Reviews

The Affinity Bridge by George Mann

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t8r's review against another edition

3.0

This was a neat book. I liked the style and the plot kept a good pace. The science was pretty out-there, but I guess it has to be for a steampunk/sci-fi/Sherlockesque story. It's a good quick read if you like this kind of novel. The vivid imagery helps to bring it to life.

dromwald's review against another edition

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4.0

Love this series of books which blends a delicious cocktail of steampunk and detective mystery with a generous side order of the occult.

andrew_j_r's review against another edition

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I really liked this book. it took a couple of attempts to get into it, mainly because I was trying to read too many things at once, but I am so glad that I did.

The basic idea seems to be a mystery set in late Victorian England - but with science quite beyond what was available at the time. It is a Victorian London of airships, and steam powered coaches that drive alongside the more traditional horse drawn variety. So although it is a Science Fiction setting, the author has done an amazing job of creating a slice of history that (obviously) never actually happened, as well as making it believable.

The lead characters (Newbury and Hobbes) are great fun, and there is a kind of X-Fileseque "will they/won't they" worn into the narrative. This is the first of a series, and will certinly read the others as the actual plot of this one kept me guessing what was actually happening. Obviously the two main plot strands were going to be linked, but it was not too obvious in what way, and I enjoyed guessing as I went along, although I never actually worked it out.

So, all in all a thoroughly enjoyable read.

beleivalbe

biophile's review against another edition

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2.0

Boring steam-punk Holmesian riff; should have been published as YA. Best avoided if possible.

nation's review against another edition

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2.0

I really can't complain. This book didn't have any egregious errors. It was a fun, mediocre steampunk adventure thriller. If you're into steampunk adventure thrillers with liberal smatterings of clockwork robots, airships, Victorian etiquette, zombies, and Victorian chauvinism, you'll enjoy this quick read. I give it two stars because, while I enjoy all these things, it felt a little paint-by-the-numbers, and nothing stood out as being exceptional.

fluffles's review

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lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

pekoegal's review

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2.0

This book couldn't decide what it wanted to be - mystery, horror, steampunk, action-adventure. In the end it was just a mediocre mishmash of genres.

It's a quickly paced book, which makes it hard to put down. The characters aren't especially unique or interesting though and it got hard for me to remember who was who.

Overall, just kinda "meh".