Odd, Original and Memorable

An entertaining story that hangs together pretty well. It has some dark moments but it also has moments that did make me smile. The author writes well although sometimes he is a little repetitive on a particular point.

It is mainly a time-travel story in which a man from the 23rd century, keen to reinstate the family's good name, tries to stop his ancestor from killing Queen Victoria and in the attempt dramatically changes the course of history. During the course of the book there is a bit of confusion about the paradoxes that the storyline sets up, but it is all lost in the enjoyable silliness of it all, including a Charles Darwin with two brains and a mechanical Brunel!

Spring-Heeled Jack is a real Victorian phenomena and is worth a look in Wikipedia, but read this after you have listened to the book! Hodder has carefully followed the 'real' myth and speculation in the story he has woven.

The narrator also does a fine job.

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5 people found this helpful

excellent all round innovative and gripping

A very unusual mix of storyline which is believable in most parts, the script is very descriptive producing elaborate mental imagery. The narration is awesome and compelling, I really struggled to stop listening, a really great job and I was straight on to part 2.

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4 people found this helpful

very different but surprisingly good

not at all what I normally go for but I was curious. I was not disappointed.
try not to think logically and simply enjoy the story and you will be fine.
I enjoyed the narrator and the whole performance particularly the idea of messages being delivered by swearing parrots! Had me laughing

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Fantastic adventure with great narration

Spring Heeled Jack is such a fantastic story i was hooked and was actually looking forward to my commute to work. The use of real historical characters, and the working in of true stories about their lives adds a great deal. Im not going to go into any details about the story as it would spoil your experience.



One thing I need to say is that in some reviews it mentions that the book is a bit overlong, and this did make me think twice before downloading. After finishing the audiobook i couldn't disagree more. I found the conversations between characters to be interesting and always helped to move the plot along.



I would highly recommend this book and I'm itching to get my next credit so I can grab book 2.

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Highly entertaining

A superb match of narrator and material, Gerard Doyle's telling of this highly original and fast-paced adventure captures the 'Boys' Own/ Flashman' sensitivity of the story while giving it a dry irony and wit that makes the characters feel authentic and yet doesn't take itself too seriously. Can't recommend this book highly enough... looking forward to the next in the series.

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1 person found this helpful

Definitely strange

An imaginative, weird world tinged with some humour. Narrator excellent in parts, especially some of the voice characterisations, but occasionally sounded a bit dull.

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Steam punk thirller!

Great book and really well narrated. Fantastic steam punk paradox wth a great two part plot reveal. If you like sci-fi and victorian thrillers this one is for you!

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A very interesting imagining

Would you listen to The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack again? Why?

Yes, it was an interesting foray into a past quite different from the one recorded in the history books. There were so many different characters it will probably take another listen to fully appreciate them.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack?

I loved all the scenes with Algernon Swinburne. Although he claimed to be utterly depraved he was a likeable character with a strong sense of loyalty.

What does Gerard Doyle bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

The voices selected brough a warmth and likeableness to many of the main characters and he made those who had bodily modifications sound so very different it really made them come alive.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It had some elements that made me smile but it was most interesting for the world described in such great detail in the novel and for the unfolding of the twists and turns of the plot.

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1 person found this helpful

A great idea for the legend

I did feel it could have been narrated with more zest and emotion. A steady read that did not wholly encapsulate the story.

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An excellent listen

I had never read/listened to anything from the steam punk genre until giving this a go. I'm glad I did. It now has me hooked. Not only is it an enjoyable story but you also learn of people from history you may otherwise have never discovered. Can't wait to start the next in the series. Dread finishing the final instalment, though.

Ps

The narration was very strong. Tended to feel weak at times, but those times were very rare. High marks all around.

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