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persimmonfrostI borrowed this one from my housemate who borrowed it from the library, and frankly I'm glad neither of us paid for it because I can't say that I think it's worth the asking price. The oddest thing, for me at least, is that for all Mann is an editor, he's not a very good writer. I'd call him competent...mostly. His words all fit together and you know what he's talking about, but there's no sparkle to his prose. He also uses idioms which frankly sound wrong for their time and place, phrases such as "Are you okay?" Yes, I do know the etymology of "okay," nobody needs to cite it. It still sounds out of place in the mouth of a late Victorian gentleman as does him saying "For the hell of it." particularly in front of a lady. Similarly the use of "alright" within the narrative is something which is likely to throw an educated reader out of the story entirely. Mann should know better.
It's not just the language which suffers here either, but also the conventions of good story-telling. Within the space of two chapters, a character explains a situation in exactly the same way to two different people. Now this may not sound like a big deal but it's just another point at which a reader is likely to be jarred out of the story. We've heard the information once, we don't need to have it repeated almost verbatim. That's bad story-telling. Nor is the deus-ex-machina device (Which, now I think of it, sounds like a wonderful steampunk invention, doesn't it?) used in conjunction with Sir Maurice's encounter with the revenants any better in terms of story-telling. (I'm trying not to spoil anyone here; you'll know it when you see it.) It was, in fact, at that point that I came aboutthisclose to throwing the book across the room, however I reminded myself that the library might look darkly upon such an act and I restrained myself.
If there is a strong point in this book, it's the characterization, and even that is sometimes a little thin. Veronica and her sister are probably the most interesting characters. In spite of Veronica's annoying obsession with tea, she's a fairly well-drawn character, and rather refreshing. Her sister -- though interesting in a tragic way -- seems to exist solely as a plot point and possibly the set-up for a future adventure, which is a shame. The male characters teeter on the edge of being interesting, but there's something missing, some essential spark which would help them to propel the plot.
Someone called this book a pastiche, and I'd agree in the sense that it's a kind of hodge-podge. Even so, the lack of consistency in Mann's use of the elements makes the label less complimentary than the reader might hope.
The cover trumpets: "STEAMPUNK is making a comback, and with this novel MANN IS LEADING THE CHARGE..." I wasn't aware that steampunk had gone anywhere, nor do I think that Mann is necessarily either savior of or heir to the movement.
The Affinity Bridge (Newbury & Hobbes Investigation)
