A review by momoxshi
The Immorality Engine by George Mann
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
While struggling with an opium addiction, Sir Maurice Newbury gets called in to investigate the death of a known but difficult to catch serial burglar. But while the body is in the morgue, his signature burglary tactics are used again in another break in. The mystery deepens even more when they discover a second dead body--again, that of the said burglar.
The Immorality Engine is a Sherlock Holmes-like story set in Steampunk Victorian England that's fit for any readers who like either mystery or steampunk, or both.
Possible trigger warnings: Slight gore and torture.
+
Was this the first book I've read from the Newbury and Hobbes series? Yes. Is it fit as a standalone? Kinda. It CAN work as a standalone to some extent as it wasn't difficult to understand everything but I did get some spoilers from the first two books so there's that. But I was still able to enjoy this. The characters of Newbury and Hobbes are one of the best Sherlock Holmes + Watson inspired characters I've come across. There's a good balance between the two characters that the original duo did not, you'll easily realize that they wouldn't be as successful if they weren't working together.
I'm always a sucker for Steampunk and this did a good job of setting the scene. I always like how a lot of mystery stories I read that are set in Victorian England I did find a few inconsistencies when it comes to motivations of some of the characters
Overall, a pretty good read. Hoping to be able to read the others in the series as I got my copy of this book at a thrift shop.
The Immorality Engine is a Sherlock Holmes-like story set in Steampunk Victorian England that's fit for any readers who like either mystery or steampunk, or both.
Possible trigger warnings: Slight gore and torture.
+
Was this the first book I've read from the Newbury and Hobbes series? Yes. Is it fit as a standalone? Kinda. It CAN work as a standalone to some extent as it wasn't difficult to understand everything but I did get some spoilers from the first two books so there's that. But I was still able to enjoy this. The characters of Newbury and Hobbes are one of the best Sherlock Holmes + Watson inspired characters I've come across. There's a good balance between the two characters that the original duo did not, you'll easily realize that they wouldn't be as successful if they weren't working together.
I'm always a sucker for Steampunk and this did a good job of setting the scene. I always like how a lot of mystery stories I read that are set in Victorian England
Spoiler
paint Queen Victoria as the main villain and her motivations and her being "married" with machinery in this story was just superb. Though I found it laughable that there was a literal kill switch installed on her machine that Dr. Fabian thought no one would notice. I was about to rage until I got to the ending to find out Victoria knew about it all along.Spoiler
specifically, I got confused with Newbury in particular when Veronica was asking him to choose between the Queen and her when it was obvious from the start where his loyalty lies more.Overall, a pretty good read. Hoping to be able to read the others in the series as I got my copy of this book at a thrift shop.