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Pax Britannia #4
Evolution Expects
Highly collectable Steampunk series In the closing years of the 20th century the British Empire's rule is still going strong. Queen Victoria is about to celebrate her 160th birthday, kept alive by advanced steam technology. London is a fantastical sprawling metropolis where dirigibles roam the skies, robot bobbies enforce the law and dinosaurs are on display in London zoo. Welcome to Magna Britannia, a steam driven world full of fantastical creations and shady villains. Here dashing dandies and mustachioed villains battle for supremacy while below the city strange things stir in the flooded tunnels of the old London Underground. When a deadly legacy returns, Ulysses Quicksilver finds himself drawn into that pit of despair known as Bedlam. With a dangerous masked vigalante stalking the streets of London, a monster from Jewish myth on the loose in the East End and rival gangs fighting for control of the city's underworld there may be nothing Ulysses can do to prevent a catastrophic metamorphosis!
304 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2009
2 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Green
268 books159 followersJonathan Green is a writer of speculative fiction, with more than seventy books to his name. Well known for his contributions to the Fighting Fantasy range of adventure gamebooks, he has also written fiction for such diverse properties as Doctor Who, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000, Sonic the Hedgehog, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Moshi Monsters, LEGO, Judge Dredd and Robin of Sherwood.
He is the creator of the Pax Britannia series for Abaddon Books and has written eight novels, and numerous short stories, set within this steampunk universe, featuring the debonair dandy adventurer Ulysses Quicksilver. He is also the author of an increasing number of non-fiction titles, including the award-winning YOU ARE THE HERO – A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks.
He has recently taken to editing and compiling short story anthologies, including the critically-acclaimed GAME OVER and SHARKPUNK, published by Snowbooks, and the forthcoming Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu.
To find out more about his current projects visit www.JonathanGreenAuthor.com and follow him on Twitter @jonathangreen.
He is the creator of the Pax Britannia series for Abaddon Books and has written eight novels, and numerous short stories, set within this steampunk universe, featuring the debonair dandy adventurer Ulysses Quicksilver. He is also the author of an increasing number of non-fiction titles, including the award-winning YOU ARE THE HERO – A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks.
He has recently taken to editing and compiling short story anthologies, including the critically-acclaimed GAME OVER and SHARKPUNK, published by Snowbooks, and the forthcoming Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu.
To find out more about his current projects visit www.JonathanGreenAuthor.com and follow him on Twitter @jonathangreen.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 20, 2014
I guess you can love certain series and still rate a few books lower than the others.
Ulysses Quicksilver doesn't get enough space in this book. A lot of it was given to another hero character. The books starts with Thomas Sanctuary coming home from prison. He was there for something he did not do. We never find out what. His father, an inventor, left him a suit with cape, wings and all that. His first goal is to take revenge, but through the course of this book, he becomes a person who really helps people. All this would be fine, but because of Thomas Sanctuary the book has two heroes. He simply got more space than I liked.
But one great thing
Ulysses Quicksilver doesn't get enough space in this book. A lot of it was given to another hero character. The books starts with Thomas Sanctuary coming home from prison. He was there for something he did not do. We never find out what. His father, an inventor, left him a suit with cape, wings and all that. His first goal is to take revenge, but through the course of this book, he becomes a person who really helps people. All this would be fine, but because of Thomas Sanctuary the book has two heroes. He simply got more space than I liked.
But one great thing
October 18, 2009
For me it is the best book of the series so far.
Full review in progress.
For more information about the series read The World of PAX BRITANNIA
Full review in progress.
For more information about the series read The World of PAX BRITANNIA
July 6, 2013
Action, adventure, monsters, evil plots... this is a totl page turner tht really delivers in terms of story and excitement, plenty of twists and surprises. Dark, steampunk and splendid.
October 3, 2020
The 4th book in the Pax Britannia series brings Ulysses Quicksilver, dandy adventurer and secret agent of the empire of Magna Britannia, back to London. Only a short while after his last great strife in Human Nature, our hero finds himself embroiled in multiple plots on his home soil.
There's a strange Golem-creature rampaging through the less stellar districts of the city. There's apparently a masked vigilante, a veritable bat-man, out there with a vengeance. And in the midst of all this, the new hope of the Empire, the PM Devlin Valentine wants to launch Jupiter Station - an orbital behemoth which could control the weather and help mitigate the great Smog which is plaguing London and harming its citizen all year round. Conceived as a tool for good, the question remains: can it be used for ill, if it falls into the wrong hands? Oh, yeah, and also random people all over the districts start morphing into giant insects.
As you can see, there's a whole lot going on here. This is the most plot-packed book of the series so far. So much so, that it goes a bit overboard. It's a direct continuation of Unnatural History which kick-started the series. Expect to see some comebacks and returns from various characters.
"Evolution Expects" also somewhat puts Ulysses on the sidelines, as he's joined by a secondary protagonist, the aforementioned vigilante aka Spring-heeled Jack. A sizable portion of the novel is taken up by his backstory and present predicaments, which I believe will play out an even greater role in future installments. Also, there's a tertiary protagonist in the form of Eliza, a mysterious lady of the night, who gets embroiled in Ulysses' affairs and tags along for the ride. It's vaguely hinted that she will also be here to stay, at least in some smaller role.
As for the writing, the 4th book keeps in line with the rest. It's a rock-solid and unpretentious, rip-roaring steampunk action-adventure. Pulp to the very core. It can be picked up as a stand-alone read, but I still recommend visiting the rest of the series in chronological order.
Also, looking at the novels on a series-level, there's some pacing issues. Every book - and the short stories set in between - have Ulysses thrown in the midst of a larger than life adventure and mortal danger. And each apocalypse is set maybe a couple of months apart. So that's basically 4 ends of the world + 3 to 4 mini life-and-death situations in under a year, which make our blasted 2020 look like rainbows and sunshine. It's just too much to endure to be plausible, for any character and no matter how tough they are. For me, it does break the immersion somewhat because the characters becomes less relatable, all being borderline super-men and super-women.
And also, the characters could've become a little more fleshed out by now. They aren't exactly one-dimensional, but they're far from fully-rounded. Still, the lack of character development is mitigated by the fun over-the-top action. And things do seem to get a bit more personal at the Epilogue, so here's hoping that we'll see more emphasis on character development in the next book.
There's a strange Golem-creature rampaging through the less stellar districts of the city. There's apparently a masked vigilante, a veritable bat-man, out there with a vengeance. And in the midst of all this, the new hope of the Empire, the PM Devlin Valentine wants to launch Jupiter Station - an orbital behemoth which could control the weather and help mitigate the great Smog which is plaguing London and harming its citizen all year round. Conceived as a tool for good, the question remains: can it be used for ill, if it falls into the wrong hands? Oh, yeah, and also random people all over the districts start morphing into giant insects.
As you can see, there's a whole lot going on here. This is the most plot-packed book of the series so far. So much so, that it goes a bit overboard. It's a direct continuation of Unnatural History which kick-started the series. Expect to see some comebacks and returns from various characters.
"Evolution Expects" also somewhat puts Ulysses on the sidelines, as he's joined by a secondary protagonist, the aforementioned vigilante aka Spring-heeled Jack. A sizable portion of the novel is taken up by his backstory and present predicaments, which I believe will play out an even greater role in future installments. Also, there's a tertiary protagonist in the form of Eliza, a mysterious lady of the night, who gets embroiled in Ulysses' affairs and tags along for the ride. It's vaguely hinted that she will also be here to stay, at least in some smaller role.
As for the writing, the 4th book keeps in line with the rest. It's a rock-solid and unpretentious, rip-roaring steampunk action-adventure. Pulp to the very core. It can be picked up as a stand-alone read, but I still recommend visiting the rest of the series in chronological order.
Also, looking at the novels on a series-level, there's some pacing issues. Every book - and the short stories set in between - have Ulysses thrown in the midst of a larger than life adventure and mortal danger. And each apocalypse is set maybe a couple of months apart. So that's basically 4 ends of the world + 3 to 4 mini life-and-death situations in under a year, which make our blasted 2020 look like rainbows and sunshine. It's just too much to endure to be plausible, for any character and no matter how tough they are. For me, it does break the immersion somewhat because the characters becomes less relatable, all being borderline super-men and super-women.
And also, the characters could've become a little more fleshed out by now. They aren't exactly one-dimensional, but they're far from fully-rounded. Still, the lack of character development is mitigated by the fun over-the-top action. And things do seem to get a bit more personal at the Epilogue, so here's hoping that we'll see more emphasis on character development in the next book.
October 24, 2019
U.Q is not that likeable a character to me.
He may well have the derring do of Bond, Bourne with a touch of Lara Croft?, but the other aspects of his personality would need carbon dating!
I did wince a bit at the new vigilante character of Thomas 'Bat-man' Sanctuary when he was trying to think of a name to call himself, it reminded me of a Morecombe & Wise sketch/skit on Jekyll/Hyde where Eric transforms and says "I must find a place where I can hide, I know, Mr WhereIcan"
I did like that!
Another thing that I enjoyed more than the book was the short story at the end, no Ulysses in it except for the horse, but again anyone remember an 80's film called The Hidden? Still nothing new under the sun as they say.
I am still sticking with this series of books even though I'm not sure if that's wise of me or just stupidity, probably the latter.
Popcorn steampunk!
Fire up the Phantom Nimrod!
The games afoot.
Tallyho!
He may well have the derring do of Bond, Bourne with a touch of Lara Croft?, but the other aspects of his personality would need carbon dating!
I did wince a bit at the new vigilante character of Thomas 'Bat-man' Sanctuary when he was trying to think of a name to call himself, it reminded me of a Morecombe & Wise sketch/skit on Jekyll/Hyde where Eric transforms and says "I must find a place where I can hide, I know, Mr WhereIcan"
I did like that!
Another thing that I enjoyed more than the book was the short story at the end, no Ulysses in it except for the horse, but again anyone remember an 80's film called The Hidden? Still nothing new under the sun as they say.
I am still sticking with this series of books even though I'm not sure if that's wise of me or just stupidity, probably the latter.
Popcorn steampunk!
Fire up the Phantom Nimrod!
The games afoot.
Tallyho!
February 19, 2024
By this point in the series Green has a pretty deft hand and a much better grasp of pacing than at the beginning. I am very much enjoying exploring the world of Pax Britannia.
In this volume we get a bunch of Batman jokes, Kafka references and the world just keeps getting weirder.
I don't think I'm giving anything away when I say our hero continues to have bad luck with women.
In this volume we get a bunch of Batman jokes, Kafka references and the world just keeps getting weirder.
I don't think I'm giving anything away when I say our hero continues to have bad luck with women.
March 8, 2020
I do like to finish a series, but this all came across as a staging post - a slight filler to bridge the continuation. Perhaps I am too critical but a set of devised action scenes and a final apocalypse (only months after the last one...) and only saved by the joy of failure. More devolving please
May 22, 2012
Wow. It pushes all the right buttons for me. I love the Pax Britannia world. If you love a great pulp story, this is the series for you. Green delivers the entertainment one seeks in this type of novel.
April 23, 2016
Better.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews