Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Infernal Devices by K W Jeter

George Dower inherited his father's watchmaker shop, but he couldn't repair clocks.  As a matter of fact, he couldn't even figure out what some of the things in the shop were...


Angry Robot is reissuing this book that has been out of print since the late 1980's, and I got my copy from Net Galley for review (thank you both).  It's available as an ebook now.


This was an interesting read.  It combines strange creatures, con men and women, robbery, insanity, prostitution and more into a boiling pot of intrigue and wonder.


George makes the acquaintance of a "brown leather" man who gives him a mahogany case that he wants him to fix.  Next he meets a couple who want to steal it from him.  Then the Ladies Union for the Suppression of Carnal Vice gets on his case and he gets marooned on an island and...


This is written in steampunk style and was published before such was avant-garde as it is now.  It has the same flavor of the new books I'm reading in that genre now.  And the story moves quickly with lots of little quirks in the tale.  There's even a romantic interest to confuse poor old George even more.


I enjoyed this read.  Why not get yourself a copy and see if you can figure out this plot before the ending. I sure couldn't!


Happy reading.

1 comment:

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books said...

I like the sound of this one.........

V

A Full Moon in August by Joseph H. Randolph

Take a seat beside Thomas on a journey across Canada, from Toronto to Vancouver in 1981. For Thomas, this trip is a plunge into the unknown ...