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Fascinating but

Revisado: 05-21-20

You really need a working knowledge of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street before reading this follow-up.
Although I’d loved Watchmaker, I spent most of this book feeling rather puzzled and hoping it would all make sense at some point.
It’s a vast tale with historical/political events unfolding amidst evocative descriptions of London fog, electrical storms and chalk clouds.
The subtle blurring of the mystical, mechanical and scientific was wonderful but the atmosphere was disrupted by too much constant movement.
The story felt fragmented and was difficult to relax into, partly because of the split timelines and partly because there were so many names of people and places to remember.
Ultimately it feels over-complicated. Another reviewer says it benefits from a second reading, but I need a breather first.

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Cinematic Scots chiller

Revisado: 09-19-18

I think I like it more in retrospect than I did as I was listening, which is probably because the main character became rather irritating. There’s a strong cast of characters and the premise is good but I think it would be more successful if it were filmed. The house, the books, the pool, the lift etc make a great cinematic backdrop to the ghostly and mental health strands. A good film maker could trim down the repetition, move the plot along a little faster and create an atmospheric contemporary chiller.

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Over too soon

Revisado: 03-25-18

Lovely to step back into the world of the bookshop and fascinating insights into the history of SF. The characters, ships, books, computers and university all deserved more pages so it’s such a shame that this is just a short story.

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Even better than the book

Revisado: 03-25-18

Having Hugh Fraser (who played Hastings in the ITV series) voicing the doctor, gives our narrator a sheen of familiarity and reliability. Superb.

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An architect's novel

Revisado: 03-16-15

Effortlessly incorporates the psychology behind British postwar modernism into a very simple human tale- never come across that before.

Preferred the first half as it had a more architectural and historical narrative but the ending is in no way disappointing.

Enjoy Sean Barratt's narration although I had occasional (unpleasant) flashbacks to The Prague Cemetery.

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