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Jan 25, 2011

Dan rated it:

Soon after Sir Maurice Newbury attends a mummy unwrapping, people connected to the expedition that recovered it turn up dead. Meanwhile, Veronica Hobbes is investigating the disappearances of young girls that seem to be connected to a traveling magician. How do their investiations intersect? What does it have to do with the mysterious agent who was supposed to meet Newbury at the train station? And who is behind the Osiris Ritual?

The Osiris Ritual is the second Newbury & Hobbes I More...

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Oct 20, 2011

Doug rated it:

The second of Mann's "Newbury and Hobbes" steampunk/mystery/adventures (following The Affinity Bridge) struck me as stronger overall than its predecessor, with a bit more depth of character. I found the tone a little inconsistent -- there are a few moments that veer into excessively broad parody of pulp/adventure conventions and require a greater level of suspension of disbelief than most of the book. And as in the first novel, there are some rough bits of prose that could have been s More...

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Oct 18, 2011

Sjhigbee rated it:

This is the second book in this series, although I haven’t read the first offering. Does that matter? While the whodunit(s) powering the book certainly is completely stand-alone and brought to a satisfactory conclusion, I did feel that Mann could have spared a bit more time and effort bonding his readership with his two protagonists. I certainly think the scene where Veronica Hobbes visits her sister should be earlier in the book than Chapter 8 – because that ongoing puzzle was the one that r More...

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Aug 31, 2011

Tal rated it:

Death stalks London and the newspapers proclaim that a mummy's curse has been unleashed. Sir Maurice Newbury, Gentleman Investigator for the Crown, is drawn into a web of occult intrigue as he attempts to solve the murders. And he soon finds himself on the trail of a rogue agent - a man who died to be reborn as a living weapon.

Newbury's able assistant, Miss Veronica Hobbes, has her own mystery to unravel. Girls are going missing from a magician's theatre show. But what appears to be More...

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Jul 26, 2011

Jamieson rated it:

I really want to like these books. The characters have the potential for compelling relationships, and the story has potential as well. And--steampunk detective novels with zombies and Egyptian rituals? Sounds like a win. I have now slogged through two Newbury and Hobbes investigations, and I doubt I'll do a third. Mann's writing is the impediment: poor pacing, absurdly extended predictable action sequences, and a bad tendency to restate obvious plot point sseveral times in as many chapters (whi More...

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Jun 09, 2009

Liviu rated it:

Excellent sequel to The Affinity Bridge and second book in a loose three novel arc that will end in the next installment THE IMMORALITY ENGINE. After that there will be at least three more novels comprising another arc.

The story of Sir Maurice Newbury as Sherlock Bond with an addiction to opium and the arcane and his plucky assistant Veronica Hobbes with a very unusual sister and secrets of her own continues magnificently here.

In The Osiris Ritual there are three se More...

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Jun 23, 2011

Martin rated it:

In this book we again follow Sir Maurice Newbury, investigator for Her Majesty Queen Victoria and his very able assistant Miss Veronica Hobbes investigating what at first seems to be two very separate cases....

The first being the mysterious murder of the well known Egyptologist, Lord Winthrop, who had previously just unveiled an Egyptian Mummy and precious caskets called Ushabti.

The second case being the unexplained disappearances of girls from a theatre hosting a stage More...

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Aug 02, 2009

Richard rated it:

One of the first books I read this year was The Affinity Bridge, the first of the steampunk adventures of Newbury & Hobbes, and here comes the second. There's derring-do, Egyptian mummies, hidden plots, unrequited love, a steampunk car chase, and more of the world-building I so enjoyed last time round. There's a definite sense of things moving forward in this series, as Sir Maurice Newbury falls deeper into his opium addiction, Miss Veronica Hobbes struggles to maintain her secrets from him, a More...

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Dec 14, 2010

Debs rated it:

What a fantastic and entertaing read!
This is a wonderful and original story set in late Victorian London complete with atmospheric fog. Brimming with peculiar Victorian inventions and contraptions, strange and sinister characters and good old fashioned gentlemen.
Sir Maurice Newbury and his assistant Miss Veronica Hobbes are Agents For The Queen (I guess a bit like MI5, although their cases are more suited to the X-Files!), operating from the inocuous facade of researchers at the Bri More...

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Nov 29, 2010

Christopher rated it:

I was disappointed with the writing in the first book in this series, The Affinity Bridge, but I liked the characters and ideas, so I thought I would give The Osiris Ritual, the second in the series, a try. I initially stopped after the first page due to the fact that it read like a high school student's desperate attempt at creative writing. I'm glad I picked it back up, however, as the writing not only improved from the first page, but was better than the previous work as well. Whereas The Aff More...

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Aug 15, 2011

Jessie (Ageless Pages Reviews) rated it:

The erstwhile Newbury and fiery Hobbes are back at it again in this second volume of Mann's series. Confronted with a murdered lord, two rogue agents in London and a string of missing young women from the East End, the two have their work more than cut out for them. Though this book could be read as a standalone steampunk novel, I highly recommend reading the series in order. Set a few months after the events of The Affinity Bridge, it is a new year in England and things are not as they seem. It More...

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Aug 30, 2010

Cheryl rated it:

This was a good follow-up to The Affinity Bridge. There are some aspects that troubled me, not with the writing, but, with content. But, that is my own personal preference and I will not let it taint my comments about the book. The depth of the characters is extremely well done, though I would like to know more about Ms. Hobbes' parents. Each time you think there is a singularity to the motives of Newbury and Hobbes, and really every other character in the book, you find that there is duplicity More...

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May 04, 2011

Aj rated it:

Overall a very good book. George Mann seems to have found his groove, in the universe that this takes place in. The Osiris Ritual focuses more on the mystery and action aspects, rather than droning on and on about victorian descriptors and steampunk fap words, leaving the reader wanting for something to happen, as was the case in the previous novel.
Veronica is also more fleshed out as her own individual in this book, which is a plus. In the previous novel she seemed to just rise above the b More...

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Aug 05, 2011

Samantha rated it:

The story seemed very promising, a combination of several of my favorite things: Egyptian history, Victorian era, steampunk, crime solving. I had read the first book in the series; I picked up this in the hope that the author would one of those who improves with each book. But alas, that was not the case. The characters were highly inconsistent and would act in contradictory ways within the same paragraph! The female character, Veronica Hobbes, would despair over not being taken serious beca More...

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Aug 21, 2010

aaron rated it:

a great addition to the newbury and hobbes series by george mann. these books are a little bit of sherlock holmes added to a steampunk decor...and they work wonderfully! this world is completely different from actual reality because they have created some amazing inventions with steam power. in this book newbury is on the case of finding a missing agent who may or may not have gone rogue. his travels will take him face to face with his interest in the occult, specifically the egyptian practi More...

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Aug 27, 2010

Rob rated it:

This is the second of the Newbury and Hobbes series, just out, and I still find it fascinating. Again, as in the first book _The_Affinity_Bridge_, I believe that the mixture of _Lord_Darcy_ (with the magical element of Darcy replaced by steampunk), Jules Verne-ishness, and a hint of, say, Johnny Depp's character in "From Hell", works quite well. While I found Miss Hobbes to be one-up on Maurice Newbury be the end of the previous book, the reverse is true in this one. I am certainly loo More...

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Aug 28, 2011

Allison rated it:

See my review of the first book... Seriously, I could just copy and paste it. Didn't feel like the characters developed much, same kind of all over the place but pulled together for the big finale plot. I feel like I only kept reading to see if the implied romantic feelings would turn into something -- SPOILER ALERT:

they didn't. And jeeze, I've read enough spy novels to know that living a dangerous lifestyle is no excuse to not get involved with your coworkers. Never sto More...

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Apr 10, 2011

Grace rated it:

Wow, the first book was just amazing and this book did not disappoint me. I love this series. Steampunk is the best thing ever thought up and the way Mann presents it in these books is just phenomenal. I liked how in this book Newbury delved into a more controversial manner. He was always emerging from the smoke lounge or coming up from a laudanum binge. It just showed a whole different side to his character that we didn't witness in the first book. And what else can I say about Miss Hobbes. She More...

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Jan 23, 2012

Charlotte (Buried in Books) rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Jul 30, 2011

Amber (buriedbybooks) rated it:

Egyptian artifacts, steampunk, and mystery together in one book? Yes, please. I was so excited to get my hands on this book. I'm an Egypt nut. And although I'm fairly new to the steampunk subgenre, it is definitely growing on me.

I was worried that I would be a little lost coming into the series in the middle, but this stands alone just fine. There are a few references to previous cases, but nothing that makes this book difficult to understand. In fact, the best parts of this book are More...

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Oct 18, 2011

Monica rated it:

This was still a really great story, but I felt it was less exciting than The Affinity Bridge. I didn't like how the detectives were pursuing individual cases, it meant there was less development in their relationship, both professional & personal. Also it felt like both characters were a bit weaker in this book, Veronica I recall was a much stronger female lead in the first adventure & in this one she spends most of the time in a damsel in distress mode with Sir Maurice constantly getting hig More...

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Aug 24, 2011

David rated it:

Following hot on the heels of George Mann's entertaining steampunk debut 'The Affinity Bridge' comes 'The Osiris Ritual,' the second in the Newbury & Hobbes investigations.
Once again, we find the duo investigating the nefarious to the downright bizarre against the backdrop of a London filled with all manner of peculiar devices and insidious villains. This time, they have to spread their attentions on three different front: Firstly, a series of ritualistic murders are taking place and on the More...

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Feb 01, 2010

David rated it:

The Osiris Ritual is the second book of the Newbury and Hobbes Investigation, which has become a series. This book is an improvement on the already enjoyable Affinity Bridge.

The tale follows Newbury at a high society event that features the unwrapping of an ancient Egyptian mummy. At the same time, Hobbes begins her investigation into a series of disappearing girls. The two investigations in themselves are devious and clever, but the unfolding is great. The two enemies we meet a More...

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Nov 08, 2010

Jeffrey rated it:

The flawed agent of this highly imagined Victorian England returns in this second Newbury and Hobbes Investigations. In the prior novel in this Steampunk trilogy, we have learned of many marvels that infuse this society, from seers, like Hobbes sister, to the mysterious Dr. Fabian, who keeps the Queen alive with pumps and wires, to robotic automons. Mann has a rich imagination and his highly stylized writing buoys this novel, which in the end is more about a mystery involving life after death, More...

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Jul 24, 2011

Malcolm rated it:

Rollicking good fun but it seems to suffer a little from 2nd book syndrome and to lack some of the inventiveness of the first Newbury & Hobbes adventure (The Affinity Bridge). Part of my enjoyment of The Affinity Bridge was to do with Mann's inventiveness in his vision of steam-punk Victorian London. There are a couple of plot elements here that don't quite tie up, but on the whole an enjoyable romp through a slightly out-of-kilter Victorian London that sets up some of the tensions third in the More...

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Sep 28, 2010

Gerry rated it:

Sir Maurice Newbury and Miss Veronica Hobbes get involved in two mysteries, which in due course bring them together and put them in mortal danger.

The excitement of the chase around Victorian London, in the ubiquitous swirling fog, and of the implications of the Osiris Ritual is suspenseful and holds the reader throughout. Finally, the denouement is something quite different.

I am not one to read much fantasy but this is one to ponder over and it might get even better with

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Jan 16, 2012

Sammy rated it:

This book manages to successfully step it up a bit from the opening book in the series, by putting both characters on intertwining cases - with off course, the complexity of Virginia not being allowed to reveal her agent status to her partner.

Once again, the series offers a great level of adventure, but doesn't forget the developing relationship between the two characters. Its all over all a great blend and balance.

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Aug 25, 2010

Chip rated it:

I was in need of a quick read and came across this little Victorian mystery. They preface this book as 'steam punk' but its a stretch. The great part of this book is the dynamic duo of Newbury & Hobbes. Nice team characters. I don't like the author's liberties with Sherlock Holmes & The Avengers but the story is fun. The adventure and concept believable. And overall a nice mix for a broad reading taste.

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Jun 20, 2011

Jean rated it:

Better than the first book of the series, The Infinity Bridge. In The Osiris Ritual, we get a bit more depth in the characters and Mann moves them into the prime position rather than the steampunk world they exist in.

That isn't to say the world is any less complex and well-formed, only that the setting is now backdrop to the main characters.

Mysteries abound, and whilst some are solved, yet others arise.

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Sep 22, 2011

Rick rated it:

a steampunk novel set in an alternative Victorian London, where Victoria is kept alive through strange technology, steam omnibuses add to the fog of London, 'bionic' implants are available (but ugly), and two upper-class agents of the crown solve mysteries. While I enjoy the setting immensely, the plot was a bit perfunctory and the writing only adequate.

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