In fine Londonpunk tradition, the book's main character (Joe Spork, just one of many excellent names therein) is a victim of happenstance, his life proceeding like clockwork, which is not surprising as he is a clockmaker. But then the end of the world looms.

Fans of science fiction, steampunk, and those who can deal with a present-tense narrative without tossing the book into a corner.

The plot, characterization, and descriptions are top-notch, with humor and horror sprinkled throughout.

Present-tense narrative. I mean, seriously, reading an entire novel in present tense is like eating a non-stop diet of microwaved chicken fingers with bland ketchup.

Visit London. In fairness, I usually want to visit London.

Honestly, a bit bored at first, because it seemed to be a lot of words heading nowhere -- in spite of some ridiculously funny scenes. But gradually things start to come together and action happens.

It's a fine example of how to tie a narrative together, as well as crafting memorable characters and settings with histories and idiosyncrasies.

I realize I'm probably in the minority in hating present-tense narratives with the fiery passion of a thousand supernovas. And yet, the rest of the writing was so compelling that I slogged through it anyway, rather than ditching the book mid-story as I usually do in such cases, and the payoff was worth it.

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Created Oct 20, 2020 at 12:41am • Submit your own review...