New Amsterdam (2007)

I read this book several years ago and I was disappointed. Very intriguing story line, but it just wasn't working for me like it should. I had a hard time getting into the style of the author's writing. It's been too long since I read it to get into specifics, but the feeling of disappointment has lingered. ( )

A nice change from melodramatic vampire tales. This is a pile of mystery stories set during the early 1900s, mostly in New Amsterdam - an alternate world of zeppelins, sorcery and an American Revolution still yet brewing. Sebastian is one of the first of "the blood" to set foot in the colonies. An amateur detective, he brings along with him a predilection for intellectual blonds. Detective Crown Inspector Garrett is one of them and he assists in a variety of gruesome investigations. Also, this may have been the first knitting vampire I've ever run across. ( )

I want to like these stories set in New Amsterdam but can't get into Bear's writing style. The tension is lax whenever characters are distracted by each other, and solutions to the conflicts aren't well explained. The glimpses we can see of the magical systems and character relationships suggest that the stories in the author's head were more interesting than what was captured on the page.

I got my hands on a paperback version (currently out of print--only the e-book is available for purchase at this time) through the local library without realizing that some "chapters" were actually individually published novellas that were later brought together into one publication.

It was a fascinating and entirely pleasurable read. No character is left behind; they are all fully fleshed out. Emotions are felt deeply and consequences weigh heavily on both the characters and the reader. Each chapter, furthermore, leaves the reader with the same sense of completion that a short story might, with the exception of the relief that a sequel might bring. I found I needed five or ten minutes to breathe and recover from the intensity of each chapter.

It's an interesting take on an alternative history in which the American Revolution did not occur (in addition to the existence of supernatural creatures and magic) and I thoroughly encourage everyone to immediately pick up an (e-)copy. ( )

I got my hands on a paperback version (currently out of print--only the e-book is available for purchase at this time) through the local library without realizing that some "chapters" were actually individually published novellas that were later brought together into one publication.

It was a fascinating and entirely pleasurable read. No character is left behind; they are all fully fleshed out. Emotions are felt deeply and consequences weigh heavily on both the characters and the reader. Each chapter, furthermore, leaves the reader with the same sense of completion that a short story might, with the exception of the relief that a sequel might bring. I found I needed five or ten minutes to breathe and recover from the intensity of each chapter.

It's an interesting take on an alternative history in which the American Revolution did not occur (in addition to the existence of supernatural creatures and magic) and I thoroughly encourage everyone to immediately pick up an (e-)copy. ( )