What would be a steampunk novel without all that? The setting is a major character in these books, and I think George Mann did a fairly good job with it. I just wish he invested more effort into the writing itself. There are some parts written in a kind of tedious, I-really-don't-want-to-deal-with -it manner. There are some parts written just a bit sloppily. There are some parts that can use a quicker pace, some parts that can be vastly improved by merciless editing; it needs more paragraphs, perhaps a few better dialogs. And it's a pity. With a bit more effort and a great deal more of a focus, this could have been a terrific book.
As it is, it's an enjoyable and diverting read by a talented writer who could do better. I've previously read The Affinity Bridge, the first in the series and I was impressed. While certainly not expecting a novel on par with War and Peace, I was given a novel that was well written, taut, and as adventurous as anything Sir Arthur Conan Doyle could have written in his prime.
Being bored was certainly not an issue. Now I've never been too expectant on sequels, especially fantasy, science fiction, or alternate history ones, they seem to me written with money as a motivator and lack the fun of the first. However I was again surprised with this novel. The Osiris Ritual is thus far the best in the series. Where Mann failed in the first specifically in the development of his characters Hobbes, and Newbury he succeeds marvelously here.
The Osiris Ritual is again a murder mystery set in an alternate history, steampunk Victorian era, as interestingly created as any world I've ever seen before. Mann further blends this with a supernatural element making this alternate dear dirty London a little more interesting not that it was in any need of course. The plot itself deals with the murder of a Lord murdered after staging a mummy unwrapping that had gone awry, and its connection with the disappearance of several young woman not seen since attending a popular magic show touring the British Isles.
There were two problems with this novel however. The biggest problem was I could not put this book down. It was not difficult at all to knock back 70 or 80 pages at a time and still have an appetite for more, Mann's prose is very no-nonsense and carries along quickly without interruption or unwarranted digressions. The second problem is that while Mann's first novel heavily explored this alternate London, The Osiris Ritual does not. Details are skimmed as of course this is a sequel, however I would have enjoyed this novel more fully if a little bit more detail was included.
But all in all a tremendously well written and enjoyable novel no fan of steampunk or alternate history should miss. I simply love these books. While I don't so much enjoy the whole undead themes, this second book in the series stepped away from that prominent in Book 1 and gave us a wonderful tale of intrigue and adventure. Newbury is in top form in this tale that focuses on an ancient ritual that seems to be alive and kicking in his backyard.
Heap on top of this new mystery the fact that the past has reared its ugly head literally and it may cost Newbury his life. George Man is quite a storyteller and I admire how he can use the surroundings of the characters to enhance and develop their personalities. I also enjoyed how Mann allowed Veronica Hobbes to sparkle more in this story. An excellent read all around. This is the second of the Newbury and Hobbes series, just out, and I still find it fascinating. While I found Miss Hobbes to be one-up on Maurice Newbury by the end of the previous book, the reverse is true in this one.
I am certainly looking forward to the next book in the series to see how the two investigators carry on in light of the revelations at the end of this installment. I would rate this one a bit higher than the first novel, but one definitely needs to read them in order. See all 38 reviews. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers.
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Amazon Drive Cloud storage from Amazon. Alexa Actionable Analytics for the Web. Sir Maurice is off on assignment for the Queen looking into the "return" of another agent, William Ashford, who may have gone rogue and who may be involved in a high profile killing of the Egyptologist Lord Winthrop, whose discovery and then death are front page news as written by Newbury's new protege, George Purefoy. Veronica meanwhile is concerned about a spate of disappearances of young women, all who visited a magician, The Mysterious Alfonso, a Newbury and Hobbes are not working in tandem.
Veronica meanwhile is concerned about a spate of disappearances of young women, all who visited a magician, The Mysterious Alfonso, and participated in his stage show. They are both so wrapped up in their own cases that they don't realize the danger they are putting themselves in by working separately. Soon Veronica is trapped and in danger deep under a theatre, while Sir Maurice is racing across rooftops, not even sure if he's chasing the right man.
They need each other to put things right before it's too late, or before the Queen gets tetchy. I am more then a bit of an addict for anything Egyptian. Like my love of Victoriana, it's the darker side of Egyptology that I am drawn to. The plagues and curses brought down for desecrating the dead, hold me back. When you crave bedtime stories about King Tut's Curse and Lord Carnarvon's dog howling and dropping dead at the same moment his master died, well, it's not that much of a surprise that that person grows up to dwell on stories of mummies and devours the entire oeuvre of Elizabeth Peters.
But this nightmare is tinged with a deliciousness, because sometimes it's a good thing to be scared by something you can't explain. Though of course I like my Egyptian thrills from a nice comfy armchair versus up close and personal, the time my parents took me to the King Tut exhibit and I spent the entire time crying in a stairwell at The Field Museum in Chicago because by father and brother had convinced me that the mummy would curse me is a case study in why books are best.
Armchair traveler for life, stamp my passport please! Therefore the opening of The Osiris Ritual is a dream come true. I got to sit in my comfy chair wrapped snugly against the cold and read about a mummy unwrapping ceremony. The erstwhile and eager reporter George Purefoy was my entre into this world, we stood in awe together, and who wouldn't want to be brought under the wing of Sir Maurice Newbury and listen to his insights?
The lush opulence of Lord Winthrop's house with all his artifacts, the ton gathering around as the mysterious sarcophagus was placed on the table, sigh. If I could just sink into a book and live in the moment, I would have chosen this one. At TeslaCon, where I met George a few years back now, there was a staged mummy unwrapping, and while it lacked the intimacy of a true unwrapping, I was surprised that it was able to still contain that frisson of excitement.
Though at the unwrapping we attended there was no chance of a curse, or at least I assume so. Here reading the book, I was just holding my breath till the "curse" took effect, and to my heart's delight I didn't have long to wait. Like all good storytelling while we are given an answer to the "curse" the book was able to suspend our disbelief and make us believe in the magic of "what if? This would be the magical pairing of Sir Maurice and Veronica.
The problem here was that they were separated for most of the book.
The Osiris Ritual
Yes, I do understand that the main reason for this was that they were pursuing different cases and that it narratively worked for them to be separated so that they were ignorant that their cases were linked and therefore drew out the suspense for us readers. But it just somehow didn't click. Newbury couldn't exactly hook arms with George Purefoy and go walking down the street to face the next foe, it wouldn't be the same.
Yes The Avengers occasionally went off and did their own thing, Emma taking one lead, Steed another, but it's never the same with them apart, and that's how it is here. I also realize that the growing attraction between the leads has to be drawn out in some way, you can't have them get together too early and then have them lose their chemistry and destroy the series a la Moonlighting. But just using the simple expedient of keeping them apart seems a bit too contrived. There are many more reasons for them to not get together, and it looks like in future this will work far better for George's storytelling then this move did.
Though this separation was just a niggling problem in a book with a lot going right for it. What I loved most, which was oddly not Egyptian, was the hunt for the two former agents for the Crown, William Ashford and Newbury's predecessor, Knox. Not only was George able to portray the depth of these characters, making the villains have just as much going for them as the hero and heroine, but the relationship between Ashford and Knox reminded me powerfully of another famous book that has influenced the Steampunk genre. I'm talking about Frankenstein. The monster that Ashford has become is very much created as a result of Knox's actions.
Needless to say there are just so many layers and connections to itself and other great stories that this is a penny dreadful to be savoured and returned to again and again just to see what you missed last time. That's the first thing that came out of my mouth after finishing this book. Sort of like the sigh you give after you drink water when you're really thirsty. This book was that for me: The idea of a mystery, steampunk, mythology, and paranormal book seemed like too much for me, but George Mann managed to make it both logical and enjoyable.
Somehow I ended reading this Ah. Somehow I ended reading this one first, so I jumped in the story without knowing anything of the characters. The story starts when Newbury attends the unveiling of a mummy in the house of a rich man he knows. At the same time, Veronica is following the trail of woman who have disappeared after a magician visits their cities. Slowly, they become enthralled in their cases, not noticing that, in many ways, they are connected. That's the worst summary I've written, but I can't share details.
It would ruin everything. The writing, the characters, the plot: Give it a chance if you like mystery.
Aug 23, Sharon rated it really liked it. This is an entertaining and exciting steam punk novel involving a serial killer who is seeking immortality. Interesting characters and a level of tension that keeps you on the edge of your seat. My first steampunk novel. May 11, David rated it really liked it. Once again, we find the duo investigating the nefarious to the downright bizarre against the backdrop of a London filled with all manner of peculiar devices and insidious villains.
This time, they have to spread their attentions on three different fronts: Firstly, a series of ritualistic murders are taking place and on the surface appear to be connected to the recent unveiling of an Egyptian mummy. Secondly, there has been a spate of disappearances involving young women, and Miss Hobbes doggedly pursues the culprit, her suspicions leading her to a magician named 'The Mysterious Alfonso'. And, lastly, Newbury is tasked with bringing in a rogue agent, a man who died once and is now a grotesque marriage of both man and machine. After Mann's solid start with 'The Affinity Bridge', I was eager to read this, hoping to see certain aspects of its fictional world expanded upon and, thankfully, in this area I was far from disappointed.
London now feels like a much broader, more immersive landscape. You really start to get a sense of the grand buildings, grimy alleys and obscure nooks and crannies that cover the city. The world seems far more fleshed out and, subsequently, real. The plot also shows greater thought and intricacy, the investigations contain greater detail and the pace has been enhanced to accentuate the story's greater sense of adventure. And, as always, Mann writes his action sequences with such energy that the reader is granted a seat right amidst the fray. Particularly during these sections, this book becomes a real page-turner.
You know you have other things to do but you tell yourself "just a little bit more. But, having said that, they are still people who you become highly invested in and attached to and they help propel this highly entertaining story from start to finish. Mann has taken the groundwork of 'The Affinity Bridge' and improved upon it in almost every single aspect. He has successfully created the most enjoyable steampunk adventure I have read to date and one I will no doubt revisit over time.
Given the advancement in style and progress in pacing in the space of just one work, I await the next in the series with great enthusiasm and anticipation. This is a definite purchase for fans of 'The Affinity Bridge' as well as fans of the genre. George Mann, you've just become one of my favourite authors. This is a steampunk mystery novel about immortality, featuring investigators Newbury and Hobbes, agents of the Crown.
And I loved it. This second book is better than the first one. Its making the promise of the rest of the series to be unique and lots of fun. We learn a bit more about the two main characters, the charming Mr Newbury and the feisty and intelligent Miss This is a steampunk mystery novel about immortality, featuring investigators Newbury and Hobbes, agents of the Crown.
We learn a bit more about the two main characters, the charming Mr Newbury and the feisty and intelligent Miss Hobbes. There is a little bit of drama but not nearly enough to distract from the mystery. There is a little bit of romance, but again not nearly enough to distract from the mystery. And to be honest, who would not fall in love with a woman like Miss Hobbes. She is a very modern woman, who makes up her own mind, is incredibly smart, beautiful… and Damn that fight scene.
One of my main problems is that the mystery is not very mysterious. But I find that with a lot of books so I can live with it. I like that George Mann does not shy away from showing the not so pretty parts. There are some very gory parts, some people die who you would have rather seen live. Just like Newbury is an opium addict, not just to make him look more like Sherlock Holmes, but to make him a flawed, realistic human being. But it is not all fast paced action and fun. There are some beautiful parts in it too and I have to admit I might have shed a tear for a certain character.
The ending was great and made me very curious to the next few books in the series. Jan 14, Dan rated it liked it Shelves: This second dive into the steampunk world of Newbury and Hobbes begins with the unwrapping of a newly discovered Egyptian mummy. Newbury is shocked to see it's face is screaming but has little time to dwell on it as he is sent to apprehend a rogue agent. Meanwhile Veronica Hobbes is investigating a series of missing women with a connection to a travelling illusionist.
Buy for others
In many ways this is a more down to Earth story than the first one. Though it is set in the same steampunk world with hints of th This second dive into the steampunk world of Newbury and Hobbes begins with the unwrapping of a newly discovered Egyptian mummy. Though it is set in the same steampunk world with hints of the supernatural, the plot itself largely ignores these parts of the world and is a mystery story.
It's a Jack the Ripper-esque thriller albeit with hints of steampunk and supernatural madness alongside it. I have to say this book didn't set my world alight. Although a new story I did feel it retread a lot of ground from the first book. I love the steampunk world of the series but other than a few details this is just post-Victorian London.
When I read a steampunk book I want a steampunk plot and I didn't get it here. I have seen a few reviews complain about the lack of character development, which surprises me. Although the book does focus on the plot itself there is definitely a change in the characters, especially the relationship between the two leads. It was a decent enough read but doesn't reach anywhere near it's potential. A great world but an underwhelming plot. Oct 12, Brendan rated it liked it Shelves: Like the previous book, The Affinity Bridge, there's plenty of great action and adventure and nobility and constrained behavior and running around London.
The characters of the two protagonists develop a bit more thoroughly in this one, though they end up spending much of the novel investigating two separate cases and worrying about the other. A few more thoughts: Mann really excels at gruesome description. In the first book, it was automata -- in this one it's a rotting cyborg. The fight scenes in the novel are where it's at. Alas, the relationship tension feels a bit tacked on to me.
But I don't generally enjoy that part of these kinds of stories anyway. If you liked the first one, you'll like this one. If you didn't read The Affinity Bridge, I think you could enjoy this just fine as well. Jun 11, Beka rated it it was ok Shelves: Reading The Osiris Ritual demonstrated to me that I liked Mann's first book, The Affinity Bridge, more for the novelty of a steampunk detective team than for the writing itself. He clearly has a lot of talent, and loves his characters, but it doesn't seem like he spends enough time getting to know them - they all come across as rather flat.
It doesn't take more than a couple of pages to tell me that a Newbury is very smart, b Newbury is addicted to opium, c Newbury is attracted to Hobbes, and Reading The Osiris Ritual demonstrated to me that I liked Mann's first book, The Affinity Bridge, more for the novelty of a steampunk detective team than for the writing itself. It doesn't take more than a couple of pages to tell me that a Newbury is very smart, b Newbury is addicted to opium, c Newbury is attracted to Hobbes, and d Hobbes is a woman.
That's first chapter stuff, but nothing had really been added to that list by the conclusion of the book.
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In the end, The Osiris Ritual, like Mann's first book, is good for a light, quick read, but it left me wanting something more substantial. That said, if you're looking for a fun book that has zepplins, clockwork men, and plucky Victorian ladies, and doesn't spend too much time dwelling on the negative consequences of industrialization, Mann's books are a great choice. Think of it as beach reading for the steampunk set. Dec 14, Debs rated it it was amazing Shelves: What a fantastic and entertaing read!
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This is a wonderful and original story set in late Victorian London complete with atmospheric fog. Brimming with peculiar Victorian inventions and contraptions, strange and sinister characters and good old fashioned gentlemen. Newbury deals with cases involving the unusual, supernatural and downright bizarre.
The Osiris Ritual (Newbury & Hobbes Investigations, book 2) by George Mann
The case of the 'Osiris Ritual' could certainly be classified as bizarre! Superb plotting and twists and turns, heart-stopping action and a small touch of the Sherlock Holmes about Newbury's character make this book a cracking read from start to finish. I'll certainly be reading more in the series. Dec 02, Karen Syed rated it it was amazing Shelves: I simply love these books. While I don't so much enjoy the whole undead themes, this second book in the series stepped away from that prominent in Book 1 and gave us a wonderful tale of intrigue and adventure.
Newbury is in top form in this tale that focuses on an ancient ritual that seems to be alive and kicking in his backyard. Heap on top of this new mystery the fact that the past has reared its ugly head literally and it may cost Newbury his life. George Man is quite a storyteller and I ad I simply love these books. George Man is quite a storyteller and I admire how he can use the surroundings of the characters to enhance and develop their personalities. I also enjoyed how Mann allowed Veronica Hobbes to sparkle more in this story.
An excellent read all around. Again the pace is slower at first, then picks up later on. Nothing is what it seems and these two have to be very careful. They have to deal with ritualistic murders which seem to be connected to an Egyptian mummy, the disappearances of young women and the hunt for a rogue agent. They can't catch a break. I was a bit disappointed by this book. It didn't seem to have the same flair as The Affinity Bridge did. The plot seemed a bit muddled and dragged a bit. Veronica's transformation from ardent 19th Century feminist to damsel in distress was a bit disappointing.
There are still some interesting twists and turns in this story and , while I still love George Mann's stories. Jan 04, edifanob rated it it was amazing Shelves: We my inner book critic and I highly recommend this book - and of course the whole series - to all of you who have a foible for mystery, characters with secrets and avidities, a story with more than one thread, airships, submersives, automatons, steam-driven cabs all placed in a great city.
Buy it, read it , love it. Like the first book in the series "The Affinity Bridge" this book was a fun read. There is a series of young women who disappear and Newbury and Hobbes are investigating. There are two plot lines that wind their way through the book, bringing us to a thrilling conclusion. The ending is a bit puzzling, my suspicion is that we are being set up for the third book. Like the first in the series, I felt this book had a lot of pacing issues. Jun 21, Alisha Tarran rated it it was amazing Shelves: I loved the first book in this series to another level, then Titan sent me this book, the second one I read the blurb This series, just from these two books, gets better and better.
The first book was awesome, and this book is just as good, if not better. The Osiris Ritual takes everything you love from the first book, and brings I loved the first book in this series to another level, then Titan sent me this book, the second one The Osiris Ritual takes everything you love from the first book, and brings it back again for this book George Mann has written this book, and the previous one, so beautifully that the descriptions of his creations, and settings and characters come to life around you and you can immerse yourself in it.
I just love the London he's created, not going to lie! If you haven't read the first book BUT, you could, if you really wanted to, probably get away with reading this book without having read the first one. Right from the first page, I was drawn straight back in to the world of Newbury and Hobbes. I was eagerly awaiting the first appearance of one or both of them and I fangirled a little when we finally come across Newbury! Like I said, Mann creates each setting so you can pretty much step inside it. As such, when our intrepid Egyptian explorer started to try to open the sarcophagus One of the things I loved about the first book was the characters.
Veronica is no swooning damsel in distress, she's independent, strong and a hero all of her own, not afraid and perfectly capable of looking after herself. Maurice, while still being a hero of the book, isn't perfect what with his drug addiction.