The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack (Burton & Swinburne in)
9 journalers for this copy...
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Description of the book from the publisher's Web site:
"London, 1861.
Sir Richard Francis Burton—explorer, linguist, scholar, and swordsman; his reputation tarnished; his career in tatters; his former partner missing and probably dead.
Algernon Charles Swinburne—unsuccessful poet and follower of de Sade; for whom pain is pleasure, and brandy is ruin!
They stand at a crossroads in their lives and are caught in the epicenter of an empire torn by conflicting forces: Engineers transform the landscape with bigger, faster, noisier, and dirtier technological wonders; Eugenicists develop specialist animals to provide unpaid labor; Libertines oppose repressive laws and demand a society based on beauty and creativity; while the Rakes push the boundaries of human behavior to the limits with magic, drugs, and anarchy. The two men are sucked into the perilous depths of this moral and ethical vacuum when Lord Palmerston commissions Burton to investigate assaults on young women committed by a weird apparition known as Spring Heeled Jack, and to find out why werewolves are terrorizing London's East End.
Their investigations lead them to one of the defining events of the age, and the terrifying possibility that the world they inhabit shouldn't exist at all!"
Description of the book from the publisher's Web site:
"London, 1861.
Sir Richard Francis Burton—explorer, linguist, scholar, and swordsman; his reputation tarnished; his career in tatters; his former partner missing and probably dead.
Algernon Charles Swinburne—unsuccessful poet and follower of de Sade; for whom pain is pleasure, and brandy is ruin!
They stand at a crossroads in their lives and are caught in the epicenter of an empire torn by conflicting forces: Engineers transform the landscape with bigger, faster, noisier, and dirtier technological wonders; Eugenicists develop specialist animals to provide unpaid labor; Libertines oppose repressive laws and demand a society based on beauty and creativity; while the Rakes push the boundaries of human behavior to the limits with magic, drugs, and anarchy. The two men are sucked into the perilous depths of this moral and ethical vacuum when Lord Palmerston commissions Burton to investigate assaults on young women committed by a weird apparition known as Spring Heeled Jack, and to find out why werewolves are terrorizing London's East End.
Their investigations lead them to one of the defining events of the age, and the terrifying possibility that the world they inhabit shouldn't exist at all!"
This book was one of the selections for our local independent bookstore's Steampunk book-club, and everyone in the club liked it very much. Using characters based on real people from the Victoria era, this novel shows an alternate universe created by a mad time traveller. Hodder takes a lot of liberties with the characters and setting, making for a fun and wild romp through "Victorian" England.
I've reserved this for the Cross-Canada Bookbox.
I've reserved this for the Cross-Canada Bookbox.
Added to the Cross-Canada Bookbox.
I picked this book out of the box - I quite enjoy Steampunk and am looking forward to reading this one
I really enjoyed this one! Reads very similar to George Mann with a flair of Susanna Clarke. It is not "conventional" steampunk (Zeppelins and automatons) and is quite a refreshing read! Quirky characters, dry humour, excellent world building - I wish my house had a litter crab to pick up behind my teenagers :)
Thank you for sharing this one, mathgirl40! I will be taking this to the next Bookcrossing meeting here in Calgary to find a new reader.
Thank you for sharing this one, mathgirl40! I will be taking this to the next Bookcrossing meeting here in Calgary to find a new reader.
I am taking this excellent steampunk romp to the Calgary Bookcrossing meeting at Cravings today to find a new reader.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Picked up this book at the Calgary BookCrossing April meet-up. Yay, steampunk!
This is a crazy book, but I loved it. You start out thinking it's this alternative history steampunk book, but by the end, it's actually more than that. Steampunk Victorian London is such a wonderful setting. Are there more books with these characters from this time? I think this would be an awesome series.
Passing on this book to the next reader at the Calgary BookCrossing June meet-up.
Picked this up at the June BC meeting.
Haven't read a steam punk novel before. Looking forward to this one.
Haven't read a steam punk novel before. Looking forward to this one.
Fun read. This wasn't exactly quite what I expected, but I was pleasantly surprised at this take on steampunk.
I look forward to reading more from the Burton & Swinbourne series.
I look forward to reading more from the Burton & Swinbourne series.
Bringing to August Calgary BookCrossing meetup.
Bringing to August Calgary BookCrossing meetup.
Pick up at get together
This book was not quite what I was expecting. Though I was fascinated by the role genetic engineering took place in Victorian England (although I suppose it's not technically Victorian England within the book!). It had an interesting mix of characters and irrational logic.
Thanks for the interesting read!
Thanks for the interesting read!
Taking to get together~
Pickup at the April meet-up of Calgary BookCrossers.
Released at the October meet-up of Calgary BookCrossers, held at Cravings Market Restaurant.
Picked up at the October meeting!
Taken to the July meeting!
To the finder:
Calgary has an active group of BookCrossers that meet to swap books and discuss book crossing every second Saturday of the month at 11am at Cravings Market on Fairmount Drive SE. We always love to meet new crossers, so please join us any time you like!
To the finder:
Calgary has an active group of BookCrossers that meet to swap books and discuss book crossing every second Saturday of the month at 11am at Cravings Market on Fairmount Drive SE. We always love to meet new crossers, so please join us any time you like!
picked up July 2022
Picked this up at the Cravings BookCrossers meeting today.