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)

Steampunk alt-history

Steampunk is all the rage nowadays. The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack seizes the trend in an intriguingly weird story that turns history on its head, thanks to the inept bungling of a time-traveler who, in our world, was one of the most notorious urban legends of Victorian England.

I am not really a huge fan of steampunk. Actually, to put it bluntly, I think most steampunk is stupid, an excuse to mix corsets and Anglophilia with science fiction.

But I enjoyed this book a lot. It's rip-roarin' well-plotted adventure, with a fine attention to historical detail if not scientific plausibility.

There are lots of things Mark Hodder does right. His alt-history is a colorful blend of historical figures and fanciful inventions. It's not science, it's Science! When a time traveler from the 22nd century goes back in time to 1840, the date on which 18-year-old Edward Oxford attempted to assassinate Queen Victoria, he inadvertently causes the assassination to succeed. The changes that result from Victoria's death are not merely the loss of "Victorian" England, but a 19th century England in which Technologists build ornithopters and geothermal power stations and air trains, while eugenicists engineer messenger dogs and parakeets, house-cleaning cats, and elephantine horses. Meanwhile, Libertines and Rakes are rival factions preaching a complete overthrow of the social order. Mesmerism and other "magical" practices are real, and genetic engineering on humans is beginning.

Adventuring, two-fisted pulp style, in this steampunk bizarro world are the famous explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton and the poet Algernon Swinburne. Burton crosses the sinister time-traveling "Spring Heeled Jack," thus becoming ensnared in his calamitous attempts to unscrew history.

The use of actual historical figures is cleverly done. According to 19th century lore, Spring Heeled Jack was some sort of diabolical deviant, running around England sexually assaulting women by tearing their clothes off. Hodder actually comes up with a logical explanation for "Jack's" behavior, and for how the loon could be a time traveler. I also appreciated his use of historical personages and events. Edward Oxford was a real person, and his attempted assassination of Queen Victoria is a historical fact; Hodder makes strange fiction out of it. He uses real people like Richard Burton, Algernon Swinburne, and Lord Henry Beresford of Waterford, with cameos by Oscar Wilde, Charles Babbage, and others. I was particularly amused at the eeeeeeevil evolutionists being led by (spoilers removed). There was no insertion of overtly fictional characters — i.e., no Sherlock Holmes or Allan Quatermain. It's almost like a bent world that might have been.

That said, this book gets 4 stars for story and content, 3 stars for writing. I suppose some of the writing tics that bugged me may have been a deliberate attempt to emulate the writing style of Victorian pulp adventures, hence Sir Richard Burton constantly being referred to as "the King's agent." But having long chapters of exposition narrated to us by the expedient of characters eavesdropping on the bad guys as they conveniently monologue their life history and then spell out their plans in detail? Lazy. Entertaining as heck, but lazy. Hodder is a great storyteller, and the pace never flagged, even during the monologues, but the plotting was sloppy. And like most steampunk settings, there's a lot of suspension of disbelief required, since steampunk cyborgs, talking orangutans, and genetically-engineered housepets are not a logical consequence of killing Queen Victoria, even with a time traveler letting slip a few hints about the future to inquisitive 19th century scientists. Still, accept that history has been kicked onto its side and anything goes, and the plot flows right along.

A great read for any fan of steampunk, an entertaining read for fans of historicals who don't mind fantasy.

Good enough for me to consider the next volume in the series when I am in the mood for a beach read.

A Modern Sci-Fi Master Piece

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

The writing, the plot and characters. The author took real people from history and made them into bigger then life characters in a world twisted by one mans folly.

What did you like best about this story?

I usually can tell the ending of a story and it's plot twists early, but not here. I was kept interested with the story having to know what happened next.

Any additional comments?

The beginning is slow because it is like a history lesson on Victory England so you are familiar with the world the story is set in, but after the first 30 minutes it really kicks in to high gear.

Wow!...interesting

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

This book is unique among others I've listened to or read. I've never listened or read anything "steampunk", but it was interesting. This book was written so that you had a good mental picture of the machines, characters and environments.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters, the descriptions of events, machines, etc. was great. It was complicated to get into, but it was easy to follow after about the first 15 minutes.

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

There were moments in this book that caused me to gasp with surprise. I listen driving home from work or in to town for errands. I have surprised myself with my reaction to some of the twists and turns in this book.

Any additional comments?

give it a listen - you'll be surprised.

Excellent Story and Narrator

Nineteenth century Great Britain is in the throes of a steampunk industrial revolution, and the past (as we know it) isn't shaping up the way it should have. Into this, comes a mysterious creature, Spring Heeled Jack, who is accosting women and wreaking havoc. Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton (whose real life reads like fiction--look him up!) becomes an agent for the Crown, assigned to solve the case.

This incredibly detailed and richly imagined alternate universe is amazing. Hodder has created realistic literature, political movements, and technology. He has taken one of the great Victorian heroes, Burton, and given him a role that is believable based on his real-life personality. The plot is dense, and requires thought to follow, and is not fully predictable.

This first-of-a-series is a strong piece of steampunk fantasy that is enjoyable, entertaining, and thought-provoking. I highly recommend it!

As for Gerard Doyle--his performance is stellar. He's one of my favorite narrators!

A Mystery Most Excellent

If you could sum up The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack in three words, what would they be?

Strange. Exciting. Historical. The history in this book is mostly excellent excepting for the obvious straying of course. It was a wonderful blend with strange and unusual steampunk elements that also includes some biological advancements that aren't just window dressing for an adventure story but are an integral part of the plot.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Spring-Heeled Jack figure becomes the most interesting character in the story by the end of it

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

No, but he was one of my favorite parts of listening to this book.

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

Who the heck let us make this?

Any additional comments?

My primary concern with the book is the story attempts to explain it's universe in a way that's supposed to be sensible but it really just doesn't make sense and so the whole attempt to tie it all together just fails miserably. It's a situation where I've already suspended my belief but the magician just keeps insisting that his sawing this woman in half is only a trick and ruins the performance. But, I will continue with the series anyways since this little debacle is now presumably out of the way and was able to enjoy the rest of the book just fine. It is still one of my favorites and perhaps my favorite example of good steampunk fiction.

Simple and Fun Story

I really enjoyed this story. The narrator did an excellent job. The story is fun & imaginative with a touch of simple here and there. It's like the "easy read" books you take to the cabin.

OK Steampunk but only OK

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Hmmm... not really inspired. The book is basically just an explanation of how a typical steam-punk universe could exist.

Would you recommend The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack to your friends? Why or why not?

no - all the really interesting concepts had been "borrowed" from popular graphic design motifs of the genre. If this book had come out 7 years ago I would have been impressed.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

It was OK

Do you think The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

maybe... if the author has some of his own ideas it could be good.

Time travel fun

Fun steampunk adventure using historic props and characters. Solid starting place for the a series.

Brilliant!

Holder is not just king of Steampunk! He's an amazing novelist in every sense. Wit, mystery, timing, style : all quite superior!

A Delight!

Excellent Steampunk. Very enjoyable. I can't wait to start the next book in the series.