Review: The Lazarus Machine

Mar •  7 •  2013
Title: The Lazarus Machine

Series: Tweed and Nightingale Adventures # 1
Genre: Young Adult-Steampunk/Sci-Fi
Author: Paul Crilley
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Release Date: November 6, 2012
Book: Finish copy sent by publisher

“An alternate 1895… a world where Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace perfected the Difference engine. Where steam and tesla-powered computers are everywhere. Where automatons powered by human souls venture out into the sprawling London streets. Where the Ministry, a secretive government agency, seeks to control everything in the name of the Queen.
It is in this claustrophobic, paranoid city that seventeen-year-old Sebastian Tweed and his conman father struggle to eke out a living.
But all is not well…
A murderous, masked gang has moved into London, spreading terror through the criminal ranks as they take over the underworld. as the gang carves up more and more of the city, a single name comes to be uttered in fearful whispers.
Professor Moriarty.
When Tweed’s father is kidnapped by Moriarty, he is forced to team up with information broker Octavia Nightingale to track him down. But he soon realizes that his father’s disappearance is just a tiny piece of a political conspiracy that could destroy the British Empire and plunge the world into a horrific war.”

Love these types of books. Adventure and unexpected discoveries that leave you wanting more…
The  plot of the book starts off great. Tweed goes around the country conning people. They pretend they can speak with dead. Right off the bat, their relationship is strange. It’s not your normal father/son relationship but rather a friendship. It’s odd to see how they regard each other and that;s why I’m so intrigued. Why are they like this in the first place? What is the father hiding?
Of course, my suspicions were correct when the father goes missing and off Tweed goes trying to piece together the lies that his father told him. Twee ends up meeting Octavia who feisty attitude catches Tweed. I can tell that these two bickering will make me laugh more. There both adoringly cute together and I hope that they will fall for each other. For now, the friend do the best they can, relying on each other piecing whatever they can to solve the mystery.
In the end, this book certainly caught my eye and I look forward to reading the next book. A fine story with a fresh plot, The Lazarus Machine is great!
I give it 4 BITES!
Happy Reading!
Posted by on Mar 7, 2013 in 2013, Paul Crilley, Review, Young Adult | 4 comments

4 Comments

  1. Alison Can Read
    Mar 7, 2013

    Sounds like a fun book. I’m curious about Sebastian. For whatever reason, I find conmen characters really cool.

  2. Amy
    Mar 7, 2013

    I really love this cover and the more reviews I see for this book the more I want to read it. It sounds really great. Awesome review chick!!

  3. Melissa (Books and Things)
    Mar 7, 2013

    Oh you found me another steampunk to try! I’ve been enjoying the YA steampunk lately.

  4. Lauren Elizabeth
    Mar 7, 2013

    Octavia and Tweed sound so cute! I love hilarious bickering that stems from probably liking each other. This cover rocks, too! I definitely need to pick this one up. Great review!