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  • Homunculus

  • The Adventures of Langdon St Ives, Book 1
  • By: James P Blaylock
  • Narrated by: Nigel Carrington
  • Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
  • 3.2 out of 5 stars (72 ratings)
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Homunculus cover art

Homunculus

By: James P Blaylock
Narrated by: Nigel Carrington
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Summary

Winner of the Philip K. Dick Memorial Award

In 1870s London, a city of contradictions and improbabilities, where living men are willing to risk all to steal a carp. Here, a night of bangers and ale at the local pub can result in an eternity at the Blood Pudding with the rest of the reanimated dead.

A dead man has been piloting a mysterious decaying airship across the foggy skies of the city for some years, arousing the interest of many: the Royal Society, a fraudulent evangelist named Shiloh, the vivisectionist Dr. Ignacio Narbondo and of course the scientist and explorer Professor Langdon St. Ives.

St. Ives and his friends of the Trismegistus Club are more concerned with the inheritance of Jack Owlesby, a fine young fellow affianced to Dorothy, the beautiful daughter of toymaker/inventor William Keeble, who builds jolly boxes for space aliens, oxygenators, and gigantic emeralds. Jack's late father bequeathed him just such a gem, but also left behind dark knowledge related to the evil Narbondo. St. Ives suspects that Narbondo and his assistant, are using this knowledge to raise the dead, possibly for nefarious purposes. When poor Bill Kraken steals what everyone assumes to be Owlesby's emerald in a fit of alien-induced madness, ambitions, greed and heroism collide turning Hampstead Heath into a carnival of flying skulls, crumbling ghouls and crashing spaceships.

This rip-roaring, highly entertaining steam punk classic is the second book in the Narbondo series, written by Blaylock, one of the literary pioneers of the Steampunk movement. Set in the same world, the series need not be read in order.

©2012 James Blaylock (P)2012 Audible Ltd

Critic reviews

"Try this zany story on audio...Nigel Carrington was a brilliant choice. There are a lot of similar characters in Homunculus, but Mr. Carrington made them distinguishable. He also hit exactly the right tone with the humour which ranged from deadpan to black comedy to zany farce. In fact, I would specifically recommend the audio version of Homunculus just because Nigel Carrington's performance was a large factor in my enjoyment of the book…. As you may have guessed, Homunculus is zany and completely over-the-top in the right kind of way….If you’re in the mood for a surreal British comedy in the vein of Monty Python or Fawlty Towers, James P. Blaylock’s Homunculus will fit the bill nicely." (fantasyliterature.com)
“Fascinating, darkly atmospheric, absurd and brilliant. “ (rantingdragon.com)
“Blaylock keeps the action moving by cutting back and forth nimbly between various plots and characters (and points of view), bringing everyone together for a bizarre, but satisfying ending.” (greenmanreview.com)

What listeners say about Homunculus

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Such a shame

I so wanted to enjoy this - the subject sounds wonderful and there are great reviews all over the internet. However, to me it just reads like a third rate imitation of Douglas Adams. And why settle for an imitation when you can have the real thing? The humour just doesn't quite cut the mustard. Don't let me put you off, I realise I am in the minority due to the consensus otherwise on various websites, but I'd suggest thinking twice if you are a fan of Hitchhiker's Guide or Dirk Gently. Very disappointed.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

An epic to lose yourself in, brilliant narration

I'll be honest, this is one of those books that takes a while to get into. But once you get past the introduction and prologue, and settle into the proper action (chapter 2 on your download), Homunculus is brilliant. I love Terry Gilliam films like Baron Munchausen and Doctor Parnassus, so this type of story is right up my street.

The story is epic and detailed, and maintains a deadpan humour throughout, painting crazy characters and absurd situations in whimsical situations. This book is categorically not for realists, but a delightful romp. Nigel Carrington's narration is perfect in communicating the surreal British humour that runs throughout the whole story, and I loved the almost Blackadder tones he maintained for Langdon St Ives' character. If you enjoy the alternative magical realities created in books like Aaronovitch's River of London trilogy, and Kim Newman's Anno Dracula books, give this a go!

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful surprise

Any additional comments?

I've come back to this book time and again because I am always amazed by Blaylock's perfect capture of the texture and rhythms of the Victorian period of which he writes. Neither heavy-handed nor affected, his use of period sensibilities and language comes through not only in perfectly balanced dialogue, but also his sharply observed descriptions and well-paced narratives of action. His characters are at first an array of pantomime parodies (the baddie is a hunchback named Narbando? Seriously?), but they soon reveal their own personalities and unexpected complexities as the story unfolds. And we cannot ignore the story itself, of course. Throw a cast of characters like this into a landscape littered with all the possibilities of a twisted version of Victorian London, drop in the possibility of immortality, sprinkle with zombies, and of course you are going to get a good story, but Blaylock's weird and darkly humorous mind has made it a GREAT story. And the thing I love best about this book is how he treats both the characters and the landscapes: from the grand sweeping views of the London cityscape over which passes a dirigible flown by an animate corpse, to the intimate exchange between Langdon St Ives and the butler he believes he is fooling with a ridiculous disguise, Blaylock pulls it off with a perfect blend of warmth, detail, and style that would be intimidating if it wasn't so tongue in cheek.
I admit I began Homonculus reluctantly, with preconceived stereotypes of the whole steampunk thing, and very ready to dislike and mock the book. But I am ready to admit how wrong I was, and have gotten so much enjoyment not only from this book but other James P. Blaylock works in this and other series that I am grateful I took a chance on this all those years ago (still unsure about the steampunk scene, however).

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good in parts

Is there anything you would change about this book?

If you’re eccentric, you’ll love this book. The characters are both funny and dark and believable. Some of the plot needed further development, but on the whole I enjoyed the story.

Would you recommend Homunculus to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes. Recommend they read Skulls first.

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

Emotion

Could you see Homunculus being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

Yes. three.

Any additional comments?

Found myself skipping bits.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good yarn

A very good effort
Performance was very good
Overall structure a little scatty with just a tad too much wordsmithery
Having said this an enjoyable book

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The Bill Sikes Crystal Egg Affair

Steampunk doyen, James Blaylock, stitches together a strange and sinister cast of refugees from Dickens and Wells for his faux-Victorian world of dirigibles, ancient astronauts, reanimated corpses, evil scientists and gentlemen adventurers before setting them all off on an entertaining MacGuffin quest that romps through a tangled web of fantastical plot threads and vivid ideas. Descriptions of the book as a "comic sci-fi novel" are misleading however, with the prose being more wry than rib-tickling, the story played as straight as such material allows.
So far as the audiobook experience goes, Nigel Carrington's assured voice moves the narration along in steady, shipshape fashion.
One for fans of Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart novels or M. John Harrison's Viriconium series.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

God awful.

I,ve tried 3 times to get past the first 20 mins but it really is just complete garbage. It's exactly what happens when someone who is neither funny nor interesting is just filling the air/pages with words instead of saying anything.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Couldn’t finish it

I got so confused with the lack of time and inflection in the performance, I had to buy the paperback and finish it “manually”!

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Complex and kind of dull

Lovely prose, lots of it, but little in the way of plot that hooks you in. I ploughed on with it as I wanted to know what happened, but out of a sense of determination rather than enjoyment.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Complicated story ,...but?

wasn't sure about this story at first although I was interrupted many times while I was listening. (I operate hydraulic a press).Anyway,before I passed judgement I listened again and enjoyed it. The story is bonkers but compelling James Blaylock has managed to merge sci fie, Dr Frankenstein and the age of Sherlock Holmes all in one book. Certifiable but fun!

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