Tuesday 23 September 2014

URBAN STEAMPUNK: Jani and the Greater Game - Eric Brown

Release Date: 31/07/14
Publisher:  Solaris

SYNOPSIS:

It's 1910 and the British rule the subcontinent with an iron fist - and with strange technology fuelled by a power source known as Annapurnite - discovered in the foothills of Mount Annapurna. But they rule but at the constant cost of their enemies, mainly the Russians and the Chinese, attempting to learn the secret of this technology...This political confrontation is known as The Greater Game. Into this conflict is pitched eighteen year old Janisha Chaterjee who discovers a strange device which leads her into the foothills of the Himalayas. When Russians spies and the evil priest Durja Das find out about the device, the chase is on to apprehend Janisha before she can reach the Himalayas. There she will learn the secret behind Annapurnite, and what she learns will change the destiny of the world for ever...Jani and the Greater Game is the first book in a rip-roaring, spice-laden, steampunk action adventure series set in India and featuring a heroine who subverts all the norms.


REVIEW:

To be honest I wasn’t sure what to make of this novel. It had some great points about it, such a the inventiveness where the author manages to blend alien worlds with Victoriana Steampunk alongside some fun stereotyping with the various cultures involved. However apart from a rip-roaring adventure pace,, that’s where the book falls flat as it felt that in parts of the book were way to coincidental a pieces fell together a little too fortuitously as well as in an unbelievable jammy way.

All round, whilst I did have fun with the book, I did feel that some of the supporting cast were a little flat and when added to a sadly lacklustre overall arc all round left me feeling that this one was a bit of an average book without standing out like it should have done. A great shame for me however I will read others as I liked a few of the concepts within.

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