From the Bookshelf of Around the World in 80 Books…

The Hunchback Assignments (Mission Clockwork, #1)

Arthur Slade

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

No group discussions for this book yet.

What Members Thought

Dec 02, 2009 Tony rated it liked it

Shelves: novels

I have to admit that I didn't realize this was a children's book when I picked it up, but as a fan of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series (which is definitely not for kids), the book's steampunkish Victorian setting appealed to me. In the early pages, we meet the protagonist, a horribly disfigured young boy who is kept by gypsies as a freak show entertainment. A brisk gentleman named Mr. Socrates purchases him, installs him in a country manor, and keeps him there for 13 years, training I have to admit that I didn't realize this was a children's book when I picked it up, but as a fan of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series (which is definitely not for kids), the book's steampunkish Victorian setting appealed to me. In the early pages, we meet the protagonist, a horribly disfigured young boy who is kept by gypsies as a freak show entertainment. A brisk gentleman named Mr. Socrates purchases him, installs him in a country manor, and keeps him there for 13 years, training him in the arts of espionage and in the control of his special ability. For it seems that the young boy (named Modo) has the ability to shift his physical attributes so that he can impersonate others, and thus Mr. Socrates intends to turn him into a secret agent.

The Victorian British Empire of this book has all manner of nefarious enemies that Mr. Socrates and his top-secret "Permanent Association" work to stymie. In this first adventure in what looks to be a series, the villain is a mad scientist intent on creating hybrid mechanical-organic creatures. After being recruited by the mysterious Clockwork Guild (which is dedicated to destroying the British Empire) he sets about using kidnapped orphans to build a massive mechanized robot creature. Meanwhile, the Guild is also trying to use some combination of drug and hypnosis to turn several unwitting prominent men into assassins. Mr. Socrates sends Modo out to try and thwart some of this, along with another young agent named Octavia. They team up and Modo develops a crush on the intelligent, pretty girl.

Once the initial background is established, the story races along pell-mell, with plenty of action, menace, captures and escapes. At times this can make the book feel rather rushed and unfinished, as if there's a layer of descriptive writing missing -- sort of shallow. There is a lot borrowing and referencing of classic genre work here, and at times it can feel like the book is written in shorthand. However, by the end, it seems evident that the Clockwork Guild will be back to fight another day, and that subsequent books will inevitably reveal more about Modo and how he came to have his powers. I suspect most 10-14 year-old readers with a taste for adventure will want to seek out Modo and Octavia's further adventures, but older readers such as myself may find it all a bit too thin. ...more

Like · see review