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High Vaultage

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High Vaultage

By: Chris Sugden, Jen Sugden
Narrated by: Peter Wicks
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About this listen

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE FOR COMIC FICTION

'A joyously funny and absurd steampunk frolic that satirises both the era in which it is set and our own age'
FINANCIAL TIMES

From the creators of the acclaimed audio drama podcast Victoriocity comes a cozy scifi mystery set in the chaotic metropolis of Even Greater London - unmissable for fans of Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series and Terry Pratchett's Discworld.

EVEN GREATER LONDON, 1887: a vast, uninterrupted urban plane encompassing the entire lower half of England and, for complex reasons, only the upper third of the Isle of Wight... The immense Tower casts electricity across the sky itself, powering the mind-boggling mechanisms of the city below; the notorious engineer-army swarms through its very veins, building, demolishing, and rebuilding whatever they see fit; and - at the heart of it all - sits the country's first ever private detective agency.

Archibald Fleet and Clara Entwhistle hoped things would pick up quickly for their new enterprise. No one is taking them seriously, but their break will come soon. Definitely... Probably.

Meanwhile, police are baffled by a series of impossible bank robberies, their resources wholly absorbed by the case. Which means that when a woman witnesses a kidnapping, Fleet-Entwhistle Private Investigations is the only place she can turn for help. Luckily they're more than happy to oblige.

But what's the motive behind the kidnap? As Clara and Fleet investigate, they find more than they could ever have imagined...

Chris and Jen Sugden's book 'High Vaultage' was a No. 5 Sunday Times bestseller w/c 18-03-2024.

©2023 Chris Sugden and Jen Sugden (P)2023 Orion Publishing Group Limited
Fantasy Historical Humorous Steampunk England City Witty
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What listeners say about High Vaultage

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An entertaining imaginative story

I very much enjoyed this story set in an alternative Victorian London. The narrative kept moving with developed characters. Different technologies from the historical record added to the environment without seeming implausible. Narration of all the voices is excellent throughout.

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the story

the story was a amazing listen I didn't dislike anything about the story. I would recommend it to people who like thi

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Brilliant done

Listened to this because I LOVE the podcast, and this book did not disappoint. A deeper look into the world of Even Greater London and all of our beloved characters.

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Exceptional wit and delivery

High jinks and static charges in a dynamic (non-rom) comedy in the unending sprawl of unfettered urban planning. Veined with satire and grown on hope, this is why we need speculative fiction to keep us going … after all the future is a project that is never finished.

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love the podcast? you'll love this

I loved the podcast and absolutely needed more Fleet and Entwhistle in my ears

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The narrator did an excellent job.

It is a gripping Victorian world where machinery is advanced in a way similar to the 21st century and people are the same as always. The investigation has a lot of twists but in the end everything becomes clear. Also, I love the mini-stories that are told about Even Greater London.

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Hilarious and imaginative

Even Greater London is fascinating city to be immersed in, and Fleet and Clara make loveable protagonists.

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So Clever !

Fantastic Book. I was pulled in right in from the start. The writers are so clever and the attention to detail on every storyline is amazing ! I can’t wait first the next in the series !

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Wonderful story in a fantastical world

The story is fast-paced and wonderful bringing in elements of Sherlock Holmes and steampunk. The world-building is elegant and gives enough information to solve all the problems without being overwhelming. The mystery and cunning is only made better by the wit and whimsy displayed throughout all the interactions. Now very interested to go and listen to the podcast Victoriosity.

The narration is great with Peter Wicks masterfully inhabiting most of the diverse charaters.

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absolutely superb

High Vaultage by Chris & Jen Sugden.

This is utterly, utterly brilliant.

I'm a recent comer to the Victoriocity podcast. only having discovered it from an advert for this book. I listened, I got hooked.

The inclusion of a book into the series is a phenomenal addition, hopefully running in tandem with the podcast because honestly, that's too good to lose to books.

The world is just as alive here & the comedy descriptive passages that can get lost in the interests of plot in the podcast have room to shine & breathe here. I started highlighting my favourite ones but soon realised I'd end up highlighting most of the book. It's pretty much a laugh a page, either from the madness of the world, a fun event or a superb descriptive passage.

The plot itself is well put together, moves briskly along & is tight & engaging. If I had one complaint about it, it'd be that everything is linked in a way that is pretty standard in detective fiction these days but is a personal annoyance to me as being too neat for real life.

One thing I have to mention is one of my favourite things in books, especially comic ones & that's the background action behind a main scene, little insignificant scenes that run through the main plot, micro tales of daily life. I love them, they're here in abundance & they're brilliantly done.

I split this over the kindle & audiobooks (still waiting on my signed copy to turn up!) & my only frustration is with the audiobook. Given that it's a book following on from a audio drama, we know exactly what the characters sound like. A single narrator, no matter how good & through no fault of their own, is incapable of doing the "right" voices & being a one man cast. Just be aware of that if you're planning on listening to this one.

Highly, highly recommended but be aware you'll need to set half a day aside as you'll not be able to put it down.

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