Angelmaker

By: Nick Harkaway

Narrated by: Daniel Weyman

Joe Spork repairs clocks, a far cry from his late father, a flashy London gangster. But when Joe fixes one particularly unusual device, his life is suddenly upended. Joe's client, Edie Banister, is more than just a kindly old lady - she's a former superspy. And the device? It's a 1950s doomsday machine. And having triggered it, Joe now faces the wrath of both the government and a diabolical South Asian dictator, Edie's old arch-nemesis.

With Joe's once-quiet world now populated with mad monks, psychopathic serial killers, scientific geniuses, girls in pink leather, and threats to the future of conscious life in the universe, he realizes that the only way to survive is to muster the courage to fight, help Edie complete a mission she gave up years ago, and pick up his father's old gun.

©2012 Nick Harkaway (P)2012 AudioGO

A genre-mashing ripping yarn!

Some writers I love for their biting irreverant satire, like Vonnegut, Swift and Twain. Some writers I love for their opulent, vivid use of language, like Tom Robbins and Robert Anton Wilson. And some I love for the sheer inventiveness of their storytelling, like Neil Gaiman and Michael Chabon.

Nick Harkaway managed all of the above in his first novel, "The Gone Away World" (TGAW).

Therefore, I was both looking forward to - and dreading - Harkaway's second work, "Angelmaker". It seemed like I would almost certainly be disappointed.

I wasn't: if anything, "Angelmaker" represents a tighter, more focused narrative - while maintaining the strengths that made TGAW such a joy. Furthermore, "Angelmaker" isn't hampered by a contrived plot twist that was a sour note for me in TGAW.

As with TGAW, "Angelmaker" flits between genres with ease: is it spy thriller? Sort of. A mystery? Kind of. A sci-fi adventure? A bit. A gangster tale? Somewhat. It really defies category, and that's one of Harkaway's gifts… he plays with the tropes of genre without being constrained by them, and the results are delightful. Finally, Harkaway's characters are rich and amusing, and their dialogue frequently sparkles.

Both of the Audible versions of the books are deftly narrated: some of the best performances among my (several dozen) audiobooks. The narrators are able to breathe life into the character's voices, helping you enjoy them as the distinct personalities that they are.

A good showing

What did you love best about Angelmaker?

Lush writing draws you into the characters mind, life and emotions. This makes a great ride for fans of strong, sympathetic characters with cheeky, yet believeable, personality.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Angelmaker?

The prison sequence.

Which character – as performed by Daniel Weyman – was your favorite?

Joe Spork

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

No

Any additional comments?

A bit predictable if you've read his first outing, Gone Away World. Seems to have a very specific pattern to his themes and storytelling.

Instant classic

Wonderfully well-written book, great story, interesting characters, amazing narrator...loved it all. Excellent read. Not steam punk, sort of science fiction, not.quiye mystery, not exactly historical thriller...yet elements of all of these. Well worth the time.

Angelmaker

I was so glad I gave this a second try.This is a funny,witty book.A man who fixes clocks is charged with saving the world.His father,a theif and his grandfather,a collector of many things had something that someone needs to end the world.Give it a try!Daniel Aayman was great with narration.“I was given this free review copy audiobook and have voluntarily left this review." 

A narrative collage of quirky characters

Delightful, delectable and charming! Well written and well read. If the summary catches your eye, by all means, give it a try.

Wonderfully fun and imaginative

Any additional comments?

This is a really fun read. I loved Harkaway's Gone Away World which is why I picked this one up, and it did not disappoint. He is the kind of author that provides just the right amount of imagination and oddity that the world seems believable - not fantasy - yet has that adventurous quality I long for in a novel. It is the kind of book that sends me back to audible right away in hopes of finding another great journey.

Not my normal, but Excellent

This was definitely and odd type of mystery, but wow, it was interested, and funny, and sexy... it's so strange how it all started pulling together. I guess i didn't have a good sense for the story i was getting into, but i really enjoyed the characters and the deep web that they get pulled into. A much bigger story than i anticipated, but really well done. (I don't usually like them this long either, but this was worth it.)

Landmark

One of the best stories ever told. excellent characters, strong plot, fantastic action and dialog. When my kids are old enough, they will know this book

Favorite Book

This has become one of my all time favorite books, and I listen to it every few months. The story is incredible, the characters are demonstrative and alive, and Daniel Weyman does an absolutely amazing job. It's a wonderful world to slip in to, and I highly recommend it.

Production problem seriously detracts from quality

Every couple of minutes there is a several second pause in the audio. This is not just at paragraph or scene changes but will occur between two sentences in the same description or dialogue. Clearly some kind of editing or production failure that this was not caught before releasing the book.
The narration itself is very good and the story is a fun ride but all of that is seriously diminished by being taken out of the story's flow by these pauses.