Wonderful world building and alternate history. But the main story was, well, implausible would be the polite term. Certainly readable and certainly entertaining but the main draw for me here was the background and the setting. The appendices were a nice touch, too, with more background on the history of the world after the comet stuck in the 1870's. ( )

This is a book you should not miss. ( )

It's more 3.5 stars, but GoodReads doesn't do half stars.

I liked it - it's just that I have his other works to compare it to, and it's not quite up to their high standard. Still, a fun romp with engaging characters and an interesting world concept. ( )

This was a delightful romp of steampunk, alternative history, action adventure and it was funny in places too. I chuckled over the bit where one character enjoys reading speculative novels about how history might have turned out if meteors hadn't hit in 1878 - but its a guilty habit and she doesn't like to admit it. Stirling applies a lighter touch (or some more ruthless editing) than he has in previous books.

This one kept me happily turning the pages of my kobo, enjoying some victorian-flavoured alternate history. Extra points awarded for being 100% zombie and vampires free. ( )

neat story and good characters ( )