The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack

Burton & Swinburne, Book 1

By: Mark Hodder

Narrated by: Gerard Doyle

Length: 14 hrs

Publisher's summary

Sir Richard Francis Burton: explorer, linguist, scholar, and swordsman; his reputation tarnished; his career in tatters; his former partner missing and probably dead. Algernon Charles Swinburne: unsuccessful poet and follower of de Sade; for whom pain is pleasure, and brandy is ruin! They stand at a crossroads in their lives and are caught in the epicenter of an empire torn by conflicting forces: engineers transform the landscape with bigger, faster, noisier, and dirtier technological wonders; eugenicists develop specialist animals to provide unpaid labor; libertines oppose repressive laws and demand a society based on beauty and creativity; while the Rakes push the boundaries of human behavior to the limits with magic, drugs, and anarchy.

The two men are sucked into the perilous depths of this moral and ethical vacuum when Lord Palmerston commissions Burton to investigate assaults on young women committed by a weird apparition known as Spring Heeled Jack, and to find out why werewolves are terrorizing London's East End. Their investigations lead them to one of the defining events of the age - and the terrifying possibility that the world they inhabit shouldn't exist at all!

©2010 Mark Hodder (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The usual superlatives for really clever fantasy (imaginative, mind-bending, phantasmagorical) aren’t nearly big enough for this debut novel. With this one book, Hodder has put himself on the genre map.... Hodder’s only problem now is to find a way to follow up this exhilarating debut, which will appeal not only to sf/fantasy readers but also to mystery and historical-fiction fans." (Booklist)

"A historical figure already larger than life, Capt. Sir Richard Francis Burton, pursues a legendary and violent Victorian creature, Spring Heeled Jack, at the behest of the prime minister in this convincingly researched debut. Fans of steampunk will be intrigued by the alternate history setting, in which the queen dies mid-century; they will also enjoy following Burton and his sidekick, poet Algernon Swinburne, as they investigate the dark secrets of 19th-century England and recall Burton's legendary expedition to find the source of the Nile." (Publishers Weekly)

OK story, horribly narrated.

What didn’t you like about Gerard Doyle’s performance?

I guess narrates is the proper term, because he does read the story with any enthusiasm. Every 5 words is spoken as a sentence.

Any additional comments?

I'm hesitant to continue the series as audible books. They are all narrated by the same droll "artist".

Fun alt history

It’s a fun alt history steam punk adventure. The narrator does a good job and the story itself is fast paced and enjoyable. All the characters while being based on historical figures aren’t how they are in the history books and book explains why this is.because it’s ALTERNATE history.

It’s with the hours.

Essential Steampunk!

The first in what is really a trio of interlocked novels that explore a steampunked Victorian British Empire through the adventures of Richard Burton and Algenon Swinburne. Mechanical men, steam-based technology, werewolves, high brow philosophy, low brow but hysterically creative humor, thrills, adventure, time travel, and 3 college credits worth of historical figures recast in an interwoven tale. What fun! This trio of novels is in the top 20 of the over 500 I've listened to on Audible. Great story, perfect narrator. Don't miss this one.

Brilliant

Where does The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The story line is absolutely amazing, especially if you Google the events and characters and realize they are all real and all happened. What is brilliant is the the twist on what happened. This is probably the most creative take on the effects of time travel that I have ever encountered, and only gets better in the next novels in the series. Again, take the time to Google characters and events for a full appreciation.

What about Gerard Doyle’s performance did you like?

Gerard's performance is fantastic. His ability to do different types, especially as the series goes on, is amazing.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

They couldn't do a movie of this. If they did, it would be too dumbed down.

Any additional comments?

Just brilliant, really!

If you like steampunk this one might be for you

I've read some steampunk now & then, but this one goes beyond my willingness to continue reading.

If steam powered personal helicopters and self controlled steam powered street cleaners in 1800s England interest you, good luck.

A lighter hand and it might have been enjoyable.

Now lets see if Audible books can really be returned.

Great alternate universe story

Mark Hodder took well know historical characters, and turned their world around all the while staying true to real historical characters. To rebut another reveiwer: Sorry Robert, but Speke was actually stabbed multiple times, including a thru the thigh, and while bound was able to beat back his abductor, escape and run from Somali warriors. This is historical fact - not the fabrication of the writer or as Robert put it:"it's a common failing of action heros in the last twenty years or so"
There are so may historical characters that it's fun to revisit (or visit for the first time) the Wiki pages of each person to see where Mark diverts from history into his AU.
A fun read - I'll be getting the rest of the series

Loved. This. Book.

I had a basic understanding of what steampunk was before I started Spring Heeled Jack, but what I found was a masterful amalgam of historical fiction, fantasy, sci-fi, philosophy, and detective-style mystery. Gerard Doyle does an amazing job jumping between all the different accents of 1860s England, where fights were won with a well-placed right cross and a stinging one-liner. Before listening, you will need to pack a bag for your disbelief and send it on a nice, long vacation (Foul-mouthed messenger parakeets? Check. Packs of hooded werewolves kidnapping chimney sweeps? Double check. Genetically modified and mechanically enhanced historical figures? More checks than you would even believe.).

The Endless Exposition

Hodder clearly had a great deal of fun creating his steampunk world, and wants to tell the reader about it -- all about it. Repeatedly. He also did his research into the Victorian world, and doesn't trust his reader to know anything about it, or to remember the essentials unless constantly reminded. (I did happen to know beforehand who Sir Richard Francis Burton was, but I wouldn't have been bothered by a reminder or two. If only Hodder had stopped at one or two . . .) Hodder's fascination with his created world gets in the way of his story. The best part of the book is Springheeled Jack's first-person account of how he came to be who he is, showing that Hodder is more successful at telling a story outside the steampunk detective framework he so lovingly created.

The book left me with a faint feeling of distaste. It wasn't terrible, but I can't say I enjoyed it, and I have no interest in further books in the series.

I can't believe I loved this.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved Sir Richard Burton, Algernon Swinburne and Oscar Wilde. Real people who really lived, but manipulated so their historical characters matched their fictional characters really well.

Have you listened to any of Gerard Doyle’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I am new to Audible books, but I loved listening to Gerard Doyle's characterizations thru inflections and tones. Sometimes I would marvel he could keep all the voices straight in his head.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was totally amazed I even liked the book. I don't like either Science Fiction, or Fantasy. But these characters and the story line grabbed me quickly, and held me thru all three books.

Any additional comments?

This was an unexpected joy to read.

An Entertaining Listen

What did you love best about The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack?

The author writes in a steampunk genre. His machines and coal fueled inventions create an interesting and amusing story. The dialog, sets and character development were very good.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack?

The story involves time travel. Edward's mental state as he jumps back and forth through time to try and repair the damage he has done was engaging and believable.

What about Gerard Doyle’s performance did you like?

Nice choice of voice for the genre. Very believable.