turnherintoliterature's review against another edition
4.0
[ This review was originally posted on my blog: http://turnherintoliterature.tumblr.com/ ]
This is a strange confession for me to make, but here goes. I love steampunk. It’s a brilliant world, the mix of the period costumes and a certain inventiveness that we lack in the real world.
Gail Carriger is by far my favourite steampunk author, but Michael Pryor could be moving up the list (though not necessarily supplanting her) with his Extraordinaires series.
Take one werewolf magician, one albino inventor, Rudyard Kipling (he of ‘The Jungle Book’ fame), and add in a multitude of people trying to kill them, fabulous inventions, and a whole host of cunning plans, and you have ‘The Extinction Gambit’ in a nutshell.
To say more than that would be to give too much away, so if you like a mad caper (even if you’ve never delved into steampunk before), this is a highly enjoyable read, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series, simply to see what Pryor can do next.
This is a strange confession for me to make, but here goes. I love steampunk. It’s a brilliant world, the mix of the period costumes and a certain inventiveness that we lack in the real world.
Gail Carriger is by far my favourite steampunk author, but Michael Pryor could be moving up the list (though not necessarily supplanting her) with his Extraordinaires series.
Take one werewolf magician, one albino inventor, Rudyard Kipling (he of ‘The Jungle Book’ fame), and add in a multitude of people trying to kill them, fabulous inventions, and a whole host of cunning plans, and you have ‘The Extinction Gambit’ in a nutshell.
To say more than that would be to give too much away, so if you like a mad caper (even if you’ve never delved into steampunk before), this is a highly enjoyable read, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series, simply to see what Pryor can do next.
melbsreads's review against another edition
3.0
Plot summary: On the brink of the 1908 Olympics, Kingsley wants nothing more than to launch his career as a conjurer and escapologist. But Kingsley has a secret wild side that he sometimes can't contain, and besides - there's a group of immortal magicians who want his brain. And if the immortal magicians aren't bad enough, a group of Neanderthals want him (and all homo sapiens) dead too. With the help of Evadne, a mysterious albino girl, and Rudyard Kipling, Kingsley is about to have the adventure of his life.
Thoughts: I think I would have liked this more than I did if it hadn't been so blatantly the set up for a new series. There was a lot of world building to do, and the action suffered as a result. Kingsley's a fascinating character - I loved his backstory, and it'll be interesting to see how it develops in the following books. Evadne is a total badass, with all kinds of gadgets and gizmos up her sleeve. The Demimonde was fascinating, and much better executed than China Mieville's UnLundun. The Neanderthals were great too. Oh, and bonus points for including time travel.
But despite liking all of the elements, the overall story didn't particularly grab me at this stage. I'm not sure if there was too much left unanswered or if I missed some key part of the story, but I never felt like the story gelled for me. Still, it was an enjoyable read and I'll probably keep an eye out for future additions to the series.
Thoughts: I think I would have liked this more than I did if it hadn't been so blatantly the set up for a new series. There was a lot of world building to do, and the action suffered as a result. Kingsley's a fascinating character - I loved his backstory, and it'll be interesting to see how it develops in the following books. Evadne is a total badass, with all kinds of gadgets and gizmos up her sleeve. The Demimonde was fascinating, and much better executed than China Mieville's UnLundun. The Neanderthals were great too. Oh, and bonus points for including time travel.
But despite liking all of the elements, the overall story didn't particularly grab me at this stage. I'm not sure if there was too much left unanswered or if I missed some key part of the story, but I never felt like the story gelled for me. Still, it was an enjoyable read and I'll probably keep an eye out for future additions to the series.
caitieh97's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Was a good read, but I felt like there was so much going on in terms of plot that a lot of it didn't get fleshed out properly. As far as I can tell there is only one sequel, and I'm not sure if that is enough to finished off what has been started
More...