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jadeeby's review against another edition
2.0
Originally published at my blog Chasing Empty Pavements
I'm so sad right now because I had SUCH high hopes for this novel! The gothic, creepy feel the blurb gave me goosebumps and some of the reviews said it was gritty and in your face. I however thought it was lackluster and sadly disappointing.
The Good: The beginning, in my opinion is the best part of the novel. It DID hook me right away and I immediately wanted to know more. I like that we get a sense of how the Edinburgh Police is developed and how utterly dirty and corrupt the city is. The book is admittedly, well written and I did adore Adam Quire a bit. He's like the little officer that could. Except he's not little. You get the point. I like that Ruckley didn't stray away from the grittiness though. He avoided playing into stereotypes and there were a few surprises here and there.
The Bad: Okay, so there just wasn't enough happening to keep me interested. I would set the book down after a period of time and not pick it up for a couple days. When I returned, I wanted to finish rather for the act of finishing and not because I was interested in the story. This to me is a real problem. This is saying that I probably shouldn't have finished the book to begin with if I was having this many problems with it. I just wanted something more.... alive. Which is kind of funny since this book is about the dead. But it just didn't have what the old gothic stories had and I wish that element would have been present.
Overall, I'd say this was a letdown for me, but I can totally see other people enjoying this novel more than I did. I would give it a D+ but I wouldn't rule it out if it sounds like a genre you'd like to dip your hands into.
**I received this book free from the publisher through www.netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
I'm so sad right now because I had SUCH high hopes for this novel! The gothic, creepy feel the blurb gave me goosebumps and some of the reviews said it was gritty and in your face. I however thought it was lackluster and sadly disappointing.
The Good: The beginning, in my opinion is the best part of the novel. It DID hook me right away and I immediately wanted to know more. I like that we get a sense of how the Edinburgh Police is developed and how utterly dirty and corrupt the city is. The book is admittedly, well written and I did adore Adam Quire a bit. He's like the little officer that could. Except he's not little. You get the point. I like that Ruckley didn't stray away from the grittiness though. He avoided playing into stereotypes and there were a few surprises here and there.
The Bad: Okay, so there just wasn't enough happening to keep me interested. I would set the book down after a period of time and not pick it up for a couple days. When I returned, I wanted to finish rather for the act of finishing and not because I was interested in the story. This to me is a real problem. This is saying that I probably shouldn't have finished the book to begin with if I was having this many problems with it. I just wanted something more.... alive. Which is kind of funny since this book is about the dead. But it just didn't have what the old gothic stories had and I wish that element would have been present.
Overall, I'd say this was a letdown for me, but I can totally see other people enjoying this novel more than I did. I would give it a D+ but I wouldn't rule it out if it sounds like a genre you'd like to dip your hands into.
**I received this book free from the publisher through www.netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
mhmrose's review against another edition
4.0
Edinburgh, 1828
In the starkly-lit operating theatres of the city, grisly experiments are being carried out on corpses in the name of medical science. But elsewhere, there are those experimenting with more sinister forces.
Amongst the crowded, sprawling tenements of the labyrinthine Old Town, a body is found, its neck torn to pieces. Charged with investigating the murder is Adam Quire, Officer of the newly-formed Edinburgh Police. The trail will lead him into the deepest reaches of the city's criminal underclass, and to the highest echelons of the filthy rich.
Soon Quire will discover that a darkness is crawling through this city of enlightenment -- and no one is safe from its corruption.
~~~
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the backdrop of the Scottish Enlightenment behind a riveting tale of murder, mystery and the blend of magic and science. A time of discovery for those of science, but behind that veil Brian Ruckley brings to life the city that also saw "a darkness crawling through" it. Reading this book, it was interesting to go through the streets of a city I know very well. But also, it also showed me a darker side of Edinburgh's history that is hidden behind a veil of its glorified achievements and discoveries
Adam Quire is a complex man stuck in stifling circumstances. For me, Quire stands out as a character in the novel, because although his attitude and actions may seem less than noteworthy for today's crime-busting PCs, for early 19th-century Scotland he would be more than volatile and a loose cannon that turns vigilante judge, jury and executioner. The thing about this novel is that it doesn't need a hero, it needed an anti-hero and Quire takes up the mantle perfectly, showing in the novel that justice is corrupt and bought by those with influence.
In comparison, I found Ruthven to be almost comically "villainous"; an influential member of Edinburgh's high society with a not-so-secret reason for falling out with his associates. Since his introduction, Ruthven feels as if he would go either one of two ways; a Moriarty-like overseer who will go without consequences, or a red herring for a greater antagonist. And the character, Blegg is an entirely different matter. Along the lines of Frankenstein's Monster if possessed by a malevolent spirit that captivates each chapter he is in or mentioned. Perhaps, like with Frankenstein's monster, the mystery of the creature overshadows the creator. One thing that I loved about Blegg's character is the ambiguity of his origins; he neither tells nor answers who or what he is to anyone and remains a mystery that Quire is happy to leave unsolved.
Through many elements, The Edinburgh Dead very much feels like a retelling of Frankenstein with a darker, phantasmic atmosphere and the dealings overshadowed by the real-life murders and trials of Burke and Hare. The inclusion of a new version of the zombie trope also adds a new layer of intrigue to the mystery. Ruckley blends the Galvanism of Mary Shelley with a mystic flare that feels like the myths of curses from Pharaoh tombs, which is more of a look through the eyes of those living during this Era of Enlightenment but are not connected to the societies involved.
At times the novel does feel off pace with minute things extended into something that could've been done in two or three sentences. Overall, The Edinburgh Dead is an interesting read if you want to escape the modern world and travel into the past to where good and bad are greyer than the smoke billowing from the chimneys of Auld Reekie.
In the starkly-lit operating theatres of the city, grisly experiments are being carried out on corpses in the name of medical science. But elsewhere, there are those experimenting with more sinister forces.
Amongst the crowded, sprawling tenements of the labyrinthine Old Town, a body is found, its neck torn to pieces. Charged with investigating the murder is Adam Quire, Officer of the newly-formed Edinburgh Police. The trail will lead him into the deepest reaches of the city's criminal underclass, and to the highest echelons of the filthy rich.
Soon Quire will discover that a darkness is crawling through this city of enlightenment -- and no one is safe from its corruption.
~~~
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the backdrop of the Scottish Enlightenment behind a riveting tale of murder, mystery and the blend of magic and science. A time of discovery for those of science, but behind that veil Brian Ruckley brings to life the city that also saw "a darkness crawling through" it. Reading this book, it was interesting to go through the streets of a city I know very well. But also, it also showed me a darker side of Edinburgh's history that is hidden behind a veil of its glorified achievements and discoveries
Adam Quire is a complex man stuck in stifling circumstances. For me, Quire stands out as a character in the novel, because although his attitude and actions may seem less than noteworthy for today's crime-busting PCs, for early 19th-century Scotland he would be more than volatile and a loose cannon that turns vigilante judge, jury and executioner. The thing about this novel is that it doesn't need a hero, it needed an anti-hero and Quire takes up the mantle perfectly, showing in the novel that justice is corrupt and bought by those with influence.
In comparison, I found Ruthven to be almost comically "villainous"; an influential member of Edinburgh's high society with a not-so-secret reason for falling out with his associates. Since his introduction, Ruthven feels as if he would go either one of two ways; a Moriarty-like overseer who will go without consequences, or a red herring for a greater antagonist. And the character, Blegg is an entirely different matter. Along the lines of Frankenstein's Monster if possessed by a malevolent spirit that captivates each chapter he is in or mentioned. Perhaps, like with Frankenstein's monster, the mystery of the creature overshadows the creator. One thing that I loved about Blegg's character is the ambiguity of his origins; he neither tells nor answers who or what he is to anyone and remains a mystery that Quire is happy to leave unsolved.
Through many elements, The Edinburgh Dead very much feels like a retelling of Frankenstein with a darker, phantasmic atmosphere and the dealings overshadowed by the real-life murders and trials of Burke and Hare. The inclusion of a new version of the zombie trope also adds a new layer of intrigue to the mystery. Ruckley blends the Galvanism of Mary Shelley with a mystic flare that feels like the myths of curses from Pharaoh tombs, which is more of a look through the eyes of those living during this Era of Enlightenment but are not connected to the societies involved.
At times the novel does feel off pace with minute things extended into something that could've been done in two or three sentences. Overall, The Edinburgh Dead is an interesting read if you want to escape the modern world and travel into the past to where good and bad are greyer than the smoke billowing from the chimneys of Auld Reekie.
athouse's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Write more novels Brian!
collierkeithj's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
emilybryk's review against another edition
1.0
I always do this to myself.
I don't even know about the one-star rating. One, because it's just not GOOD. We have a main character with no inner life who will, periodically, say "piss" to shock us, we have a creepy bad guy who, at the end, we learn is, well, something creepy, but no one really cares what, and we have a plot that winds up with "the end . . . or is it????"
I don't even know about the one-star rating. One, because it's just not GOOD. We have a main character with no inner life who will, periodically, say "piss" to shock us, we have a creepy bad guy who, at the end, we learn is, well, something creepy, but no one really cares what, and we have a plot that winds up with "the end . . . or is it????"
kblincoln's review against another edition
5.0
I had never heard of Brian Ruckley before I picked up Edinburgh Dead on impulse at the library.
Lucky impulse.
This book is very, very cool. A thriller set in 1828 Edinburgh; it follows the investigation of Sergeant (and ex-soldier) Adam Quire as he follows the trail of a mysterious murder to the home of a member of the nobility with ties to the arcane and criminals involved in stealing dead bodies.
The language is dense and descriptive. I sometimes found myself getting a bit lost in it (sometimes in a good way, once or twice in a overly-sodden way)
This passage is when Quire looks back at Edinburgh from a walk:
"The setting sun lit the western sky with a rosy wash. Sprawled between that vast, glowing canvas and the looming crags of Arthur's Seat, the city looked small, almost humble: a dark encrustation upon the land, studded with spires and a forest of chimneys."
If you're not fond of this type of prose, you will find the book's pace slow, as the author does not limit himself to descriptive pose only in the openings of scenes.
What I liked about it was the wholly believable picture of Edinburgh and that time period it painted. Quire is a moody, crusty old ex-soldier who doggedly pursues the murderer to his own peril.
The story line walks the edge of believability in terms of the arcane/magic situations Quire finds himself in, lending a nice tension.
Near the end, when Quire seemingly takes care of the bad guys in a too-swift, anti-climactic way, I was saying to myself, "what, that's it?" I was tempted to give the book only 3 or 4 stars. But Ruckley tricked me. Not only do we find out about a betrayal I hadn't realized at all, but also a much more satisfying hand-to-hand combat against the main bad guy wherein Quire completes a journey from the stolid-policeman he was at the beginning of the book to the soldier-conversant-with violence he was in the past on a Scottish moor covered in heather. Many threads tied up together (soldiering, his skills with a gun, the disappearance of corpses, the bad guy) at the end bumped this from a 4 star to a 5 star.
This Book's Snack Rating: Like sour cream and chive kettle chips for the solid heft of Edinburgh and the sour bite of human evil and violence.
Lucky impulse.
This book is very, very cool. A thriller set in 1828 Edinburgh; it follows the investigation of Sergeant (and ex-soldier) Adam Quire as he follows the trail of a mysterious murder to the home of a member of the nobility with ties to the arcane and criminals involved in stealing dead bodies.
The language is dense and descriptive. I sometimes found myself getting a bit lost in it (sometimes in a good way, once or twice in a overly-sodden way)
This passage is when Quire looks back at Edinburgh from a walk:
"The setting sun lit the western sky with a rosy wash. Sprawled between that vast, glowing canvas and the looming crags of Arthur's Seat, the city looked small, almost humble: a dark encrustation upon the land, studded with spires and a forest of chimneys."
If you're not fond of this type of prose, you will find the book's pace slow, as the author does not limit himself to descriptive pose only in the openings of scenes.
What I liked about it was the wholly believable picture of Edinburgh and that time period it painted. Quire is a moody, crusty old ex-soldier who doggedly pursues the murderer to his own peril.
The story line walks the edge of believability in terms of the arcane/magic situations Quire finds himself in, lending a nice tension.
Near the end, when Quire seemingly takes care of the bad guys in a too-swift, anti-climactic way, I was saying to myself, "what, that's it?" I was tempted to give the book only 3 or 4 stars. But Ruckley tricked me. Not only do we find out about a betrayal I hadn't realized at all, but also a much more satisfying hand-to-hand combat against the main bad guy wherein Quire completes a journey from the stolid-policeman he was at the beginning of the book to the soldier-conversant-with violence he was in the past on a Scottish moor covered in heather. Many threads tied up together (soldiering, his skills with a gun, the disappearance of corpses, the bad guy) at the end bumped this from a 4 star to a 5 star.
This Book's Snack Rating: Like sour cream and chive kettle chips for the solid heft of Edinburgh and the sour bite of human evil and violence.
csdaley's review against another edition
4.0
This book caught me early. A historical horror novel. I liked the characters and enjoyed the setting and history. I was not a big fan of Ruckley's Wintbirth series so I was Leary but I would read another story with these characters.
reanimatedreader's review against another edition
3.0
It took me a little while to get into the book before it grabbed me. The story is an interesting combination of 19th century Edinburgh & dark magic. Touching on the subject of the medical schools purchasing dead bodies from snatchers and the corruption of the police force at the time makes a colourful background.
The pace was consistent throughout and only really got going in the last chapter.
The pace was consistent throughout and only really got going in the last chapter.
tiffasaurusrex's review against another edition
3.0
Good, but a bit tedious. Loved his other series, so I am a bit disappointed.
lucija428's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0