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53rd out of 318 books
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Whitechapel Gods
by
S.M. Peters
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...more
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...more
Paperback, 1st Edition, 374 pages
Published
February 5th 2008
by Roc
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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 Grandfathe...more
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 Grandfathe...more
"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...more
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 movem...more
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' so...more
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I am a sucker for amazing covers. I'm also a sucker for gears and steampunk. So I gave this book a shot. I seriously wanted to like this book, the concept sounded amazing and the setting seemed like something that I would like.
I normally can devour a book this length in a day or so. This book couldn't keep my interst that long and I ended up reading it over the course of months when I was out of anything decent to read.
The story setting sounded interesting but nothing is re...more
I normally can devour a book this length in a day or so. This book couldn't keep my interst that long and I ended up reading it over the course of months when I was out of anything decent to read.
The story setting sounded interesting but nothing is re...more
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 Whitech...more
It took two months for me to read Whitech...more
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...more
In a post-industrial London, Whitecapel has been walled off by the strange...more
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...more
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...more
Synopsis:
Victorian London. The Whitechapel section has been turned into a mechanized, steam-driven horrific hell, cut off and ruled by two mysterious, mechanical god-like entities- Mama Engine and Grandfather Clock. They have a virtually undestructible army of minions at their disposal, composed of people whose hearts have been replaced with coal furnaces and nerves and veins - with copper wiring. In short people turned into machines.
The rest of populace had had enough but th...more
Victorian London. The Whitechapel section has been turned into a mechanized, steam-driven horrific hell, cut off and ruled by two mysterious, mechanical god-like entities- Mama Engine and Grandfather Clock. They have a virtually undestructible army of minions at their disposal, composed of people whose hearts have been replaced with coal furnaces and nerves and veins - with copper wiring. In short people turned into machines.
The rest of populace had had enough but th...more
Whitechapel Godswas truly a disappointment for me. The cover drew me in, the story blurb had me excited, but the book put me to sleep. There were times when I wanted to just give up completely, but I continued to read (not because the story was so compelling, mind you), but because I was hoping to read something as amazing as both the cover and the blurb implied. But it never lived up to its hype, in my opinion. The other reason I decided to finish it was I received the book as a gift...and th...more
This book was a trip; I'm still not completely sure what it was all about. A dystopian, steampunk adventure involving industrial gods and the metaphysical plane...I think it's safe to say that the author smokes something pretty often. Either that, or we should be thankful he's bent his imagination to writing and not other pursuits.
Two gods have appeared and taken residence in the Whitechapel area (neighborhood? borough?) of London. Erecting a wall that keeps residents in and the r...more
Two gods have appeared and taken residence in the Whitechapel area (neighborhood? borough?) of London. Erecting a wall that keeps residents in and the r...more
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.
Michael
rated it
Recommends it for:
Everyone who loves specfic
Recommended to Michael by:
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Whitechapel Gods
by S.M. Peters
Steampunk
This review copied from my website (http://www.michaelreitema.com/).
I have to be honest: I judged this book by its cover. Let me give my less-than-1000-words to attempt to paint this awesome picture: Bottom 1/3 is black, with Title and Author overlayed. Black fades upward into a photo-quallity illustration of a man in a top-hat and trenchcoat. His eyes glow fiery orange, and fire bleeds up through his blackened ribcage. H...more
by S.M. Peters
Steampunk
This review copied from my website (http://www.michaelreitema.com/).
I have to be honest: I judged this book by its cover. Let me give my less-than-1000-words to attempt to paint this awesome picture: Bottom 1/3 is black, with Title and Author overlayed. Black fades upward into a photo-quallity illustration of a man in a top-hat and trenchcoat. His eyes glow fiery orange, and fire bleeds up through his blackened ribcage. H...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
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 machin...more
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 machin...more
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 line...more
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 line...more
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 confusi...more
Yes, there were a few too many characters. Yes, it started out a bit confusi...more
This was one of those books that I couldn't stop reading and yet once I did, because the story had ended, I was ultimately unsatisfied.
The imagery and atmosphere were gorgeous. I picked this book up because I wanted to read something steampunk and this book not only did not disappoint, it went over and above in providing me what I was craving. I could so easily visualize this heavily-industrialized area of London, from its frightening Gods to its citizens who were ill with the clack...more
The imagery and atmosphere were gorgeous. I picked this book up because I wanted to read something steampunk and this book not only did not disappoint, it went over and above in providing me what I was craving. I could so easily visualize this heavily-industrialized area of London, from its frightening Gods to its citizens who were ill with the clack...more
I picked up this book because I saw Whitechapel and was thinking Jack the Ripper. The blurb on the back of the book quickly told of it's real subject matter and was enough to convince me to buy it. I suppose I liked it well enough. Character development was pretty good. There was enough going on that it kept me interested and wanting to read it; something that's been lacking in other books I've read lately. But the end was something of a disappointment. There was a lot going on in the book...more
i gave this three stars because the world was so intriguing. I didn't give it more due to the writing. I don't think i could have handled another page of the michelle character or her continually annoying inner dialogue. by about half way through the book i found myself skimming any pages with her on it and it pretty much ruined the ambience of the book for me. I liked the main character, but it seemed that just about everyone was a walking cliche. Steampunk is a genre that drives me insane. As ...more
It was a very interesting story, and the pace was pretty good throughout. There were significantly more surreal and fantastical elements than I had expected going in, which was a little disorienting. I felt that some of those elements could have been given a little more color, or could have been left more vague - the amount of disclosure fell solidly in an unfortunate middle ground between thorough exposition and the unfathomable mystery I've come to associate with the horrors in Lovecraft's f...more
This was very close to something I could have really enjoyed. Don't get me wrong, for a first book, quite an effort. Reminded me of both Tim Power's Anubis Gates and China Mieville's Perdido Street Station and that is heady company. But there is a disturbing lack of description of the central 'gods'. Its vague enough that even a Lovecraftian view doesn't quite assuage the feeling of absence. The characters themselves make up for some of this even though they are somewhat typecast. There is...more
First of all, the author is an excellent writer and does a wonderful job with detail. The book was well done and will have a strong appeal to many readers. I read this book for two reasons; I was intrigued by the use of an alternate Victorian London and I wanted to try out a book I would not normally be drawn to, just to allow for some more variety in my reading. In the end, I stuck with this story because of the author's talent at making his characters both interesting and sympathetic, even ...more
What frustrated me is I wanted to like it so much--an awesome concept, great steampunk setting, and I liked quite a few of the worldbuilding bits. But I just couldn't connect or care about any of the characters. I was mildly interested in them, but I just couldn't empathize (and I wanted to--I really did want to love this book). So in the end I simply didn't care, and that in turn resulted in the climax and casualties not affecting me at all. I liked how it happened, from a "shiny idea"...more
This was my first trip into the realm of Steampunk and it wasn't what I was expecting. The supernatural element of the story combined with the disease turning people into machines was a big surprise for me. But with a name like Whtiechapel Gods, I should have expected it.
I enjoyed the story and the prose was well delivered. The story did get a little sketchy when the plan to defeat the gods came to a climax. It may be clearer with a second reading, which I am willing to give to the s...more
I enjoyed the story and the prose was well delivered. The story did get a little sketchy when the plan to defeat the gods came to a climax. It may be clearer with a second reading, which I am willing to give to the s...more
This book was ODD. But I think it's because I'm so used to a not-so-nitty-gritty-type of steampunk narration. So the proper word to describe what I feel about Whitechapel Gods is odd.
I get why there were so many character viewpoints, though I wish some of them could have just upped and disappeared. And I felt slightly dumb when I had to reread a number of pages over again and then go back to something chapters before because I didn't quite catch a lot of the details. I'm pretty sure I'...more
I get why there were so many character viewpoints, though I wish some of them could have just upped and disappeared. And I felt slightly dumb when I had to reread a number of pages over again and then go back to something chapters before because I didn't quite catch a lot of the details. I'm pretty sure I'...more
In case you were wondering, "Whitechapel Gods" is a steampunk book. The first 5 words of the story are, "With a hiss of steam..." Glad the author got that out of the way right up front.
At 2/3 through this book, I decided to check out the Amazon reviews to see if I'm the only one who thought it was an underwhelming, derivative effort. Someone noted that it rips off "Matrix." It also seems to rip off Joe Kelly's "Steampunk: Manimatron" comics (20...more
At 2/3 through this book, I decided to check out the Amazon reviews to see if I'm the only one who thought it was an underwhelming, derivative effort. Someone noted that it rips off "Matrix." It also seems to rip off Joe Kelly's "Steampunk: Manimatron" comics (20...more
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...more
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...more
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...more
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...more
A blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror that I had hoped I would really enjoy--I admit to the cover seducing me. After reading the novel, however, I'm left with a feeling of tepidity. While the book has a very intriguing premise, a fast pace, and a couple of quite enjoyable characters--Tommy and his lummox-like qualities were particularly entertaining--the rest of the book felt as murky and inhospitable as the corrupted streets of Whitechapel depicted within. It's a book I think has the potential...more
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S. M. Petersis 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. His previous novel is Whitechapel God...more
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