Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon

Good, but weakest of the 3 books so far.....

The third book in the series was good, but compared to the others, it left me a bit underwhelmed. I didn't find myself staying up late, like I did with The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack. Or try to figure out the twist as in The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man. This one is pretty much a run & gun adventure. But the pace was slower, there really wasn't a "who done it" plot and the wonder of steam just wasn't there for me. Eugenics (which really took more of a backseat to clockwork & steam in previous books) did play a major part in this book, which I found cool. In short: Was it a good read? Sure. Did it bookend the series? Well, kind of. Do I *have* to read the other two books before this one: Oh yeah!! Would I buy more from this author: Heck, yeah!! Like the previous books, Hodder peppers it with famous names, which sometimes sends me googling names or places. The whole premise of why there is an alternate reality is also very interesting. Awesome....

It's All Gone Tonto!

I really enjoyed the previous two books and this one kept the momentum going--so much so that it went off the rails. Though I admire the author for not playing it safe. The 388 pages flew by and I was never bored. I loved the historical figures although I still think Hodder's Burton was more about Hodder's wish fulfillment than any actual historical portrayal and his Burton & Swinburne reminded me of a Victorian Batman & Robin with Isabel as Batgirl. So when read with credulity sheathed it is very enjoyable.

I do hope that there will be more in the series as the ending left things up in the air. Perhaps a short story collection with past cases and future events written in a penny-dreadful style.

No text was provided for this review.