Sigmund Shaw: A Steampunk Adventure, from Mark C. King

Hi, there! The review today is about a steampunk book! I love this genre, but I’ve had only read one steampunk book so far in my life (All Men of Genius, from Lev A. C. Rosen). I was so happy when author Mark C. King reached out to me and sent me his book, Sigmund Shaw: A Steampunk Adventure, in Exchange for an honest review! Thanks again 😀

from my Instagram :) — from my Instagram 🙂

Story

In a steampunk London, Sigmund Shaw is a common young man – almost. Born into a middle class family, it was his duty to look out for his sister Alex after his father’s death. As a couch driver, his earnings not always were enough to put food into their table, so Sigmund started to master another skill: stealing. However, there’s a tiny detail: Sigmund would only steal things that their owners disliked or that wouldn’t be missed. That agreement with himself allowed taking care of Alex and later, of his niece, Sarah, until Alex’s second marriage.

Sigmund loved his calm and now honest life, but his brother-in-law, Jamison, presents a new challenge to him. Sarah was born paraplegic and never was able to walk. Alex and Sigmund took her to several doctors and the answer was always the same: there wasn’t a solution for Sarah. Jamison, through a college, heard of a Italian doctor with new techniques that could be a chance for Sarah; however, the appointment with the man was extremely expansive and, even with Jamison steady income, he wasn’t noble or a rich man. To pay for the appointment, Sigmund would have to steal something and fast, before the doctor left London.

There were no second thoughts in Sigmund’s mind; it was his dream to see Sarah walking. Desperate, he starts to search frantically, trying to find something very valuable that wasn’t needed by its others anymore. After a scheme to steal a priceless necklace from a hotel’s vault, Sigmund finds himself trapped in a political web that could change England’s destiny – maybe even the whole word. The question is how far will Sigmund go to help his country? How far would he go for a cure to Sarah?

Intense business, guys! Haha!

Analysis

Just reminding that those are my impressions and opinion as a reader, ok? 🙂

I loved this book. It was such an intense reading, full of action, adventure, fantastical machines and a breathtaking villain! It took me so much time to understand what was going on and who was behind it, which was very cool. Each time I thought I had figured the book out, there was a twist and I was left so lost, haha! I loved Sigmund, Chief-inspector Holmes, Sarah, Harry, everything! 5 stars with pride!

I really enjoyed the narrative pace. It was fast, but without overlook details, it was very much the other way around, actually. King was very meticulous in his descriptions, always worried to leave the reader insert inside Sigmund’s skin, despite the book’s narrative being in third person in several perspectives – which was great!! Without holes on the plot ❤ I mean, there is a little one, but I have privileged information and I know this hole will be the queue for the second book, so I’m not counting that one, haha!

Talking about the plot itself, I found it brilliant and amazing. As I said, there is several twists, mystery, adventure, rich descriptions, wonderful characters. It’s the kind of book that you finish and want to start it over again, to see if you’d have guessed things faster, haha! Nothing seems obvious and I just wasn’t more fearful for Sigmund’s life because, again, I already knew the second book was in the oven. One thing that the journalist in me really enjoyed about King’s writing was that he was worried in back grounding, even that just a bit, every character that was minimal relevant on the book. I love learning about people, what makes them who they are, so I was amazed by this. Despite Sigmund’s perspective being the main one, there are several characters that are followed through the book and it was very good to complement the story, as Sigmund was the last person to know a lot, haha! I tend to prefer third narrative books because of that 🙂

In matters of characters, I loved the humanity in them all. Of course, Sigmund is already another bookish boyfriend – I need to write down this list, haha! – as he was perfect in his flaws. I judge many of his actions through the book, but I can’t even imagine him doing anything differently because that’s who he is: a kind and good-hearted person until the end. I have no special feelings for Alex, I loved Sarah and think her very fortunate to have someone as Sigmund watching over her and wanted to personally kill Jamison, haha! I can’t say why without spoiling you, sorry 🙂 As for Harry, Sigmund’s partial stepfather, well, he has a place on my heart. A strong point here are the villains, as they were too human in their desires. Every move was coordinated by greed and vanity, in a search for a “clean” world. I only thought Richard Sutton forced, as his manners were too calm for certain situations. Anyway, nothing is perfect.

For sure the strongest points in the book are the humanity in King’s characters and the action through the story. It’s not something bothersome and obvious, necessary to the plot, it’s just natural; you feel the time against you as well as Sigmund does. I love this kind of book that makes me lose my subway station (#truestory), that makes me forget that I need to analyze and weigh details. It’s a great sensation!

Overall, I can’t hold anything against King. A complex and vivid plot, very human characters filled with stories of their own, an thrilling adventure; that’s Sigmund Shaw: A Steampunk Adventure. If you are into action/mystery/steampunk, this is a must-read for you ❤