DThoris reviewed Phoenix rising by Pip Ballantine
Review of 'Phoenix rising' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
lively, good enough to finish. spies meet steam punk.
Hardcover
Published Aug. 12, 2011 by Harper.
3 stars
(12 reviews)
"These are dark days indeed in Victoria's England. Londoners are vanishing, then reappearing, washing up as corpses on the banks of the Thames, drained of blood and bone. Yet the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences--the Crown's clandestine organization whose bailiwick is the strange and unsettling--will not allow its agents to investigate. Fearless and exceedingly lovely Eliza D. Braun, however, with her bulletproof corset and a disturbing fondness for dynamite, refuses to let the matter rest...and she's prepared to drag her timorous new partner, Wellington Books, along with her into the perilous fray. For a malevolent brotherhood is operating in the deepening London shadows, intent upon the enslavement of all Britons. And Books and Braun--he with his encyclopedic brain and she with her remarkable devices--muyst get to the twisted roots of a most nefarious plot...or see England fall to the Phoenix!"--P. [4] of cover.
Old_Tim reviewed Phoenix rising by Pip Ballantine
Review of 'Phoenix rising' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Are you a fan of genre tropes? If so, this is a book that you will love. It loves steampunk tropes even more than you do. It wallows in them, rejoicing as it shouts “yes, may I have another!”
An odd couple work for a secretive government agency. They are battling a variety of evil secret organizations. Over the course of the book we have dirigibles, mad scientists, assassins, robots (& robot armies), orgies, duels, exotic weaponry, fantastical inventions, mysterious libraries, street urchins, asylums, & more!
At this point you may be thinking that this sounds like the most derivative thing you’ve ever heard of. It’s not. The reason is that these tropes haven’t been used because of laziness. They all are used in a fun knowing way (try to identify & count the references to Victorian or SF literature).
It may not be the deepest novel you read this …
Are you a fan of genre tropes? If so, this is a book that you will love. It loves steampunk tropes even more than you do. It wallows in them, rejoicing as it shouts “yes, may I have another!”
An odd couple work for a secretive government agency. They are battling a variety of evil secret organizations. Over the course of the book we have dirigibles, mad scientists, assassins, robots (& robot armies), orgies, duels, exotic weaponry, fantastical inventions, mysterious libraries, street urchins, asylums, & more!
At this point you may be thinking that this sounds like the most derivative thing you’ve ever heard of. It’s not. The reason is that these tropes haven’t been used because of laziness. They all are used in a fun knowing way (try to identify & count the references to Victorian or SF literature).
It may not be the deepest novel you read this year, but by Jove, it’s fun.
M Is For Awesome reviewed Phoenix rising by Pip Ballantine
Review of 'Phoenix rising' on 'Goodreads'
1 star
Admittedly, I have not FINISHED this book yet, but honestly if I weren't reading it for a book club I likely would have given it the toss by now.
I can't stand books that tell instead of showing, or throw so many affectations into the characters that it is nearly impossible to figure out why they do the things they do, or how their brains work.
That said others might like it a lot - the devices are clever, the characters glib, the authors show a great sense of fun. I find the main characters names - 'Books' for the nerdy one and 'Braun' for the physical one eye-rollingly cliche, but that is just my taste. The names are clearly chosen BECAUSE they are cliche, and the authors work it well.
The bones of the book are great, but it needs EDITING, and a good, hard pruning.
***
UPDATE - …
Admittedly, I have not FINISHED this book yet, but honestly if I weren't reading it for a book club I likely would have given it the toss by now.
I can't stand books that tell instead of showing, or throw so many affectations into the characters that it is nearly impossible to figure out why they do the things they do, or how their brains work.
That said others might like it a lot - the devices are clever, the characters glib, the authors show a great sense of fun. I find the main characters names - 'Books' for the nerdy one and 'Braun' for the physical one eye-rollingly cliche, but that is just my taste. The names are clearly chosen BECAUSE they are cliche, and the authors work it well.
The bones of the book are great, but it needs EDITING, and a good, hard pruning.
***
UPDATE - this reviewer says everything I was getting at, but did it better. Take a look.
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/251068137
Lynn reviewed Phoenix rising by Pip Ballantine
Review of 'Phoenix rising' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Steampunk was very much the ‘in’ thing when this book came out in 2011; the genre seems to have passed its peak now, but this book, an entertaining adventure filled with witty characters and unlikely alliances, is still worth reading. One of the reluctant heroes is a librarian – how can you go wrong?
daNanner reviewed Phoenix rising by Pip Ballantine
Review of 'Phoenix rising' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
[a:Philippa Ballantine|1000381|Philippa Ballantine|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1268419970p2/1000381.jpg][a:Tee Morris|460870|Tee Morris|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1229921811p2/460870.jpg]
