The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters

The Glass Books #1

by Gordon Dahlquist

It began with a simple note: a letter of rejection from Miss Temple’s fiancé, written on crisp Ministry paper and delivered on her maid’s silver tray. But for Miss Temple, Roger Bascombe’s cruel rejection will ignite a harrowing quest for answers, plunging her into a mystery as dizzying as a hall of mirrors—and a remote estate where danger abounds and all inhibitions are stripped bare.

Nothing could have prepared Miss Temple for where her pursuit of Roger Bascombe would take her—or for the shocking things she would find behind the closed doors of forbidding Harschmort Manor: men and women in provocative disguise, acts of licentiousness and violence, heroism and awakening. But she will also find two allies: Cardinal Chang, a brutal assassin with the heart of a poet, and a royal doctor named Svenson, at once fumbling and heroic—both of whom, like her, lost someone at Harschmort Manor. As the unlikely trio search for answers—hurtling them from elegant brothels to gaslit alleyways to shocking moments of self-discovery-- they are confronted by puzzles within puzzles. And the closer they get to the truth, the more their lives are in danger. For the conspiracy they face—an astonishing alchemy of science, perverted religion, and lust for power—is so terrifying as to be beyond belief.

Genres: Fantasy, Steampunk, Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adventure

760 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2006

About the author

Gordon Dahlquist, also credited as G.W. Dahlquist, is a novelist and a playwright.

Reviews

[mark monday · Rating 4 out of 5]

top ten things i like that are at least tangentially associated with Glass Books of the Dream Eaters:

1. STEAMPUNK
is there a more ill-suited name for a subgenre? what exactly is punk rock about corsets or guns or victorian morals or dirigibles? gack! that was the sound that just came out of my mouth when considering the word "steampunk". still, i love the genre despite its name.

2. GLASS
"Once I had a love and it was a gas
Soon turned out had a heart of glass
Seemed like the real thing, only to find
Much of mistrust, love's gone behind."

how true, oh how true! poor Miss Temple.

3. BOOK
here's a list-within-a-list: top ten adventures in reading that you can also weightlift (in no particular order):
1) Bellefleur & A Bloodsmoor Romance & Mysteries of Winturthurn
2) A Dance to the Music of Time
3) Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
4) The Raj Quartet
5) The Flounder
6) Remembrance of Things Past
7) A Suitable Boy
8) Porius + A Glastonbury Romance = you'll never get to read again
9) Gormenghast etc.
10) The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters

4. DREAM
once i worked with a lady by the name of cody. in many ways, not a person dreamy in temperament: a former cheerleader, a steely sorority girl, a lover of the branded men from the campus' black fraternity. one day i asked her What Is Your Favorite Part Of Life? i'm not sure why i asked her this lame question, but i did. her honest response, after much consideration: When I'm Asleep. when she saw my surprise, she continued by explaining that she loved to sleep because that was when she was able to dream. 20 years later, i was reminded of her when reading Glass Books. the idea of a dream-life - one that encompasses all of the adventures you know that you'll never have - is transformed into the novel's concept of other, more glamorous (and dangerous, and erotic) experiences that can be shared and devoured by others, as dreams springing from books. it is an enormously fertile concept. a too-short sequence that depicts the heroine's engulfment within a book of such dreams is one of the novel's highlights - a darkly vivid and mysterious rush of intriguing imagery and thrilling experience.

5. EAT
i love details in books. that may be why i really appreciate longer novels rather than shorter ones. i love excessive description of decor, food, clothing, music, motivation, thought process... i like the journey to be long, not rushed, a journey that is so thoroughly detailed that i feel i've truly entered another world, especially if it is a world that i don't want to leave any time soon. i eat those details up! this novel: a feast.

6. FEISTY HEROINES
are they a cliché yet? i surely hope not, but they are probably a centuries-old cliché by now. still, Glass Books features a dream of a feisty heroine: Celestial Temple, Celeste to her confidantes and Miss Temple to domestic staff and strange men. it is always an enjoyable thing to find a heroine who kills her adversaries with barely a second thought and with no tedious soul-searching or hand-wringing, and no tormented feelings of guilt to be wrestled with either. some assholes are just worth killing and not worrying about it, well at least the ones in Glass Books. Miss Temple's various examples of bad-assery are combined with the delicate yearnings of a Jane Austen heroine and a meticulous attention to detail and correct behavior out of both Austen and Wharton: it is a fetching combination and one that is happily not transformed into complete cartoonishness. one of the more enjoyable amusements in the novel is her ongoing contemplation of whether or not her brief dream-submergence within a harlot's graphic sexual encounters somehow made her less of a virgin, and if the continued and often breathless contemplation of those acts make her a woman of experience or simply sort of a slut.

7. CLASS WARFARE
it is the war that happens around all of us constantly, yet is there a war that is more easily ignored or hidden? that is one of the virtues of many English novels, particularly those works that describe the colonial experience - class warfare is often at the forefront. class warfare is also at the root of the Cardinal Chang character, his eyes hideously scarred by some unnamed nobleman's whip, not an asian actually (his nickname is a cruel racist joke at his eyes' expense), and on a lifelong mission to define himself in opposition to those in power - constantly chafing and reacting to the slightest hint of snobbery or condescension from the upper classes. the chapters that detail his perspective include some of the more passionate and snappy renunciations that i've read lately regarding the moneyed power brokers, the political shot-callers, and the glamorously idle rich. it's always nice to read about a committed bolshevist who isn't a wingnut. even better, he's also an assassin for hire!

8. ARROGANCE BROUGHT LOW
the third major character is Doctor Svenson, and he is a portrait of how to get the last word with folks who consider themselves your betters. less political than Chang, a double agent, prone to vertigo when confronted with heights, a man forlorn over the premature death of his lady love...and a doctor who seriously does not take any shit from any person at any time. this is not a tough guy in the vein of Chang: he is less wish fulfillment for the reader and more of a reader stand-in, full of insecurity and self-doubt. well, there's still plenty of wish fulfillment to be had: when pressed, he acts decisively and aggressively, and the chapters from his perspective are rife with condescending sneers to those who would condescend to him, assorted petty and mean-spirited put-downs tossed at his antagonists, haughty disdain towards those in authority, constant baiting of the various villains. best of all, he never lacks for a large wad of spit to be hawked and hurled at his antagonists, often at the moment of his eminent demise. and yet... such a gentleman, of the old school! he is my favorite character in the novel.

9. LONG & LAVISH NOVELS
no offense to any of my pals, but i sure do get tired at whining over novels that are too long. come on already, grow a pair! take the day off, call in sick! they'll believe you if you do it two days in a row! immerse yourself in a long novel, like you would in a glass book of dreams! abandon yourself to wordiness, literariness, lavish characterization, lush description! you deserve it! stop being such a pussy! pussycat that is - you know, they have such short attention spans.

10. TERRIFYING WOMEN MADE ALL OF BLUE GLASS WHO PROJECT THEIR DREAMS AND CAN CONTROL YOUR THOUGHTS
this novel includes them. they're pretty great!

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Finally finished this book! Phew! After a very promising and intriguing first chapter, for me it unfortunately went downhill. Practically all the characters, with distracting unpronouncable names, are introduced in the second chapter making it impossible to remember who is who. (I ended up writing them down on a piece of paper!)
The book is bogged down with overly-detailed descriptions of buildings, places etc. which are unnecessary in many cases.
There are too many convenient coincidences, like doors which are always locked are suddenly found unlocked, and too many sentences slipped in to explain the unbelievable.
I got the feeling many times that I was watching one of those Hollywood films where the characters have been shot, stabbed, drowned, suffocated and they still keep going. I was exhausted by the end, which took me a long time to get to as I lost interest half way through.
The author is a playwright apparenty and is obviously a big Poe fan, which I'm not really, so maybe that explains my reaction.
One last thing, the title explains the whole 'mystery' of the story.

[Victoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not one to shy away from long books, I found both the title and inside-flap description of this book to be quite intriguing. Unfortunately, those were the only redeeming qualities of this 760-page book. The editors must have fallen asleep reading their copy as many times as I did and just didn’t want to admit it. This book needs an editor. Creatively chopping it in half and selling it in parts (as they did with the trade paperback version) is NOT editing. The book is simply WAY too long. Even the sentences drag on and on and on... To approach eight hundred pages successfully, the only thing readers should be complaining about is that the book is so heavy that forced breaks for your arms to recover are a nuisance. Here, I just wish that I hadn’t bothered to finish it. The entire text is so heavily bogged down with irrelevant detail after irrelevant detail. Quickly, it became an absolute chore to read.

It would have been an intriguing story if it had stronger characters (like the main character, Miss Temple, for example - she is a 25-year-old who seemed like a spinsterish 60-year-old virginal nun - it was amazing how many times I had to remind myself of her actual age when she bent down without spraining a joint) that weren't so utterly unbelievable. And the mix of real places with fictitious ones wouldn't have been so infuriating if it had only once mentioned the name of the land they were supposed to be in (England seems most likely). Either way, these potential improvements hardly matter - the book has been published. I've never fallen asleep while reading more - even textbooks are more stimulating reading than this. The best part of the book? Having finished it. The only explanation for all the extraneous detail is showmanship and to add to the odd tone but all it did was drag out a plot that would have been much stronger had it been genuinely more suspenseful. This is one of the books that I genuinely regret wasting my time with. Please don’t waste yours.

[Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating book which demanded my full attention and quite a lot of time, but was well worth it. It's quite difficult to explain what it's about without giving away crucial details of the plot (the nature of the mystery at the book's heart isn't revealed until a significant way through), but it's at turns thrilling, scary, and erotic, and most of all compelling. A big, juicy, labyrinthine novel, full of suspense and intrigue - one to really get your teeth into. Quite brilliant.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Διαβάζοντας -μετά από χρόνια- το 2ο μέρος της σειράς, λέω να ρίξω λίγο φως στον παρεξηγημένο κόσμο του Dahlquist μιλώντας για το 1ο βιβλίο, το οποίο ωστόσο διαβάζεται και ως standalone.

Πρόκειται για ένα μυστηριώδες βιβλίο που σε σαγηνεύει τόσο με τις αρετές όσο και με τα προβλήματα του. Η ιδιαιτερότητα του έγκειται στο γεγονός ότι κάθε κεφάλαιο πρόκειται για ετεροχρονισμένη αφήγηση των γεγονότων από την πλευρά ενός εκ των τριών πρωταγωνιστών. Με τον τρόπο αυτό ο αναγνώστης βρίσκεται αντιμέτωπος με ένα παζλ 1000 κομματιών, που μπορεί να κουράζει μεν στην αρχή αλλά στην πορεία κορυφώνει το μυστήριο και την αγωνία.

Βρισκόμαστε στη Βικτωριανή εποχή κι όλα αρχίζουν όταν η Σελέστ -κορίτσι από σπίτι με γαλλικά και πιάνο- βρίσκεται μεταμφιεσμένη σε μια μυστηριώδη έπαυλη, έχοντας ακολουθήσει τον παρολίγον μνηστήρα της στην προσπάθεια να ανακαλύψει το λόγο που την παράτησε εν μια νυκτί. Αυτό που βρίσκει ωστόσο ξεπερνά και τις πιο απίθανες προσδοκίες της: ένα μπαλ μασκέ στο οποίο συμμετέχουν άτομα της υψηλής κοινωνίας, πολιτικοί και στρατιωτικοί λογής εθνικότητας. Τα πράγματα δεν είναι ωστόσο όπως φαίνονται και στην προσπάθεια της να ξεφύγει από φρουρούς που την ανακάλυψαν η Σελέστ χάνεται στους διαδρόμους της έπαυλης όπου και ανακαλύπτει πως η συγκέντρωση είναι η βιτρίνα ενός άρρωστου παιχνιδιού συνωμοσίας κι εξουσίας. Μαζί της ένας επαγγελματίας δολοφόνος κι ένας εξόριστος γιατρός, οι οποίοι βρέθηκαν για δικούς τους λόγους παρόντες στα αιματηρά γεγονότα της έπαυλης, αναγκάζονται να συμμαχήσουν για να βγουν ζωντανοί από αυτήν την ιστορία. Και το ανθρωποκυνηγητό ξεκινά. Σκηνές βγαλμένες από τα Μάτια Ερμητικά Κλειστά, σκοτεινοί διάδρομοι και ομιχλώδη σοκάκια μια άγνωστης πόλης, θέτουν την ατμόσφαιρα μιας περιπέτειας με πέπλο μυστηρίου που αντλεί στοιχεία ατμοπάνκ φαντασίας, πολιτικού θρίλερ και γοτθικού τρόμου.

Τι κι αν το διάβασα πριν τόσα χρόνια, η κλειστοφοβική του ατμόσφαιρα ακόμη με κυνηγάει.
★★★★½

[Les · Rating 5 out of 5]

My, oh my was this exactly as promised. I picked up this book because I misread the review from the Daily Mail on the back. I thought it read "an exotically-charged, rip-roaring adventure..." It does not. In actuality it reads "an erotically-charged, rip-roaring adventure..."

Nevertheless, every rave review from a UK newspaper on the back was so very right. This is an incredibly intricate plot that weaves together three protagonists, whom combined make one very unlikely cabal of heros. With excellently-crafted anticipation schemes (may favourite!) told from alternating points of view, this book, much like some of the content it delivers, lets one watch the same scene from various perspectives, allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions about the truth. The plot of Dream Eaters flies-- while the book is made much longer by the multiple-perspective approach, the plot never fails to keep moving, delivering action and contemplation steadily. Our cabal of heros Miss Temple (picture a Mary Poppins-type personality, just a touch more badass,) Cardinal Change (the coconut of the group: tough on the outside only,) and Doctor Svenson (the lovable do-gooder military man) always provide for a new twist or turn.

Top this off which creative, intelligent, and vaguely Biblical-styled villains, and you have the creative genius that is The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, of which my only complaint was that the text was too damn small.

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

PopSugar Reading Challenge 2023: A book you wish you could read for the first time again.



Just finished my 3rd reading of this old fave.

This pervy Steampunk action adventure novel still has my heart. There just isn't any other single volume that I can compare it to in ambition & scope. It was the first time I'd ever read anything like it, & once again, I became fully immersed in the world.

Attitudes in the book feel Victorian, so expect some problematic content, and avoid if you don't like things long winded!



2nd reading review below:


After a second read, many years after first encountering Glass Books I can remember exactly why I loved it's plotty, adventurey, intruguey web so much. It drew me in, it wrapped me up and it tired me out.

This was my first encounter with the faintly mystical genre of Steampunk. Never before had I come across the amalgamation of Dickensian streets, gothic sci fi, technology beyond it's years and plucky adventuring. I was entranced. It was also a bit racy - which adds to it's appeal.

Glass Books follows three very distinct protagonists - the haughty and courageous Miss Temple who sets off in search of answers after being dumped unceremoniously by her fiancée Roger Bascombe, rogue-for-hire Cardinal Chang, appointed to track her down and the reluctant guardian of a philandering, drunken Prince, Abelard Svensson. The three end up entangled after stumbling across a cabal of debauched, power-hungry villains with a magical Indigo glass at their disposal.

It's a riot.

On a second reading, I have come to understand why it has such marmite reviews. It's stuffed full to bursting with mystery, action and sneaking, gore and sensuality. It has everything. In fact, it has too much of everything. It would seem that there is such thing, in the literary world, as too much of a good thing. Dahlquist hasn't missed a single opportunity for a prying look through a keyhole, a slip in a puddle of blood, a betrayal, a surprise takedown of an unsuspecting baddy, a bit of nipple on display. He really goes for it.

I love this book so I'm not going to deduct a single star but I can see objectively why some may think it's exhausting length and incessant detail detract from it's pace and quality rather than add to it. The 5-star rating is a love letter to the world that was opened up to me the first time I read it, the excellent characters and all the action and intrigue that make it so delicious.

[Annise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book. I was instantly drawn in. The writing style – so quintessentially steampunk – was beautiful. Miss Temple was a compelling lead. I was enthused. I was hopeful. I wanted it to be a new favourite. There is a lot that I could have loved about it. But every time I found something to love, I hit something else that annoyed me, or that I didn't like, or that was downright problematic.

Miss Temple is an excellent protagonist. Through the course of a somewhat hesitant investigative effort, she finds herself out of her depth in a web of conspiracies, acquitting herself admirably. She grows more independent, learns how to use her existing strengths, and picks up a few new skills. The other points of view, Svenson and Chang, are pretty awesome also. But they are given flaws in a way that felt a little too prescribed (Svenson's vertigo, Chang's poor eyesight), and situations arise to inevitably challenge these flaws. In principle there's nothing wrong with this, but it stood out and jarred me. Also, at times their motivations are paper-thin. Only the pace of the plot stopped me from questioning what was driving them; as soon as I stopped I realised that they did it because they were the good guys and the villains were bad, and it wasn't quite enough to satisfy.

The central conceit, the titular glass books, is fascinating, with ramifications that the book explores reasonably well. There's a lot to like there, as well as food for thought. But the execution, and the villainous purposes to which the glass books are put, come with a lot of problematic baggage. Brainwashing and free will were big themes. Personally I find brainwashing a highly awkward topic; if the villain's minions are brainwashed, I don't like seeing the protagonists tearing through them with a clear conscience. I had too many questions about how complicit and informed they'd been before the brainwashing, and how much I could hold them responsible for their actions. It could have been interesting, but it wasn't dealt with. The protagonists were too busy trying to keep themselves from being taken to worry about anyone who already had. Throw in a lot of sexual assault on brainwashed characters, and it made me cringe.

The plot, as I've implied, is gripping. The conspiracy is well-paced, and the story keeps up a relentless narrative pace. The way the plot weaves between the three protagonists in the ten very long chapters adds tension, as you wait to find out how the stories link, and what is happening to the other characters. But the plot was also full of conveniences and coincidences. Svenson escapes death so many times, in increasingly improbable ways, that it made the enemies look stupid. The characters manage to find an endless supply of secret doorways and hiding places, and they navigate labyrinthine corridors evading detection right up until the wrong moment. Constantly the protagonists mention the -confidence- and -arrogance- of the villains. By the end, that confidence looks like stark incompetence, and I was willing the villains to just *kill* them when they had the chance rather than giving them *another* opportunity to effect a ridiculous escape. Finally, I couldn't follow the fight scene choreography at all, and eventually just had to trust who won.

The villains were suitably menacing. They made my skin crawl. But, like the protagonists, their motivations weren't clear at any point, beyond hints. Not to mention their constant arrogance eventually looking like rank stupidity (see above). Underestimating the protagonists is fair enough the first time, but by the time you saw the reappearance of someone you'd supposedly killed twice, you'd think they'd make sure next time, and have the corpse thoroughly dismembered. For some of the secondary (brainwashed) villains, it was supposedly obvious why they'd fallen in with the lead villains... but I didn't find it obvious. Unless of course they hadn't known what they were getting into, which is, again, problematic.

World-building was mixed. It was set in Europe, Germany and Paris mentioned by name, but while the setting was obviously a pseudo-England and pseudo-London, neither are mentioned by name. It was a strange choice I couldn't understand, except as a way to avoid research. The description gave me a rough -feel- for some places, but I had no real conception of what anything looked like. Harschmort house, in particular, never felt like it had a consistent layout, and I could never tell how big it was or how any of the rooms related to one another.

Finally, the book was 750 pages long. The narrative momentum made it seem shorter, but it was still very long, and didn't always feel like it had to be. Inner monologue droned on at times, and was often repetitive (every time Svenson “desperately wanted a cigarette” I wanted to hit him). It wasn't that any particular scenes should have been cut... it was more an even bloating of the whole text. One particular example was a segment where Miss Temple takes tea in the hotel restaurant while she waits; her eating habits were revealed in more detail than I thought necessary.

This is the longest review I've written in some time, because I'm so conflicted over this book. As I said at the start, I wanted to love it. I was thrown in at the deep end with a character I liked, into a steampunk adventure with mysterious blue glass alchemy. I read it comparatively quickly for all its length. But... it wasn't one that I couldn't put down. It hasn't left me longing to return to the world and characters. So, in the end, I couldn't love it, and nor can I wholeheartedly recommend it.

[Carla Krueger · Rating 2 out of 5]

A difficult book to rate because it has many positive qualities. The writer’s effort and technical skill cannot be faulted. One of the best elements of the book are the incredibly detailed descriptions of people, places, buildings and motives, but for me the storyline itself grew to be disappointing and repetitive. The pacing is certainly fast and if you like pure action it might be enough, but the events that happens are too similar to other events that have already happened to maintain the excitement. Some of the ideas are incredible and well-judged – the glass books and what they can do is a brilliant concept – but this seems to be what the rest of the story is flimsily clinging to. After that, regardless of all the energy and detail painstakingly pumped into it, the reality of Glass Books is that it ends up a bit flat.

Cardinal Change is a highly enticing character, by far the best. I looked forward to passages describing his thoughts, intentions, fears (when he suffered them) and his unstoppable criminal techniques. That he can escape almost any scenario is just about believable and some of his tactics are utterly enthralling. He’s a true anti-hero and it’s easy to accept his faults, which cannot be said for the other two lead characters who get less believable as they progress. Fantasy or not, Miss Temple’s and Svenson’s abilities, decisions and luck are less uncanny, more laughable.

About halfway through the book, I realised something was missing. I wasn’t feeling anything for anyone – except maybe a touch of respect for Chang. Miss Temple is stuck up and frustrating; Svenson sits around thinking about his past when he’s in immediate danger. It just doesn’t work. I was also thoroughly fed up of racing, at a predictably jaw-dropping speed along another (or was it the same?) corridor. The buildings started to blur into one another. The quick deaths became ten-a-penny. There were far too many characters to keep in my head. The blue glass women felt stupidly fake and clearly constructed to shock, yet had the opposite effect: I physically groaned with irritation every time they appeared, clanking about like zombies. The dirigible is almost as bad as the glass women and what happens on it a complete let down. I can take a lot in a book, but the ending of this one tested me. It also demonstrated that no matter how brilliant you are as a writer, no matter how well you can describe a character or a place, the storyline is king.

Overall, a real shame, because the first chapter (I hate to say this, but the bit needed to hook agents, publishers and, ultimately, readers) is superb quality, genuinely exciting, mysterious and unpredictable. This is a classic example of someone trying so hard it goes awry. The book is massive and wrongly so. Its size is not, as some newspaper reviewers suggest, a benefit or a bonus. By the end, a myriad characters are scoffing, rasping, sputtering and shooting guns all over the place. Fun, perhaps, but flawed.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a hefty volume - over 750 pages in hardcover - whose elegant, fluid prose is of consistently high quality throughout: complex, bold and even witty. Frankly, The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters would be a tremendous achievement even if it weren't also a ripping good yarn. This is Dahlquist's first published novel, and he writes with an assurance beyond his years and experience.

Dahlquist establishes a trio of disparate, unlikely but likeable protagonists for his story: diminutive but strong-willed Celeste Temple, raised a child of privilege on a tropical island before being transplanted to London; Cardinal Chang, a scarred mercenary of the London streets; and Captain-Surgeon Abelard Svenson, personal physician to the Crown Prince of the Duchy of Macklenburg. Svenson is in London for the Prince's wedding to the beautiful Lydia Vandaariff. Each character - and I have only named a fraction of the host of individuals crowding these pages - is unique and interesting. Swapping viewpoints with aplomb, Dahlquist advances the story through each successive pair of eyes.

Temple, Chang and Svenson find themselves united in opposition to a vast and shadowy conspiracy (the best kind, at least for fictional purposes). Britain's rich and powerful are doing extremely uncharacteristic things - an atmosphere of bold licentiousness quite at odds with Victorian propriety prevails on the train to Harschmort where we first meet Miss Temple, and things get stranger from there. There is a mysterious Process, alchemical or scientific in nature, which seems to involve sheets of strange blue glass - the Glass Books of the title.

This book occupies much the same spot in my mental catalogue as Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell - not that they're very similar in detail, but they do both treat of a Victorian England colored with strange happenings, and they do share a delight in the precise use of the English language in all its complex glory, something of a rarity in these dark days.

The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters is not by any means a perfect book, nor one for all audiences. The violence in Dahlquist's decadent Victorian world is frequent, graphic and often cartoonish - as is the sex. But I was, as local music critic Charles Mudede says in quite another context, "at once disturbed by the violence and drawn to the beauty" ("It's Tricky," the Portland Mercury (March 26, 2009), p. 17).


While I was finishing my second reading of this novel during a vacation in Port Townsend, Washington, not far from Dahlquist's origins, I was delighted to discover, entirely serendipitously, that he has also written a sequel, The Dark Volume, in which at least some of the characters from his first book make another appearance... I'll be picking that one up too, I do believe.

[Hilary · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I were in a good mood, I would call this a sprawling behemoth of a novel. If I were not, I would refer to it as maundering tosh. In either case I can tell you for a fact that I got bored and skipped about 200 pages (as it's over 700 pages long, I'm still counting it as 'read', if only for the hours I'll never get back), and still managed to keep up with the plot. This is largely because it's written from three points of view, and any time the characters meet they are at pains to tell one another what's been happening in their particular story thread, usually in some detail. Somewhere within those 700 pages there is material for a halfway decent graphic novel. Elsewhere there is a heck of a lot of padding. Oh, and here and there some would-be erotic bits, apparently thrown in at random, and which have all the effect of a five-year-old saying 'fuck' at the dinner table. Yes, dear, very shocking, now put it away and finish your broccoli.

[Kagama-the Literaturevixen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has three viewpoint characters,there is Celeste Temple the proper young lady,Cardinal Chang the assassin and Dr Svenson the man of doctoring and science.

Cardinal Chang first encounter Celeste on a train when she is covered in blood after going to the villains mansion to search for her fiancee to know why he vanished and broke it off so suddenly.I cant remember how the doctor enters the plot as he was pretty unmemorable and with all the other things you had to keep track of in this book you have to expect casualties.

So when I started reading this I had all my hopes up there would steampunk elements and good adventure throughout but I wasnt expecting all the eroticism that the backcover promises.

But when I first read it back in 2007 there was no mention of all that. So I guess it has been added later.

I dont have a trouble with sex in books I am not one of these people who only want "clean" reads but this one had me feeling a bit akward. In my head I thought of them as those awkward sexual scenes and made me wonder what purpose in bringing the plot forward they contributed to. There is a good reason the blurb of this book mentions "perverted religion" and "erotic literary adventure" because its a constant theme through the book.

The glass books of the title can be used to store a persons memories but it seems what most of them contain is memories of a sexual nature.I would have thought the technology could have some more practical use but then I am not part of twisted powerhungry cult who WANTS TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD.

And their evilest mastermind is a bi-sexual Contessa. :/

she even sexually harass the female main character...but its not that bad-for it releases the repressed WOMANPOWER in her. Yes remember when the blurb promised an erotic literary adventure? Thats it. Some people in other books get awesome powers but not Celeste,she only gets the power of realizing that being touched against her will totally made her break free of her role as a proper young innocent victorian lady. Now shes unstoppable!

I was surprised she didnt burn her corset

This author has a very odd notion about womens and their sexuality


At least thats what I assumed they wanted to do as much of the book confused me.Too many plotlines and too many unlikeable or easily forgettable characters didnt help either.

I know this though...sometimes I felt like I was trapped in the authors sexual fantasy world.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters were my first introduction to the genre of "Steampunk Fantasy", or maybe it's the first book of that genre as it is certainly unlike anything I've read before. Regardless of what other reviewers have written here, I myself could not put it down; talk about downright fun escapism! Written in the style of a gaslight era seriel novel it had everything: mystery and suspense, action, sex [with a healthy dose of fetishism], shockingly evil yet somehow strangely alluring villians with plans for world domination, the burgeoning of an unlikely romance, and plenty of cliff-hanger moments. I found I really cared about the three main protoganists who join together to save themselves and the world: Miss Temple, the quintessential no-nonsense, proper lady who discovers a darker, wilder, side of herself. Cardinal Chang, the mysterious, poetry loving, and quite deadly, assassin who finds himself drawn to Miss Temple. And of course the haunted and gallant Dr. Svenson. Admittedly, there were a few somewhat slow passages but not enough to put me off and most of the book was more like a gothic rollercoaster ride through a house of toungue-in-cheek horrors. I did not read the book until the two volume paperback editions were published and when I reached the end of Volume I, I immediately went to the bookstore for volume II. This novel and it's sequel, The Dark Volume, are singlehandedly responsible for my failure to do any spring-cleaning this year! Dahlquists unique style may not be for everyone but I am hoping for a third installment!

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

La novela no hace mención ni del año ni del país en que transcurren los hechos, pero parece que se trata del siglo XIX, en Inglaterra. De la historia apenas se puede contar nada, para no arruinar una lectura de 900 páginas a futuros lectores. Los protagonistas y héroes de la novela son tres: la señorita Temple, una joven orgullosa y adinerada, criada en ambientes campestres, empeñada en descubrir por qué su pretendiente la ha abandonado sin más (si supiese los líos en los que se va a meter...); Chang, también llamado el "Cardenal" por su vestimenta roja, asesino a sueldo; y el doctor Svenson, médico militar. Los caminos de estos tres personajes acabarán cruzándose inevitablemente. El desencadenante de la acción es lo que la señorita Temple descubrirá, siguiendo sus pesquisas e instinto, en una mansión apartada de la ciudad, que pondrá en peligro no sólo su vida sino también la estabilidad política y económica de Europa.

El secreto de la primera novela de Gordon Dahlquist es cómo narra la historia, ya que al utilizar tres narradores, vemos ciertos hechos desde tres puntos de vista diferentes, haciendo que sea muy satisfactorio cuando las piezas de los misterios van encajando. Además, la trama es sumamente emocionante y te engancha desde la primera página. Aventuras, traición, intriga, amistad, amor, ciertos toques fantásticos y steampunk... Entretenimiento del bueno.

[Кремена Георгиева · Rating 4 out of 5]

Оплетена мистерия, представена през три гледни точки. Интересно изградено, динамично развиваща се история. Определено трябва да имаш доста въображение, за да създадеш такъв разгърнат сюжет. До последният момент читателя е държан на тръни и няма представа какво ще се случи. А финалът на книгата предполага продължение...

[Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally this book is over. It's taken me over a month to read The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, when generally I aim to read 100ish pages a day. Part of this is that I've been doing a lot of hours at work, but mostly it's that the story is so convoluted that I found I had to be really alert and focused to have any idea what was going on at all. I kept losing track of characters and their significance and so had no clue of whodunnit (killed Trapping), although I thought the reveal about the Comte/painter was pretty obvious. I thoroughly recommend taking notes as you read to keep track.

I've got to be honest - I found this rather hard work which is not something I'm generally looking for in a book. Don't get me wrong - I like a book that makes you think... but I mean Margaret Atwood style thought-provoking, not 'my brain hurts from trying to tell what's going on' when I just want to unwind after work. The writing style is great and many people will undoubtedly enjoy this deeply involved steampunk novel; I just found myself dragging too much over the 700+ pages to justify four stars.

[ian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm generally a very patient reader and am likely to enjoy whatever story I read, regardless of literary merit. But this book just stretched my patience to its limit![return][return]The first quarter of the book was engaging enough. The pace was good and I was excited to find out more. But, as I entered into the 2nd quarter of the story, the plot just kept dragging more and more.[return][return]The characters became annoying and their adventures frustrating. [return][return]But I hung on, thinking there must be a big pay-off in the end. [return][return]When I finally reached the last quarter I stopped caring about the details of the plot, and I was just skimming through the pages, watching out for plot points.[return][return]And then, I gave up even doing that. [return][return]I can't objectively say that the plot was bad, since I didn't read all of it. [return][return]All I can say is, I lost interest. It was a good beginning though. And an interesting premise. Too bad it didn't hold up.

[Ingrida Lisauskiene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gerąja prasme nustebinusi ir visai neprailgusi 756 puslapių steampunk žanro mystery knyga, kuri iškart tapo bestseleriu, o nelabai kam žinomas jos autorius – multimilijonieriumi. Pats autorius apie savi sėkmę sako "Neįtikėtina. Beprotiška. Juokinga." Tema labai populiari šiandienai - smegenų plovimas ir žmonių sąmonės valdymas. Veiksmas greitai kintantis, gal ne visur galima suprasti veikėjų logiką ar jų buvimo lokalizaciją, bet buvo tikrai neblogai.

[Ренета Кирова · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ако трябва да опиша с една дума тази книга, то думата ще бъде „разточителна“. Жанрът на книгата е смесица от фантастика, алхимия, екшън, трилър, а действието се развива въ�� Викторианската епоха (1873-1901). Жените са с дълги рокли, а мъжете с цилиндри и костюми, запазват се и тогавашните порядки. Тази въображаема алтернативна история е известна като жанра стиймпънк.
Запознаваме се с трима герои – госпожица Темпъл, Кардинал Чан и доктор Свенсон. Тримата са въвлечени случайно в конспирация за власт, където убийствата, униженията и подчинеността са основните атрибути за нейното спечелване. Те превръщат хората в роби, извличайки спомените им в стъклени книги и ги употребяват както намерят за добре. Това е същността на книгата, която се състои от 681 страници, които могат да бъдат намалени наполовина. Разточително писане, което размива в един момент действието и ти се иска да свърши, защото напрежението сякаш няма край. Много ми харесаха първите три глави, в които се запознаваме с героите, особено Темпъл. Тя израства като силна жена, която е способна да защити не само себе си, но и хората около нея. Когато тримата герои най-накрая се събират заедно, но се разделят, поради прищявката на Темпъл, това беше моментът, от който вече не ми беше така интересно. Действието беше изпълнено с постоянно бягане, криене, убиване, сякаш безкрайно дълго. Нямаше и един момент, в който да си отдъхнеш от действието. Всичко това за мен беше много обстойно написано и си мисля, че ако беше по-кратка, щеше да излезе един великолепен роман, в който въображението на автора наистина се развихря извън всяка норма.

[Andy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up purely from the cover which was nicely and intriguingly designed (never judge a book...) and what sounded like a story right up my alley. It took me a whole week to plough my way through and a lot of the time I was having to try. The basic underlying story is interesting with a greatly bizarre and unique premise but the execution is lacking. Problems:

Huge numbers of characters with mostly unnecessarily unpronounceable names made it difficult to keep track of who was who (indeed during the finale I was completely lost as to who one of the major players turned out to be).

The alternating chapter telling the same events from the perspectives of the three main 'heroes' became quickly quite frustrating though when together I enjoyed it more.

The sheer depth of detail and description made reading pretty slow and heavy going with a distinct lack of narrative flow. Yet at other times the smug vagueness of plot points irritated (even down to the ambiguity of where it was set despite the surrounding real European setting).

The sheer number of coincidences and (as mentioned in a cover quote) 'miraculous escapes' just stretches credibility too far. The two male heros particularly could give John McClane a run for his money in being virtually indestructible.

And then the heroes. I quite liked Cardinal Chang, he seemed interesting and well drawn and you could understand his motivations. Doctor Svenson is less well developed and the lazy back story and motivation which randomly appears midway through doesn't make sense. Mostly though Miss Temple annoyed. She spends a good deal of time throughout moaning about how unfair it is that she's a woman and no-one will give her any respect as a result of this, then turns round break into tears and does something so mind-blowing stupid that you can't help but want to slap her. Out of anyone she seems to be doing purely for an adventure and never really seems to appreciate the gravity of the situation. It's all a jolly lark.

I could go on but that's enough. Could have been much better with a strict editor.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a raucous adventure that runs the reader along a taut high tension line. Dahlquist insists on action, relentlessly dealing it out like a meth addled blackjack croupier. This novel reeks of all the "mistakes" that a first book suffers from: too many characters, too many storylines, extreme violence, and ultimately the scenes are scenario driven. I'm thankful for this naivete. Refined authors tend to cut, and smaller stories end up quieter, whereas this is a pipe bomb. This is big and unapologetic.

It seems these days that most adventure stories are tucked away in Children's Lit, or buried deep in Fantasy schlock. This hearkens back to everything that folks like Haggard, Burroughs, or Howard were shooting for.

He undoubtedly leans heavily on genre tropes, as the story (mystery) wraps up neatly as a parlor room drama, down to your standard "Before I kill you, Mr. Bond" confessionals and the "Ah-ha, now I have the upper hand" reversal moments. But it is all in good fun.

If I have a real complaint about the book it is that the women are ALWAYS defined by their sexuality (either over or undersexed). In the book there is only one male character that is defined by his sexuality, so it stands out as evenly one-sided. Ms. Temple, while a great character is constantly put into awkward sexual situation to define her (the way that the Doctor is constantly confronted with his fear of heights, ha). It would have been more just to spread the sexual encounters through all of the main characters for the sake of the read rather than fulfilling Dahlquist's little wet dream for his character.

Still though, this has been a tremendously fun read. The 5 stars rating is for how much I enjoyed it rather than how "good" it is.

[El · Rating 2 out of 5]

So steampunk is a thing and people really like it. Last week someone I work for saw I was reading this and asked me about it. I used the word "steampunk" and she got terribly excited. "That's like a thing, right?" She asked. Yes, it's a thing. Turns out she had just seen some show on HGTV where they were trying to sell a home that had been designed in a steampunk fashion. How in the world does one sell a steampunk-fashioned house? Why, you host a steampunk party, of course!

I don't have a lot of steampunk experience yet, but the concept excites me considerably. I've read some Neal Stephenson, and I guess some of his stuff qualifies, and strangely I haven't been that excited by them. Now that I've read this I'm beginning to wonder if this is just not my genre at all.

This book certainly has all the makings of something that should completely rock - including two of my favorite words in the title: Books and Dream. A mysterious secret cabal? Why, that sounds exciting! Adventure? Yes, please!

But then the story never really took off for me and it really never went anywhere. I understand this is the author's first novel, but previously he was a playwright. I think plays might be more his forte. I think it's hard to go from writing plays to writing almost 800 pages of a novel in a very specific established genre; I think Dahlquist got a bit stuck in writing details. There were moments of greatness (like detailing the spread at a tea tray for one character), but they were few and far between.

Not the worst I've ever read, but not enough to keep me excited throughout. I might eventually check out the sequel, but I'm more interested to see how it translates to the big screen (even though it doesn't look like there's a real release date yet).

It's a long book and not enough of the right oompf for me to feel it was worth the length.

[Barbara ★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has been on my TBR since 2009 which I acquired it from a used bookstore based on it's interesting inner flap. Of course, once it went on my shelf, I totally forgot about it. Until yesterday that is when I used this thick tome to help flatten a new rug and realized I needed to read it.

The premise is interesting and the fact that the reader has absolutely no clue what is going on keeps you glued to the pages. This strategy works for the first half of the book and then everything goes to shit. The alternating chapter telling the same events from the perspectives of the three main characters became tedious and overly repetitive; adding unnecessary pages to the narrative. Honestly I lost focus of when things happened and where key players were at said times. All in all, it was just too much information and too many damn characters - good, bad and in between.

And don't get me started on the fact that both Chang and Svensen get away from a gang of people - again and again and again - stretches credibility to far. Even when they are basically dead, they reappear as if nothing happened. Oh sure, they are covered in blood and half dead but even that still doesn't keep them from prevailing over fresh criminals. I found this ridiculous and way to unrealistic. Even Miss Temple has way too many "near misses" with various villains.

I know this is the first book of the series but unfortunately I don't care enough to continue this convoluted saga.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This probably took me longer to read than it should've--mostly because the plot got bogged down a few times in the middle and I needed to put it down and read something else--but that being said, I finished this epic novel yesterday and really enjoyed it. Overall, this is one of the most unique novels I've read in a LONG time. Part period-mystery, part-thriller, part-fantasy, it is hard to say what this novel is like. But what I will say is that fans of either of those genres MAY really dig this book. Shades of Sherlock Holmes and quasi-horror/fantasy novels of Clive Barker, indeed. The author does a nice job making the reader believe the somewhat unbelievable premise behind the story and three unwitting heroes suddenly thrust into this grand conspiracy, but determined to stop the villains. Miss Temple is probably one of the most intriguing and remarkable heroines to come around in a while, as was Doctor Svenson and Cardinal Chang, the other two heroes. And the villains reminded me a little of "old-school" 007/Bond bad guys. Give this novel a shot if you want to read something very different and worth the effort! (Note: The author, Gordon Dahlquist, recently released a sequel, entitled The Dark Volume)

[Lizzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only got to page 470. It might have been a good book, if the author cut about half of it. Also, every time the female protagonist narrated, she was sexually abused or threatened with such abuse, but the scenes were written in a way that made those events part of the "grand adventure." Thanks, but no thanks.

[Ана Хелс · Rating 4 out of 5]

Вероятността да сте пропуснали тази книга е огромна, най-вече заради една – единствена дума в описанието ѝ – букли. Да, букли, като натруфени къдрици в стил преяла гъсеница минала през свредел. И ще сте се лишили от началото на една изключително неортодоксална стиймпънк поредица с много приключения, рядко добре изградени главни герои – и добри, и лоши, и един естетически шарен хаос от технология, митология и спиритизъм. Не, не е Хари Потър за възрастни. Мне, хич не е Шерлок Холмс среща Бъфи убийцата на вампири. Не е и 50 нюанса сиво, но този път стилно и загадъчно. По-скоро е една доста секси версия в гамата на приключенията на Адел Бланш – Сет, или както може би го знаете на български – Адел и проклятието на пирамидите на Люк Бесон, с целувка от Опасни връзки и полъх от Специален доклад. Да, от онези кинематографичните книги е, които просто си плачат за кино версия или поне много добра приключенска игра, но интересното е, че е един от малкото случаи, в които това не ме дразни. Може би има нещо специално, мхм?

Да обясня накратко – представете си класическия фон на стиймпънка – алтернативна викториана, с кралицата – майка на народа и парата, като осново средство за технически прогрес. Една очарователна дама от британските осиновените територии – разбирай каквото са успели да заграбят английските завоеватели преди холандците и испанците по време на околосветското си пътешествие, напълно незаслужено набедена за оная с буклите, бива любезно зарязана от чаровния си годеник – изключително добра партия помежду другото, но вместо като всяка себеуважаваща се английска мома да седне да си избродира мъката в изящно ръкоделие, нашата Селесте Темпъл решата да го изиграе бабата на Лара Крофт, и да проследи бившото си гадже в опит да зърне заради коя я е заменил. Защото въпреки къдриците нашето момиче не е тъпо, даже никак, но е малко отегчена, лудичка и с пари, което ви е ясно, че няма да я докара до нищо хубаво. Или по-точно я закарва на бал в стил Широко затворени очи, където разни дами биват подлагани на странни експерименти, които подозрително приличат на усложнена терапия на женска хистерия, сещате се, хи-хи. И вместо да се почне е��на добрия оргия обаче, заваляват трупове, объркват се сложни процеси и кроежи, и девойката ни се изправя пред една добре подбрана шайка противници съвсем сама, но и съвсем самоуверена.

Приключението започва, и се вие из цяла Англия, в мини, имения, луксозни хотели, бивши затвори, министерства, тайни улици, бардаци – цялата викторианска прелест. Към буклестата Крофт се присъединяват неволно един азиатоподобен наемен убиец с екстравагантен вкус, стабилна ръка и малко скрупули – Кардинал Чан, и абсолютният ариец в смисъла отпреди Хитлер Абелард Свенсон – благовъзпитан военен лекар, част от кортежа на германско малко благородие с цел да пази меките части на същото от самия него, способен на нужното количество патриотична агресия. От другата страна са мистериозна графиня, която просто трябва да я изиграе Моника Белучи, хърватско – френски граф, нагли благородници, безмилостни военни и амбициозни курви, минали през специален процес на изтриване на всякакви морални задръжки от съзнанието, което ги прави едновременно лишени от всякаква сянка на емпатия, но и способни на чудеса от хладнокръвна храброст, съчетана с безкраен глад към власт и удоволствия. В центъра на заговора са стъклените книги – специална технология, способна да капсулира конкретни спомени по желание, която може както да изтрие и най-болезнените преживявания, така и да извади най-тъмните и смъртоносни тайни, поставяйки ги в услуга на някои от най-неподходящите хора. Точно толкова добро е, колкото звучи.

Не казвам, че книгата няма недостатъци, но по-скоро те са свързани със специалната настройка за четене, която трябва да имате. Красивият стил и наситено действие някак изискват постоянно четене, а не по малко преди лягане, при хранене или в метрото, иначе някак магията се губи и не може да се усети както трябва напрежението и драмата. Гледната точка се мени и леко застъпва исторята от гледните точки на тримата протагонисти, които все се разделят като във лош хорър филм, все са убедени, че другите са мъртви, но накрая все някак оцеляват и успяват да пропълзят напред като истински Брус Уилиси в което и да Умирай трудно по избор на читателя. Лошите са както оригинални и внушаващи идеята за абсолютното и напълно постижимо с ежедневни упражнения човешко зло, така и прекалено мнителни, несигурни и забиващи си ножове в гърба на всеки ъгъл. Което улеснява донякъде героите ни, но и обърква, ако не следите или не четете на цяло и наведнъж, или поне за дълги времеви отрязъци. Книгата е част от трилогия, но според доста читатели, освен ако не сте се влюбили отчаяно в тримата от викторианския запас, можете да спрете и до тук. Аз лично не мога да устоя на глождещото желание да разбера колко точно ще ги бият нашите, как ще ги газят, стрелят, ръгат, давят, душат, слагат в душегубки и инструменти за инквизиционни мъчения, и онези пак ще се измъкнат на припълзявания и прибежки. Такива са добрите герои, особено когато има намесен и стиймпънк. Да живее неумираемостта!

[Sarah Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen should have been.

The Glass Books basics are thus: 3 unconnected characters -- Miss Temple, a recently transplanted heiress from across the ocean, Cardinal Chang, a local assassin who isn't actually Chinese, & Svenson, a doctor in the entourage of visiting Macklenburg aristocrats -- are thrown together in their attempt to overthrow a mysterious Cabal of villains. Their motives start out as personal -- each of them has lost someone they care about -- but quickly morph into a more widespread social conscience as they band together for the sheer joy of thwarting The Cabal. Said villainy is OTT bizarre (involving blue-skinned women, alchemy, glass memory portals, mind control, & oversexed femme fatales), but there's an endearing whimsy to their dark plans -- the more personal violations are by far the creepier of their theatrics, while the sweeping world takeover is goofball good-vs-evil fun.

While the author goes out of his way to refrain from pinning his story in England proper, there's a blatant Englishness/alterna-Britain feel. It also offers hearty nods to penny dreadfuls, HG Wells/Jules Verne, & steampunk (though detailed bullshit mechanical explanations are avoided -- THANK YOU). There's a lot of Bloodsmoor Romance in the dense language, sly humor, & shameless warping of purity & morality...and also a lot of The Fate of Fenella in the way each chapter feeds on itself, building needlessly intricate plots with hidden motives & side characters. Dahlquist clearly has a love of language; the prose is thick & beautiful, walking a fine line between erudite neo-Victorian lit-fic & snarky homage.

I really liked all 3 protagonists because they each gave me feels (particularly Chang), & I was glad the author resisted foisting a needless love triangle upon everyone. While there is definitely a romantic connection brewing between 2 of them, the third person finds their own love interest later in the story. But romance is the least of the plot; the focus remains on The Cabal & our heroes' adventures therein.

Overall, it's a definite 4.5 star read. The writing & characters deserve a 5, but the Cabal plots & counterplots became the weakest part of the whole. They're confusing. They're tangled. They're unnecessarily dragged out (though the finale in the airship was great). So for that, I rounded down...but I'll definitely pick up the sequel. Nicely done, Mr Dahlquist. :)

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet agony

Ambientato in epoca vittoriana La setta dei libri blu è un romanzo fantasy (steampunk) in cui tre personaggi (una gentil donzella, un dottore e un misterioso Cardinale Chang) incappano in un oscuro complotto che coinvolge dei libri di vetro blu. I tre hanno motivi personali e soggettivi per opporsi a questo complotto, decisione che li porterà a gravitare intorno ad alcuni luoghi nonchè personaggi chiave, fino allo scioglimento della tensione, se non del mistero, dato che ci aspetta un secondo volume che completerà la storia (il seguito verrà pubblicato in lingua originale il 24.03.2009, il titolo è The Dark Volume).

I pregi di questo romanzo sono una bella ambientazione, una bella idea di partenza, un ottimo stile e dei personaggi veramente interessanti. D'altra parte Dahlquist è estremamente prolisso e la trama un po' macchinosa. Il fulcro dell'azione sembra non giungere mai, venendo posticipato di capitolo in capitolo. Il complotto rimane oscuro (a parte occasionali brandelli di informazione) fino all'ultimo capitolo, dove tutto si accavalla confusamente.
Il finale è buono, classico direi. Chiude il romanzo e spiega tutto pur lasciando ovviamente intuire che la storia continuerà.

[kate]

It's been a long time since I read this, but I remember picking it up and thinking, this is really weird, but not in a bad way. It's kind of steampunk, grown up version of His Dark Materials, but with less deicide. I thought that there was only this one, but then I discovered that it's the first of three. Then I scare up a hard cover copy of the second book for $4, and it's time to revisit this. Once I've read some Stephen King.

[Sarah Kilmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book over several years, it was quite a long read. But every time I picked it up it felt like falling into a Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr. era) chase scene. I do understand how some people found it to be a little TOO long or detailed, but the details didn't bother me, they seemed to build on this steampunk world and the characters.