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The Bookman (The Bookman Histories #1)

3.33 of 5 stars 3.33 · rating details · 626 ratings · 144 reviews

LATE EXTRA!
BOMB OUTRAGE IN LONDON!

A masked terrorist has brought London to its knees -- there are bombs inside books, and nobody knows which ones. On the day of the launch of the first expedition to Mars, by giant cannon, he outdoes himself with an audacious attack.

For young poet Orphan, trapped in the screaming audience, it seems his destiny is entwined with that of the s...more

Mass Market Paperback, 395 pages

Published September 28th 2010 by Angry Robot (first published 2010)

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Mar 23, 2012 Dan Schwent rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk, 2012, angry-robot

Just minutes before a space cannon launches a probe to Mars, a terrorist called The Bookman kills poet Orphan's love in an explosion. Orphan's quest for the truth about her death takes him below the streets of London, aboard the Nautilus with Jules Verne and Captain Nemo, and to the mysterious island home of Les Lezards, the lizard men who rule the world...

Okay, now this is what all steampunk books should aspire to be! What Lavie Tidhar has done in The Bookman is simply marvelous. Most of the st...more Just minutes before a space cannon launches a probe to Mars, a terrorist called The Bookman kills poet Orphan's love in an explosion. Orphan's quest for the truth about her death takes him below the streets of London, aboard the Nautilus with Jules Verne and Captain Nemo, and to the mysterious island home of Les Lezards, the lizard men who rule the world...

Okay, now this is what all steampunk books should aspire to be! What Lavie Tidhar has done in The Bookman is simply marvelous. Most of the steampunk books I've read had too much going on or the steampunk element seemed tacked on. Not so in The Bookman.

The world Tidhar has created is a curious mix of Victorian London and alternate history. In this case, the jonbar point was the rise of the Les Lezards from an island in what we call the Caribbean. Queen Victoria is a lizard woman, a probable nod to The Steampunk Trilogy. The word is chock-full of steam punk goodness: airships, automatons, etc, and all is integral to the plot and not just window dressing.

Orphan, the protagonist, is a poet and certainly no superhero. He takes quite a beating throughout the book, going from the frying pan to the fire on many occasions. His quest to find The Bookman, a terrorist who uses exploding books as weapons, is just the tip of the iceberg.

Fictional characters mingle with real ones. Karl Marx and Henry Irving exist in the same world as Harry Flashman and Moriarty, who is the Prime Minister. Jules Verne rubs shoulders with Captain Nemo, and Irene Adler is an Inspector while Watson is working in a hospital. Herbert West, the Re-Animator himself, is even mention.

The writing is top notch and a cut above most books of this type. Tidhar does a great job building suspense. Most chapters end with Orphan's fortunes getting even worse in the last sentence.

I really want to gush about all the plot twists but rather than be a tremendous spoiler, I'm going to go into the huge number of Easter Eggs in this thing. At one point, Orphan goes into a bookstore and there are books written by (view spoiler).

I could go on and on but you'd be better served to just read the book yourself. For what it is, a steampunk adventure story, it's a solid five.(less)

62 likes · like · see review

May 03, 2013 Richard rated it 3 of 5 stars

Rating: 3* of five

The Publisher Says: A masked terrorist has brought London to its knees -- there are bombs inside books, and nobody knows which ones. On the day of the launch of the first expedition to Mars, by giant cannon, he outdoes himself with an audacious attack.

For young poet Orphan, trapped in the screaming audience, it seems his destiny is entwined with that of the shadowy terrorist, but how? His quest to uncover the truth takes him from the hidden catacombs of London on the brink of...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Michael Fierce rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of steampunk, Jules Verne, Sherlock Holmes, Blade Runner, and nearly everyone else

Shelves: steampunk, airships, adventure, jules-verne-influenced, robots, whales, lord-byron, sherlock-holmes

The first second I laid eyes on this book I was immediately intrigued.

description

I wanted to read the synopsis but, like with many books, if I did, there was a good chance it would spoil some of the surprises for me that were best left for later down the road.

So, I didn't.

It was enough for me that it was steampunk, obviously influenced by Jules Verne, had airships, and I'd accidentally caught wind that there were lizard men in it.

I did my research on the writer and from the reviews and information I foun...more

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Apr 21, 2011 Colleen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: steampunk, sci-fi

There are a lot of good ideas in this book, but, in a way, I think that's part of its problem. There are too many ideas, and it felt like the author just had to include them all.

Set in an alt-reality Victorian England, where Victoria, and all the royalty, are Lizards from another planet (yes, boys and girls - meet the Reptilian Overlords), we enter this Steampunkish world which has, in a way, simply too much tech. Babbage Engines and Edison recorders and Tesla wires (radios) and submarines and r...more There are a lot of good ideas in this book, but, in a way, I think that's part of its problem. There are too many ideas, and it felt like the author just had to include them all.

Set in an alt-reality Victorian England, where Victoria, and all the royalty, are Lizards from another planet (yes, boys and girls - meet the Reptilian Overlords), we enter this Steampunkish world which has, in a way, simply too much tech. Babbage Engines and Edison recorders and Tesla wires (radios) and submarines and rocket ships automatons with extremely advanced AI - the tech was so advanced that the little touches that reminded us we were "in the past", such as gas lights and landaus, seemed more anachronistic than not - and how strange for the period touches to seem to be the things that are out of place?

In other words, it didn't have a very strong period feel, which is one of the things I like about Steampunk type books. So there's that.

There was also the plethora - and I do mean plethora - of references to fictional and historical characters and books, many of which are mentioned in passing, and some of which are actual parts of the story. And while the Holmes fan in me enjoyed seeing that particular coterie of characters (and, no, that's not really a spoiler), they didn't add much to the story except passing pleasure in recognizing names and faces, so to speak. (It was almost like reading A Night in the Lonesome October by Zelazny, playing this game of "spot the reference". Unfortunately for me, I seemed to not get most of them.)

Anyway - the real failing of the story, in my opinion, is that while Orphan is likable enough, he's not nearly proactive enough. Sometimes I don't mind a character thrown into situations above his head, and watching as he flounders to get his feet on the ground, but this time I did. Orphan was little more than a piece of driftwood tossed on the sea, sent this way and that, and even told that he's a pawn more than a few times, only to later get all indignant about "being used". Well, dear boy, they did, essentially, tell you you were being used and you went along with it anyway. Can you really get mad about it now?

Not to mention that he gets knocked unconscious an awful lot. (At least five times that I remember.)

He's sent this way and that, saved here and there, gets told bits of pieces of the mystery as he goes along, not really discovering anything for himself as all the plot-points are giving to us via exposition... and that "big reveal" was not only not surprising, it was eye-roll worthy in its clicheness.

But, for all that, I didn't hate the story. The damndest thing, though, is that I can't really tell you why I didn't. I think it might be that particular joy I mentioned earlier, of recognizing certain names and faces, and seeing them in a different context, and playing the game, as it were. But the story itself didn't do much for me.

A not terrible book, but a far from great one. I will not be reading the sequel.(less)

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Apr 13, 2012 Terry rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Easter egg hunters, Alan Moore, Jess Nevins

Shelves: fantasy, steampunk

2.5 – 3 stars

I’m a bit torn about _The Bookman_. On the one hand it exemplifies a lot of the key elements of steampunk. One the other hand it exemplifies a lot of the key elements of steampunk. Maybe I should explain.

I’m not quite sure where I stand in regards to steampunk as a genre. In many ways it seems to me less a genre than an excuse for cosplay on the one hand and fan fiction on the other. I mean once you get rid of the goggles and corsets, the airships and gears what have you really got?...more 2.5 – 3 stars

I’m a bit torn about _The Bookman_. On the one hand it exemplifies a lot of the key elements of steampunk. One the other hand it exemplifies a lot of the key elements of steampunk. Maybe I should explain.

I’m not quite sure where I stand in regards to steampunk as a genre. In many ways it seems to me less a genre than an excuse for cosplay on the one hand and fan fiction on the other. I mean once you get rid of the goggles and corsets, the airships and gears what have you really got? Oftentimes it is little more than a writer playing with his favourite Victorian era characters/settings in a mashed up version of penny-dreadful and video game. Now let me say that I love video games, and penny-dreadfuls can be a lot of fun, but I’m just uncertain how much all of the motley elements of steampunk really meld successfully into what I would consider a genre. That said…there’s a lot of cool in the idea of steampunk which is, I guess, why it’s become so popular. Ok, let’s move on.

_The Bookman_ has a lot going for it: an interesting alternate earth where a key event in the past has changed the course of human history (namely the discovery of Caliban’s Island where a previously unknown race of Lizard people (Les Lézards) are discovered who promptly take over the British Empire, turning it into their own world-spanning government); the introduction of a race of automatons of varied origins and types who play an interesting role in the overarching story of this world; a metric (or is that Imperial?) tonne of secondary characters and references pulled from the world of Victorian (and earlier/later) fiction and history. This last could also be listed as one of the things the book has that is *not* always going for it. While it is undoubtedly great fun to play ‘name that reference’ (it’s actually one of the most enjoyable aspects of the book), it can sometimes seem to verge on being a bit much (as a writer I think you have to be careful to make sure your easter eggs don’t counterbalance the actual story, even if they are a lot of fun). Definitely got a "League of Extraordinary Gentleman" and Wold-Newton universe vibe from this stuff.

The greatest failing of the book for me, though, was the fact that the main character, Orphan, was an incredibly boring cypher. It seemed like all of his actions (those few times he did act as opposed to being pushed by circumstance or other characters) were merely the contrivance of the author to get him where he needed to be. Now granted that his mysterious and unknown background partially played into this aspect of his character and he *was* being overtly manipulated by other characters as part of the plot, so his lack of agency is perhaps understandable, but I still found him to be so uninteresting, really nothing more than a pair of eyes through which the reader could experience the author’s steampunk world, that I just couldn’t sustain any lasting interest in him. I also didn’t really buy his own personal motivations for following his quest, despite the fact that I kept being told how much he loved his lost girlfriend and wanted to reach for the remote possibility of bringing her back from the land of death. It’s weird, really. On the one hand it seems like the author wanted Orphan to be a non-traditional ‘hero’, something different (really the exact opposite) from the ready-for-action swashbuckling adventurer that the fictional inspirations for this book would have led us to expect, and yet on the other hand falls into making him simply fulfill a different stock role: the unexpected hero of low birth who discovers the secret of his true noble origins as he is thrust into the events of the wider world.

Ok, a lot of harsh there along with some damning with faint praise I guess. This book still did have a lot going for it. There were many scenes that just came off really well and were lots of fun (Orphan’s discussion with the Turk and the character of Captain Wyvern are two that stand out for me). For the most part these episodes generally involved cool secondary characters (and alternate world versions of same) from the ‘name that reference’ game, or provided a springboard for a further expansion of Tidhar’s admittedly fascinating worldbuilding. The best of these moments for my money was the point at which Orphan gets to the mysterious island of Les Lézards. This was really quite cool. I got a really ‘Lost’ (the TV series) vibe from this episode and that, coupled with the revelations presented, helped to make Orphan’s quest seem more engaging (and even did a little to make Orphan himself a bit more interesting). When we get down to brass tacks, though, Orphan’s overall story just didn’t have the same shine for me as the ‘extra’ elements of the story did.

All in all it was a fun book, but I’m still left with a sense of ambivalence about steampunk overall.
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May 14, 2012 Andrew rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Victoriana with a vengeance. The first chapter mentions Detective Inspector Adler, Prime Minister Moriarty, Oscar Wilde, and Henry Irving (I checked Wikipedia, so can you); not to mention that whales sing in the Thames, an android Lord Byron is giving recitations, and the Queen herself is a lizard-person. The parade of historical and literary allusions is charming -- for about the length of the first chapter; then the gears start to squeak.

It's a pity, because when the story itself is in gear, i...more

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May 13, 2012 Nesa Sivagnanam rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

London circa 1880-1900 where Professor Moriarty is Prime Minister at the court of the Calibanic Kings/Queens - it's still Queen Victoria but she is now from the "lizard race" - who were discovered/revived by Amerigo Vespucci on his return voyage from "Vespucciana" (ie America) which "today" is still a land of the indigenous people with some colonists.

Coming to London in the 1500's, the more advanced "Les Lezards" took power in England aka The Everlasting Empire with William Shakespeare as their...more London circa 1880-1900 where Professor Moriarty is Prime Minister at the court of the Calibanic Kings/Queens - it's still Queen Victoria but she is now from the "lizard race" - who were discovered/revived by Amerigo Vespucci on his return voyage from "Vespucciana" (ie America) which "today" is still a land of the indigenous people with some colonists.

Coming to London in the 1500's, the more advanced "Les Lezards" took power in England aka The Everlasting Empire with William Shakespeare as their first poet Prime Minister and they have been ruling since over a mostly human empire with lizards and sentient automatons in the mix.

Jules Verne is a notable writer/adventurer who is in search of the Lizards mythical home island - his account of the first search is called "The Mysterious Island" of course - Mycroft Holmes is head of some secret service bureau employing the famous but assumed mythical "black ships" , Sherlock Holmes is in a comma after a fall in Switzerland that seems connected with the PM, Irene Adler (that one too) is a new CID of Scotland Yard in charge with the investigation of mysterious book bombs, automatons including one as Lord Byron are lifelike and impersonate humans, Karl Marx is plotting revolution and Oscar Wilde is still (in) famous for his social life, while two new writers, the patriotic R. Kipling and futurist HG Wells appear as cameos If the above would not make you want to read this, nothing will so to speak...

Our main character, a young poet called "Orphan" by his blind mentor/surrogate father which goes by the epic name Gilgamesh, works as a bookseller assistant in an independent bookstore associated with the "revolution", as well as moonlighting as part of a "gang" that exposes the hypocrisies of society with pranks and the like. When Lucy, his natural scientist girlfriend, accepts his proposal, Orphan seems set for a good life, but then he gets dragged into the machinations of the mysterious "terrorist" known as The Bookman and tragedy strikes, while Orphan has to stay one step ahead of his unseen manipulators.

The Bookman is fast paced adventure with tons of sense of wonder and a main character that starts a bit aloof but grows on you.
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Apr 04, 2012 Stephen Winterflood rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Steampunk is a genre tag that is very popular with publishers, and also apparently readers, so they love to slap it on any fantasy that is set around the Victorian period. Most of these books don’t fit the title as they don’t feature any punk aspects to them. The Bookman is a Steampunk novel in the true sense of the word as it literally features punks within its story, although this might be we suspect a wink towards said genre title.

The other aspect of punk, the underclass rebellious society is...more

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Mar 25, 2012 OpenBookSociety.com rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Review Brought to you by OBS Staff member Erin

Beware of spoilers

I thought the book sounded good when I read the description online. By page 14 I knew I was in love. Oscar Wilde is working on “The Importance of Being Something”, Moriarty (yes, THAT Moriarty) is Prime Minister and sending a space probe to Mars, complete with an Edison recording of whale songs. I love alternate history, and this is alternate history at its best. Combining real people with mythical characters, Lavie Tidhar picks and...more

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Mar 10, 2011 Marcus rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Set in an alternative version of 19th century earth, with a point of divergence to our timeline sometime in the early 16th century, The Bookman is without a doubt the most enjoyable, fascinating and captivating book I have read in a long time. It has managed to claim the throne as my favorite steampunk novel from Moorcock’s A Nomad of the Time Streams.

The Bookman is steampunk on multiple levels. Not only because of the plot and the world with its automatons, simulacra and the giant space cannon,...more

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Mar 10, 2011 Johnny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, steampunk

Take authentic details from the Victorian and Edwardian Eras such as “The Turk,” the famous automaton chess player, activists like Isabella Beeton, the infamous (and apparently ubiquitous in this style of literature) Jack the Ripper, Tom Thumb of circus fame, and the works of literature by Wilde and Wordsworth, mix in ingredients as varied as Neil Gaiman’s tale of British royalty involved with Cthulhu, H. G. Wells’ Island of Doctor Moreau, Jules Vernes’ Nautilus and Mysterious Island, Stevenson’...more Take authentic details from the Victorian and Edwardian Eras such as “The Turk,” the famous automaton chess player, activists like Isabella Beeton, the infamous (and apparently ubiquitous in this style of literature) Jack the Ripper, Tom Thumb of circus fame, and the works of literature by Wilde and Wordsworth, mix in ingredients as varied as Neil Gaiman’s tale of British royalty involved with Cthulhu, H. G. Wells’ Island of Doctor Moreau, Jules Vernes’ Nautilus and Mysterious Island, Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll, early 20th century film maker Fritz Lang’s Dr. Mabuse, villains and heroes alike from the Holmes and Challenger canon, modern steampunk novelist James P. Blaylock’s Dr. Narbondo of Homunculus fame, and a mastermind notoriously reminiscent (at least in appearance) to one of Lewis Carroll’s mad creatures in the adventures of Alice, and then, stir thoroughly with a pinch of anarchism, revolution, and even traces of Marcus Rowland’s Fantastic Futures role-playing game. Voila! One has achieved a soufflé which may or may not rise successfully—a masterpiece if successful, a worthy experiment if a failure. The Bookman, alas, is somewhere in between.

At times, I felt I was dining on dessert at a four-star restaurant. At other times, I felt I was struggling through sections that felt a bit like William Gibson’s admitted weakness with regard to the film “Johnny Mnemonic.” Gibson suggested to me in an interview just before the film’s release that this was likely the only chance to bring his universe to life in film so they were throwing everything possible into the movie. Gibson is brilliant. The movie was a disaster. Fortunately, in spite of portions of The Bookman seeming as though Tidhar was trying to inject as many of his cool ideas into the recipe as possible, the story was enjoyable to the end. If you tired of one conspiracy, there was always another. If you were bored by one literary reference, a half-dozen more were aspiring to take the former’s place. If you felt one character was particularly ineffective, there was another earth-shaking circumstance to allow said character to break out of his/her self-imposed cocoon. It’s a good thing because there are precious few scenes where the protagonist takes the world by the tail and destiny in hand. Rather, one feels like one is on a thrill ride at Brighton and only belatedly remembered to fasten the safety belt.

Personally, I was much more interested in the story when events were occurring in conspiracy-laden London than when taking a Verne-induced excursion to The Tempest-inspired version of Verne’s Mysterious Island. I did like the tendency to give the reader false information through the protagonist. The double-crosses and unveiling of misinformation seemed fascinating. I just felt like there were too many plots with not enough resolution. In fact, I’m so dissatisfied with the conclusion of this book that I plan to read the sequel, Camera Obscura. I know, both the publisher (Angry Robot) and the author are asking where the sting could be in such irrational criticism. I wanted tighter plotting and a more even pacing. Since I can’t even please myself on that score with my own writing, what am I typing about?
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Feb 04, 2011 Ungelic_is_us rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: annoying, fantasy, horror

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

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Feb 06, 2010 Lexie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-mystery, review-blog, genre-steampunk, book-type-e-book

The Bookman is one of those odd books that if I had seen it while browsing its very likely I would not have given it two glances. This isn't to say it wasn't interesting, but rather the cover does not immediately grab my attention (not in the way the publishers want I suspect at least) and the blurb only mildly piques my interests. To put it more bluntly, its not my usual reading material.

I have no prior experience with Tidhar, but his writing style is unique. Its just shy of being incomprehensi...more The Bookman is one of those odd books that if I had seen it while browsing its very likely I would not have given it two glances. This isn't to say it wasn't interesting, but rather the cover does not immediately grab my attention (not in the way the publishers want I suspect at least) and the blurb only mildly piques my interests. To put it more bluntly, its not my usual reading material.

I have no prior experience with Tidhar, but his writing style is unique. Its just shy of being incomprehensible in some sections, with several of the characters speaking in cryptic vagaries or oblique nonsense. Orphan's ramshackle friend Gilgamesh (not his real name) for instance. He lives on the streets and is kind of a homeless prophet almost, cautioned Orphan at the very beginning of the novel not to treat the Bookman so lightly, but Orphan paid little heed.

Orphan is an 'everyman' character for much of the beginning of the novel, going about his business contentedly and not being a bother to anyone. He has a decent, if somewhat boring at times, job, a girl he loves and plans to marry and friends of a mostly reliable nature. He's not wealthy, but he and Lucy aren't after material wealth. I truly believe they would have been happy just as they were. Except where's the story in that?

After the Bookman's attacks hit too close to home Orphan embarks on a quest to track him down and demand answers. He wants Lucy back and is convinced the Bookman can make this happen somehow. Which is simplifying the plot and the outcome of his quest to a large degree, but that's how it begins. What it becomes is still a little confusing to me, since the writing takes a turn for the surreal with robots made to be literary giants such as Byron (but wanting their own individuality) and more secret societies then you can shake a cane at.

In the end Orphan learns a great deal, a large chunk of which he probably wishes he didn't and the Bookman's motives are made clear. Things turn out...differently then I had hoped, but I liked the ending. It was as unique as the style of writing so it complimented it quite well. Despite my reservations I enjoyed the book and found myself drawn into the world quite substantially. Its our world, but not quite--with a much larger emphasis on reading and authors, as well as a society where the power of words really can be more powerful then any other weapon known. (less)

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Aug 19, 2011 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-steampunk, london

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The Bookman is the story of Orphan and his quest to rescue Lucy, his lady love, from the Bookman, who is not a book with legs and arms. In an England ruled by a lizard race (or is it?), the Bookman is a terrorist (maybe) who kills using books that go boom! A conceit I liked. When Lucy becomes a victim, Orphan determines in his rather clumsy way to save her. I actually liked his clumsy way, it made him human.

Pardoxically, part of this book's charm is part of its problem. It's fun to see what Tidh...more The Bookman is the story of Orphan and his quest to rescue Lucy, his lady love, from the Bookman, who is not a book with legs and arms. In an England ruled by a lizard race (or is it?), the Bookman is a terrorist (maybe) who kills using books that go boom! A conceit I liked. When Lucy becomes a victim, Orphan determines in his rather clumsy way to save her. I actually liked his clumsy way, it made him human.

Pardoxically, part of this book's charm is part of its problem. It's fun to see what Tidhar pulls out of his hat and all the references he makes. Fun that is until it feels like he has past the kitchen sink and is heading towards the plumbing. There is too much I'm suppose to find cool and exciting, and instead just find to be ho hum, it's like a director who has become to enamoured of special effects. The pacing, which is overall quick, and the touches of character make up for the over use of "special effects" to a degree, but not quite enough. (Think Star Wars prequels).

I also had another problem with this book, though to be fair that problem is leveled at more than at one steampunk, though not all, novel/story. One of the attractions of steampunk is the mixature of technology with Victorian, be they famous, literary, or just Victorian characters. Mrs. Beeton, for instance, has had quite a literary life in steampunk. One wonders what will happen to Julia Child. On one hand, it is intersting to see the re-imgined lives of famous people. Yet some steampunk novels, and this is one, want to have it all. So there is mention of both a Dr. Moreau and H.G. Wells. Verne travels with Nemo. Using both the fictional character and the creator seems like cheat in world building to me. Using one but not the other, as in Anno-Dracula which makes use of the characters from Stoker in a real Victorian London, real in very sense except no Stoker, is okay. And the existence of Sherlock Holmes and his supporting cast makes sense in the steampunk world makes sense. Holmes has transcend fiction, one of the few, if the only, fictional character to do so. Still the combination of fiction and fact becomes too much. There are no real rules. And it would've been fine if Tidhar had explained why it happened, but he shies away from his one chance.

But the use of Alder here raises another issue with books that use Sherlock Holmes as character, and, again, not just this one. Why is Adler always Sherlock's lover? Okay she isn't always. But in the story, she marries a man who is good, who she loves and who loves her. She isn't interested in Sherlock Holmes, though he feels something for her. It almost feels like a cheapening of her character by making her Holmes' other. A wish fulfillment that in some way is a Mary Sue, because, Robert Downey Jr aside, would anyone really want to be married to Holmes? (I get the unattainable thing, but really).

So an entertaining, though not great, book.(less)

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Nov 26, 2012 Kala rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Bookman is a book with a lot going on. That is both part of its charm and a drawback to a full recommendation.

I really liked a lot of the not-so-subtle touches - place names, character names, events, etc. It seemed as though the author tried to cram as many literary allusions between the covers as possible. So, both a pro (charming when it works) and a con (arch when it doesn't).

I liked the character of Orphan, grumbling that he lived in an age of myths and having to live out everyone else...more

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Jul 14, 2011 Tony rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: steampnk fans

This is yet another great release from Angry Robot Books. It was purchased for the price of 99p from Amazon UK. That is less that a cup of coffee, less even than a vote for Britain’s got “talent”. This book is so cheap I almost feel guilty.

Lavie Tidhar is an interesting person to follow on Twitter, or to read short stories by. I don’t always agree with what he says, but he is nearly always thought provoking.

This book is different from all the other Angry Robot books I have read so far. Normally...more This is yet another great release from Angry Robot Books. It was purchased for the price of 99p from Amazon UK. That is less that a cup of coffee, less even than a vote for Britain’s got “talent”. This book is so cheap I almost feel guilty.

Lavie Tidhar is an interesting person to follow on Twitter, or to read short stories by. I don’t always agree with what he says, but he is nearly always thought provoking.

This book is different from all the other Angry Robot books I have read so far. Normally there is a really high pace throughout the story. I don’t think that would have worked with this one. There is a lot going on, and I barely realised I was at the end until I got there. Most of the threads were tied off so nicely, and those that were not seemed to be deliberately so. I am going to have to read Camera Obscura and I am looking forward to it. I found the structure of this book delightful (can’t believe I said that, but it is true). I love the excerpt from famous works that heads each chapter, and provides an insight into what it contains. There are many literary quotes scattered throughout this piece that show the author has a deep and extensive collection of reading materials.

David Icke. There I said it. I can’t help it. I can’t help thinking that this book may actually be deliberately poking fun at the idea of the royal family being 4th dimensional lizards as part of a Jewish New World Order Conspiracy. At least in my mind that is what political scientists and literature lecturers will be saying in fifty years. It is cleverly done, and made into a serious Steampunk novel. Although Lizardpunk may be closer to the mark. The main protagonist has no idea what is going on for the entire novel, which is easy for me to relate to. More importantly, it is not obvious to the reader exactly what is going on to start with. I found the intensity of the book made this a bit of a slog around the half-way point, but it added so much to the story moving forward. The villain? Well that is an interesting point. There is not a defined villain as such, more a collection of different factions that desire vastly differing outcomes. It is a lot more like real life that a classic good vs evil battle.

There is not a great big cinematic over-the-top ending to this story. The ending fits the writing style, and makes sure you want to read the sequel. It requires a lot of brain power to process this book without coming across as pretentious or overly high-minded.

As usual the Robot Overlords have included extras at the end of this book. A goodly portion of Camera Obscura to aid the brainwashing, er, I mean subtle advertising for the next book in the series. I had to start reading something else straight away to stop me buying the next one on the spot.

This book is subtle and clever and enjoyable to read for anyone who like Steampunk or fiction that makes you think. Oh and it has robots in it.

I should also point out that I have just seen the cover for the third book in the series and it is War of the Worlds stunning.(less)

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Sep 05, 2012 Mieczyslaw Kasprzyk rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: english, fiction, fantasy, victorian-era, abandoned, alternative-history

The first thing I have to say is that it might just have been me but, on the other hand, I've abandoned very few books and, in each case, it's been because the author has lost my interest due to his trying to be too clever by half. A book should be fun to read, or interesting. It might be difficult to get into but in the end it has to hold your attention and pull you to the end (even if, at that point, you wonder why the hell you even persisted!).
It's not as if this book doesn't have all the ing...more

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Feb 02, 2010 Ellen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's steampunk novel set in England. And Vespuccia. Where's that? Oh, come on, remember your history.

Tidhar's venture into steampunk is a satifying read. Orphan seems to be just what his name implies, but there's more to him than meets the eye, just as there's more to pretty much everyone in this book, human, lizard or automaton.

Perhaps I liked it a bit too much when I saw yet another Victorian/Edwardian-era fictional character appear here -- as a real person in this alternative London. But tha...more

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Jun 23, 2012 Melbourne on my mind rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, steampunk, would-not-read-again

Plot summary: Britain is ruled by giant lizards, automatons abound, and many are not happy with the situation. Orphan, a young man working in a bookshop, becomes ensnared in the shadowy world of The Bookman after his fiancee is killed. London is on the brink of revolution, and the Bookman is at the heart of things.

Thoughts: Meh.

Look, it had great POTENTIAL - kind of a steampunk V for Vendetta. But there was just too much crammed into the story. Moriarty as Prime Minister. Irene Adler as a police...more

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Jun 04, 2011 Natalie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: steampunk fans, holmes fans, literature lovers with a sense of humour and adventure

Shelves: adventure-fiction, england, speculative-fiction

An adventurous yet literary steampunkish tale.
Here's what other goodreads reviewers who've fallen for this book have said

. . . and I, for one,agree with 'em (mostly) Why? Because literary and historical references and persons abound, and the intricate plot continually surprises, fun stuff!

But you are going to need to take along a few things to enjoy the journey. Here's what I recommend:

An undergraduate or graduate degree in English literature or maybe just the The Oxford Companion to English L ...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Beth Cato rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, steampunk

I've been trying to read lots of steampunk books; it seems that I either love them or can't stand them. This one is rare because it falls in the middle: a well-written book that's a bit too weird for my tastes, but still enjoyable.

In this alternative Victorian England, Amerigo Vespucci discovered an Island of Caliban in the Caribbean. Intelligent lizard people there then took over, working their way into high British society and taking over the throne itself. There are many steampunk elements br...more

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Jul 18, 2011 Woodge rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: lizards from space

Shelves: adventure, fantasy, steampunk

This was such an odd tale, by turns strange, chock-full of literary references, and compelling. The setting is an alternative Victorian London in which sentient lizards from a mysterious island have taken over the crown, automatons are commonplace, and the title character is a terrorist using books as bombs. The protagonist is the oddly named Orphan who loses his lover to one of the Bookman's bombs and sets off to find the elusive character. It's a strange trip filled with characters borrowed fr...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Unwisely rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, steampunk, urban-fantasy

Gah. Like so many books I'm going to call steampunk (for lack of a better word), it has interesting ideas but I don't find the writing that compelling. Also, this one is Extremely Literary - I'm sure if I had a better grounding in "literature" I would have been chortling merrily over the allusions. I mostly know they existed because I know who Harry Flashman is. (I also thought I recognized Eustace Clarence Scrubb, but my copies of the Narnia books have long since left my possession so I can't c...more

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Jan 13, 2011 Milena Benini rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: spec-fic, steampunk

I should have been crazy about this book. It's a steampunk book set in Victorian London in which queen Victoria is a lizard, Moriarty is the Prime Minister, lord Byron is an automaton giving readings, and the main character -- Orphan -- is friends with an old guy called Gilgamesh. There are also whales in the Thames, and Jules Verne makes an appearance later on. Also, the London in question is a grimy place where machines produce grit and pollute the air, and a bunch of weirdoes plotting an upri...more

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Jan 15, 2011 Barry Huddleston rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Need a taste of some steampunk goodness? Try "The Bookman" by Lavie Tidhar.

Imagine a Victorian England with blimps dotting the sky, Automatons roaming the streets, and brushing elbows with legends from historical fact and fiction. That, and reptilian royalty, is the background for "The Bookman." The story is very much what you will find in classical heroic fiction.

Our Arthurian-like protagonist, by the name of Orphan, is propelled into the mystery while seeking revenge for the murder of his gir...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, 6-stars-out-of-5, england, europe, male-author, male-main-character, steampunk, science-fiction, victorian-era, youth-fiction

You can also read this review on my blog: http://rosesandvellum.blogspot.com.au...

In this novel, historical whimsy, science fiction and a love of literature walk hand in hand down the dreamlike corridors of the authors mind. There is no doubt that the world Lavie Tidhar has created is a masterpiece. In an alternate England filled with the luminaries of science, literature, politics, and ruled by lizards from space, a boy called Orphan must find his place in the world, facing the mysterious Bookm...more

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Dec 07, 2009 Liviu rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010_release_read, review_fbc, genre-sf, read_2009, t1_recommended_2010, series_read

Just finished this novel and it's superb; a cross of steampunk/lizard invasion a la Turtledove/Victoriana with a London cca 1890-1900 where Professor Moriarty (that one) is Prime Minister at the court of the Calibanic Kings - Queen Victoria is now from the lizard race - who were discovered/revived by Amerigo Vespucci on his return voyage from "Vespucciana" (ie America) which "today" is still a land of the indigenous people with some colonists, and whom took power in England aka The Everlasting E...more

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Aug 18, 2011 Aaron Mcquiston rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I first started this book, I thought, "This could be the coolest book ever!" Set in Victorian England, the empire is ran by lizards, authors are so important that they are resurrected as automations, and books are not only used for reading, but also as weapons. I breezed through the first half of this book, thinking that I couldn't wait to see what happens next.

Then I reached the middle. They say that the middle of a novel is the hardest part to write. In longer novels, the middle can be th...more

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Aug 25, 2010 Ana Long rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: a-must-read

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

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Dec 10, 2012 Brandon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Brandon by: Dan Schwent

Shelves: ebook, fiction, 2012, favorites, steam-punk

When I was a kid, there was this TV special that combined a lot of the more famous cartoon characters at the time. The special was used as a deterrent for kids to avoid drug and alcohol use. You had the likes of Alf, the Muppets and the Ninja Turtles teaming up with Bugs Bunny and others to stop a child from going down the wrong path. Seeing this "dream team" of characters all combined on one program blew my fragile little mind.

The reason I bring this up is because Lavie Tidhar does something a...more

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About Lavie Tidhar

Lavie Tidhar grew up on a kibbutz in Israel, lived in Israel and South Africa, travelled widely in Africa and Asia, and has lived in London for a number of years. He is the winner of the 2003 Clarke-Bradbury Prize (awarded by the European Space Agency), was the editor of "Michael Marshall Smith: The Annotated Bibliography" (PS Publishing, 2004) and the anthology "A Dick & Jane Primer for Adult...more

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Books by Lavie Tidhar

Camera Obscura (The Bookman Histories, #2)

The Great Game (The Bookman Histories, #3)

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Quotes from The Bookman

“For one crazy moment he had the notion of a vanished tribe of librarians, lost in the deep underground caverns of the Bodleian, a wild and savage tribe that fed on unwary travellers.” — 2 people liked it

“They were all machines, he thought, just like La Mettrie had said in L'Homme Machine all those years ago. So he, Orphan, was a machine of flesh and blood, and Lucy, now, was made of something else, more complex perhaps- but they were the same and...

They were in love.

Sometimes that was enough.” — 2 people liked it

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The Bookman (The Bookman Histories #1)

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