The year is 1907, and Britain has entered into a terrifying war with Ruritania, whose strange metal planes darken the skies, and whose monstrous w...
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reviews
Dec 25, 2008
Matthew
rated it: 
Trust Warren Ellis to combine a murder mystery, steampunk, war stories, Sherlock Holmes, giant robots, quantum mechanics, and flying cars in just 40 pages. And make it good.
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Dec 23, 2009
Shaun
rated it: 
It’s not very often that I get to review a graphic novel, so when a friend let me borrow this, I was really excited to tell you all about it.
Aetheric Mechanics takes place in an alternate Earth in which Britain is at war with a place called Ruritania, whose powerful technology is quickly turning the tide of the war in their favor. Doctor Richard Watcham returns from the war front and, upon reuniting with Sax Raker, an old friend and renowned amateur detective, he embarks on an invest More...
Aetheric Mechanics takes place in an alternate Earth in which Britain is at war with a place called Ruritania, whose powerful technology is quickly turning the tide of the war in their favor. Doctor Richard Watcham returns from the war front and, upon reuniting with Sax Raker, an old friend and renowned amateur detective, he embarks on an invest More...
Aug 23, 2009
AM
rated it:
It has been ages since I've read a Sherlock Holmes and if I was better read in a few other classics, then maybe I wouldn't have been as irritated with this book as I was until the punch line four pages form the end. I bought it for the art, honestly. The art is great by the way. The whole time I am reading this book I was getting more and more frustrated -- too many ghost from other things I couldn't quite name (expect for Holmes) floating around. And too little steampunk expect for the art. The
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Nov 03, 2010
Brendan
rated it:
I picked this up because I’m a Warren Ellis junkie, and will read anything with his name on it. I’m particularly fond of his APPARAT publishing project, in which he writes comics that might have been if not for the comics code and the superhero takeover. Sort of.
Anyhow, Aetheric Mechanics is a steampunk alternate history London in which quantum mechanics are available to turn-of-the-century technologists, such that Britain has ships in space. It follows the story of a doctor returni More...
Anyhow, Aetheric Mechanics is a steampunk alternate history London in which quantum mechanics are available to turn-of-the-century technologists, such that Britain has ships in space. It follows the story of a doctor returni More...
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Dec 10, 2008
Ben
rated it: 
An above-average Warren Ellis story with great black and white art. I was drawn in by the steampunk Sherlock Holmesy-ness, but was impressed and surprised by a way-out there conclusion that explains a lot more than you think it will but still leaves you dying to know what will happen to these characters next. Very short too.
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Mar 29, 2009
Adam
rated it:
Combining the atmosphere of Bryan Talbot’s Luther Arkwright adventures, the temporal distortions of Moorcock’s Metatemporal Detective, and the ominous science fiction mystery of Charles Stross’s “Missile Gap”, this is a perfect short work by Ellis. The pastiche of Wells and Arthur Conan Doyle plus the reference to Prisoners of Zenda and other books, anime, and films seems part of the fun but is revealed as integral to the understanding of the work. The ending pulls the rug out and castes everyth
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Apr 03, 2009
Kira
rated it:
Steampunk turn of the century comic plays off of Sherlock Holmes, but is unfortunately terribly written -- pretentious and dull with no wit or charm. The twist at the end comes too abruptly and is just too out of place. It felt like a pilot to a longer series that I won't be interested in reading. The bought this and love it for the art though, which is spectacularly.. a clean, classic 1950s style that isn't necessarily suited to Steampunk (too clean?), but is so incredibly detailed that you
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Nov 16, 2010
Artur
rated it:
As coisas estão um pouco confusas na Londres de final do século XIX. O poderoso império britânico está a perder uma sangrenta guerra contra a Ruritânia, e Londres desaba sob o peso das bombas trazidas pelas impunes aeronaves. A marinha espacial britânica é impotente face às violentas máquinas de guerra da Ruritânia. Ao lado de tudo isto, o meticuloso detective Sax Raker, acompanhado do seu fiel amigo, o médico militar Watcham, e da sua némesis e paixão, Innana Meyer, investiga o estranho caso de
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May 30, 2011
shanties
rated it:
Ellis has a go at classic steampunk.
It feels a bit too crammed, but I think the problem with this work lies in its length, not in the content. Besides, if Ellis leaves something unresolved, I should presume it was done on purpose.
The morale being, this is good steampunk & great fun.
Excellent drawings (although my partiality lies elsewhere, I must admit) by Gianluca Pagliarani, whom I should call a compatriot if I believed in countries, fatherlands &c.
It feels a bit too crammed, but I think the problem with this work lies in its length, not in the content. Besides, if Ellis leaves something unresolved, I should presume it was done on purpose.
The morale being, this is good steampunk & great fun.
Excellent drawings (although my partiality lies elsewhere, I must admit) by Gianluca Pagliarani, whom I should call a compatriot if I believed in countries, fatherlands &c.
Sep 05, 2011
Ness
rated it:
The art is lovely - black and white line drawings with few blocks of black ink - it looks like a complicated colouring-in book, actually - and the steampunky Edwardian age plus airships is great fun. The story lets the art down. The characters are shamelessly Sherlockian - Doyle's immortals with the serial numbers filed off. However, the plot is weak. The resolution feels hasty. The story is not as good as the art that tells it.
Mar 31, 2011
Kristopher
rated it:
Thematically, this standalone story is something like a steampunk Planetary. At first, I figured this was a Sherlock Holmes pastiche. Nothing particularly original about that; there's dozens of them in books and on TV. But then the similarities between Holmes and Ellis' Sax Raker began to pile up until their nearly identical. Rest assured, Ellis knows what he's doing and all of this makes brilliant, twisted sense in the end.
Sep 30, 2010
Shane
rated it:
This was cool. I liked the art a lot and the setting was cool (futuristic london with WWII trappings) but I kept thinking it was kind of cliche. Then at the end I found out why. Unfortunately that made it less enjoyable because I kept saying to myself, "Are you serious? Really? Did Ellis really write this?" So not one of his best but worth reading if it's already on your shelf.
Jan 19, 2010
Juju
rated it:
Fucking exquisite. Despite being criminally short, this brief Ellis steampunk tale would have made a fantastic Sherlock Holmes movie in some more intelligent, alternate universe. Gianluca Pagliarani does a great job with the detailed artwork. Worth reading for several fantastic lines including, "It juts from the perfect still pond of your life like the inappropriate arse of a walrus."
Mar 03, 2009
Allison
rated it:
A nice little story which, I think, could have been explored in more depth. I like the Sherlock Holmes-ness of it, and I especially enjoyed the explanation for the world/events..the ending was a little unsatisfying but it really couldn't have ended any other way.
Dec 06, 2008
Mike
rated it:
Nice compact telling of a good story and intriguing world. Great comic as short story execution. Lasts exactly as long as it should too, which is rare these days.
Feb 27, 2010
Brad
rated it: 
I'm not well-read to get all the allusions and references Warren Ellis must have been making. Nothing in this alternate-past murder mystery grabbed my attention.
Nov 01, 2009
Darrell
rated it:
a slim tradepaperback done in the highly lined fashion of "Crecy"
it concerns an alternate future London, Sherlock Holmes and particle acceleration
it concerns an alternate future London, Sherlock Holmes and particle acceleration
Oct 19, 2009
Ruth
rated it:
A quick but clever piece of work. If you like the ideas it brings up, you should also pick up Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series.
Dec 26, 2008
Devowasright
rated it:
had this been a bit longer, i would have given it that elusive 5th star.. but such is the nature of the medium..
Feb 08, 2009
Old-Barbarossa
rated it:
Not Ellis's best. Seems to be a rushed ending. If it's the first in a series I'll re-evaluate it though.
Dec 03, 2008
Tobias
rated it:
Some thoughts on it can be seen here: http://www.yourbestguess.com/scowl/2008/...
Feb 23, 2009
Brea
rated it:
i'm not completely sure i understood this. so i'm looking forward to getting the next one.
Nov 22, 2008
Justin
rated it:
Very good, with a fascinating twist I never saw coming. Over far too quickly, though.
Oct 26, 2008
Loyd
rated it:
This started off slowly but Ellis did a great job of building a believable yet startling world. It took turns I didn't expect, and morphed from a trifle into something that opens your mind to some interesting possibilities. The art is by Gianluca Pagliarani, which sounds like something Ellis made up, but he's on Facebook so I suppose he's real. In the more "mechanical" moments in the story, the art remind me of Geoff Darrow, which is high praise.
Feb 27, 2009
Rob
rated it:
Fantastic SteamPunk from Warren Ellis! Great Sherlock Holmes ripoff too! :-)
Dec 12, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
A great little graphic novella that acts as a pastiche of classic characters, most notably Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson (so perhaps my high rating is a bit slanted by personal bias). Warren Ellis, as ever, is clever and the art is great. It would have been five stars if not for the cheesy ending, which damn near ruined the experience.
Jan 29, 2012
Kandice
rated it:
An intriguing metafictional blend of several famous nineteenth-century novels (including Sherlock Holmes and H.G. Wells), with plenty of steampunk for good measure. The conclusion was a bit too heavy-handed for my tastes, but everything else was pure delight.
