This book turned out to be a crime novel that read more like a 40s or 50s pulp noir story than the steampunk story I assumed it would be. Then again never judge a book by its cover, right (and fully read a description before digging in — “volatile mix of steampunk, noir, historical fiction, and two-fisted action”).
The story is well written, for the most part. Like I said it felt more like I was reading a noir story than a steampunk story despite what other reviewers wrote about this being an excellent steampunk book. I for one cannot say it was either. Good, yes. Great, no.
The title of the book, Automatic Woman, leads one to believe the main character would indeed be the automatic woman. Wrong again. She is delegated to a very minute background role. Perhaps that is what made me not really like this story. The story revolves around a struggle to get her and know her secrets yet we never see her again until the end. Then, again, only briefly. Perhaps as I read more steampunk I will change my mind about this book, but for now I will not categorize it as such myself.
The story does move along at a good pace and you will get wrapped into the mystery of what will happen to Jolly. So even though I cannot give this a rave review, I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in crime novels or “steampunk”. Maybe you can come back and convince me of it worthiness to be called steampunk.
Description
There are no simple cases. Jacob “Jolly” Fellows knows this.
The London of 1888, the London of steam engines, Victorian intrigue, and horseless carriages is not a safe place nor simple place…but it’s his place. Jolly is a thief catcher, a door-crashing thug for the prestigious Bow Street Firm, assigned to track down a life sized automatic ballerina. But when theft turns to murder and murder turns to conspiracy, can Jolly keep his head above water? Can a thief catcher catch a killer?
Automatic Woman is the second novel from award winning screenwriterNathan L. Yocum. A volatile mix of steampunk, noir, historical fiction, and two-fisted action, Automatic Woman takes us to a place that never was yet we all know so well… the London of Jules Verne, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Jack the Ripper and Bram Stoker with a pneumatic twist.