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Homunculus
- The Adventures of Langdon St Ives, Book 1
- Narrated by: Nigel Carrington
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
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Homunculus
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Summary
Winner of the Philip K. Dick Memorial Award
In 1870s London, a city of contradictions and improbabilities, where living men are willing to risk all to steal a carp. Here, a night of bangers and ale at the local pub can result in an eternity at the Blood Pudding with the rest of the reanimated dead.
A dead man has been piloting a mysterious decaying airship across the foggy skies of the city for some years, arousing the interest of many: the Royal Society, a fraudulent evangelist named Shiloh, the vivisectionist Dr. Ignacio Narbondo and of course the scientist and explorer Professor Langdon St. Ives.
St. Ives and his friends of the Trismegistus Club are more concerned with the inheritance of Jack Owlesby, a fine young fellow affianced to Dorothy, the beautiful daughter of toymaker/inventor William Keeble, who builds jolly boxes for space aliens, oxygenators, and gigantic emeralds. Jack's late father bequeathed him just such a gem, but also left behind dark knowledge related to the evil Narbondo. St. Ives suspects that Narbondo and his assistant, are using this knowledge to raise the dead, possibly for nefarious purposes. When poor Bill Kraken steals what everyone assumes to be Owlesby's emerald in a fit of alien-induced madness, ambitions, greed and heroism collide turning Hampstead Heath into a carnival of flying skulls, crumbling ghouls and crashing spaceships.
This rip-roaring, highly entertaining steam punk classic is the second book in the Narbondo series, written by Blaylock, one of the literary pioneers of the Steampunk movement. Set in the same world, the series need not be read in order.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Elizabeth Brown
- 24-09-23
Good yarn
A very good effort
Performance was very good
Overall structure a little scatty with just a tad too much wordsmithery
Having said this an enjoyable book
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Sara
- 01-02-13
An epic to lose yourself in, brilliant narration
I'll be honest, this is one of those books that takes a while to get into. But once you get past the introduction and prologue, and settle into the proper action (chapter 2 on your download), Homunculus is brilliant. I love Terry Gilliam films like Baron Munchausen and Doctor Parnassus, so this type of story is right up my street.
The story is epic and detailed, and maintains a deadpan humour throughout, painting crazy characters and absurd situations in whimsical situations. This book is categorically not for realists, but a delightful romp. Nigel Carrington's narration is perfect in communicating the surreal British humour that runs throughout the whole story, and I loved the almost Blackadder tones he maintained for Langdon St Ives' character. If you enjoy the alternative magical realities created in books like Aaronovitch's River of London trilogy, and Kim Newman's Anno Dracula books, give this a go!
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Mr. Jonathan D. Taylor
- 15-04-13
Fast moving, highly imaginative entertaining romp
Never a dull moment in this fast moving imaginative fun steam punk novel, really enjoyed it, but sometimes struggled to keep pace, but maybe that is just me! Excellent characterisations and well read by Nigel Carrington.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- P
- 07-04-13
First Steampunk Novel
This was my first excursion into the Steampunk genre and I have to say that it took me a little while to get into. Once I had got myself in the right frame of mind I really enjoyed the alternate reality. The characters were well written and described. In the end I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mark
- 28-08-15
Complicated story ,...but?
wasn't sure about this story at first although I was interrupted many times while I was listening. (I operate hydraulic a press).Anyway,before I passed judgement I listened again and enjoyed it. The story is bonkers but compelling James Blaylock has managed to merge sci fie, Dr Frankenstein and the age of Sherlock Holmes all in one book. Certifiable but fun!
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Ellyn
- 11-07-13
Good in parts
Is there anything you would change about this book?
If you’re eccentric, you’ll love this book. The characters are both funny and dark and believable. Some of the plot needed further development, but on the whole I enjoyed the story.
Would you recommend Homunculus to your friends? Why or why not?
Yes. Recommend they read Skulls first.
What does Nigel Carrington bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Emotion
Could you see Homunculus being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?
Yes. three.
Any additional comments?
Found myself skipping bits.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- elly gausden
- 23-09-16
Complex and kind of dull
Lovely prose, lots of it, but little in the way of plot that hooks you in. I ploughed on with it as I wanted to know what happened, but out of a sense of determination rather than enjoyment.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Prester Jim
- 14-03-21
The Bill Sikes Crystal Egg Affair
Steampunk doyen, James Blaylock, stitches together a strange and sinister cast of refugees from Dickens and Wells for his faux-Victorian world of dirigibles, ancient astronauts, reanimated corpses, evil scientists and gentlemen adventurers before setting them all off on an entertaining MacGuffin quest that romps through a tangled web of fantastical plot threads and vivid ideas. Descriptions of the book as a "comic sci-fi novel" are misleading however, with the prose being more wry than rib-tickling, the story played as straight as such material allows.
So far as the audiobook experience goes, Nigel Carrington's assured voice moves the narration along in steady, shipshape fashion.
One for fans of Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart novels or M. John Harrison's Viriconium series.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Peter Davies
- 12-09-18
Couldn’t finish it
I got so confused with the lack of time and inflection in the performance, I had to buy the paperback and finish it “manually”!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Rob
- 23-09-13
Highly entertaining and original !
Nigel Carrington's performance was the driving force for this novel and eccentric story being so darned entertaining. He not only captures and differentiates the sometimes zany and off the wall characters with his talented voice... but the speed and delivery of the prose totally matches the mood of the moment. For example, there are many moments of slapstick bizarre goings on that would be under-appreciated without his delivery... Really quite brilliant.
So don't worry too much about deciphering the plot, particularly in the early stages, where characters and events are being established, just let Mr Carrington flow and enjoy it. It all comes together in the end...
Unusual, and highly recommended, and a great introduction to the next title, Lord Kelvin's Machine, which is even better.
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