Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
49th out of 471 books
—
2,481 voters
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 machines, but a few bra...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 machines, but a few bra...more
Paperback, 1st Edition, 374 pages
Published
February 5th 2008
by Roc
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
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 Mam...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 Grandfather Clock and Mam...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 I recognize that that is a perso...more
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 a...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 machine and flesh merging a...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 movement an...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' sophomore effort.
5 likes · like · see review
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 demon...more
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 really explained. ust...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 really explained. ust...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 Whitechapel Gods,...more
It took two months for me to read Whitechapel Gods,...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 deific figure...more
In a post-industrial London, Whitecapel has been walled off by the strange deific figure...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 story's Whitechapel, turning their bodi...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 story's Whitechapel, turning their bodi...more
1 like · like · see review
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 the first time they we...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 the first time they we...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 thou...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 rest of England...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 rest of England...more
This is not a steampunk book.
You might be fooled into thinking that it is-- after all, it's set in an alternate Victorian England, where many of the characters are adorned (and in many cases embedded) with metal, gears, and all of the trappings of the steampunk genre. The cover has a mechanical spider on the shoulder of a man with a top hat (possibly derby--it's a bit cut off) and exposed gears for innards.
But steampunk, at its core, is about what you get if technology advances in the absense of...more
You might be fooled into thinking that it is-- after all, it's set in an alternate Victorian England, where many of the characters are adorned (and in many cases embedded) with metal, gears, and all of the trappings of the steampunk genre. The cover has a mechanical spider on the shoulder of a man with a top hat (possibly derby--it's a bit cut off) and exposed gears for innards.
But steampunk, at its core, is about what you get if technology advances in the absense of...more
Apr 27, 2008
Felicia
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
steampunk/cyberpunk fans
Shelves:
steampunk
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.
4 likes · like · see review
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Nov 18, 2011
Rebecca
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
supernatural,
urban-fantasy
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...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 lines were added...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 confusing. Regardless, I read this entire bo...more
Yes, there were a few too many characters. Yes, it started out a bit confusing. Regardless, I read this entire bo...more
I really wanted to like this book. Peters' cover was amazing and the world created in the novel was well executed, but the plot was difficult to get through. I got through the novel and still feel like I am missing a lot of the story. What I really had a hard time with was the lack of character's back stories. These histories were alluded to but were never really brought to fruition. Overall, I found the book read more like an action thriller with steampunk elements; there was very little chara...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 clacks.
Where the...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 clacks.
Where the...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 up un...more
A little difficult to get into, its very 'in medias res' entering the action in the middle of an already created alternative steampunk London descending to hell. Peters gives a sense of darkness and grit to the story, and has some very inventive concepts. I especially appreciated the german hunter displaced in a new kind of jungle. But I was not happy with this book as a whole, not completely satisfied with the ending. Yet I had to finish it to find out what happened. It's very 'he dies, she die...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 fic...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 an in...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 as...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" standpoi...more
I don't even know where to begin, except to say the following; While this isn't the worst book I've ever read, it was bad enough that I can't believe I spent money on it. I've read fanfiction that was written better than this.
My first and biggest complaint is the lack of attention to detail. This is science fiction; this story is based on a society no one has ever seen before, based on a landscape tortured by a steamengine take over. Where is the detail? And not just with the setting, with the p...more
My first and biggest complaint is the lack of attention to detail. This is science fiction; this story is based on a society no one has ever seen before, based on a landscape tortured by a steamengine take over. Where is the detail? And not just with the setting, with the p...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've read an...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've read an...more
Review Whitechapel Gods
Whitechapel Gods by S. M. Peters is the first steampunk book I have read. Peters paints a world where the sun never penetrates the smog, and the villains never seem to die. There are two gods that rule the closed off world of Whitechapel, Grandfather Clock and Mama Engine. Grandfather clock is all about things working in harmony. Mama Engine is all about desires.
The main characters are trying to put the control of Whitechapel back into the hands of men, battling monsters b...more
Whitechapel Gods by S. M. Peters is the first steampunk book I have read. Peters paints a world where the sun never penetrates the smog, and the villains never seem to die. There are two gods that rule the closed off world of Whitechapel, Grandfather Clock and Mama Engine. Grandfather clock is all about things working in harmony. Mama Engine is all about desires.
The main characters are trying to put the control of Whitechapel back into the hands of men, battling monsters b...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Read by Theme: Whitechapel Gods by S.M. Peters | 3 | 23 | Aug 30, 2012 04:33am | |
| Goodreads Librari...: How do you delete a series? | 3 | 50 | Nov 10, 2011 08:39am |
S. 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.
More about S.M. Peters...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
updated Mar 21, 2012 05:38am
Mar 21, 2012 05:39am