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songwind's review
3.0
This novelization of the beginning of the Foglios' Girl Genius is a fun read. It trades in the flashy and comedic artwork of the comic for an expanded understanding of what's going on in the characters' minds.
I found the Wulfenbachs and the Jaegermonstern particularly interesting in this version.
I found the Wulfenbachs and the Jaegermonstern particularly interesting in this version.
czarina_misha's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kitsuneheart's review
5.0
I was nervous when I first saw that the Girl Genius comic was being adapted to book. While the Foglios are amazing comic writers and artists, there was the risk that their skills wouldn't work well as pure text. I was so, so wrong in my fears, because this book has been amazing and this is the third time I've listened to the audiobook. And each time is just a riot.
This is a master work of the steampunk genre. The world is so vibrant, and there's not only so much detail and well-thought-through explanation (never a "as you know" type of moment) and so many briefly mentioned but never explained things about the world at large. There's references made to different power structures in France and England, which become important later in the series, but here are just asides in the conversation. Even if you don't read the comics, you'll do fine in reading this book. The Foglios explain everything quite well, and, in fact, since it's pure prose, sometimes better than in the comics.
I think the thing I like most is that there's never a "not like other girls" moment. The Spark doesn't discriminate by sex, so no one is surprised when female Sparks like Agatha begin building a death ray. They're often referred to as "Mad Boys" in the book, but that's more the grammatical thing of multi-gender groups defaulting to male. There is a little casual sexism to the world, but it never becomes necessary to bad-mouth other women's abilities in order to make Agatha seem more interesting.
So, if you get a chance, I recommend the audiobook most of all, but the book itself is still great. Do it.
This is a master work of the steampunk genre. The world is so vibrant, and there's not only so much detail and well-thought-through explanation (never a "as you know" type of moment) and so many briefly mentioned but never explained things about the world at large. There's references made to different power structures in France and England, which become important later in the series, but here are just asides in the conversation. Even if you don't read the comics, you'll do fine in reading this book. The Foglios explain everything quite well, and, in fact, since it's pure prose, sometimes better than in the comics.
I think the thing I like most is that there's never a "not like other girls" moment. The Spark doesn't discriminate by sex, so no one is surprised when female Sparks like Agatha begin building a death ray. They're often referred to as "Mad Boys" in the book, but that's more the grammatical thing of multi-gender groups defaulting to male. There is a little casual sexism to the world, but it never becomes necessary to bad-mouth other women's abilities in order to make Agatha seem more interesting.
So, if you get a chance, I recommend the audiobook most of all, but the book itself is still great. Do it.
cosmith2015's review
5.0
I read this book as part of BookRiots read harder challenege. It fulfills my Sci Fi book.
Overall:
I loved this book! I always say that I want to be a mad scientist and was extremely excited when I found a book that was about a girl becoming a mad scientist. This book had some dry humour, twists, and was a good pace for the sequence of events. My only problem, was once again, the romance. That always seems to be the problem.
Side note: I originally picked up this book to make fun of the cover art, only to read the back and sequel with delight.
Good:
What really jumped out at me was the pace. A lot of books the events seemed rushed and unlikely how quick the sequence of events would happen. Agatha H and the Airship City was the perfect pace. There was actually time between major events.
The characters were my second favorite part. They all seemed realistic and had interesting backstories. Even the ones we saw only saw a little bit. I adore Agatha. She is brilliant, quick to solve problems, passionate about what she does, cares deeply, and doesn't take shit from nobody (i.e. standing up to the princess and to Von Prinn). I also quite like Klaus. Gilgamesh at first seemed to be bit of a Mary Sue, but in the end he thankfully was not. Krosp was delightful as well.
Bad:
I wouldn't say this book is perfect (no book is), but the only issue I had with this book was near the end the romance between Agatha and Gilgamesh was a bit rushed.
I generally don't include spoilers, so I won't this time.. But when these rushed events were taking place I don't think neither was in the right state of mind. This makes it forgivable.
Overall:
I loved this book! I always say that I want to be a mad scientist and was extremely excited when I found a book that was about a girl becoming a mad scientist. This book had some dry humour, twists, and was a good pace for the sequence of events. My only problem, was once again, the romance. That always seems to be the problem.
Side note: I originally picked up this book to make fun of the cover art, only to read the back and sequel with delight.
Good:
What really jumped out at me was the pace. A lot of books the events seemed rushed and unlikely how quick the sequence of events would happen. Agatha H and the Airship City was the perfect pace. There was actually time between major events.
The characters were my second favorite part. They all seemed realistic and had interesting backstories. Even the ones we saw only saw a little bit. I adore Agatha. She is brilliant, quick to solve problems, passionate about what she does, cares deeply, and doesn't take shit from nobody (i.e. standing up to the princess and to Von Prinn). I also quite like Klaus. Gilgamesh at first seemed to be bit of a Mary Sue, but in the end he thankfully was not. Krosp was delightful as well.
Bad:
I wouldn't say this book is perfect (no book is), but the only issue I had with this book was near the end the romance between Agatha and Gilgamesh was a bit rushed.
I generally don't include spoilers, so I won't this time.. But when these rushed events were taking place I don't think neither was in the right state of mind. This makes it forgivable.
tinynavajo's review
5.0
Go Agatha go!
This book was really really good. Agatha is a girl simply seeking to live her life and create things that she can dream. But everything she creates either blows up or doesn't work. Then the Baron takes over her city and all hell breaks lose as she finds herself on aboard a flying city and discovering her true abilities as a Spark.
This book was really really good. Agatha is a girl simply seeking to live her life and create things that she can dream. But everything she creates either blows up or doesn't work. Then the Baron takes over her city and all hell breaks lose as she finds herself on aboard a flying city and discovering her true abilities as a Spark.
twowheelsaway's review
4.0
I read this webcomic obsessively in high school, but lost touch with it when I graduated-- it was fun to go back and read the plot of the beginning in novel form. Kaja and Phil Foglio are fun writers, and the world of Girl Genius is a delight.
jon_a's review
4.0
This was fantastic. I've always enjoyed the Girl Genius comic, so I was looking forward to reading more adventures of Agatha Clay, Spark Extraordinaire.
It was a bit of a let down that this book was just a prose narrative of the first few volumes of the comic, instead of a new original adventure. But I quickly fell into this book. It was great to revisit the introductions of my favorite characters, especially as it occurred so long ago in the comic.
Probably the best part was the expanded characterizations that the authors were able to use in prose. Without having to worry about the limits of panels and word balloons, all of the characters get much deeper emotions and motivations, and many issues that seemed to just suddenly appear in the comic were able to make a more gradual sensible introduction in the book.
I would recommend to anyone interested in Steampunk adventure, and strongly recommend to anyone that enjoys Girl Genius.
It was a bit of a let down that this book was just a prose narrative of the first few volumes of the comic, instead of a new original adventure. But I quickly fell into this book. It was great to revisit the introductions of my favorite characters, especially as it occurred so long ago in the comic.
Probably the best part was the expanded characterizations that the authors were able to use in prose. Without having to worry about the limits of panels and word balloons, all of the characters get much deeper emotions and motivations, and many issues that seemed to just suddenly appear in the comic were able to make a more gradual sensible introduction in the book.
I would recommend to anyone interested in Steampunk adventure, and strongly recommend to anyone that enjoys Girl Genius.
caseysw's review
2.0
Really bad. Go read the Girl Genius comic instead, it's entertaining. There was nothing redeeming about this, except to illustrate how exactly moving one medium to another can be a complete failure.
tmleblanc's review against another edition
2.0
I’m not quite sure where to start this review. I finished Agatha H and the Airship City, but I’m not quite sure what I read. I’m confused and perhaps that confusion lead to me finishing the book in hopes that my confusion would be cleared.
There are so many characters in this book and they don’t seem to be properly introduced. Everyone is seemingly connected, but those connections are so haphazardly revealed and usually in the middle of a fight or arguement so it gets lost in the action.
That is one plus to this book. There is a lot of action. It keeps moving at a good clip. When you are working with geniuses (called Sparks) who tend to foil their own plans as often as they succeed it requires the hero or heroes to step up and make good (or at least try).
And that is where this book fails again. I’m not sure who the hero or heroes are. There is no central conflict to the book and it’s pretty obvious, I think, from the introduction of Agatha what she is so her scantily clad mis-adventures on board Castle Wulfenbach get old. So basically you are waiting 100 or 150 pages from someone to to actually tell Agatha what she is (she’s a smart cookie, but can’t put those pieces together) and another 100 or so pages after that for another character to reveal her parentage.
This book just seemed to be a hot mess in the end. A girl genius is cool and all, but for a genius she is still pretty dense. There were things that happened to her again and again (falling asleep, waking up in her skivvies at a workbench covered in oil only to be discovered almost every time by a man) and she couldn’t put the pieces together or at least get the idea to sleep fully clothed. I was feeling pretty exasperated by the end. I will give the authors credit for giving Agatha a boy that admires her brains and respects her for them. However, that isn’t enough to keep me reading the other books in this series.
This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews
There are so many characters in this book and they don’t seem to be properly introduced. Everyone is seemingly connected, but those connections are so haphazardly revealed and usually in the middle of a fight or arguement so it gets lost in the action.
That is one plus to this book. There is a lot of action. It keeps moving at a good clip. When you are working with geniuses (called Sparks) who tend to foil their own plans as often as they succeed it requires the hero or heroes to step up and make good (or at least try).
And that is where this book fails again. I’m not sure who the hero or heroes are. There is no central conflict to the book and it’s pretty obvious, I think, from the introduction of Agatha what she is so her scantily clad mis-adventures on board Castle Wulfenbach get old. So basically you are waiting 100 or 150 pages from someone to to actually tell Agatha what she is (she’s a smart cookie, but can’t put those pieces together) and another 100 or so pages after that for another character to reveal her parentage.
This book just seemed to be a hot mess in the end. A girl genius is cool and all, but for a genius she is still pretty dense. There were things that happened to her again and again (falling asleep, waking up in her skivvies at a workbench covered in oil only to be discovered almost every time by a man) and she couldn’t put the pieces together or at least get the idea to sleep fully clothed. I was feeling pretty exasperated by the end. I will give the authors credit for giving Agatha a boy that admires her brains and respects her for them. However, that isn’t enough to keep me reading the other books in this series.
This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews