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Whitechapel Gods
A thrilling new Steampunk fantasy from a talented debut author
TWO GODS-ONE CHANCE FOR MANKIND
In Victorian London, the Whitechapel section is a mechanized, steam-driven hell, cut off and ruled by two mysterious, mechanical gods-Mama Engine and Grandfather Clock. Some years have passed since the Great Uprising, when humans rose up to fight against the machines, but a few brave veterans of the Uprising have formed their own Resistance-and are gathering for another attack. For now they have a secret weapon that may finally free them-or kill them all...
TWO GODS-ONE CHANCE FOR MANKIND
In Victorian London, the Whitechapel section is a mechanized, steam-driven hell, cut off and ruled by two mysterious, mechanical gods-Mama Engine and Grandfather Clock. Some years have passed since the Great Uprising, when humans rose up to fight against the machines, but a few brave veterans of the Uprising have formed their own Resistance-and are gathering for another attack. For now they have a secret weapon that may finally free them-or kill them all...
374 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 5, 2008
47 people are currently reading
4867 people want to read
About the author
S.M. Peters
3 books51 followersS. M. Peters is not an ex-spy, ex-lawyer, ex-physicist, ex-Navy SEAL, or ex-Wall Street executive. He lives in Middle-of-Nowhere on Lake Okanagan, British Columbia, from where he commutes into the city to spend all day telling adolescents to fix their comma splices and spell “a lot” as two words. He is happily married and owns more animals than the Calgary Zoo.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 203 reviews
March 21, 2012
Whitechapel has been cut off from the rest of London and is ruled by two mechanical alien gods, for the lack of a better description, Grandfather Clock and Mama Engine. John Scared schemes to usurp Grandfather Clock's power while Oliver Sumner and other revolutionaries look to overthrow both gods. Who will reign supreme?
First of all, there were lots of things to like about this book. The hyper-industrialized pseudo-Victorian hell Whitechapel has become under the rule of Grandfather Clock and Mama Engine is a well-described place. The Boilermen and the Cloaks are both interesting antagonists, as are John Scared and Giselle. The clacks, a disease that causes people to slowly grow gears and wiring beneath their skin, is also quite innovative. The story had a lot of twists and turns.
Things I don't like? I hate to admit that few of the characters really grabbed me. It took me forever to figure out that Oliver was the central character in the story. Too much was made of events that little to nothing was revealed about, such as the rise of Baron Hume and the creation of Grandfather Clock and Mama Engine. In my opinion, the story would have been better had it focused more on Oliver and revealed more backstory.
That's not to say I didn't enjoy Whitechapel Gods. I'd recommend it to new weird, steampunk and horror fans. Officially, I'm giving this 3.5 stars. It might be upgraded to a 4 on a re-read.
Later: Actually, I've read a bit of steampunk since Whitechapel Gods. Not only will I not be upgrading it to four stars, I'd say it's barely a 3.
First of all, there were lots of things to like about this book. The hyper-industrialized pseudo-Victorian hell Whitechapel has become under the rule of Grandfather Clock and Mama Engine is a well-described place. The Boilermen and the Cloaks are both interesting antagonists, as are John Scared and Giselle. The clacks, a disease that causes people to slowly grow gears and wiring beneath their skin, is also quite innovative. The story had a lot of twists and turns.
Things I don't like? I hate to admit that few of the characters really grabbed me. It took me forever to figure out that Oliver was the central character in the story. Too much was made of events that little to nothing was revealed about, such as the rise of Baron Hume and the creation of Grandfather Clock and Mama Engine. In my opinion, the story would have been better had it focused more on Oliver and revealed more backstory.
That's not to say I didn't enjoy Whitechapel Gods. I'd recommend it to new weird, steampunk and horror fans. Officially, I'm giving this 3.5 stars. It might be upgraded to a 4 on a re-read.
Later: Actually, I've read a bit of steampunk since Whitechapel Gods. Not only will I not be upgrading it to four stars, I'd say it's barely a 3.
July 29, 2008
I honestly picked this book up because of the cool cover. It got my attention. It didn't take me long, though, to realize that the cover was all this book had going for it. The first thirty pages felt like a commercial break--fifteen to thirty second bits of sound and flashing images that are completely unrelated to each other. The book lacks any sort of focus. In those thrity pages I hadn't encountered a single image or character to grab my attention. There was a lot of disorienting movement and action done by shell-like characters, but nothing that I cared about. So, I stopped reading after page thrity. And to anyone who might want to protest that it gets better later on, I will say, "There are too many good books out there to waste my time on this one."
July 25, 2016
3.5 stars. This was a very dark steampunk fantasy with shades of something like Gangs of New York, although not precisely that.
We have a small band of people who are fighting for Whitechapel as well as queen and country while going up against Mama Engine and Grandfather Clock, who have set themselves up as gods. These gods were fascinating . In addition to creating a rather unique pair of gods, this allowed for people who were allied to each god. Some of these had clockwork mechanisms and some had furnaces but they all had started out as people. And then there were the humans. And they wanted Whitechapel back.
So there are battles galore, along with a whole lot of death and destruction. And the word "irregardless"... I tried not to get too hung up on that because this really was a fascinating book. I would love to read the author again.
We have a small band of people who are fighting for Whitechapel as well as queen and country while going up against Mama Engine and Grandfather Clock, who have set themselves up as gods. These gods were fascinating . In addition to creating a rather unique pair of gods, this allowed for people who were allied to each god. Some of these had clockwork mechanisms and some had furnaces but they all had started out as people. And then there were the humans. And they wanted Whitechapel back.
So there are battles galore, along with a whole lot of death and destruction. And the word "irregardless"... I tried not to get too hung up on that because this really was a fascinating book. I would love to read the author again.
April 27, 2008
This book's concept was really interesting, although in practice, I wasn't hooked as much as I wanted to be. I'm not really familiar with/a fan of this genre though, so I don't want to judge it too harshly. There were some interesting characters, the violence was brutal and kind of thrilling ;). I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but if you like cyber/steam punk it's worth a pick up.
June 29, 2008
Like the other steampunk novels I've read, Whitechapel Gods tends to get a little abstract at times, especially towards the end. However, it was a really entertaining read, and the world that S.M. Peters created is a very well developed one. I was completely immersed in the steel-and-smog Whitechapel ruled by Industrial Age gods, and I thought the steam guns and the Chimney (where all the "parts" that "don't work" are sent) were especially creepy. I look forward to Peters' sophomore effort.
February 6, 2012
First off I love the cover, but after that there really wasn't anymore love. For my first foray into a steampunk novel I am greatly disappointed. Not so much with the setting, though it was a bit limited and at times only sketchily described, but with the character description, development and the complete lack of forth right explanation.
You are introduced to characters with little or no description of what they look like or their motivation. As most readers would do, I think, you begin to picture a somewhat generic Victorian man or woman only to find out two chapters later that they look nothing like what you pictured. Case in point--Hews, I saw as a thin elegantly dressed man with sideburns and neat hair; the reality was he was fat with mutton-chops (which I think all of the characters had) nicely dressed and always wearing a hat. I am still not sure what Oliver, who is the protagonist of the novel, even really looks like other than tall. In my head he was older and had a trim beard. Again a few chapters later this was disproved. There is also a disease infecting people of Whitechapel, though not all, called the clacks. Tom has clacks, but I am not sure what it looks like or how it really was so bad for him. A lack of detail on the clacks.
The characters knew way more than the reader and yet none of them took the time to really explain their present situation. Was there a prequel and I missed it? I felt like I was to accept the reality and not to question how it really came to be only. Eventually you learn about Hume, Mama Engine, Grandfather Clock and the "child" how all it all began around the last third of the novel. A little to late, but if I knew how they came to be or what they were before the that point I would probably have stopped reading. Each chapter begins with a quote from a book, completely out of order if you believe the numbering system attached to each quote, at first it was hard to tell if this was an actual book being quoted or not. Adding to the confusion is that actual authors are quoted at divisions within the novel. It is until later that you are made aware of Hume's book Summa Machina and realize these are quotes from it. Another thing that bothered me is that the events in the book happen over a short frame of time like three days. It is the DaVinci Code of steampunk fantasy.
Disappointed. But love the cover still.
You are introduced to characters with little or no description of what they look like or their motivation. As most readers would do, I think, you begin to picture a somewhat generic Victorian man or woman only to find out two chapters later that they look nothing like what you pictured. Case in point--Hews, I saw as a thin elegantly dressed man with sideburns and neat hair; the reality was he was fat with mutton-chops (which I think all of the characters had) nicely dressed and always wearing a hat. I am still not sure what Oliver, who is the protagonist of the novel, even really looks like other than tall. In my head he was older and had a trim beard. Again a few chapters later this was disproved. There is also a disease infecting people of Whitechapel, though not all, called the clacks. Tom has clacks, but I am not sure what it looks like or how it really was so bad for him. A lack of detail on the clacks.
The characters knew way more than the reader and yet none of them took the time to really explain their present situation. Was there a prequel and I missed it? I felt like I was to accept the reality and not to question how it really came to be only. Eventually you learn about Hume, Mama Engine, Grandfather Clock and the "child" how all it all began around the last third of the novel. A little to late, but if I knew how they came to be or what they were before the that point I would probably have stopped reading. Each chapter begins with a quote from a book, completely out of order if you believe the numbering system attached to each quote, at first it was hard to tell if this was an actual book being quoted or not. Adding to the confusion is that actual authors are quoted at divisions within the novel. It is until later that you are made aware of Hume's book Summa Machina and realize these are quotes from it. Another thing that bothered me is that the events in the book happen over a short frame of time like three days. It is the DaVinci Code of steampunk fantasy.
Disappointed. But love the cover still.
January 5, 2011
Sort of at the low edge of 2.5 stars, I think.
The publishing imprint labels this "fantasy," and marketing trends would call it "steampunk," but I think it would be more accurate than either to call it body horror. The novel's clearest and most vivid descriptions are saved for the (many) instances when flesh and machine are violently, gruesomely melded, which means this is a novel that takes a strong stomach.
The industrial cancer that affects people in the story's Whitechapel, turning their bodies progressively into machines, is an obvious metaphor for the dehumanization process of the industrial age's factories generally. But it's also a metaphor for the genre-melding that's going on here: Whitechapel Gods isn't consistently magical enough for fantasy, or consistently explicable enough for sci-fi, and it lays out its evils too plainly to provoke the unsettling revelations of horror. It grinds along, powered by its unlikely mixture of blood and gears, capable of delivering power in places but much less capable of subtlety or grace.
And while the combination of industrial-era problems with otherworldly gods seems imaginative at first glance, I was disappointed at how many stale assumptions and stereotypes were incorporated into the story without critique: the traumatized young whore (the only female human character with any impact on the plot), the old Chinese woman running the opium den (the only non-white human in the story at all), the mysterious mind-altering drugs of "Far East" origin, the division of the gods' powers between male cold intellect and female unreasoning desire.
I would have liked to enjoy this more, but mostly, by the end of it, I just felt grimy and unsatisfied.
The publishing imprint labels this "fantasy," and marketing trends would call it "steampunk," but I think it would be more accurate than either to call it body horror. The novel's clearest and most vivid descriptions are saved for the (many) instances when flesh and machine are violently, gruesomely melded, which means this is a novel that takes a strong stomach.
The industrial cancer that affects people in the story's Whitechapel, turning their bodies progressively into machines, is an obvious metaphor for the dehumanization process of the industrial age's factories generally. But it's also a metaphor for the genre-melding that's going on here: Whitechapel Gods isn't consistently magical enough for fantasy, or consistently explicable enough for sci-fi, and it lays out its evils too plainly to provoke the unsettling revelations of horror. It grinds along, powered by its unlikely mixture of blood and gears, capable of delivering power in places but much less capable of subtlety or grace.
And while the combination of industrial-era problems with otherworldly gods seems imaginative at first glance, I was disappointed at how many stale assumptions and stereotypes were incorporated into the story without critique: the traumatized young whore (the only female human character with any impact on the plot), the old Chinese woman running the opium den (the only non-white human in the story at all), the mysterious mind-altering drugs of "Far East" origin, the division of the gods' powers between male cold intellect and female unreasoning desire.
I would have liked to enjoy this more, but mostly, by the end of it, I just felt grimy and unsatisfied.
November 16, 2009
Quick review: A nice, little, self-contained novel. I haven't read much in the urban fantasy/steampunk genres but Peters' Whitechapel reminds me of Mieville's New Crobuzon in its atmosphere and in its half-human/half-machine inhabitants. Peters' work isn't as mind-twisting as Mieville's but it's reasonably inventive and fresh, and the characters are not simple, one-dimensional caricatures. In fact, the most evil and dangerous character is the human John Scared, not the putative enemies Grandfather Clock and Mama Engine.
I gather from trolling this site that Peters has published a second novel set in the same world - Ghost Ocean (though, like Jeffrey Barlough's Western Lights books, you don't need to read the current novel as prelude), which I would be interested in reading.
As to this one: Recommended to steampunk aficionados, and people who just like a well told, standalone tale.
I gather from trolling this site that Peters has published a second novel set in the same world - Ghost Ocean (though, like Jeffrey Barlough's Western Lights books, you don't need to read the current novel as prelude), which I would be interested in reading.
As to this one: Recommended to steampunk aficionados, and people who just like a well told, standalone tale.
June 25, 2008
"I don't know art, but I know what I like." That's a cliche heard all too often, but sometimes it can be useful, especially if you take the inverse of that statement. I do know art (well...to a limited degree) and on that level I can appreciate this book a whole lot more than in the "what I like" scheme of things. Peters has created a fascinating world, but the relatively slow pace made this book a bit more "work" to get through that what I normally prefer -- but I recognize that that is a personal preference. That I got through it at all, however, says at lot. The Peters' world is intriguing, the characters are well done, and the story is inventive...very inventive. And that was enough to keep me going and enough to convince me that for those who find this style of writing appealing, this would be a good book to try.
November 19, 2011
Up until the last quarter of this book I was utterly in love with it. I liked the characters and their complexities, I loved the glimpses of this world it was set in, and I was SURE it would all make sense by the end.
Buuuuuut no. No explanations were ultimately given for why a dead person could end up in the body of a mechanical rat, or how a creepy old man could have a steam goddess for a lover, or even how these gods of Whitechapel came to exist in the first place. A few token lines were added here and there - he was guided by a lost god, he took drugs that turned him into a living consciousness, they came from somewhere else - but nothing satisfactory.
It's disappointing that something with so intriguing a concept and so promising a first half could let me down so coldly. And don't even get me started on the token female character who showed so much potential to be an interesting, complex character who was reduced to The Love Interest for no apparant reason.
I'm still rating this book highly, because I love the set-up and the world and the idea. I just wish it could have been executed better.
Buuuuuut no. No explanations were ultimately given for why a dead person could end up in the body of a mechanical rat, or how a creepy old man could have a steam goddess for a lover, or even how these gods of Whitechapel came to exist in the first place. A few token lines were added here and there - he was guided by a lost god, he took drugs that turned him into a living consciousness, they came from somewhere else - but nothing satisfactory.
It's disappointing that something with so intriguing a concept and so promising a first half could let me down so coldly. And don't even get me started on the token female character who showed so much potential to be an interesting, complex character who was reduced to The Love Interest for no apparant reason.
I'm still rating this book highly, because I love the set-up and the world and the idea. I just wish it could have been executed better.
February 17, 2017
Inventive (if very dark) steampunk rather ruined by raging misogyny. Took the lessons of The Difference Engine rather too close to heart. There are three female characters. One's an irrational whore with no impulse control, full of fluttery, dangerous womanly weakness. Another's an evil madame. The third is a goddess...who's easily overpowered and secretly glories in being raped by a totally normal guy who takes some drugs that apparently elevates him to her level because really, uppity women just need to be smacked around a little and properly subjugated. Umm, no.
May 12, 2009
To be honest I really like steampunk.
Unfortunately this book didn't work for me. There have been passages I liked and others which totally confused me. I couldn't find the rhythm of the book. I also had problems with the style of the author.
Unfortunately this book didn't work for me. There have been passages I liked and others which totally confused me. I couldn't find the rhythm of the book. I also had problems with the style of the author.
April 2, 2009
This book needed a good editor. The ideas were intriguing but half the time you actually couldn't tell who was speaking to whom. The characters lacked definition and some of the action was muddy. It was a slog to finish.
unfinished
November 18, 2018This was our book club pick for November. I tried to read it I really did, but it’s just not my thing. Thank you, next.
July 23, 2022
DNFed at 116pages.
Couldn’t quite figure out what was going on. I got confused by the change in narrators because there was no way to know who was narrating at times, and I never got a hang for being able to tell the difference between them. The worst part though was the pacing. There were moments when i couldn’t wait to find out what happened next, and others where it felt like a slog through a bog to read
However. There are some things I DID like about it. The concept - fascinating Once I kinda had the characters figured out. The weird morally grey actions from some characters was nice. And it was very vividly gorey. This book is steampunk meets Stephen King.
But the things I liked about it can’t and don’t outweigh how hard it was for me to get to 116 pages…
Couldn’t quite figure out what was going on. I got confused by the change in narrators because there was no way to know who was narrating at times, and I never got a hang for being able to tell the difference between them. The worst part though was the pacing. There were moments when i couldn’t wait to find out what happened next, and others where it felt like a slog through a bog to read
However. There are some things I DID like about it. The concept - fascinating Once I kinda had the characters figured out. The weird morally grey actions from some characters was nice. And it was very vividly gorey. This book is steampunk meets Stephen King.
But the things I liked about it can’t and don’t outweigh how hard it was for me to get to 116 pages…
November 19, 2018
It was hard to get into. The e-book jumped around between narrators with no indication of change which made it difficult to follow, especially at first. Overall, I liked it but I didn't love it.
March 3, 2019
I couldn't get past page 69. This book didn't grab me and I found the descriptions of Whitechapel wordy but vague. I couldn't get a picture of the place in my head.
December 29, 2015
Сразу признаюсь, что Whitechapel Gods я дочитать не смогла, хотя до последнего цеплялась. Но здравый смысл наконец взял верх и посоветовал не тратить время на книги, которые доставляют больше мучений, чем удовольствия. Кто я, чтобы спорить.
Прочитав половину книги, я так и не встретила ни одного героя, способного минимально заинтересовать, не говоря уже о симпатии. Единственный значимый женский персонаж – бывшая дама легкого поведения, притащившая следом из старой жизни вагон и маленькую тележку комплексов и неуверенностей. Это не так страшно, ее внутренний монолог можно пропускать мимо ушей. Но все остальные фигуры на поле, в том числе протагонист (которого я смогла четко выделить только перемахнув через четверть книги) – скучные до зубовного скрежета. Причем одномерными их ни в коем случае не назвать – у каждого есть предыстория и свои особенности, но вот только это не делает их привлекательнее ни на грамм. Ну да, какие-то дядьки носятся со своими фракциями, шайками и восстаниями, но на всю их возню глубоко наплевать.
Книга написана таким языком, что я часто спотыкалась на ровном месте. Иногда не могла понять, кто вещает и что происходит, и еще ступорили некоторые выражения, за которыми приходилось лезть в словарь. Некоторых слов он в паре с гуглом так и не распознал, что можно списать либо на слишком заковыристое авторское словообразование, которому он не потрудился дать объяснение, либо на описки. Последние меня раньше не смущали.
История на протяжении неприлично большого количества страниц топчется на месте, ходит кругами вокруг одних и тех же персонажей, подбрасывая кусочки информации о положении дел в мире мучительно медленно. Подобные заигрывания могут быть хороши для неторопливых фэнтезийных циклов, где пролог по определению должен быть обширным и затягивающим. Но Whitechapel Gods просто издевается, на первых страницах бросая в пекло, ничего толком не объяснив, с тем, чтобы тут же затянуть волынку скукоты на десять глав. Причем все так же – не давая минимальных знаний о мире и пищи для размышлений. В сочетании с безликими героями это просто жестоко.
Из хорошего – атмосфера. Меня манят мрачные миры, где царствует безысходность. Отсутствие стеснительности в описании жестокости и ее результатов, как ни странно, добавляет книге пару баллов – океан gore&violence вписывается в историю идеально. Задумка про богов легко могла бы выстрелить, если бы не потонула в полнейшем отсутствии вдохновения на всех остальных фронтах. Чувствуется необыкновенной силы потенциал, который мне, к сожалению, оценить не придется.
annikeh.net
Прочитав половину книги, я так и не встретила ни одного героя, способного минимально заинтересовать, не говоря уже о симпатии. Единственный значимый женский персонаж – бывшая дама легкого поведения, притащившая следом из старой жизни вагон и маленькую тележку комплексов и неуверенностей. Это не так страшно, ее внутренний монолог можно пропускать мимо ушей. Но все остальные фигуры на поле, в том числе протагонист (которого я смогла четко выделить только перемахнув через четверть книги) – скучные до зубовного скрежета. Причем одномерными их ни в коем случае не назвать – у каждого есть предыстория и свои особенности, но вот только это не делает их привлекательнее ни на грамм. Ну да, какие-то дядьки носятся со своими фракциями, шайками и восстаниями, но на всю их возню глубоко наплевать.
Книга написана таким языком, что я часто спотыкалась на ровном месте. Иногда не могла понять, кто вещает и что происходит, и еще ступорили некоторые выражения, за которыми приходилось лезть в словарь. Некоторых слов он в паре с гуглом так и не распознал, что можно списать либо на слишком заковыристое авторское словообразование, которому он не потрудился дать объяснение, либо на описки. Последние меня раньше не смущали.
История на протяжении неприлично большого количества страниц топчется на месте, ходит кругами вокруг одних и тех же персонажей, подбрасывая кусочки информации о положении дел в мире мучительно медленно. Подобные заигрывания могут быть хороши для неторопливых фэнтезийных циклов, где пролог по определению должен быть обширным и затягивающим. Но Whitechapel Gods просто издевается, на первых страницах бросая в пекло, ничего толком не объяснив, с тем, чтобы тут же затянуть волынку скукоты на десять глав. Причем все так же – не давая минимальных знаний о мире и пищи для размышлений. В сочетании с безликими героями это просто жестоко.
Из хорошего – атмосфера. Меня манят мрачные миры, где царствует безысходность. Отсутствие стеснительности в описании жестокости и ее результатов, как ни странно, добавляет книге пару баллов – океан gore&violence вписывается в историю идеально. Задумка про богов легко могла бы выстрелить, если бы не потонула в полнейшем отсутствии вдохновения на всех остальных фронтах. Чувствуется необыкновенной силы потенциал, который мне, к сожалению, оценить не придется.
annikeh.net
September 28, 2016
I usually don't leave reviews but I gave 1 star to this one without even finishing it and I wanted to explain.
I wanted to like this book. I really did. I was so eager to read it (mostly because of the cover, which is awesome) but it was a huge disappointment.
Let's start with the names. I understand that you don't want to be repetitive and star all the sentences with “John did whatever”, but if you are going to call him by his first name in the first sentence and in the next you are going to call him by his surname at least let me know that it is the same person. If not I will think there are more people in one scene than there actually are. It was kind of annoying.
The scene jumps were also confusing. I didn't know what to pay attention to. When a scene was finally making sense the story changed to another point of view, with a completely different setting and new characters I knew nothing about. As I said, confusing.
Speaking of change of point of view, once it was changed I was dropped in the middle of the action. I don't mean this in a good way, like when right from the start exciting things start to happen, but in the way that I had the feeling I had opened the book randomly and started reading the first page that popped up. I didn't know what was going on. Who are this new characters? Why are they doing what they're doing? What do they want to achieve? Why should I want them to win?
Part of the blame of not knowing what was going on is the lack of descriptions. This is a fantasy book, which means that some stuff doesn't exist. Some things are just in the author's imagination and it's his job to let me know what they are, what they look like, what they do. At one point there's a doctor that cuts a patient with a scalpel and instead of bleeding, the cut oozes oil. And then they move on to the next action without even blinking… WTF!!? Why is that dude bleeding oil? What is going on? Why is he half machine? Is this normal in this world? Well, the book has zero fucks to give about your confusion as it moves on to the next point of view and story.
The few pages I read left me thinking that there was maybe a prequel I knew nothing about and that's why I didn't know these people. Kind of like when you hang out with a group of friends that are not your own and they have all these secret jokes they are not letting you in on. I don't like that feeling.
Maybe this book works for some people, but not for me.
I wanted to like this book. I really did. I was so eager to read it (mostly because of the cover, which is awesome) but it was a huge disappointment.
Let's start with the names. I understand that you don't want to be repetitive and star all the sentences with “John did whatever”, but if you are going to call him by his first name in the first sentence and in the next you are going to call him by his surname at least let me know that it is the same person. If not I will think there are more people in one scene than there actually are. It was kind of annoying.
The scene jumps were also confusing. I didn't know what to pay attention to. When a scene was finally making sense the story changed to another point of view, with a completely different setting and new characters I knew nothing about. As I said, confusing.
Speaking of change of point of view, once it was changed I was dropped in the middle of the action. I don't mean this in a good way, like when right from the start exciting things start to happen, but in the way that I had the feeling I had opened the book randomly and started reading the first page that popped up. I didn't know what was going on. Who are this new characters? Why are they doing what they're doing? What do they want to achieve? Why should I want them to win?
Part of the blame of not knowing what was going on is the lack of descriptions. This is a fantasy book, which means that some stuff doesn't exist. Some things are just in the author's imagination and it's his job to let me know what they are, what they look like, what they do. At one point there's a doctor that cuts a patient with a scalpel and instead of bleeding, the cut oozes oil. And then they move on to the next action without even blinking… WTF!!? Why is that dude bleeding oil? What is going on? Why is he half machine? Is this normal in this world? Well, the book has zero fucks to give about your confusion as it moves on to the next point of view and story.
The few pages I read left me thinking that there was maybe a prequel I knew nothing about and that's why I didn't know these people. Kind of like when you hang out with a group of friends that are not your own and they have all these secret jokes they are not letting you in on. I don't like that feeling.
Maybe this book works for some people, but not for me.
August 26, 2016
First, let me say that I wanted to love this book. From its awesome cover art and the summary on Amazon, it looked interesting enough. Authored by S.M. Peters, this debut is a Steampunk-themed story where two mechanical gods, Mama Engine and Grandfather Clock, rule London. You follow the rebels of an uprising who live in this dirty, dystopian city and who only want to free themselves from these mechanical monsters and their murderous henchmen.
It took two months for me to read Whitechapel Gods, and I struggled the entire way, mostly out of disinterest. The prose was easy enough, but the storyline switches gears so many times, it was really hard to follow. I lost interest, forcing my way slowly, until about 2/3 of the way through when it seemed like the characters were actually about to do something important.
The characters seem very interesting, but their individual lives seem to overtake the book, making the plot lose its momentum. Have I mentioned just how many players there are in this drama? There’s Oliver (the protagonist), and Missy, Tom, Aaron, Scared, Penny, Bergen, Heckler, Bailey, etc. Delving into so many lives, it’s no wonder I got lost. Their abstract dream and drug sequences proves nothing but to confuse more than reveal anything plot-worthy.
In saying all that, though, I believe that my favorite characters are Tom, half man and half machine, and his pet clickrat Jeremy Longshore (who we later find out is embodied by Aaron). Tom is a large man-machine who, yes, takes a licking and keeps on ticking, but his demeanor is gentle and that of a small child. His pet Jeremy is very faithful and turns out to be pretty useful. He convinces metal hounds, through a series of clicks and nods, that his friends are not a threat. Their relationship shows us more humanity than the real human beings in the story do, which might be a point the author is trying to make, but it gets lost in the muddle.
By the end of the story, I was left very unsatisfied. The underwhelming finale and odd change of personality for two of the characters seems a little forced for a “happy ending.” Maybe I can give it another read in a year or so to see how I feel about it. Until then, I don’t think I can offer any mind-blowing review. It is not a bad book, by any means. It just needs to be more reader-friendly.
It took two months for me to read Whitechapel Gods, and I struggled the entire way, mostly out of disinterest. The prose was easy enough, but the storyline switches gears so many times, it was really hard to follow. I lost interest, forcing my way slowly, until about 2/3 of the way through when it seemed like the characters were actually about to do something important.
The characters seem very interesting, but their individual lives seem to overtake the book, making the plot lose its momentum. Have I mentioned just how many players there are in this drama? There’s Oliver (the protagonist), and Missy, Tom, Aaron, Scared, Penny, Bergen, Heckler, Bailey, etc. Delving into so many lives, it’s no wonder I got lost. Their abstract dream and drug sequences proves nothing but to confuse more than reveal anything plot-worthy.
In saying all that, though, I believe that my favorite characters are Tom, half man and half machine, and his pet clickrat Jeremy Longshore (who we later find out is embodied by Aaron). Tom is a large man-machine who, yes, takes a licking and keeps on ticking, but his demeanor is gentle and that of a small child. His pet Jeremy is very faithful and turns out to be pretty useful. He convinces metal hounds, through a series of clicks and nods, that his friends are not a threat. Their relationship shows us more humanity than the real human beings in the story do, which might be a point the author is trying to make, but it gets lost in the muddle.
By the end of the story, I was left very unsatisfied. The underwhelming finale and odd change of personality for two of the characters seems a little forced for a “happy ending.” Maybe I can give it another read in a year or so to see how I feel about it. Until then, I don’t think I can offer any mind-blowing review. It is not a bad book, by any means. It just needs to be more reader-friendly.
September 17, 2010
2.5 Stars
Whitechapel has been cut off from the rest of England, by a seemingly impenetrable wall forged by the new gods Mama Engine and Grandfather Clock. Between them they have virtually enslaved most of Whitechapel, turning it into a mass of growing metal and ash and smog covered streets, and spreading their disease that cause men to start growing mechanical parts and replacing their followers hearts with furnaces. But, a rebellion is growing and a weapon forged that can kill these new gods and bring Whitechapel back into England’s fold.
I really loved the idea of this book, with the man made gods, and mechanical man and the idea of the “clacks” a disease that causes people to grow metal growths is brilliant and unique. I also liked that there was plenty of action in these books as well. The character John Scared, the villain was also a really good character he was wicked and unapologetically depraved and although I didn’t like him, he will be what I remember most about this book.
However, I didn’t like how the story was told, by this I mean that you heard a lot about the rebellion, but, much to my most disappointment you never really learn anything about how the gods were created and Baron Hume and the history behind how Whitechapel became walled in. Also, I found this book to be quite unfocused and it dragged along for the first 250 pages or so and then suddenly at the end everything started to happen, and it was a long wait for an ending that for me never really paid off.
This isn’t a book I would really recommend, which I find really frustrating as it had such good ideas and a really atmospheric setting.
Whitechapel has been cut off from the rest of England, by a seemingly impenetrable wall forged by the new gods Mama Engine and Grandfather Clock. Between them they have virtually enslaved most of Whitechapel, turning it into a mass of growing metal and ash and smog covered streets, and spreading their disease that cause men to start growing mechanical parts and replacing their followers hearts with furnaces. But, a rebellion is growing and a weapon forged that can kill these new gods and bring Whitechapel back into England’s fold.
I really loved the idea of this book, with the man made gods, and mechanical man and the idea of the “clacks” a disease that causes people to grow metal growths is brilliant and unique. I also liked that there was plenty of action in these books as well. The character John Scared, the villain was also a really good character he was wicked and unapologetically depraved and although I didn’t like him, he will be what I remember most about this book.
However, I didn’t like how the story was told, by this I mean that you heard a lot about the rebellion, but, much to my most disappointment you never really learn anything about how the gods were created and Baron Hume and the history behind how Whitechapel became walled in. Also, I found this book to be quite unfocused and it dragged along for the first 250 pages or so and then suddenly at the end everything started to happen, and it was a long wait for an ending that for me never really paid off.
This isn’t a book I would really recommend, which I find really frustrating as it had such good ideas and a really atmospheric setting.
September 23, 2009
Whitechapel Gods marks my first foray into the steampunk genre during my steampunk extravaganza this month. It is perhaps a bit of an odd book for a first choice since it is entirely lacking in airships and heavier on horror then adventure but it is rife with clockwork automatons and steam powered weaponry. In truth Whitechapel Gods is something like steampunk as envisioned by H. P. Lovecraft or Stephen King.
In a post-industrial London, Whitecapel has been walled off by the strange deific figure known as Grandfather Clock, inscrutible and unwilling consort to the even more unfathomable Mama Engine. Smoke and toxic gases turn the already dingy atmosphere of Whitechapel into a hostile place while a horrid clockwork disease transforms citizens into horrid amalgams of man and machine; robbing them of any hope of death. Men given over to Grandfather Clock collect citizens to be added to a monstrous construction of man and machine while silent automatons known as the Boiler Men enforce Grandfather Clocks will and stamps out rebellion. Amidst this oppressive atmosphere a rag-tag bunch of criminals and patriots seek to kill both gods and free the downtrodden citizens of Whitechapel. Whitechapel Gods is a novel rife with familiar sights twisted into horrific visages and though the novel suffers from some issues with pacing manages to ensnare its reader with that imagery.
Full review here.
In a post-industrial London, Whitecapel has been walled off by the strange deific figure known as Grandfather Clock, inscrutible and unwilling consort to the even more unfathomable Mama Engine. Smoke and toxic gases turn the already dingy atmosphere of Whitechapel into a hostile place while a horrid clockwork disease transforms citizens into horrid amalgams of man and machine; robbing them of any hope of death. Men given over to Grandfather Clock collect citizens to be added to a monstrous construction of man and machine while silent automatons known as the Boiler Men enforce Grandfather Clocks will and stamps out rebellion. Amidst this oppressive atmosphere a rag-tag bunch of criminals and patriots seek to kill both gods and free the downtrodden citizens of Whitechapel. Whitechapel Gods is a novel rife with familiar sights twisted into horrific visages and though the novel suffers from some issues with pacing manages to ensnare its reader with that imagery.
Full review here.
September 20, 2008
First thought: too many characters. It wasn't until I was in chapter 4 that I realized "Oh. So Oliver is the main protagonist." The plot also starts out slowly (oh so slowly)but finally picks up around the last third of the book. My second issue with the book was the female protagonist, Missy: the attempt to make her out to be the "strong female" of the story fell flat on its face as she continuously carried on an internal dialogue I can only assume was developed to garner sympathy for her character. Instead it was simply irritating and made me hope that she would die off soon so I could be free of reading any more of her whining and one-track mind. The forced relationship between her and Oliver also seemed last minute as there wasn't any real chemistry between the characters at all aside from the fact that she was the only possibility for a heterosexual coupling, and, since he's the hero, of course he has to "get the girl".
That isn't to say that Peters is lacking as an author. He has a remarkable imagination; the ideas behind Mama Engine and Grandfather Clock are phenomenol and even moved towards the Lovecraftian, but I would have liked to see him go even further with the idea. It's like he introduces these great concepts and leaves us hanging for further explanation just so he could describe more fight scenes (which become quite tiresome). I'll be keeping an eye on his writings in the future. There's a good deal of possibility in this one.
That isn't to say that Peters is lacking as an author. He has a remarkable imagination; the ideas behind Mama Engine and Grandfather Clock are phenomenol and even moved towards the Lovecraftian, but I would have liked to see him go even further with the idea. It's like he introduces these great concepts and leaves us hanging for further explanation just so he could describe more fight scenes (which become quite tiresome). I'll be keeping an eye on his writings in the future. There's a good deal of possibility in this one.
February 9, 2020
Favorite Quotes
n/a
Thoughts
• This book is vague in the strangest sense...There is plenty of action but described in a way that makes me unable to visualize any of it. It is the complete opposite problem other books tend to have with too much description, but here there is very little to the point I am unsure what the setting even is.
• I greatly enjoy the steampunk concepts like the Boiler Men and the ticker hounds, but otherwise I am not sure what the point of the book is. It reads as though I missed a previous installment and this should be the continuation. The reader is thrown into the world with no introduction and is expected to keep up on their own.
• I constantly feel like I am missing a step and tripping along after the plot off-balance. The story is interesting but missing some vital background elements and better well-rounded explanations: What are the deities made of / from exactly? How is the city plan laid out? What were the events leading up to the start of the book? I want to be immersed but the book lacks the proper visuals to pull me into the world.
• I start noticing typos towards the end of the book as well...
• In the end, the book is severely lacking yet is also somehow well written? It is strong in concept but very poorly executed. I still enjoy it for what it is though.
2.5 / 5
n/a
Thoughts
• This book is vague in the strangest sense...There is plenty of action but described in a way that makes me unable to visualize any of it. It is the complete opposite problem other books tend to have with too much description, but here there is very little to the point I am unsure what the setting even is.
• I greatly enjoy the steampunk concepts like the Boiler Men and the ticker hounds, but otherwise I am not sure what the point of the book is. It reads as though I missed a previous installment and this should be the continuation. The reader is thrown into the world with no introduction and is expected to keep up on their own.
• I constantly feel like I am missing a step and tripping along after the plot off-balance. The story is interesting but missing some vital background elements and better well-rounded explanations: What are the deities made of / from exactly? How is the city plan laid out? What were the events leading up to the start of the book? I want to be immersed but the book lacks the proper visuals to pull me into the world.
• I start noticing typos towards the end of the book as well...
• In the end, the book is severely lacking yet is also somehow well written? It is strong in concept but very poorly executed. I still enjoy it for what it is though.
2.5 / 5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2012
I am not an expert in Steampunk fiction, but I rather enjoyed this book. While it may not have had a resolution that seemed complete, I found myself engaged in the character and feeling the sense of the atmosphere of the work. Given the actual Whitechapel's history, I felt Peters did well to engage the concept and make it his world. The struggle the protagonist has determining if he should even try to rebel seems genuine enough from the start and his history is fleshed out significantly to demonstrate his decisions.
Overall, the book felt unique enough to be worth the read and, while perhaps the end was not filled with perfect explanations and a sense of completion, the work in its entirety feels fairly character driven and unique.
As others have said, it is no doubt that the cover art is well chosen and it informed my choice to buy the book, but given the price, I still feel that the ticket price was worth the ride and would recommend that others consider reading it if they enjoy films like the Matrix (a world controlled by machines) or if they enjoy alternative history tales.
Overall, the book felt unique enough to be worth the read and, while perhaps the end was not filled with perfect explanations and a sense of completion, the work in its entirety feels fairly character driven and unique.
As others have said, it is no doubt that the cover art is well chosen and it informed my choice to buy the book, but given the price, I still feel that the ticket price was worth the ride and would recommend that others consider reading it if they enjoy films like the Matrix (a world controlled by machines) or if they enjoy alternative history tales.
March 30, 2008
In the interest of full disclosure, I have not actually finished this book. I do think I have read enough however. 150 pages into a 350 page book would seem like enough time to establish at least on interesting character, especially considering that each chapter is from the perspective of about 4 different characters.
It would also be enough time to establish at least a bit of world history or a bit of idea about the setting. This was the biggest problem. The world this takes place in is a radically different white chapel London, as near as I can tell. The author never really gets too much into the world which is a shame since its the only reason to pick up the book.
I may yet finish it but most likely I wont. The book is a debut novel that reads very very much like a sequel. Maybe if he puts out a prequel....
It would also be enough time to establish at least a bit of world history or a bit of idea about the setting. This was the biggest problem. The world this takes place in is a radically different white chapel London, as near as I can tell. The author never really gets too much into the world which is a shame since its the only reason to pick up the book.
I may yet finish it but most likely I wont. The book is a debut novel that reads very very much like a sequel. Maybe if he puts out a prequel....
February 27, 2016
Whitechapel,London - The citizens of Whitechapel are under the rule of two gods - Grandfather Clock and Mama Engine. The focus of these two gods/machines is to continue to function, at all cost.
There are cloaks - humans who have chosen to become part of the machines, Boilermen - a frightful creation solely from the machines themselves, and a cancerous disease, called clacks, that transforms innocent humans into a sort of half-human, half-machine entity.
The scenes of machine and flesh merging are vivid and graphic, giving the book a raw, gritty edge. The main characters are slow to be revealed and while all are not wholly likable, they offer varying degrees of background and different points of view throughout the story.
Overall, I enjoyed the setting and the world that was created.
There are cloaks - humans who have chosen to become part of the machines, Boilermen - a frightful creation solely from the machines themselves, and a cancerous disease, called clacks, that transforms innocent humans into a sort of half-human, half-machine entity.
The scenes of machine and flesh merging are vivid and graphic, giving the book a raw, gritty edge. The main characters are slow to be revealed and while all are not wholly likable, they offer varying degrees of background and different points of view throughout the story.
Overall, I enjoyed the setting and the world that was created.
July 25, 2010
First off, this is not your typical Steam-Punk novel. Peter's crams some high concepts in here more akin to H.P. Lovecraft than Isaac Asimov. This is a genre-element novel written for fans of horror and urban fantasy... not sci-fi and historical mystery. Perhaps it's because I read Peter's "Ghost Ocean" first - and loved it - that I was able to easily love "Whitechapel Gods" as well.
Yes, there were a few too many characters. Yes, it started out a bit confusing. Regardless, I read this entire book in one sitting. I literally could NOT put it down. The mythos weaved by Peters in the novel is epic and chaotic, and my only real complaint is that I wanted MORE. Especially on the character of Aaron.
Oh, and that cover is easily one of the coolest ever...
Yes, there were a few too many characters. Yes, it started out a bit confusing. Regardless, I read this entire book in one sitting. I literally could NOT put it down. The mythos weaved by Peters in the novel is epic and chaotic, and my only real complaint is that I wanted MORE. Especially on the character of Aaron.
Oh, and that cover is easily one of the coolest ever...
March 24, 2017
***3.5***
This is one of the darkest books I've ever read. The Whitechapel section is cut off from the rest of London by two gods-Mama Engine and Grandfather Clock. If they had more serious names, they couldn't be creepier. The events in this book take place a few years after the uprising led by Oliver Sumner. Members of resistance got their hands on a weapon, designed by Jack the Ripper-like man, which could destroy the gods.
You don't get a single moment of happiness or at least some kind of peace
This is one of the darkest books I've ever read. The Whitechapel section is cut off from the rest of London by two gods-Mama Engine and Grandfather Clock. If they had more serious names, they couldn't be creepier. The events in this book take place a few years after the uprising led by Oliver Sumner. Members of resistance got their hands on a weapon, designed by Jack the Ripper-like man, which could destroy the gods.
You don't get a single moment of happiness or at least some kind of peace
April 21, 2013
Grimy, harsh, and not at all the exciting romp I was expecting.
It was hard to get into at the beginning -- mostly because of too much frontloading of information -- but that evened out fairly quickly. The writing was overwrought at times, and the author actually used the word 'irregardless' (and not as a joke), but for the most part the book was a compelling read. I'll be interested to see what else Peters writes.
It was hard to get into at the beginning -- mostly because of too much frontloading of information -- but that evened out fairly quickly. The writing was overwrought at times, and the author actually used the word 'irregardless' (and not as a joke), but for the most part the book was a compelling read. I'll be interested to see what else Peters writes.
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