This is one of those books that some will love and some will throw against the wall. I was engrossed from page one.

Pulley has deftly woven a story into the history of London of 1884 using bits of fantasy, science fiction, Nineteenth Century ether theory, and inter-dimensional warps. Amazon lists the book as historical, and I agree. The events occur completely in the London we know from history, but with suggestions of other worldliness. That statement is somewhat misleading; we do visit Japan twenty years earlier to get some understanding on Keita Mori, the Samurai Watchmaker.

At its base, this is a story of Thaniel Steepleton who must choose between his two best friends, Mori and Grace Carrow. The decision is enmeshed in the bombing of Scotland Yard and the police suspicion that Mari is the bomber.

This is a solid 4.2. Good read.

Mike Lawrence