The Lazarus Machine (Tweed & Nightingale Adventures, #1)

The Lazarus Machine (Tweed & Nightingale Adventures #1)

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3.76 of 5 stars 3.76  ·  rating details  ·  131 ratings  ·  36 reviews
An alternate 1895... a world where Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace perfected the Difference engine. Where steam and tesla-powered computers are everywhere. Where automatons powered by human souls venture out into the sprawling London streets. Where the Ministry, a secretive government agency, seeks to control everything in the name of the Queen.

It is in this claustrophobi...more
Hardcover, First Edition, 280 pages
Published November 6th 2012 by Prometheus Books
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Diayll
Originally Reviewed At: Mother/Gamer/Writer
Rating 4 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: Publisher
Reviewer: AimeeKay


The Lazarus Machine is a very interesting Steampunk mystery.

Overall the book was filled with fun and excitement, as well as mystery. It drew me in and definitely had some parts I didn’t see coming.

I liked the world that Crilley has built. I think it is a great set up for future novels. Not only more about the main characters, Tweed and Nightingale, but for other characters that were...more
LJ
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Paul
The rating system says that 2 stars is "ok". That's pretty accurate, in my opinion. I was really intrigued at first. Mechanical spiders, steam carriages, and automatons powered by trapped souls (I thought it odd how few people in Victorian England had a problem with using human souls as batteries. But whatever.) thrown at you right out of the starting gate.

After these things are introduced, there is little to no establishment on how this history differed from our timeline except that in has "Ba...more
Suzanne Dix
Seventeen year old Sebastian Tweed witnesses the incredible abduction of his father by Professor James Moriarty...who supposedly died along with Sherlock Holmes when they fell over Reichenbach Falls. Such begins the mad adventure to save Tweed's father, understand how it is that Moriarty lives and what his evil plans are for the near future. Tweed and his father are friends to those with London underworld connections and in asking for help to find his father, Tweed is introduced to Octavia Night...more
Justin
The Lazarus Machine has joined the ranks of some of the really awesome Steampunk books that I have enjoyed. As you can probably tell be the rating I didn't quite enjoy it as much as others I have read, but that isn't to say that it's not an awesome book. Because if there is one great thing I can say about this book is that Paul was able to create this amazing alternate world in which he wrote this pretty incredible story to go along with it. My only major complaint is that it gets a little overw...more
Candace (Lovey Dovey Books)
London in 1895, filled with steam and Tesla powered technology, never seemed so believable until Paul Crilley's Lazarus Machine. The first Tweed & Nightingale Adventure is everything one would expect from a science-fiction mystery: intriguing, speckled with humor, and riddled with danger for its endearing detective duo. Sebastian Tweed and Octavia Nigtingale are a force to reckon with and though they come from different backgrounds, their chemistry is undeniable and fun to see come to realiz...more
Savannah (Books With Bite)
Love these types of books. Adventure and unexpected discoveries that leave you wanting more...

The plot of the book starts off great. Tweed goes around the country conning people. They pretend they can speak with dead. Right off the bat, their relationship is strange. It's not your normal father/son relationship but rather a friendship. It's odd to see how they regard each other and that;s why I'm so intrigued. Why are they like this in the first place? What is the father hiding?

Of course, my sus...more
Samantha
I really liked this book and it really hit my mood spot on. I was specifically looking for something light, quick, and not too emotional or intense, and this just fit perfectly. I'm going to try and break this down...

The characters:
Sebastian Tweed: con man with a conscience, master of deduction and reason, and socially awkward around girls his own age (since he has never actually met one before)
Octavia "Songbird" Nightingale: Determined to find her missing mother, feminist, intelligent, not afra...more
Gena
I LOVE steampunk and this book had a lot more steampunk elements than most, so that's good. I even liked the two main characters a lot - Tweed is a young boy who goes on a mission to find his abducted father and Nightingale is a young woman who is looking for info on her mother who has been missing for a year. Together, with a small gang of helpers, they infiltrate high levels of British government and discover what's behind the rash of abductions.

Good plot, and it moves nicely - there were a f...more
Glen
I seem to be developing a taste for these Holmesian Steampunk style stories. Not really sure why, considering I generally hate the time period in question. That said, this is a nice little tale setting up a world for future amusing stories. The characters mesh well together, although there's not as much depth to them as I'd like. The author more than makes up for that with witty/snarky banter. Sometimes it can be a bit difficult to continue believing these characters exist in the time-period the...more
Spacklefritz
Dec 25, 2012 Spacklefritz rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: steampunk lovers
3.5 stars

Well this was a fun read, not exactly a light read, but definitely a fun read indeed.

I've never read any of Mr. Crilley's books before, but the world that he created in The Lazarus Machine is very rich, and if you're looking for a steampunk book that definitely shows the steampunkness (not a word I know) then this book is good bet. You can see the use of these unique machines in everyday life. There are also some models which have a certain "feature" which ties up into the story.

The pl...more
Christa (More Than Just Magic)
This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic

First off -Huge thanks to Brenna (Esther’s Ever After) without whom I would have never heard of this fabulous book.

To sum it up in one sentence it’s BBC-esque Sherlock meets steampunk with a dash of Doctor Who. I didn’t believe it until I read it but that is the most accurate description I can think off. So then knowing my love of all three of those things it should be no surprise that I adored The Lazarus Machine.

Since this is a steampunk nov...more
Megan (Book Brats)
This review will probably be shorter than my average, and for a very succinct reason – it was ultimately forgettable in a sea of books with similar plots. THE LAZARUS MACHINE was a book that took me almost two months to read, continuously relegated to the bottom of my reading pile after picking it up, reading a few pages, and then returning it to the stack to be forgotten after a number of steampunk fantasies that stood out more, some for great reasons, some for horrible ones.

In the end, when a...more
Rachel
I picked up this book in the young adult section on a whim because the cover looked interesting. Also I vaguely remembered it being on my to-read list for awhile. I needed a distraction book to read whilst in the middle of reading a huge adult nonfiction book, as I still want to read it but needed a mental break before I completely lost interest in it. I will say that this book actually helped me wanting to start it again because of the material.

The book is set in Victorian England but an alter...more
Kaitlyn
When I saw this book on Goodreads, everything about it screamed, "Read me!" From the Doctor Who-ish cover (gas masks and overcoats, anyone?) to the awesome premise (an alternate London with steampunk machinery in 1895) this book sounded like my dream come true. Not to mention the awesome references to Sherlock Holmes! But in the end, while this was definitely a good book, it simply wasn't great.

As much as I love steampunk novels, I hate it when the machinery is confusing and difficult to underst...more
Kimberly Souza
“The Lazarus machine” by, Paul Crilley

It’s 1895 in a steampunk London. Sebastian Tweed and Octavia Nightingale have grown up in very different circles but when Sebastian’s father and Octavia’s mother are kidnapped the teen’s worlds collide. Professor Moriarty is loose in the city and he has a group of masked thugs at his disposal. Knowing they can only count on themselves, Tweed and Nightingale team up to find their lost parents and put a stop Moriarty’s nefarious plans.

“The Lazarus machine” is...more
Dayla
Article first published as Book Review: The Lazarus Machine: A Tweed and Nightingale Adventure by Paul Crilley on Blogcritics.

Review also appeared on my blog: Book Addict 24-7

I received a copy for review

Paul Crilley’s The Lazarus Machine: A Tweed and Nightingale Adventure is a young adult steampunk novel that toys with the morbid topic of death. Crilley’s story is a great introduction to the world of steam engines, curious detectives, and wondrous mysteries. Crilley wastes no time in getting the...more
Brenna
The Lazarus Machine is being hailed as “Doctor Who” meets “Sherlock” – and being the newfound BBC addict I am, I JUMPED at reading this one. I had these ideas that it would be full of a steampunk setting, with some historical fiction feel to it, little bit of sci fi, and just enough mystery to leave me guessing. Doesn’t that sound awesome?!

And while I began reading it and found it a bit slow at first, by the latter half of the book I knew I’d found another winner. The Lazarus Machine completely...more
Courtney
While The Lazarus Machine was not perfect it was a fun read. The characters made me giggle and there were plenty of plot twists to keep me entertained. The inventions were unique and brought a few points I kept thinking about long after I put the book down. I’m sad that I’m going to have to wait another year for the sequel. If you like steampunk you should definitely pick this book up!

Literary Escapism
Sami
It's rare I say this, but I think this book would have made a much better SyFy show than it does as a book.
No real complaints, but also no real depth, it plays on the current 'new' trend of steampunk books with nothing that particularly stands out at me as unique or fresh.
This lands on my pile of what I call "candy books", ones that you like well enough when you need a book, but don't really expect too much out of.

Verdict: nice enough. If you have a plane to catch or a long trip to wait out,...more
Josephine
The author does an excellent job describing the Victorian steampunk world of Tweed and Nightingale, but refrains from describing scenes or technology unnecessarily. The dialogue feels natural and does not get too caught up with excessive jargon.

It might just be the steampunk genre, but the cast of characters felt a little formulaic. The plucky and feisty female lead, dressed and determined to thumb her nose at society’s expectations; the noble and heroic male, with some dark secret or past; and...more
Literary Princess
Almost totally clean, except for cloning and some killing. Strong male and female characters.

Good fun for fans of Sherlock Holmes (especially of the second movie and the new bbc series). Smart mystery. Creative alternate history and world-building.

Technology a bit hard to follow sometimes, but not bad. Definitely for slightly advanced readers.
Sarah
There’s a lot here to like. Crilley establishes himself as a good author with a flair for world building and character development. That being said, the world itself could have used a bit more historical background, and the unfortunate cookie-cutter bad guy dragged the plot down into a predictable pit that it could have easily avoided. All in all, The Lazarus Machine is a good effort that will delight many readers, while leaving others, like myself, feeling a little disappointed.

Read my full re...more
Anne Barwell
I really enjoyed this story, and the characters, and it makes me happy that this is the first in a new series. Interesting plot with a good sized amount of action and some fun banter between the two leads - one of my favourite kinds of stories. I enjoyed the AU setting steampunk Victorian London and there's a nice twist in the story.
Holly
Oh steam punk..how I love you. Especially when you are this much fun! Crilley's dialogue between tweed and nightingale had me smiling and laughing out loud at times. A good mystery/adventure with steam punk thrown in makes the ride all the better.
Emmcee Roy
I had to suspend my disbelief pretty strongly at some points, but still, this was a great read.
I wish this book had been out when I was younger. It's basically everything that 14 year old me would have wanted in a book.
Sara Richards
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Lisa
Nov 18, 2012 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars
Shelves: 2012
I picked this book up in the mood for something fun, set in a historical setting and with lively characters. This is exactly what I got. This is the story of Sebastian Tweed and Octavia Nightingale, young adults who cross paths as they search for their kidnapped father and mother, respectively. Together, using logic, cunning, and spirit, they hunt down the devious villains and try to save the entire British Empire from certain disaster.

Read the rest of the review at Starmetal Oak Reviews.

Review...more
Shazzt
Dec 27, 2012 Shazzt added it
Shelves: ya, sf
An enjoyable steampunk romp that sometimes felt it was trying too hard to cram in as many elements of the genre as possible. I liked it enough to want to read more.
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PRLHS Book Club: The Lazarus Machine 1 7 Nov 05, 2012 05:30pm  
The Lazarus Machine (Tweed & Nightingale Adventures, #1)
The Lazarus Machine (Tweed & Nightingale Adventures, #1)
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Paul Crilley was born in Scotland but moved to South Africa when he was eight years old. He writes fantasy, Young Adult, and Middle Grade books and also works in South African television. He spent a year as part of the writing team for the computer game, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and also writes comics when he can get a chance.

The Invisible Order Book One: Rise of the Darklings comes out in Sep...more
More about Paul Crilley...
Rise of the Darklings (The Invisible Order, #1) The Fire King (The Invisible Order, #2) Night of Long Shadows (Eberron: Inquisitives, #2) Taint of the Black Brigade (Eberron: Chronicles of Abraxis Wren, #2) Dungeons and Dragons Eberron Annual 2012

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