The Aylesford Skull, by James P. Blaylock

[essentialsaltes]

The Aylesford Skull brings us another steampunky adventure in the life of Langdon St. Ives and his archnemesis Professor Ignacio Narbondo. This time, it's personal.

This is the first novel-length St. Ives story in 20-some years, but provides plenty of the same rip-roaringly implausible quasi-Victorian adventure. Nevertheless, it's certainly not my favorite of them. Arthur Conan Doyle shows up as a minor character for the purpose of... being Arthur Conan Doyle, I suppose. And the ending was not as carefully constructed as most of the solid material leading us there, which leaves the reader (me, at least) on a low note.

Comments

[ladyeuthanasia.livejournal.com]

Have you read THE LIST OF SEVEN by Mark Frost?

[essentialsaltes.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's a much more thorough incorporation of Doyle into a story.

[ladyeuthanasia.livejournal.com]

I've asked you about this before, haven't I? :-)

[essentialsaltes.livejournal.com]

Haha, I didn't go searching for it, but I think so!