kb_09's review
4.0
When I think of historical fiction, I think of Erik Larson, and thought this would be like one of his novels, but just a different time era. I am also not very big on history, but I did enjoy this novel. Jacopo della Quercia's book was enjoyable, fast-paced, and I would definitely read more of his work.
drbird's review
5.0
Smart, funny, crazy, and fast paced. A mixture of fantasy and historical reality with a fantastic cast of characters, President Taft and all his heft at the center. I can’t even explain all the wonderful elements at work here because some things would be considered spoilers. Here’s a few early tidbits that should get you engaged enough to snag a copy of this book:
--Taft’s first appearance is in an underground boxing club.
--Taft and his entourage fly around in a zeppelin that’s supposed to be top secret but he flies it to a baseball game so he can throw out the first pitch.
--an automaton goes crazy in the White House
--Lots of insults tossed at Thomas Edison; Nikola Tesla is one of the presidents supporters and supplies him with a variety of gadgets that gives this novel its steam-punk-isn flair.
--Great time period offers up plenty of cool “I didn’t know that” facts (many footnoted). The stuff that’s fiction is, of course, most fun, but the reality of some of the politics of Taft’s presidency and the pre-WWI era are fun (JP Morgan, Russian relations, Roosevelt, and more).
--Robert Todd Lincoln as the brooding sidekick to Taft is a really interesting pairing.
--plenty of intrigue, and a few twists but nothing that will make you say “Oh, COME ON!”
I honestly found this book to be so much fun and so smart and funny that I want everyone to read it just so we can talk about how it could be an amazing movie.
--Taft’s first appearance is in an underground boxing club.
--Taft and his entourage fly around in a zeppelin that’s supposed to be top secret but he flies it to a baseball game so he can throw out the first pitch.
--an automaton goes crazy in the White House
--Lots of insults tossed at Thomas Edison; Nikola Tesla is one of the presidents supporters and supplies him with a variety of gadgets that gives this novel its steam-punk-isn flair.
--Great time period offers up plenty of cool “I didn’t know that” facts (many footnoted). The stuff that’s fiction is, of course, most fun, but the reality of some of the politics of Taft’s presidency and the pre-WWI era are fun (JP Morgan, Russian relations, Roosevelt, and more).
--Robert Todd Lincoln as the brooding sidekick to Taft is a really interesting pairing.
--plenty of intrigue, and a few twists but nothing that will make you say “Oh, COME ON!”
I honestly found this book to be so much fun and so smart and funny that I want everyone to read it just so we can talk about how it could be an amazing movie.
smatthew459's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
heregrim's review
4.0
Easy read that plays fast and loose with the history, but who's use of the historical record (newspapers and diaries) to create a believable and fun romp through an alternate past where there is always more to the eye of history.
michelle_leitheoir's review
4.0
Well that was certainly a lot of fun. Alternate history with a very small smidgen of truth. Very small. I can hardly wait to read License to Quill.
skaficianado's review
5.0
Even though Abraham Lincoln's appearance in the book was brief, this was way better than when he went on a vampire killing spree in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. In fact, I hope Jacopo gets a movie option on this book: done right. the resulting flick could be as fantastic as the book itself.
apbryant32's review
3.0
Like most others on this site, the author, Jacopo della Quercia, followed me on Twitter after I followed Cracked.com. I returned the favor and began to see numerous tweets about his upcoming book. I first thought of some dude writing his novel at Starbucks that would be crap and no one would wanna read. I'm not sure why, but I did. However, after I read some of the online chapters and was totally shocked and captivated, I bought it. And my gosh, this is the most purely fun book I've ever read. You have a solid political adventure in a 1910's background with some fantastic characters, (among those being William Taft, Robert Lincoln, John Wilkie, and others) and a seemless blend of fact and fiction. Every true, historical event that is mentioned has a newspaper referrence as a footnote at the bottom of the page, and that gives you assurance in the fact that this guy knows what he's talking about. At the same time, he uses his brilliant imagination to create a story that, while fiction, fits in perfectly with the times and world he's set up. All of this blends into an insanely fun read that will entertain and, in some cases, inform you. The only negative I can think of is that at first you see a piece of technology that is so ahead of it's time that you don't really believe it, but you learn to accept it, as it's very prominent in the book. Outside of that, there's not any strong negatives to this book that I can tell. If you enjoy history, adventure, and fat people throwing guys around like rag dolls, you'll love this book. It's definitely worth a shot. Well done, Mr. Quercia!
quodfelix's review
2.0
I had high hopes, but I was disappointed. Too much happened in too little time with too little explanation. The significance of the pocket watch was built up too high and wound up being too little. Alas.