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sarah_ls 's review for:
The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack
by Mark Hodder
I had to create a number of shelves to accommodate this wacky novel. It's primarily a Steampunk Victorian Detective Novel and then you add all of these other elements in. Rogue geneticists, time travel, the assassination of Queen Victoria, a mad Marquess (very Victorian), a timeline that goes increasingly awry, and my favorite bit, part swashbuckling adventure. I swear this book made me want to whip out a rapier and dance around like a mad lunatic. Which is what I would look like if I tried sword-fighting. Oh, there's also a young Oscar Wilde as a newsboy.
Burton is offered a job as the King's Agent at the beginning of the book and told to investigate the werewolf problem in London. After explaining to the Prime Minister that he was accosted the night before by a strange figure, Burton finds out that this is the famed mythical figure, Spring Heeled Jack. He's told to investigate that as well. I don't want to say anything else because it would be easy to spoiler something. I will say that there isn't much food for thought here but it's a hell of a lot of fun if that's what you're looking for. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. Two things did surprise me. The author really captures the feel of a Victorian detective novel but he manages to somehow mix it with all of these strange elements without it ever seeming awkward. The other is that the author explained every single one of Spring Heeled Jack's appearances. That was impressive.
Also, I listened to the audio and the narrator was beyond brilliant. He did an excellent range of voices, my favorite was the Beadle that lived in a chimney and protected the chimney sweeps. I was never clear on what he was exactly but the narrator's voice was hilariously spooky.
This was a truly fun book.
Burton is offered a job as the King's Agent at the beginning of the book and told to investigate the werewolf problem in London. After explaining to the Prime Minister that he was accosted the night before by a strange figure, Burton finds out that this is the famed mythical figure, Spring Heeled Jack. He's told to investigate that as well. I don't want to say anything else because it would be easy to spoiler something. I will say that there isn't much food for thought here but it's a hell of a lot of fun if that's what you're looking for. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. Two things did surprise me. The author really captures the feel of a Victorian detective novel but he manages to somehow mix it with all of these strange elements without it ever seeming awkward. The other is that the author explained every single one of Spring Heeled Jack's appearances. That was impressive.
Also, I listened to the audio and the narrator was beyond brilliant. He did an excellent range of voices, my favorite was the Beadle that lived in a chimney and protected the chimney sweeps. I was never clear on what he was exactly but the narrator's voice was hilariously spooky.
This was a truly fun book.