“anarresa said: 2 stars
Presented as the first “steampunk superhero” this story is set in an alternate 1920s Prohibition New York. It focuses on a vigilante called The Ghost, the detective he crosses paths with, the mobster they are both chasing and a sexy Jazz singer, just to have a love interest. All the steampunk I’ve read (which is only about ten novels or short story collections) either reveled in the alternate technology or the Victorian era. This did neither. There are steampunk weapons and vehicles, but they felt nonessential and some were difficult to believe in. The alternate history is described just enough to get through a certain situation but is never fully fleshed out. The character is fun though, a vigilante cross between Batman and The Shadow. His history is also weak, but this is supposed to be the first in a series so that might be on purpose to leave something for future stories.
I wasn’t sure how to score this. I enjoyed the story, though it wasn’t what I expected so I was thrown for a few chapters. I didn’t like the writing but it wasn’t horrible. The characters were a little weak, but not too bad. I think if this were a graphic novel (and it SO should have been a movie or a graphic novel) I would have given it 4 stars, just for the fun of it. But as a book I felt misled and disappointed it wasn’t better constructed.”
