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A review by branch_c
The Aylesford Skull by James P. Blaylock
3.0
As usual, Blaylock's command of language is brilliantly clever and reading any of his books is a unique experience. The eccentric cast of characters is another constant positive with his writing, and that's certainly in evidence here.
However, I'm forced to admit that I didn't enjoy this book as much as I'd hoped. There are a number of possible reasons: it could be that as eccentric as the characters are, they've become less interesting to me as they reappear in subsequent books (or new characters appear with eccentricities so similar to those of previous characters that they've become commonplace). Or it could be that I was less impressed with the supernatural aspect of this book. Blaylock's treatment of such things is generally masterfully subtle and brings with it a hint of the wondrous - but Narbondo's ghost skull obsession was, for me, a bit too clumsy compared to my expectations, and I'm afraid I still wasn't clear in the end exactly what part it was supposed to play in his grander scheme. Likewise, the outlandish steampunk aspects are less prevalent here - if only St. Ives' plan involving the elephant could have been worked into the events of the story instead of just peripheral! In fact, the plot in general was a bit slow for my liking, with too many occurrences of characters meeting in a pub to decide upon the best course of action. And finally, the tone was more grim and gloomy than I've come to expect from Blaylock, with the kidnapping aspect and Narbondo's anarchic terrorism overshadowing the story and draining much of the fun from the antics of the protagonists.
In spite of these issues, I still found it to be a solid entry in the St. Ives series. In particular, I enjoyed the expert weaving of the separate paths taken by the characters as they diverged and reconverged unexpectedly, and also the expanded role played by Alice. The ending was suitably entertaining, with St. Ives and his airship stealing the scene.
Overall, then, I have to give it a mixed review: had hoped for more, but a worthy effort nonetheless.
However, I'm forced to admit that I didn't enjoy this book as much as I'd hoped. There are a number of possible reasons: it could be that as eccentric as the characters are, they've become less interesting to me as they reappear in subsequent books (or new characters appear with eccentricities so similar to those of previous characters that they've become commonplace). Or it could be that I was less impressed with the supernatural aspect of this book. Blaylock's treatment of such things is generally masterfully subtle and brings with it a hint of the wondrous - but Narbondo's ghost skull obsession was, for me, a bit too clumsy compared to my expectations, and I'm afraid I still wasn't clear in the end exactly what part it was supposed to play in his grander scheme. Likewise, the outlandish steampunk aspects are less prevalent here - if only St. Ives' plan involving the elephant could have been worked into the events of the story instead of just peripheral! In fact, the plot in general was a bit slow for my liking, with too many occurrences of characters meeting in a pub to decide upon the best course of action. And finally, the tone was more grim and gloomy than I've come to expect from Blaylock, with the kidnapping aspect and Narbondo's anarchic terrorism overshadowing the story and draining much of the fun from the antics of the protagonists.
In spite of these issues, I still found it to be a solid entry in the St. Ives series. In particular, I enjoyed the expert weaving of the separate paths taken by the characters as they diverged and reconverged unexpectedly, and also the expanded role played by Alice. The ending was suitably entertaining, with St. Ives and his airship stealing the scene.
Overall, then, I have to give it a mixed review: had hoped for more, but a worthy effort nonetheless.