Thursday, February 28, 2008

Whitechapel Gods - Book Review

By: S. M. Peters

Again with the covers. This book is definitely an eye catcher. So much so that I decided to read it even though I've never read steam punk before. Having said that, I'm not sure if this was typical of the subgenre. I found the writing fascinating but rather dense and a bit slow. A lot of things needed to be explained (how these two gods - Grandfather Clock and Mama Engine - subverted the Baron and took over the Whitechapel area, how the Queen has sent people to reclaim it and how their efforts have thus far failed). The architecture of the area is a series of precariously balanced buildings built over the ruins of the old city and connected by lifts and stairwells.

The characters were well fleshed out (and the disease that turns humans into living machines is downright creepy) and you care about what's happening to them throughout the story. By the end the story picks up and the last few chapters are hard to pull yourself away from.

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