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Infernal Devices (2011)

by K.W. Jeter(Favorite Author)

3.39 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0857660977 (ISBN13: 9780857660978)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Angry Robot Books

series

Infernal Devices

review 1: Clockwork! Mystery! Danger! This book is SO much fun. I couldn't put it down!It reads like Sherlock, with a shop in London whose strange customers inspire George to investigate odd occurrences. It uses old-fashioned narrative language that doesn't slow it down despite being beautifully, artfully crafted. I kept forgetting it was published in 1987, not 1887. Jeter combines suspense and humor, making it surprising and fun.I was excited to learn that steampunk often includes the supernatural, political issues, and a healthy distrust of technology progressing too far.Infernal Devices is an important read because of Jeter's friendship with Philip K. Dick, who named a character after Jeter, and also for Jeter's coining the term "steampunk." I'm pleased to find that Jeter went to... more the same CSU university system as I did, and thrilled to learn more about this delightful literary tradition.
review 2: This was my first foray into Steam Punk literature. I’ve always liked the Wild Wild West series from my youth which has some of the same concepts (e.g. the Old West mixed with James Bond-like science fiction gizmos), so I thought I might like this book as well. I believe it was one of the earliest entries into the Steam Punk genre.Overall, I was lukewarm on the book. Here’s what I liked:• The pacing in the book was good, particularly after the first third which was a bit slow.• I enjoyed some of the secondary characters a great deal. There is a “husband/wife” team that follows the main character throughout. I’m not sure you could technically say they were married or not. More like devious business partners with benefits!Here’s what I did not like:• The technology was a bit to fanciful for me and therefore none of it felt real. This may just be an aspect of the genre. As an example, as someone from the technology industry, I find artificial intelligence based on silicon to be completely believable. I do not find artificial intelligence based on brass gears to be realistic.• I never really cared much about the main character. He was an ordinary guy thrown into exceptional circumstances, but he didn’t really seem to grow to face any of the challenges. It was more like he stumbled blindly through them by sheer luck. He didn’t overcome any of the challenges due to exceptional grit, intelligence, or moral perseverance.• I did not like the language employed. Too Victorian! Note that I get that this is also part of the genre. Regardless, it’s just not my cup of tea.I’ll probably try another highly recommended example before giving up on the genre entirely, but I wasn’t wowed by Infernal Devices. less

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