Posts Tagged ‘reptiles and lizardmen’

Plotwise, it concerned one such street-nick with a gift for hiding who is witness to a murder. Framed for the murder, he escapes into the city below and begins a long journey back to his own gang where he hopes to be safe. Escorted by a tough lass who’s handy with knives (I love her, naturally), he’s being hunted not only by the elite Kite-Guard (guards who can fly with the aid of their special capes – Batman style, I thought)., but also by the personal assassin of the murderer himself. The murder is then backgrounded as it seems our young hero has been set-up to battle against a mysterious wave of steampunk-themed bio-robots who turn street-nicks into (pretty much) the walking dead. As you can see, there’s so much going on, and Mister Whates does a masterful job of juggling the plot with an elegant ease I found vaguely disturbing in someone rumoured to be human.

I have to say that was the most amazing thing about this book – just how much was stuffed into it. Not only is every character related to steampunk included in the book, from Sherlock Holmes to Jules Verne, but so too are the various generations of tech and gizmos looted from the genre as a whole. It’s got Men in Black. And rocketships to the moon. AND on top of that, you have David Icke’s lizards. I mean – David Icke’s lizards!!! It’s genius. That was the hook for me right there. David Icke’s lizards have taken over the royal family. Just like Icke said. I mean – are you reading this? – I swear to you, that’s what Tidhar’s gone with. It’s pure unfiltered genius, and the whole book works like clockwork from beginning to end in a very satisfying and disgustingly inspirational manner. By the end of this book, if you don’t feel like writing your own opus to steampunk then you are insane and disturbed and should be locked up for society’s good.