octavia_cade's review against another edition
3.0
This is the first book I've read in this series, so I'm quite sure I'm not getting all the subtleties of it, but it was an easy, enjoyable read. Rather too stuffed full with characters, perhaps, in that they were all rather thinly drawn. It says on the cover "A Tale of Langdon St. Ives" and I must say he was the most cipher-like of the lot, nearly entirely devoid of personality.
That being said, there were some lovely creepy images in here, the severed heads being kept alive by fungi the chief of them.
That being said, there were some lovely creepy images in here, the severed heads being kept alive by fungi the chief of them.
tigerb99's review
3.0
Good adventure, but there are so many characters and they divide into so many parties that it's very confusing to keep track of who and where everyone is.
jameseckman's review
3.0
Blaylock is such an oddball writer, I like reading his stuff but for most of this series he's so far off the rails that it feels like a broken roller coaster. This one's a bit more centered but does include the horror trope, let's split up, what can go wrong? Nice mixture of chthonic organic horror and offbeat 1800's tech. It can be read as a standalone.
blodeuedd's review
3.0
I did assume it would take place more beneath London, I mean that is the name of the book. But it mostly took place above ground. Which sort of was a shame, cos the underworld seems really strange with toadstools that eat people.
Steampunk wise, yes it was an alternative Victorian England, but it was more gadgetwise it was steampunk. A few here and there, and witches too, oh and those weird toadstools.
It is a series, but I thought it worked well in its own. Sure there was talk about other characters. And I am sure I could have experienced things even more if I had read the other books, but that is the downfall when you jump into a series. So it works like this.
The story. We have a professor St Ives who gets a new case about what is beneath London. But then more things happen. A psychic girl is kidnapped. Strange things are going on in London. Are they all connected somehow? To his help he has his wife, and well more people. But I can give you the details cos as things happen, we meet more people...as things happen. Spoilers darling.
It's kind of a thriller mystery set in a steampunk world. There is a strange sort of dry humour there too. The tone is actually really hard to describe.
But sure, sometimes I felt like, maybe everyone was too nice. More boom, and toadstools please! It was cool, but not always for me.
An interesting mix.
Steampunk wise, yes it was an alternative Victorian England, but it was more gadgetwise it was steampunk. A few here and there, and witches too, oh and those weird toadstools.
It is a series, but I thought it worked well in its own. Sure there was talk about other characters. And I am sure I could have experienced things even more if I had read the other books, but that is the downfall when you jump into a series. So it works like this.
The story. We have a professor St Ives who gets a new case about what is beneath London. But then more things happen. A psychic girl is kidnapped. Strange things are going on in London. Are they all connected somehow? To his help he has his wife, and well more people. But I can give you the details cos as things happen, we meet more people...as things happen. Spoilers darling.
It's kind of a thriller mystery set in a steampunk world. There is a strange sort of dry humour there too. The tone is actually really hard to describe.
But sure, sometimes I felt like, maybe everyone was too nice. More boom, and toadstools please! It was cool, but not always for me.
An interesting mix.
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