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The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man
- Burton & Swinburne, Book 2
- Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
- Length: 14 hrs and 31 mins
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The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man
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Summary
It is 1862, though not the 1862 it should be. Time has been altered, and Sir Richard Francis Burton, the king's agent, is one of the few people who know that the world is now careening along a very different course from that which Destiny intended. When a clockwork-powered man of brass is found abandoned in Trafalgar Square, Burton and his assistant, the wayward poet Algernon Swinburne, find themselves on the trail of the stolen Garnier Collection of black diamonds rumoured to be fragments of the Lemurian Eye of Naga, a meteorite that fell to Earth in prehistoric times.
His investigation leads to involvement with the media sensation of the age: the Tichborne Claimant, a man who insists that he's the long lost heir to the cursed Tichborne estate. Monstrous, bloated, and monosyllabic, he's not the aristocratic Sir Roger Tichborne known to everyone, yet the working classes come out in force to support him. They are soon rioting through the streets of London, as mysterious steam wraiths incite all-out class warfare. From a haunted mansion to the Bedlam madhouse, from South America to Australia, from séances to a secret labyrinth, Burton struggles with shadowy opponents and his own inner demons, meeting along the way the philosopher Herbert Spencer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Florence Nightingale, and Charles Doyle (father of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle).
Can the king's agent expose a plot that threatens to rip the British Empire apart, leading to an international conflict the like of which the world has never seen? And what part does the clockwork man have to play? Burton and Swinburne's second adventure, The Clockwork Man of Trafalgar Square is filled with eccentric steam-driven technology, grotesque characters, and a deepening mystery that pushes forward the three-volume story arc begun in The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack.
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What listeners say about The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Moriah
- 28-12-13
To violent for me
Would you consider the audio edition of The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man to be better than the print version?
The narration was well done.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I loved the story and couldn't stop listening... until the last part.
Any additional comments?
There is a lot of graphic violence in the book and I couldn't stomach it. It would be fine for someone who doesn't mind that but I couldn't finish the story because of it. It is hard to enjoy a story when people are dying in horrible ways.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Victoria
- 22-01-15
Interesting take on what could have happened.
I really enjoyed this book but sometimes find that what is said in 1000 words could be said in 100!
Also the way the narrator says 'Alresford' is WRONG. I grew up here and it is one of those funny names where you have silent letters. Sounds petty but for me it ruined the book as cringed every time he said 'Al-res-ford'. It should be said 'Alsford'.
Otherwise I thought it was great :).
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bruce
- 09-06-13
FASCINATING STORY; A NOVEL BLEND OF FACT & FICTION
Mark Hodder has a most fertile imagination and seamlessly blends Victorian fact and fiction. Gerald Doyle's narration is spot on and the listener is soon engrossed in the story. A must for people who enjoy an almost " Holmesian" blend of blurred realities with a cracking and pacey plot.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Frankieg3
- 30-03-13
This book is fantastic
I have loved this book. The story swings along with a brilliant naration. The characters have depth and the story is inventive and funny. The only problem is I have started on book two so I will now have to get the first one and book three and start from the begining. There will be no trouble listening to this one again .
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Grey
- 13-04-13
Inventive creation
Mark Hodder has created an inventive world which has the background of Victorian London as it's starting point but quickly takes the listener into an inventive parallel world. The ideas put forward by the author give cause to ponder morals and ethics without detracting from the story line. Don't get me wrong the themes and ideas are not seamless, but they made me think, "How does that work then?" While the book is a stand alone story, there are references to the first in the series, others may prefer to listen to it first. An impulse buy that I will listen to again, in part, due to the voice characterisation of the narrator Gerard Doyle.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Crowmarsh Gifford
- 26-03-19
What a great theory
In this episode you are taken through a plausible alternative history of the British Empire. As it could have been or is it the real thing?
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- PJ
- 22-01-14
A bit naff
What disappointed you about The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man?
The story just tries a bit to hard to be 'original'. It's trying to pick up the Steam Punk vibe but just lacks flair and is quite complicated to follow. To be honest I've kind of given up halfway through.
Has The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man put you off other books in this genre?
I'd think twice about choosing this author again.
How could the performance have been better?
Major rewrite.
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man?
Major rewrite.
Any additional comments?
Disappointing book. Not funny enough, not fast-paced enough, not well enough thought out. It might still make an interesting movie with a good director and major surgery.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Jay
- 12-08-16
Awful.
Read the first book in print and loved it, and was really looking forward to listening to this one. But the narrator is just awful! Slow and flat, just painful to listen to.
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1 person found this helpful