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Lädt ... Bartleby and James (2012)von Michael Coorlim
Keine Lädt ...
Melde dich bei LibraryThing an um herauszufinden, ob du dieses Buch mögen würdest. Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. Was not sure if I'd like a Steampunk mystery but I did. Set in Victorian times, a period I enjoy for a setting. The book is composed of four different mysteries that seem almost impossible to solve. Alton Bartleby is well off and a bit of a fop, but he has an analytical mind that is capable of taking odd bits and bobs of clues and finding the common thread. James Wainwright, the other lead character, is not so social, comes from a lower class but is a wizard with mechanical things. Between the two they are able to solve these strange and bizarre mysteries. The book ended a bit too soon so I will have to find more in this series....I hope there are more! Another good read for me! Zeige 2 von 2 keine Rezensionen | Rezension hinzufügen
Gehört zur ReiheGalvanic Century (1)
Inventor James Wainwright's greatest desire is to be left alone in his workshop, where he can focus on invention and engineering unsullied by the messiness of London society and the meaningless concerns of its upper classes. His financial patron, gentleman Alton Bartleby, has higher aspirations. To continue to receive funding James will have to venture out into the outside world as a detective, turning his inventive genius to the creation of new forensic technologies.Bartleby and James is a steampunk mystery collection that tells the story of the detectives' foray into private investigation.In "And They Called Her Spider" they hunt an impossible assassin, trying to end her reign of terror before she can disrupt Queen Victoria's Platinum Jubilee.In "Maiden Voyage of the Rio Grande" the detectives fight to clear James' name aboard an airship before sabotage sends them crashing into the city below."On the Trail of the Scissorman" sends the pair after a monstrous serial killer turning London's children into orphans.Finally, "A Matter of Spirit" delves into the shadow world of s#65533;ances and spiritualism as they look for a missing medium in the parlors of Knightsbridge... and beyond.Bartleby and James is the first book in the Galavanic Century series of steampunk mysteries and thrillers, taking readers to an alternate 1910s where Queen Victoria yet rules and the psuedo-scientific beliefs of the Victorians work as they believed them to. Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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"Good news, James," he said. "We are to be detectives."
I looked up from my workstation, the jeweller's loupe in my eye distorting his otherwise handsome face. "I've no desire to be a detective."
"That's unfortunate," Bartleby said. "For it's what we're to be."
WHAT'S BARTLEBY AND JAMES: EDWARDIAN STEAMPUNK CHRONICLE ABOUT?
Alton Bartleby is something of an intellectual dilettante—he has some degree of brilliance and uses it to flit around from idea to idea, interest to interest, and so on. He gets very invested in some sort of project or occupation for a little while, and then plunges wholeheartedly into something else. Thankfully (for him) he has the wealth to indulge his flitting attention span.
James Wainwright is his friend—Wainwright's a brilliant engineer, who is far more interested in whatever device he's fiddling with than interacting with anyone. He seems to go along with Bartleby helping him out with whatever flight of fancy he's on. But he's not so sure about his latest idea—after meeting a certain retired Consulting Detective who now keeps bees, Bartleby wants to be a detective.
He sticks with it for longer than Wainwright or his fiancé expects—this book collects four short stories recounting some of their earliest cases. The Duo tangles with an automaton assassin, an out-of-control airship, a rogue spiritualist, and more.
THE TONE
"I may be able calibrate my Forensic Viewers and attune them to his particular N- Ray signature."
"I don't know what that means."
"My science goggles can track him."
"Brilliant!"
These stories are told with a very light touch—they're not comedic, but they have their moments, but they're definitely not stories that take themselves too seriously.
That doesn't stop them from brushing up against serious thoughts or emotions—and there is a little bit of character growth (and the "little bit" is solely a function of the brevity of the collection based on what I've read). Bartleby is largely the same man we meet in the beginning, except that he doesn't seem to be tiring of being a detective. James, on the other hand, is definitely not someone he'd recognize from his pre-detective days.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT BARTLEBY AND JAMES: EDWARDIAN STEAMPUNK CHRONICLE?
Bartleby shook his head. "Look, can you invent... detective things?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
"I don't know. You're the engineer."
This was a fun, quick read—a nice little dose of Steampunk with a thin coating of Victorian P.I.
The stories were all a little too brief for me, I could barely get my teeth sunk into them—I'd prefer one story told over 120 pages rather than four.
But these were fun enough that I can see myself going on with the books. And think just about anyone would, too. ( )