Reviewed by annieb123 on
The Revenant Express is the 5th book in theNewbury and Hobbes mystery series by George Mann. This series reminds me a lot of The Avengers (the Steed & Peel Avengers, that is), set in an alternate Victorian steampunk world. There are steam trains (with a central train subplot set on an intercontinental steam train reminiscent of the Orient express), magic, secret societies, a clockwork heart (3 the author's nod to Fabergè), spies, counterintelligence, skullduggery, creepy science, zombies (zombies!), trains, and more.
Released 12th Feb 2019 by Tor books, it's 256 pages and available in hardcover, audio-, and ebook formats.
This is a surprisingly intricate book with multiple intertwining subplots and a large number of returning characters; as such, it doesn't work well at all as a standalone. I was unfamiliar with the series before I started reading, and I was forced to go back to read the first book to have a clue what was going on.
Whilst I am a fan of steampunk fantasy, I'm not much of a horror fan, and this series is a lot more in the horror vein than I prefer, honestly. That being said, however, this is a well crafted book with taut plotting and pacing, good and believable dialogue, and well written characters who follow internal motivations. I enjoyed it enough that I believe I will pick up the next book in the series at least.
Four stars, well written and extremely creepy.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 27 April, 2019: Reviewed