The first novel in the Newbury & Hobbes investigation series, a steampunk series set in Victorian England, is a disappointment. A less than mediocre book, verging on bad.
The plot is unconvincing, the characters very badly drawn, and their interactions unbelievable clumsy and wooden.
The editing is annoyingly bad - the misuse of an often used words like belying, and the mixup of there and their seems incredible amateurish.
The descriptions are exaggerated and overdone, and the level of detail of the smallest activities boring. The constant switching of point of view an inept way of explaining the actions of the characters - the author seems unable to show something without accompagnying it with an interpreting for the reader.
Maurice Newbury is a gentleman Queens agent who investigates murder and mayhem, as well as a scolar doing research at the British Museum. Victoria Hobbes is his plucky assistent. Unfortunately neither is convincing, and their investigation into the crash of an airship and a number of murders unengaging.
The novel fails on a number of levels, but to me the most grivous failure is in the steampunk aspect, and the worldbuilding. The descriptions of the mechanical wonders are done as if by rote, and filled with similes.

I found the Affinity Bridge to be disappointing.

I'm not particularly enamored of the steampunk craze of the 'must have everything associated' - so those that are may like this more.

A problem with attempting something pastiche-like of Sherlock Holmes and maybe perhaps Kim Newman, is that it has a lot to live up too.

Unfortunately this did not.

An invalid Queen Victoria in a couple of cameos came across as the most interesting character, unfortunately.

What is good is a male-female hero pairing, that is pretty rare.

Although overtones that the female half might like a bit of the old steamy piston action with her partner - which will make it less interesting in the future, if it continues, perhaps.

There's a clever nemesis, a mad scientists messing around with brains and other such elements, but didn't come together for me at all.

2.75, and I'll round up for the pair.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2009/11... ( )

To be honest, I was a bit disappointed by The Affinity Bridge. I felt as if there were too many elements being crammed into a fairly short novel. Because of this, I felt as if the characters were constantly moving between two different worlds. One in which killer robots were on the loose and one in which the slums of London resembled a zombie infested horror movie. Perhaps if Mann had just picked one the story would have been more focused and brought to life more successfully.

On a more positive note, the characters themselves made me finish the book. I found Veronica to be an intelligent, female lead and their third counterpart, an inspector from Scotland Yard, had some funny moments. ( )

I borrowed this one from my housemate who borrowed it from the library, and frankly I'm glad neither of us paid for it because I can't say that I think it's worth the asking price. The oddest thing, for me at least, is that for all Mann is an editor, he's not a very good writer. I'd call him competent...mostly. His words all fit together and you know what he's talking about, but there's no sparkle to his prose. He also uses idioms which frankly sound wrong for their time and place, phrases such as "Are you okay?" Yes, I do know the etymology of "okay," nobody needs to cite it. It still sounds out of place in the mouth of a late Victorian gentleman as does him saying "For the hell of it." particularly in front of a lady. Similarly the use of "alright" within the narrative is something which is likely to throw an educated reader out of the story entirely. Mann should know better.

It's not just the language which suffers here either, but also the conventions of good story-telling. Within the space of two chapters, a character explains a situation in exactly the same way to two different people. Now this may not sound like a big deal but it's just another point at which a reader is likely to be jarred out of the story. We've heard the information once, we don't need to have it repeated almost verbatim. That's bad story-telling. Nor is the deus-ex-machina device (Which, now I think of it, sounds like a wonderful steampunk invention, doesn't it?) used in conjunction with Sir Maurice's encounter with the revenants any better in terms of story-telling. (I'm trying not to spoil anyone here; you'll know it when you see it.) It was, in fact, at that point that I came aboutthisclose to throwing the book across the room, however I reminded myself that the library might look darkly upon such an act and I restrained myself.

If there is a strong point in this book, it's the characterization, and even that is sometimes a little thin. Veronica and her sister are probably the most interesting characters. In spite of Veronica's annoying obsession with tea, she's a fairly well-drawn character, and rather refreshing. Her sister -- though interesting in a tragic way -- seems to exist solely as a plot point and possibly the set-up for a future adventure, which is a shame. The male characters teeter on the edge of being interesting, but there's something missing, some essential spark which would help them to propel the plot.

Someone called this book a pastiche, and I'd agree in the sense that it's a kind of hodge-podge. Even so, the lack of consistency in Mann's use of the elements makes the label less complimentary than the reader might hope.

The cover trumpets: "STEAMPUNK is making a comback, and with this novel MANN IS LEADING THE CHARGE..." I wasn't aware that steampunk had gone anywhere, nor do I think that Mann is necessarily either savior of or heir to the movement. ( )

The Affinity Bridge
(A Newbury and Hobbes Investigation)
George Mann
Tom Doherty Associates
ISBN: 0-7653-2320-6
334 pages

“The Affinity Bridge” is an action-adventure steampunk mystery of the first order. George Mann combines Victorian era dialogue, a murder mystery, zombies, automata, dark magic, the macabre act of brain switching, and dirigibles to tell a truly interesting and exciting story. In the tradition of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Who, and The Avengers, “The Affinity Bridge” introduces the team of Sir Maurice Newbury and Ms Veronica Hobbes, agents of the Crown (Scotland Yard). Together, they are enlisted by the Queen to discover the cause of an air balloon crash and the unknown identities of the victims. Mann weaves an intricate tale of mystery and adventure whilst visiting the seedier sides of Victorian London and manages to write it in such a way that you believe you’ve traveled to an alternative Victorian history such as you’ve never seen the likes of before. The intrigue, dialogue and plot are first rate and you’ll even be surprised by events a time or two. Well worth the time and money spent!

3 ½ stars out of 5

The Alternative
Southeastern Wisconsin ( )