Not for me

I really like the sound of this story, however I was left disappointed. The plot is clunky and awkward, and the narrative is rife with Americanisms which is a real pet peeve of mine. If you are setting a book in England, use English!

The narrator did a good job, and I would probably listen to something narrated by him again.

Overall I can't recommend this book and I certainly won't be bothering with any of the others in the series.

8 people found this helpful

excellent all round innovative and gripping

A very unusual mix of storyline which is believable in most parts, the script is very descriptive producing elaborate mental imagery. The narration is awesome and compelling, I really struggled to stop listening, a really great job and I was straight on to part 2.

4 people found this helpful

interesting, but slightly strange

not sure about this. I haven't read any steam punk literature before and have to confess to barely knowing what it is. And yet there's a strange academic challenge here - and a lot of hmm yes, what if?

the book took me longer than usual to listen to and then it finished. Hmmm ....

3 people found this helpful

Steam Punked and Loving it

I stumbled across this book after doing some research on Spring Heeled Jack. I fell in love with it and could not stop listening. The characters are wonderful and brought to life by Gerard Doyle's fantastic narration. The plot weaves in and out of time and it all comes together beautifully, leaving you wanting more. Fantastic creations and ideas, some that were actually made and others that have been Steam Punked into glorious gothic inventions.
A great listen.

6 people found this helpful

Odd, Original and Memorable

An entertaining story that hangs together pretty well. It has some dark moments but it also has moments that did make me smile. The author writes well although sometimes he is a little repetitive on a particular point.

It is mainly a time-travel story in which a man from the 23rd century, keen to reinstate the family's good name, tries to stop his ancestor from killing Queen Victoria and in the attempt dramatically changes the course of history. During the course of the book there is a bit of confusion about the paradoxes that the storyline sets up, but it is all lost in the enjoyable silliness of it all, including a Charles Darwin with two brains and a mechanical Brunel!

Spring-Heeled Jack is a real Victorian phenomena and is worth a look in Wikipedia, but read this after you have listened to the book! Hodder has carefully followed the 'real' myth and speculation in the story he has woven.

The narrator also does a fine job.

5 people found this helpful

Highly entertaining

A superb match of narrator and material, Gerard Doyle's telling of this highly original and fast-paced adventure captures the 'Boys' Own/ Flashman' sensitivity of the story while giving it a dry irony and wit that makes the characters feel authentic and yet doesn't take itself too seriously. Can't recommend this book highly enough... looking forward to the next in the series.

1 person found this helpful

A very interesting imagining

Would you listen to The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack again? Why?

Yes, it was an interesting foray into a past quite different from the one recorded in the history books. There were so many different characters it will probably take another listen to fully appreciate them.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack?

I loved all the scenes with Algernon Swinburne. Although he claimed to be utterly depraved he was a likeable character with a strong sense of loyalty.

What does Gerard Doyle bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

The voices selected brough a warmth and likeableness to many of the main characters and he made those who had bodily modifications sound so very different it really made them come alive.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It had some elements that made me smile but it was most interesting for the world described in such great detail in the novel and for the unfolding of the twists and turns of the plot.

1 person found this helpful

A rip roaring romp through an alternate history

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the fact that the characters were real, the fact that people I had considered heroes turned out to be the villains of the piece and the inventiveness much of which felt as if it so could have been true.

Which character – as performed by Gerard Doyle – was your favourite?

Favourite character? Has to have been the various parakeets, and although silent, Fidget, who always managed to lighten the moment.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Just when you thought it was safe to go into the park...

Any additional comments?

Can't wait to start listening to the rest of the series!

2 people found this helpful

Ok beginning, ropey middle

A pretty fun steampunk romp that's hampered by an unnecessary time travel plot to explain the setting. The story plods along nicely until you reach the second part which is a horrendous amount of exposition somehow combining both showing AND telling, slowing the pace to a standstill. The competent Victorian writing style is undermined by the author's seeming inability to write anything else. He doesn't even attempt to give his time traveller from the future remotely different dialogue from the victorian characters and the attempts at sci-fi are abysmal. There's also a worryingly victorian attitude to mental health that's a little distressing. Characters are nothing special and the sidekick Swinburne is mostly an annoying nuisance for the entire story.

The narration is good, minus the odd amusing mispronunciation. I can understand not knowing how to say "susurration" but it's hard to justify getting "demonically" wrong.

All in all, the book was fun, if misguided and I might check out the sequel. I just hope that having spent a book painstakingly explaining why steampunk exists the author now decides to have fun with it.

A jolly good ripping yarn!

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I'm quite keen on the steampunk genre, but fiction set within it doesn't always pan out - I'm pleased to report that this was great.
The use of Sir Richard Francis Burton as the main hero was a great idea and worked very well, especially when coupled with Algernon Swinburn as his sidekick. The latter was a humorous and light-hearted hearted counterfoil to Burton's heroic but stoic character.
The steampunk elements were inventive (and some very humorous, such as the parakeets used to recite telegrams which couldn't help but add insults and swear words into their recitals).
The book was very well read by Gerard Doyle. I initially thought his voice might not be up to the task of keeping me listening but it turned out I was wrong. Mr Doyle did a terrific job of giving each character a distinctive voice and I was never in any doubt about which character was speaking at any given time.

Overall I'd recommend this title to anyone with even a passing interest in the steampunk genre, and Ilook forward to listening to the other titles by Mark Hodder set in this universe.