížka pracuje cíleně s dějem prvního dílu, takže i když tam občas něco vysvětlí, tak je určitě dobré držet se chronologie série a číst to postupně.
Překvapivě velmi čtivá záležitost, která má nápad, není to samé klišé a udrží Vás to v napětí a také přinutí číst další díly - skvělá žánrovka za čisté 4 hvězdičky a jsem opravdu zvědavá, jak to bude dál.
Kontext: Čteno těsně před Vánoci - letos jsem odmítla to předvánoční vyšilování - ono se to také nezblázní - to budu radši z dětma a manželem nebo s dobrou knihou.
První věta: "Sir Richard Burton byl mrtvý."
Poslední věta: "„Kravina!� ozvalo se příšerné vřísknutí Pox."
May 6, 2016
6.45'in artık klasikleşmiş editöryel keşmekeşine rağmen kitaba daha düşük bi puan vermeye elim gitmedi.
Seri genelde steam punk olarak algılanmış. Ancak bana tüm bu kelime öbeklerini tanımla deseler; steam punk öğelerinin ağır bastığı ve alternatif tarih çizgisinde seyreden, weird fantasy tarzında bi şeyler abi derim...
Nedendir bilinmez tekil olarak absürd olmasına rağmen egzantrik bi mantık çerçevesinde anlamlı bi bütün oluşturabilen yazarları çok seviyorum. Hodder'da bana bunu yapabilmiş gibi geldi. Üçüncü kitabı heyecanla bekliyorum ve aynı hissiyatı bu kitaptan da alabilirsem Hodder, China Mieville'ın bi tık altı ya da eşitidir benim için...
Hülasa weird fantasy'nin en uç noktalarına ulaşabilen bi karmaşa olmasa da, weird fantasy ve steam punk sevenlerin arayıpta bulamadığı şey bence Hodder'dır. Okumak için bu tarz bi şeyler bakınıyorsanız bi göz atın derim...
Seri genelde steam punk olarak algılanmış. Ancak bana tüm bu kelime öbeklerini tanımla deseler; steam punk öğelerinin ağır bastığı ve alternatif tarih çizgisinde seyreden, weird fantasy tarzında bi şeyler abi derim...
Nedendir bilinmez tekil olarak absürd olmasına rağmen egzantrik bi mantık çerçevesinde anlamlı bi bütün oluşturabilen yazarları çok seviyorum. Hodder'da bana bunu yapabilmiş gibi geldi. Üçüncü kitabı heyecanla bekliyorum ve aynı hissiyatı bu kitaptan da alabilirsem Hodder, China Mieville'ın bi tık altı ya da eşitidir benim için...
Hülasa weird fantasy'nin en uç noktalarına ulaşabilen bi karmaşa olmasa da, weird fantasy ve steam punk sevenlerin arayıpta bulamadığı şey bence Hodder'dır. Okumak için bu tarz bi şeyler bakınıyorsanız bi göz atın derim...
October 22, 2015
The second in the Burton and Swinburne adventures, this is the sequel to the debut novel,
, which introduced us to the adventures of Richard Burton and Algernon Swinburne. Again, drapes his story over actual historical events � using them as the basis for his story, but never being afraid to let the story trample all over the historical accuracy. His trick for this is based in the events of The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack � the Albertian London of Burton and Swinburne has diverged from our ideas of Victorian London as a direct result of Spring-Heeled Jack's attempts to correct (as he saw it) history.
This time, The King's Agent is tasked to investigate the Tichborne Affair. Roger Tichborne, presumed dead, is returned to claim his inheritance. Except for the fact that he looks nothing like the real Roger Tichborne. That he's a patsy is obvious to Richard Burton. What's strange is that so many people are fooled � including Swinburne. Who's controlling the claimant and why is this leading to class warfare on the streets of London. The same supporting cast is here: Lord Palmerston, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Florence Nightingale and Oscar Wilde. But add in Babbage, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's father and Mary Beeton.
The book feels a little slow to begin. The first few chapters seem to pick up the story from the previous novel and then stop it only to start a brand new story. But, over time the threads come together and the second story makes sense. Even the clockwork man of the title, is tied in at the end. Increasingly, in this novel, you start to feel that there's a larger arc that Hodder's working towards: .
This time, The King's Agent is tasked to investigate the Tichborne Affair. Roger Tichborne, presumed dead, is returned to claim his inheritance. Except for the fact that he looks nothing like the real Roger Tichborne. That he's a patsy is obvious to Richard Burton. What's strange is that so many people are fooled � including Swinburne. Who's controlling the claimant and why is this leading to class warfare on the streets of London. The same supporting cast is here: Lord Palmerston, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Florence Nightingale and Oscar Wilde. But add in Babbage, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's father and Mary Beeton.
The book feels a little slow to begin. The first few chapters seem to pick up the story from the previous novel and then stop it only to start a brand new story. But, over time the threads come together and the second story makes sense. Even the clockwork man of the title, is tied in at the end. Increasingly, in this novel, you start to feel that there's a larger arc that Hodder's working towards: .
May 27, 2011
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)
I always have to tread lightly when it comes to reviewing novels written in the steampunk style; because this is a genre I'm a real sucker for, which means that I will give even subpar books in this genre a higher score than a lot of people feel they deserve, simply because I enjoy wallowing in the tech-meets-Victoriana tropes that define steampunk in the first place. So, that said, let me confess that I enjoyed this latest "Burton & Swinburne" novel quite a lot, in which author Mark Hodder envisions idealized versions of real-life explorer Richard Francis Burton and real-life subversive artist and libertine Algernon Swinburne, then teams them up to solve action-packed mysteries within a mid-1800s London where (among many other inventions) scientists have discovered how to genetically engineer giant centipedes with rock-hard exoskeletons, that are then gutted and fit with steam engines to produce some of the funkiest public transportation you'll ever come across. Especially enjoyable for the dozens of minor what-if references to the real world that the author makes along the way -- for example, a preteen Oscar Wilde is a wisecracking newspaper boy and street-level assistant to our heroes in Hodder's universe -- this is the very definition of "guilty pleasure," a book that will have your non-steampunk-fan friends furiously rolling their eyes just from the copper-robot-battling front cover alone. It comes recommended to that specific audience, with all of these caveats firmly in mind.
Out of 10: 8.2, or 9.2 for steampunk fans
I always have to tread lightly when it comes to reviewing novels written in the steampunk style; because this is a genre I'm a real sucker for, which means that I will give even subpar books in this genre a higher score than a lot of people feel they deserve, simply because I enjoy wallowing in the tech-meets-Victoriana tropes that define steampunk in the first place. So, that said, let me confess that I enjoyed this latest "Burton & Swinburne" novel quite a lot, in which author Mark Hodder envisions idealized versions of real-life explorer Richard Francis Burton and real-life subversive artist and libertine Algernon Swinburne, then teams them up to solve action-packed mysteries within a mid-1800s London where (among many other inventions) scientists have discovered how to genetically engineer giant centipedes with rock-hard exoskeletons, that are then gutted and fit with steam engines to produce some of the funkiest public transportation you'll ever come across. Especially enjoyable for the dozens of minor what-if references to the real world that the author makes along the way -- for example, a preteen Oscar Wilde is a wisecracking newspaper boy and street-level assistant to our heroes in Hodder's universe -- this is the very definition of "guilty pleasure," a book that will have your non-steampunk-fan friends furiously rolling their eyes just from the copper-robot-battling front cover alone. It comes recommended to that specific audience, with all of these caveats firmly in mind.
Out of 10: 8.2, or 9.2 for steampunk fans
October 8, 2013
“The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man� is the second book in the Burton and Swinburne steampunk series by Mark Hodder.
I wasn’t expecting the book to be as good as the first, “The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack�. It wasn’t. It was even better.
The characters of Sir Richard Burton and Algernon Swinburne have rounded out quite a bit. Burton seems to be a little less dark, and Swinburne is just as enchantingly perverted as before, with added sarcasm.
This story revolves around black diamonds known as the Eyes of Naga, and the Victorian scammer known as the Tichbourne Claimant. The clockwork man of the title is found abandoned in Trafalgar Square and is pivotal to the story.
This book also sees the return of police officers Trounce, Honesty and Krishnamurthy from the first novel. They are joined this time around by Krishnamurthy’s cousin Bhatti.
A couple of new permanent characters have been added. Unemployed philosopher Henry Spencer, and Sir Richard’s own personal foul mouthed parakeet, Pox.
“The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man� is a rollicking, bouncing tale that rattles along at full steam from page one right to the very end.
It is obvious that this series is heading somewhere, rather than just being open ended adventures for Burton and Swinburne.
You don’t need to have read “The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack� before reading this, as many incidents in that book are referred to in this one. However, I would recommend reading the first book before progressing to this one. As I said, it is obvious that this is a series with intentions and you may miss something if you skip the first novel.
I’m very much looking forward to reading book three, “Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon�.
I wasn’t expecting the book to be as good as the first, “The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack�. It wasn’t. It was even better.
The characters of Sir Richard Burton and Algernon Swinburne have rounded out quite a bit. Burton seems to be a little less dark, and Swinburne is just as enchantingly perverted as before, with added sarcasm.
This story revolves around black diamonds known as the Eyes of Naga, and the Victorian scammer known as the Tichbourne Claimant. The clockwork man of the title is found abandoned in Trafalgar Square and is pivotal to the story.
This book also sees the return of police officers Trounce, Honesty and Krishnamurthy from the first novel. They are joined this time around by Krishnamurthy’s cousin Bhatti.
A couple of new permanent characters have been added. Unemployed philosopher Henry Spencer, and Sir Richard’s own personal foul mouthed parakeet, Pox.
“The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man� is a rollicking, bouncing tale that rattles along at full steam from page one right to the very end.
It is obvious that this series is heading somewhere, rather than just being open ended adventures for Burton and Swinburne.
You don’t need to have read “The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack� before reading this, as many incidents in that book are referred to in this one. However, I would recommend reading the first book before progressing to this one. As I said, it is obvious that this is a series with intentions and you may miss something if you skip the first novel.
I’m very much looking forward to reading book three, “Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon�.
December 31, 2011
this book is being given five stars for no apparent reason. I think mostly because it's awesomeness makes me want to jump up and down and force it on people on the street. Of course I cannot do that because they need to read the spring heeled jack book first, otherwise I swear... I did in fact even mail the spring heeled jack one to my ex-boyfriend (a new copy since I sent mine to joel) because from past experience I know if I mail him the first of a series he will buy and read the rest of the series (I did this with the reality dysfunction and way of shadows). Then I will have someone to talk to about it. YAY!!!!
there is very little that can be said about this book without spoiling it which is sad because I'd really like to tell you all about it. like the last one it's very well researched and I spent a lot of time on google figuring out what was what. I mean did you know the UK almost joined the confederate side during the civil war? really? no joke, . mark hodder makes me smarter.
Again this mixes paranormal and steampunk, and there are even "dead rakes walking about in the strand" which you will have to read the book to figure out what that is about.
I mean come on people rasputin even decided to show up for the party what the fuck are you waiting for?
there is very little that can be said about this book without spoiling it which is sad because I'd really like to tell you all about it. like the last one it's very well researched and I spent a lot of time on google figuring out what was what. I mean did you know the UK almost joined the confederate side during the civil war? really? no joke, . mark hodder makes me smarter.
Again this mixes paranormal and steampunk, and there are even "dead rakes walking about in the strand" which you will have to read the book to figure out what that is about.
I mean come on people rasputin even decided to show up for the party what the fuck are you waiting for?
February 19, 2012
The second of the Burton and Swinburne adventures and although some of the elements of the first book that were so funny and original are now not original they are still funny and the pace of the plot is fast enough to keep you hooked. It's a series you definitely want to start at the beginning I think in order to get the full enjoyment from the characters but it remains to be seen whether Hodder can pull it off in the third book, which I believe is already out. Unlike Christopher Fowler's 'Bryant and May' books where the quality of the prose/dialogue and the twists of the plot are terrific throughout the series, I am wondering if Hodder can keep me coming back without thinking up a pretty good premise for the next book and some nice new pseudo-Victorian gadgets/genetically enhanced creatures.
February 13, 2019
Začnu zklamáním : čekala jsem samostatně stojící příběhy - detektiv masochistický alkoholický básník a zcestovalý filosof-koumal řeší podivné situace ve světě páry. Pro mne bohužel jde o rozvíjení příběhu, kde velkou roli hrají sny o Africe a cestování časem. Po vyvrcholení příběhu s Jackem zůstaly ve hře fakt ulítlé postavy a svět se plní bizarnějšími eugenicko-technologickými vynálezy. Až chaotický pelmel obrazů naštěstí je brzo učesán a zasazen jako kulisa příběhu, který má klasickou stavbu a chrlí vtipné situace, žongluje se známýma osobnostma (baví mne, hned jak se objeví nějaká postava a má jméno, vzpomínat, co ve skutečnosti byla a které její gro v příběhu bylo použito. Takže v tomto díle mne potěšil evoluční sociolog Spencer a Blavatská). Dojde i na zombíky a magii. A šup k trojce a vzhůru do Afriky!
September 30, 2018
Viac sa mi pacila tato kniha, ako prvy diel o Skakajucom Jackovi. Bola jedna cast, ked uz som velmi chcela, aby sa to zacalo rozuzlovat, lebo to na chvilku stratilo dych. Ale tuto knihu som necitala tak plynulo ako obycajne citam, takze to mohlo byt sposobene celkovou nesustredenostou :D
Prudky steampunk, vela napadov, vela roznych buducnosti a vela ezoteriky.
Koncu sa mohol Hodderko trosku viac povenovat, aby to nebolo to rozpravkove zakoncenie, ale ok, odpustam :) Tuto knizku som mala na oddych, tak som sa nezamyslala, ci tam ma nejake logicke diery atd. A Swinburne mi liezol na nervy uz v prvom dieli :D :D Nic sa nezmenilo!!!
Prudky steampunk, vela napadov, vela roznych buducnosti a vela ezoteriky.
Koncu sa mohol Hodderko trosku viac povenovat, aby to nebolo to rozpravkove zakoncenie, ale ok, odpustam :) Tuto knizku som mala na oddych, tak som sa nezamyslala, ci tam ma nejake logicke diery atd. A Swinburne mi liezol na nervy uz v prvom dieli :D :D Nic sa nezmenilo!!!
January 24, 2012
If you think you know what class warfare is, think again. A bit of perspective, let us take a look at that sensation of Victorian England, The Tichborne Affair. Roger Tichborne was the son of the baron, Sir James Tichborne, and heir to the estate. Roger was lost at sea in 1854 and presumed dead, save that his mother would not accept this. In 1862 (after Sir James' death) Arthur Orton, a bankrupt butcher from Australia, came forward to claim the title . Never mind that Orton barely resembled Roger Tichborne or knew precious little of what one one expect Roger to know, the mother accepted him. Upon her death, Orton sued to be recognized as Roger (and lost) and then in turn was sued for fraud and perjury (and again lost). It was the most expensive set of trials to date and held that title for over a century. To top the expense is that the facts of the case seemed to be of little import to the public at large. The aristocracy would not believe that one of their own would ever sink to being a common butcher, and the working class saw the upper crust betraying one of their own simply because he had found an honest way to survive. Convictions were set in stone and facts be damned. A near riot ensued upon the conclusion of the second trial as it seemed the mob would attempt to rescue Orton from prison.
Mark Hodder uses this event to bring Sir Richard Burton and Alegernon Swinburne into another steampunk adventure. If you will recall from The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack, what we would call the Victorian period has been dashed when a certain historian from the future intervened to foil a failed assassination attempt on the Queen and failed beyond his wildest nightmares with the death of Victoria. To compound matters, he planted the seeds for technology to run amok and for the development of social norms to spin wildly out of hand.
Although the historian is now dead and gone, he is still causing trouble. Not only is technology galloping at a laissez-faire pace but the very technology Spring Heeled Jack introduced is causing rifts in time. It seems that Sir James' father brought back from South America and hid under his estate a fragment of what Burton knows to be the Eyes of Naga. Never heard of the Eyes of Naga? Well they are the stuff of myth and legend and won't be unearthed from the Tichborne estate until sometime later this century—in this timeline. Jack, however, used these precious stones to power and control his time machine. His fragment is now (in the world Burton and Swinburne currently find themselves in) interacting with fragments across the world. The stones seems to have telekinetic powers and allow the past and future to interfere with each other.
This all makes life more difficult for Burton and Swinburne but far easier for Hodder, to the point where one might feel he is cheating. Things are harder for Burton and Swinburne because most of the stones are now embedded in the Tichborne Claimant. The stones magnify the near riot of history to a frenzy that would make the riots of Watts and Detroit and the confusion of New Orleans utterly inconsequential. Hodder also uses the stones to explain all the nightmare creature he could not possibly have included in his previous book. One could almost understand the werewolves of London in his last book as maybe a scientific possibility. However, having run out of the improbable, Hodder is left with the fantastic. Now there are ghosts and walking undead (the term “zombie� would be anachronistic here). There is even free-floating ectoplasm and fairies. Well, fairies don't count. It seems that there are fairies, but the stones simply make them apparent. Now they don't just torture Charles Doyle figuratively, but actually. It should also be mentioned that Hodder nicely insures that one cannot have zombies without ghosts.
As one might expect, the introduction of ghosts and the undead elevates the great riot to a zombie apocalypse. On the one hand this illustrates a problem often faced with sequels. The Clockwork Man is very much Spring Heeled Jack turned up and more contrived. On the other hand, Burton and Swinburne gel much better here. Oh, and while not quite Sean of the Dead, the undead are fairly entertaining.
One troubling theme that began weakly in Spring Heeled Jack but is much more prominent in The Clockwork Man is that of technological determinism. In the former, the social deviation of the Libertines and the Rakes seemed to have a life of their own until co-opted by the technological classes. Now these social movements are simply dominated by technology. It is also interesting that while Herbert Spencer plays a pivotal and favorable roll, Hodder provides a glimpse through to the early 20th century, one where Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche is ruler of Germany and Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin of Russia. Note only does this seem out of character for Nietzsche1, but Hodder seems to ignore the line of though and social development that runs from Kant to Hegel and then Marx. It is hard to believe that the time Hodder has created would be less hospitable to communist ideology than the one we know. The conceit here not only does technology shape ideology but that ideology has no affect on the technology we choose to pursue. The best he can come up with (as seen in the Eyes of Naga) is that there is something trumps mechanical determinism. He may, however, find himself trapped in the sort of quantum mysticism that some science fiction writer become prey to.
Hodder finishes The Clockwork Man with a promise of yet another tale (indeed it is already out). This volume suggests a collapse between this timeline and our own. Perhaps the third installment will deliver.
Mark Hodder uses this event to bring Sir Richard Burton and Alegernon Swinburne into another steampunk adventure. If you will recall from The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack, what we would call the Victorian period has been dashed when a certain historian from the future intervened to foil a failed assassination attempt on the Queen and failed beyond his wildest nightmares with the death of Victoria. To compound matters, he planted the seeds for technology to run amok and for the development of social norms to spin wildly out of hand.
Although the historian is now dead and gone, he is still causing trouble. Not only is technology galloping at a laissez-faire pace but the very technology Spring Heeled Jack introduced is causing rifts in time. It seems that Sir James' father brought back from South America and hid under his estate a fragment of what Burton knows to be the Eyes of Naga. Never heard of the Eyes of Naga? Well they are the stuff of myth and legend and won't be unearthed from the Tichborne estate until sometime later this century—in this timeline. Jack, however, used these precious stones to power and control his time machine. His fragment is now (in the world Burton and Swinburne currently find themselves in) interacting with fragments across the world. The stones seems to have telekinetic powers and allow the past and future to interfere with each other.
This all makes life more difficult for Burton and Swinburne but far easier for Hodder, to the point where one might feel he is cheating. Things are harder for Burton and Swinburne because most of the stones are now embedded in the Tichborne Claimant. The stones magnify the near riot of history to a frenzy that would make the riots of Watts and Detroit and the confusion of New Orleans utterly inconsequential. Hodder also uses the stones to explain all the nightmare creature he could not possibly have included in his previous book. One could almost understand the werewolves of London in his last book as maybe a scientific possibility. However, having run out of the improbable, Hodder is left with the fantastic. Now there are ghosts and walking undead (the term “zombie� would be anachronistic here). There is even free-floating ectoplasm and fairies. Well, fairies don't count. It seems that there are fairies, but the stones simply make them apparent. Now they don't just torture Charles Doyle figuratively, but actually. It should also be mentioned that Hodder nicely insures that one cannot have zombies without ghosts.
As one might expect, the introduction of ghosts and the undead elevates the great riot to a zombie apocalypse. On the one hand this illustrates a problem often faced with sequels. The Clockwork Man is very much Spring Heeled Jack turned up and more contrived. On the other hand, Burton and Swinburne gel much better here. Oh, and while not quite Sean of the Dead, the undead are fairly entertaining.
One troubling theme that began weakly in Spring Heeled Jack but is much more prominent in The Clockwork Man is that of technological determinism. In the former, the social deviation of the Libertines and the Rakes seemed to have a life of their own until co-opted by the technological classes. Now these social movements are simply dominated by technology. It is also interesting that while Herbert Spencer plays a pivotal and favorable roll, Hodder provides a glimpse through to the early 20th century, one where Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche is ruler of Germany and Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin of Russia. Note only does this seem out of character for Nietzsche1, but Hodder seems to ignore the line of though and social development that runs from Kant to Hegel and then Marx. It is hard to believe that the time Hodder has created would be less hospitable to communist ideology than the one we know. The conceit here not only does technology shape ideology but that ideology has no affect on the technology we choose to pursue. The best he can come up with (as seen in the Eyes of Naga) is that there is something trumps mechanical determinism. He may, however, find himself trapped in the sort of quantum mysticism that some science fiction writer become prey to.
Hodder finishes The Clockwork Man with a promise of yet another tale (indeed it is already out). This volume suggests a collapse between this timeline and our own. Perhaps the third installment will deliver.
September 7, 2024
Lepšie ako prvý diel, ale šialená jazda ktorá nie vždy dáva zmysel. Bonusové body za Madame Blavatsku
August 18, 2011
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and I also enjoyed this one. But not as much as the first. This one was still a page-turning steampunk adventure, but the plot and ideas felt more all-over-the-place and messy. In addition to mechanical and genetic advances to science, this volume adds supernatural factors that differentiate this version of 19th century Britain from the historical version. This story dealt with Spiritualism, mediums, astral projection and other such topics. But everything was so jumbled together that it never really felt like a coherent plot to me.
But I still enjoyed it for what it was. My second complaint deals with the continued TOTAL ABSENCE of any significant female characters. There are three total female characters in this book otherwise crowded with distinct characters: the housekeeper, one of the villians who only appears in one scene, and a really neat female scientist/animal caretaker who may get a total of two actual lines.
The latter character perfectly illustrates my annoyance. At the beginning of the book the two heros visit this lady's animal organization to borrow some swans to travel to the country (the Swans are huge and propel flying machines.) They meet the lady who trains them and then they take her new assistant, a formerly homeless man, to take care of the swans. This man goes on to become an important part of the rest of the book and I suspect a future permanent part of the team. Why couldn't the female swan-trainer be the one drawn into the plot? There's a perfectly good reason for her to go along to look after the swans and then they would have had someone I suspect would be a kick-ass female character. But no, it's the random homeless guy instead. (I'm not complaining about his character, which I like, but it's an example of how easy it would have been to have a central female character, if only the author made it a priority.)
Anyway, despite all this, I've still given it 4 stars. Maybe I shouldn't, but it was a compulsive read, and the world is fascinating enough to make it a must-read for steampunks. And I wouldn't be bothered so much by its faults if I didn't otherwise enjoy it.
But I still enjoyed it for what it was. My second complaint deals with the continued TOTAL ABSENCE of any significant female characters. There are three total female characters in this book otherwise crowded with distinct characters: the housekeeper, one of the villians who only appears in one scene, and a really neat female scientist/animal caretaker who may get a total of two actual lines.
The latter character perfectly illustrates my annoyance. At the beginning of the book the two heros visit this lady's animal organization to borrow some swans to travel to the country (the Swans are huge and propel flying machines.) They meet the lady who trains them and then they take her new assistant, a formerly homeless man, to take care of the swans. This man goes on to become an important part of the rest of the book and I suspect a future permanent part of the team. Why couldn't the female swan-trainer be the one drawn into the plot? There's a perfectly good reason for her to go along to look after the swans and then they would have had someone I suspect would be a kick-ass female character. But no, it's the random homeless guy instead. (I'm not complaining about his character, which I like, but it's an example of how easy it would have been to have a central female character, if only the author made it a priority.)
Anyway, despite all this, I've still given it 4 stars. Maybe I shouldn't, but it was a compulsive read, and the world is fascinating enough to make it a must-read for steampunks. And I wouldn't be bothered so much by its faults if I didn't otherwise enjoy it.
July 1, 2011
4 Stars
First let me say that Hodder's first two novels are an absolute joy to read. These are steampunk science fiction detective stories that are lead by a unique pair in Swineburne and Burton. A poet and a detective with a love of adventure.
The first book really worked because it developed our loveable protagonists and it also had an awkward antagonist that one might feel sorry for. The world building and alt history play make these books a blast to read. The first book had some structure issues but it excelled on it's fabulous character development. This book has a good structure and flow to it but, it lacks the depth of characterizations. We get very little additional insight to our heroes Swineburne and Burton and for most of the novel we lack a tangibile bad guy.
The ghost story and aspects worked for me.
I loved the fact that the Spring Heeled Jack story came into play through out this one.
I really want to know more about Burton...He is a cool intellectual, and at times bad ass explorer.
Swineburne is underdone and I feel that his comedic roles and input should be increased.
I love the fact that Hodder could turn Swineburne and Burton into a steampunk version of Sherlock Holmes.
The gadgets and clockworks are top notch.
The mystery is deep and has several twists and turns.
There are many laugh out loud scenes in this one. I loved when the gang was battling the reanimated corpses...
""Not very sporting!" exclaimed the corpse at his feet. "Hitting me in the knees like that. How am I supposed to toddle about? Honesty ignored the question and took a step toward his men. The fallen Rake grabbed his ankle and unbalanced him. He hit the ground face-first. "I demand an apology!" said the Rake. The detective sat up, twisted around and thumped a truncheon onto the cadaver's head. "Ouch! Good grief man! What sort of an apology is that?". Great stuff!
We definately will read more about these two, as further adventures are a must....
I highly recommend this series to those that love Steampunk, and also those that like a quirky mystery.
First let me say that Hodder's first two novels are an absolute joy to read. These are steampunk science fiction detective stories that are lead by a unique pair in Swineburne and Burton. A poet and a detective with a love of adventure.
The first book really worked because it developed our loveable protagonists and it also had an awkward antagonist that one might feel sorry for. The world building and alt history play make these books a blast to read. The first book had some structure issues but it excelled on it's fabulous character development. This book has a good structure and flow to it but, it lacks the depth of characterizations. We get very little additional insight to our heroes Swineburne and Burton and for most of the novel we lack a tangibile bad guy.
The ghost story and aspects worked for me.
I loved the fact that the Spring Heeled Jack story came into play through out this one.
I really want to know more about Burton...He is a cool intellectual, and at times bad ass explorer.
Swineburne is underdone and I feel that his comedic roles and input should be increased.
I love the fact that Hodder could turn Swineburne and Burton into a steampunk version of Sherlock Holmes.
The gadgets and clockworks are top notch.
The mystery is deep and has several twists and turns.
There are many laugh out loud scenes in this one. I loved when the gang was battling the reanimated corpses...
""Not very sporting!" exclaimed the corpse at his feet. "Hitting me in the knees like that. How am I supposed to toddle about? Honesty ignored the question and took a step toward his men. The fallen Rake grabbed his ankle and unbalanced him. He hit the ground face-first. "I demand an apology!" said the Rake. The detective sat up, twisted around and thumped a truncheon onto the cadaver's head. "Ouch! Good grief man! What sort of an apology is that?". Great stuff!
We definately will read more about these two, as further adventures are a must....
I highly recommend this series to those that love Steampunk, and also those that like a quirky mystery.
July 20, 2014
This is the second book in the alternate history/fantasy/steampunk series featuring Sir Richard Francis Burton and his sidekick, poet Algernon Swinburne. In the first book, a time traveler altered time. Queen Victoria was assassinated and Prince Albert was made king. Steam mechanisms of all kinds � including flying chairs (helicopter style) are being invented and used. Genetic manipulation is being put to use, too, creating jumbo horses, parakeets that deliver messages in between bouts of fluent obscenities, huge swans that tow passengers through the air after themselves and hyperactive delivery dogs. It’s also a world where the supernatural is real.
In this volume, the long lost heir to the Tichborne estate turns up alive and ready to get his hands on the family fortune. The problem is that, while his face looks roughly like the heir and he has the proper tattoo on his arm, this person doesn’t resemble the lost heir in any other way; he is slow of speech, his face has sutures around it, and his right and left arms don’t match. He has strange lumps under his scalp and most people immediately take to him and believe whatever he says. Soon he has the working class stirred up and rioting against the upper classes. Meanwhile his brother has been carried by spirits through solid walls and through a window to his death. And some infamous black diamonds have been stolen; gems that have metaphysical properties. And then there’s the family curse of the Tichbornes�
This is one of the most action filled books I’ve ever read. There is always something going on or some new marvel being introduced. The personalities are bigger than life. In the midst of all the action and fantasy the author finds ways to make social commentary- but not with too heavy of a hand. The book can be read without reading the first one, as Hodder fills in the background well enough. If you like steampunk, you’ll probably like this book.
In this volume, the long lost heir to the Tichborne estate turns up alive and ready to get his hands on the family fortune. The problem is that, while his face looks roughly like the heir and he has the proper tattoo on his arm, this person doesn’t resemble the lost heir in any other way; he is slow of speech, his face has sutures around it, and his right and left arms don’t match. He has strange lumps under his scalp and most people immediately take to him and believe whatever he says. Soon he has the working class stirred up and rioting against the upper classes. Meanwhile his brother has been carried by spirits through solid walls and through a window to his death. And some infamous black diamonds have been stolen; gems that have metaphysical properties. And then there’s the family curse of the Tichbornes�
This is one of the most action filled books I’ve ever read. There is always something going on or some new marvel being introduced. The personalities are bigger than life. In the midst of all the action and fantasy the author finds ways to make social commentary- but not with too heavy of a hand. The book can be read without reading the first one, as Hodder fills in the background well enough. If you like steampunk, you’ll probably like this book.
January 27, 2013
This was my second Burton/Swinburne steampunk adventure, having read Springheel Jack about a year ago, this time opting for the audiobook version. Gerard Doyle's narration is superb; I wish I could say the same about the book. To me, it was too long and contained too much: Steam-powered clockwork machines, bio-engineered animals, ghosts, zombies, time-travel, mind-control, seances, cyborgs. I'm sure there's a kitchen sink in there, too, although I don't recall if it's steam-powered or a genetically-mutated pig's bladder. Charles Darwin and Florence Nightingale return as villains. There are some entertaining dialogue exchanges, however with continuing the same main characters, some of it was feeling a little repetitive. I didn't hate this book; I just wished there was less of it.
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