A review by mhall89446
The Bookman by Lavie Tidhar

4.0

At least for me, a blast to read. While some have classed it as Steampunk or Alternative History, I see it much more as an homage to Victorian literature in general. The characters are drawn from a variety of Victorian and Edwardian novels--I mean what would you expect with a Prime Minister named Moriarty, and a reporter named Jules Verne! The homage comes in with the blend of story lines: the orphan who makes good; the British detective novel; the individual who finds out they are the true king; a fight for a lover; and the scientific romances of Verne and Wells. The alternate history and Steampunk elements arise from the zepplins, a world where the British monarchy is a bunch of telepathic lizards from space; and an android who revolts against them.

Yeah, its all over the place, but Tidhar manages to tie it all together in a great romp. Not great literature, but fresh and fun to read.