The Falling Machine

Mayer, Andrew P. (2011). The Society of Steam Book one: The Falling Machine. Amherst, NY: Pyr.

ISBN: 9781616143756

Pages: 285

Genre: steampunk

Annotation: After her mentor is murdered Sarah searches for the truth.

Summary: Sarah Stanton went to the Brooklyn Bridge with her mentor to see a marvel being built. She leaves shocked by her mentor’s murder and awareness of a danger threatening New York and the world. Things get worse when she finds there is a traitor in the superhero group protecting the city. Now she must find out the truth or all will be lost.

Evaluation: good read

Sarah’s backstory shows her to be a determined heroine the reader roots for. Her father, the superhero known as the Industrialist, is interesting because he is grey: he wants to protect the world but some of his actions are questionable at best. The other characters are intriguing. Sleuth, for example, is a Sherlock Holmes like hero who is charming and intelligent. A nitpick I have is that more should have been done with the character of Tom. He is an automaton who embodies progress because he is so advanced, but also causes mistrust because he is a machine and not human. We see his actions, and they show his character, but I would have liked to see more of his thoughts. Just seeing his actions makes his character feel flat to me. How is he reacting to the events of the book? The reader clearly sees this is a steampunk world through the descriptions of machines. The workings of society are shown through the chapters in Sarah’s point of view. The storyline gets readers thinking about what being human is, can machines/progress be trusted and how we can be oblivious to what we need to see. The chain of events is believable and the point of view switches are handled skillfully. The book leaves plenty of questions to be answered in the next books. This is a good read for those who like over the top superheroes and villains and/or steampunk.

What else to read:

The next book in the series.

The Bookman (The Bookman Histories series) by Lavie Tidhar for steampunk and a good villain.

The Iron Duke (Iron Seas series) by Meljean Brook for steampunk, strong heroine and romance.

Phoenix Rising (Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series) by Phillipa Ballentine for steampunk and a strong heroine.

Soulless

Carriger, Gail. (2009) Soulless. (Parasol Protectorate series). New York, NY: Orbit.

ISBN: 9780316056632

Pages: 373

Genre: steampunk, fantasy, romance, alternate history

Annotation: Alexia Tarabotti’s life is complicated by a plot against supernaturals.

Summary: Alexia Tarabotti goes to a ball for food, fun and maybe conversation. Instead, she has to kill a vampire who wants her for dinner. This leads to encounters with a handsome, and frustrating, werewolf investigator and being targeted by a plot against London’s supernatural citizens. Alexia has a gift which can save her if the fact she has it doesn’t get her killed.

Evaluation excellent read

The details about fashion, science and society made me think I was in an alternate steampunk and supernaturally influenced London. The characters are a lot of fun. Alexia is calm with a determined attitude that has the reader rooting for her. Lord Maccon is blunt but also caring and determined to protect London and Alexia. The minor characters are engaging as well: Lord Akeldama is amusing, Professor Lyall is urbanely capable and Alexia’s mother channels Mrs. Bennett. The storyline flows at a quick pace while also allowing for relationship development between Alexia and Lord Maccon. Some aspects of their relationship got a little too detailed for me, but that is just personal preference. The plot against the supernaturals ends smoothly while also leaving room for continuation. (What does the octopus mean?) This book is an excellent read for romance, supernatural, steampunk, alternate history and strong heroine fans. What else to read:

Other books by Gail Carriger.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen because the romance, and Alexia’s mother, reminded me of it.

The Iron Duke (Iron Seas series) by Meljean Brook for steampunk, strong heroine and romance.

Phoenix Rising (Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series) by Phillipa Ballentine for steampunk and a strong heroine.

The Manual of Detection

Berry, Jedediah. (2009). The Manual of Detection. New York, NY: Penguin.

Pages: 278

ISBN: 978-1594202117

Genre: mystery, fantasy, science fiction, steampunk

Annotation: A clerk is unhappily promoted to detective.  

Summary: Clerk Charles Unwin is a master of detail and routine. Then his life is disrupted when the greatest detective his city has goes missing. This gets him promoted to detective, but Unwin sees this as a mistake to rectify. Then he finds his boss’s boss murdered and realizes he has to take on the mantle of detective at least long enough to be able to get his own job back. This sends him on a surreal journey where who can be trusted is unclear, facts are uncertain and what the future holds is up for grabs. As he uses his knowledge of reports, the people he encounters and The Manual of Detection hints he finds truth of the past is not what he thought. Unwin’s search brings him into contact with a foe that would control the dreams of the whole city. Unwin must go from a clerk who records details to a detective who makes them if he has chance of saving the city, the detective and himself.

Evaluation: Good read

Unwin is an engaging character. The reader is drawn into his obsessed with detail view of the world. It is a trait which hinders him by making his world view narrow, but helps him to see what he needs to when applied correctly. The other characters are intriguing as the details of whom and what they are is slowly revealed. The storyline is good, but two parts keep it from being excellent. Unwin’s movement from clue to clue seemed too lucky. Also, the Agency’s purpose, the changing nature of the characters and some of the events of the book are a bit too surreal at times. The surreal vibe of the story was conveyed very well. Descriptions of the agency, the unnamed city, the carnival and the dream areas made the reader feel surreal and very aware this was another world. A good read for those wanting something out of the ordinary.

What other out of the ordinary books to read:

City of Glass by Paul Auster also involves a mystery and a reluctant hero.

The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer is another surreal steampunk novel.

The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman by Angela Carter is a surreal fantasy where the nature of reality is challenged.

The Prophecy Machine (Investments #1) by Neal Barrett Jr. is a fantasy in which societal order is challenged.