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olegx's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
cherithe's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like this book should come with a massive trigger warning. No matter how historical or historically accurate the book might be (aside from what's been changed in the manner of steampunk and the fantastical) the premise boils down to the fact that our novel's protagonist, Sir Richard Francis Burton is tracking down the perpetrator of a series of violent attacks on young women.
In first half of the novel, as Burton is recruited and the Victorian/Albertan London stage is set for us in Hodder's steampunk alternate universe, is decent. The story could've/should've gone through another round of editing, much of it drags on too long. However as the story switches to the second part and we learn the origin of Hodder's version of Spring Heeled Jack, the suggestions put forth by his accomplice as part of SHJ's search for his ancestry are disturbing and extreme: to accost any of the girls who might be the one. The way in which the idea is delivered feels so off-the-cuff as though it's a perfectly normal course of action. And though he struggles with the idea initially, no thought is given to other possible options.
The events as described are not dwelled on or overly graphic, but it could be triggering for many people, especially given that there's not just one attack, but several. And they come so far into the novel it would be a disappointment and a waste to spend time on reading so far only to need to abandon it later since the end is full of triggering incidents.
Putting aside for a moment the central premise of the novel and the problems it presents, I didn't really enjoy the novel on the whole. The steampunk and fantastical technology were interesting, but really it seemed like a strong case of 'trying to hard'.
In first half of the novel, as Burton is recruited and the Victorian/Albertan London stage is set for us in Hodder's steampunk alternate universe, is decent. The story could've/should've gone through another round of editing, much of it drags on too long. However as the story switches to the second part and we learn the origin of Hodder's version of Spring Heeled Jack, the suggestions put forth by his accomplice as part of SHJ's search for his ancestry are disturbing and extreme: to accost any of the girls who might be the one. The way in which the idea is delivered feels so off-the-cuff as though it's a perfectly normal course of action. And though he struggles with the idea initially, no thought is given to other possible options.
The events as described are not dwelled on or overly graphic, but it could be triggering for many people, especially given that there's not just one attack, but several. And they come so far into the novel it would be a disappointment and a waste to spend time on reading so far only to need to abandon it later since the end is full of triggering incidents.
Putting aside for a moment the central premise of the novel and the problems it presents, I didn't really enjoy the novel on the whole. The steampunk and fantastical technology were interesting, but really it seemed like a strong case of 'trying to hard'.
eososray's review against another edition
2.0
I need to pay more attention to the books I'm adding to my wish list. I like steampunk but I've never liked alternate history or real historical characters in a fiction story. So not a surprise that this was a less than stellar book for me.
Though, swearing parakeets? That was funny.
Though, swearing parakeets? That was funny.
zanosgood's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
mcbeezie's review
4.0
It took a minute for me to get into this one, but once it got going it was great! Very fun alt-history steampunk story.
kurwaczytaj's review against another edition
4.0
Obálka knihy je hodně nepovedená ale obsah je naštěstí dobrý.
Sice jde jen o takové oddychové čtení ale občas každý potřebuje proložit vážná témata dobrou (pokud možno) komercí či škvárem, jak je libo.
Steampunkový příběh nás zavede do trošku jiného Londýna než jaký najdete v učebnicích pod heslem viktoriánská Anglie. V příběhu vystupují různé známé historické osobnosti, jen v trošku jiném světle. Historie se prostě mísí s alternativní historií tak pade na pade. Když přijmete autorova pravidla hry, brzy se v neviktoriánské Anglii zorientujete a budete se skvěle bavit nejen samotným dějem ale i popisy neexistujících vynálezů, situací a událostí. Jediné, co mne trošku mrzelo, byla mluva těch papoušků. To jsem vnímal jako laciné "tlačení na pilu" ve stylu Aristokratky.
Ale jinak jde vtipnou a svižnou chuťovku, kterou si může čtenář proložit pauzičku mezi dvěma "dospělými" knihami. xD
Sice jde jen o takové oddychové čtení ale občas každý potřebuje proložit vážná témata dobrou (pokud možno) komercí či škvárem, jak je libo.
Steampunkový příběh nás zavede do trošku jiného Londýna než jaký najdete v učebnicích pod heslem viktoriánská Anglie. V příběhu vystupují různé známé historické osobnosti, jen v trošku jiném světle. Historie se prostě mísí s alternativní historií tak pade na pade. Když přijmete autorova pravidla hry, brzy se v neviktoriánské Anglii zorientujete a budete se skvěle bavit nejen samotným dějem ale i popisy neexistujících vynálezů, situací a událostí. Jediné, co mne trošku mrzelo, byla mluva těch papoušků. To jsem vnímal jako laciné "tlačení na pilu" ve stylu Aristokratky.
Ale jinak jde vtipnou a svižnou chuťovku, kterou si může čtenář proložit pauzičku mezi dvěma "dospělými" knihami. xD
auntie_terror's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
cmira2027's review
3.0
I am glad I got this as an audio book, I am not sure I would have read it in printed form. It was very good but very hard to get get through. I really liked how the author presented the idea that time travel can be very dangerous and have consequences that are not what were not expected or planned for. That everything you do to fix the things you changed only makes the changes worse.
captainjaq's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this... I really did. But the writing was weak, the story unnecessarily convoluted and I had a hard time finishing it. To top it off, the afterword explained what the "real" historical figures did or did not "actually" do in context of the book (ie, in the book, Burton says or does something which is not historically accurate and Hodder feels the need to explain to us that it's not historically accurate, which would be fine but if you read the book, you understand that NONE of it is accurate, which then begs the question, why use real figures at all?)