Infernal Devices

George Dower Trilogy, Book 1

De: K. W. Jeter

Narrado por: Michael Page

When George’s father died, he left his son a watchmaker’s shop - and a whole lot more. But George has little talent for watches and other infernal devices. When someone tries to steal an old device from the premises, George finds himself embroiled in a mystery of time travel, wild music, and sexual intrigue.

©2011 K. W. Jeter (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“This is the real thing - a mad inventor, curious coins, murky London alleys and windblown Scottish Isles.... A wild and extravagant plot that turns up new mysteries with each succeeding page.” (James P. Blaylock)

Initial foray into steampunk good with missses

Overall, interesting story with some misses. It had no characters in whom I was invested. There was some interesting characters along the way but only as a point of curiosity not of true interests.

The story was also a bit disjointed; I almost had a sense of going between various set pieces who connection was tenuous.

Finally, while I know why Mr. Jeter has Scape use the language he does, uses the Lord's name in vain was unnecessary and would not have been accepted in Mr. Dower's world. For this reason alone, I cannot recommend this book.

Michael Page did an admirable job narrating

Enjoyable steampunk.

This is a nice easy read (or, rather, listen) with a nice popcorn novel plot and lots of interesting characters. Its not bogged down with a bunch of moral questions or philosophy, and I like it just how it is. Let Gibson worry about morals and transhumanism. Sometimes I like that, but sometimes I just want to read a good story in a specific fiction theme. Just know it has all the fun and adventure of a Jules Verne story, but lighter. The best part about this is K.W. Jeter was one of the first (possibly "the" first) to really take a hand to the steampunk style, back in 1987, and this holds up just as well (better, really) than the modern steampunk written in the last few years since mainstream interest has picked up.

This one was just okay

This one was just okay for me. I really wanted to like it more, but the pacing was a bit inconsistent for me and I kept drifting off. The narration was also just okay.

Nostalgic and inspirational

I have been disappointed in steam punk, yet I'm repeatedly drawn back to it. I can also taste its peppering in stories that would NOT be labeled steam punk. So, perhaps it floats in the ether as a zeitgeist, or it's more of an elemental device... so, I asked the question "what is the origin of the genre?"

I discovered KW Jeter.

I'm so glad I have!

I now know the flavor, the pure raw form! As a writer, a chef of words, I love discovering spices and recipes! And though I've encountered these specific items before, it was always someone else's recipe and always a fusion with something else.

I'm inspired to try my own fusion, and all it took was an encounter with a dish from 1987... a good vintage, if I may say so myself! I was 8 y/o, and had fallen in love with the pop culture of the decade. Infernal Devices, though set in a Victorian age, conjures up ghosts from my beloved decade! What I may end up writing may be an homage to not only steam punk, but also the era of my youth... instead of the glamour and social strife of the second industrial revolution, the final Reagan era has a bit of the same resonance for ME! I can't wait to get started!

The Original Steampunk

J.K. Jeter first coined the term "Steampunk" in a bar with Tim Powers and J.P. Blaylock as the trio discussed the Neo-Victorian novels they were planning to write. Jeter then cemented the word in a letter to Locus magazine describing Infernal Devices and the rest is history: an artistic sub genre was born!

Infernal Devices is the first steampunk novel (not counting the works for Wells & Verne) and this production was definitely tailored for those wanting to learn more about Jeter's unintentional pop-culture movement. The narration is exquisite and the novel itself is a fun adventure story, but don't expect any deep thinking to result from it alone; Jeter had no clue what exactly he had created with this one. Overall, if you're curious about the history of Steampunk, you won't do much better than this. Highly recommended!