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sam_vimes_75's review against another edition
4.0
Imagine Fringe meets Dark City and you get a really good idea of the book. I applaud it just for the sheer creativity of it. Prohibition-era noir, parallel universes, superheroes, and robots -- all in a richly detailed and well-crafted plot. Christopher does a great job of throwing out a lot of hooks without immediate answers. This keeps the interest level high. Thankfully he also does a great job of pulling things together and providing answers before the questions become too frustrating.
I have two issues that keep this from being 5 stars. One: the prose. I'd heard the book compared to great noir/hard-boiled authors like Hammett, Spillane, and Ellroy. It's nothing like them. Christopher's prose lacks the sharp edges of their works and is actually soft and easy-going by comparison. Two: I feel awful saying it but the world felt unrealistic because of social structure. I liked Rad Bradley, but a black PI running around in Prohibition-era New York without any race issues? Born in New Zealand and living in England, I appreciate his ease in creating a kind of colorblind universe, but it's also naive. It felt as unrealistic as a black hero running around society through the American South in the 1850s. Wonderfully ideal, but naive to the point of distracting.
Beyond those two things, I found it a thoroughly engrossing (and somewhat headache inducing with its twists and turns) read. Reserve a quiet spot for the last 150 pages because they should not be interrupted.
I have two issues that keep this from being 5 stars. One: the prose. I'd heard the book compared to great noir/hard-boiled authors like Hammett, Spillane, and Ellroy. It's nothing like them. Christopher's prose lacks the sharp edges of their works and is actually soft and easy-going by comparison. Two: I feel awful saying it but the world felt unrealistic because of social structure. I liked Rad Bradley, but a black PI running around in Prohibition-era New York without any race issues? Born in New Zealand and living in England, I appreciate his ease in creating a kind of colorblind universe, but it's also naive. It felt as unrealistic as a black hero running around society through the American South in the 1850s. Wonderfully ideal, but naive to the point of distracting.
Beyond those two things, I found it a thoroughly engrossing (and somewhat headache inducing with its twists and turns) read. Reserve a quiet spot for the last 150 pages because they should not be interrupted.
clairedrinkstea's review against another edition
4.0
This is a strange but intriguing book.
It's not SciFi, it's not Steampunk, superhero or urban mystery....
I couldn't put it down at first but started to struggle near the end though it in no way distracts from the fact this is a good book.
You aren't left questioning how the puzzle pieces are put together, which is refreshing given the propensity of fiction to be part of a larger series. I love how Christopher throws the strange in and makes no big deal about it while a lot of fiction feels the need to create this whole exposition around it forcing it to stand out more than it should. It's Wartime, there are such things as robots, ironclad ships, police airships and robots. Deal with it.
Clues are not so overt that you can't make an educated guess and work out the mystery an you aren't being treated like a child and spoon fed the answers. When the truth does come out, you do get the satisfaction of being able to say "Knew it! Totally worked it out ages ago!" and not feel like the author is waving a big sign with the answers written in capitals and generally speaking, if as a reader you have figured out what is going on so has the protagonists and namely Rad the private detective central to this story.
Really give this book a go, you won't be disappointed to have read it.
It's not SciFi, it's not Steampunk, superhero or urban mystery....
I couldn't put it down at first but started to struggle near the end though it in no way distracts from the fact this is a good book.
You aren't left questioning how the puzzle pieces are put together, which is refreshing given the propensity of fiction to be part of a larger series. I love how Christopher throws the strange in and makes no big deal about it while a lot of fiction feels the need to create this whole exposition around it forcing it to stand out more than it should. It's Wartime, there are such things as robots, ironclad ships, police airships and robots. Deal with it.
Clues are not so overt that you can't make an educated guess and work out the mystery an you aren't being treated like a child and spoon fed the answers. When the truth does come out, you do get the satisfaction of being able to say "Knew it! Totally worked it out ages ago!" and not feel like the author is waving a big sign with the answers written in capitals and generally speaking, if as a reader you have figured out what is going on so has the protagonists and namely Rad the private detective central to this story.
Really give this book a go, you won't be disappointed to have read it.
songwind's review against another edition
3.0
Empire State is an interesting story and unusual idea, plagued by some shaky execution.
The Empire State resembles prohibition Manhattan, but with a dystopian twist. Rad Bradley is a down-on-his-luck private investigator who spends too much time in his local speakeasy. When a woman comes to him looking for answers about the disappearance of her lover, it leads him into a frightening and complicated situation. Rad soon discovers that what he thought he knew about Wartime, the Empire State, and even himself may not be true.
The way the story plays out is quite interesting. There are action and mystery aplenty, and the characters keep your attention.
Unfortunately, there were some flaws that had to be worked past in order to enjoy the story. Some were minor, mostly the use of Australian English from the POV of an American gumshoe here and there. It should probably have been caught in editing, and didn't hurt things beyond interrupting the flow of the story. Others were more difficult. I found the book hard to get immersed in for the first half. I was enjoying it, but couldn't get into that reading "zone" when the story starts unrolling and you are sucked in. A large part of that is due to a cliffhanger prologue that doesn't become relevant until much later in the book.
I look forward to reading more from Adam Christopher, and to see how his craft improves.
The Empire State resembles prohibition Manhattan, but with a dystopian twist. Rad Bradley is a down-on-his-luck private investigator who spends too much time in his local speakeasy. When a woman comes to him looking for answers about the disappearance of her lover, it leads him into a frightening and complicated situation. Rad soon discovers that what he thought he knew about Wartime, the Empire State, and even himself may not be true.
The way the story plays out is quite interesting. There are action and mystery aplenty, and the characters keep your attention.
Unfortunately, there were some flaws that had to be worked past in order to enjoy the story. Some were minor, mostly the use of Australian English from the POV of an American gumshoe here and there. It should probably have been caught in editing, and didn't hurt things beyond interrupting the flow of the story. Others were more difficult. I found the book hard to get immersed in for the first half. I was enjoying it, but couldn't get into that reading "zone" when the story starts unrolling and you are sucked in. A large part of that is due to a cliffhanger prologue that doesn't become relevant until much later in the book.
I look forward to reading more from Adam Christopher, and to see how his craft improves.
geekwayne's review against another edition
3.0
The 'Empire State' is a fantastical novel filled with noir detectives, battling rocket powered superheroes, a robot army and a mysterious Enemy, somewhere out in the fog.
In a city where it is always dark, the Empire State is a city at war. Ships filled with robots leave to fight the enemy, but none of these ships ever return. In the meantime, Rad Bradley is a private detective who has been hired to find a missing woman, but first, he needs to stop by Jerry's bar for a much needed drink.
There are some interesting surprises along the way, and I enjoyed it, but I did get a little weary of Rad always wanting a drink and explaining it in the narrative. The story is a bit confusing to start, but all becomes clear by the end, including, I suppose, Rad's continuous thirst. An interesting romp through an alternate New York city.
In a city where it is always dark, the Empire State is a city at war. Ships filled with robots leave to fight the enemy, but none of these ships ever return. In the meantime, Rad Bradley is a private detective who has been hired to find a missing woman, but first, he needs to stop by Jerry's bar for a much needed drink.
There are some interesting surprises along the way, and I enjoyed it, but I did get a little weary of Rad always wanting a drink and explaining it in the narrative. The story is a bit confusing to start, but all becomes clear by the end, including, I suppose, Rad's continuous thirst. An interesting romp through an alternate New York city.
samrushingbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I generally like superhero type books, movies, and shows, and Empire State was fairly interesting. It took a little while to realize that a number of the characters were basically doppelgangers of each other from a parallel universe/pocket universe. Honestly, what bugged me about this book was that it takes place in New York or an alternate New York but a number of the word spellings are British...such as colour, theatre, centre, etc. It pulled me out of the story for a few moments and I had to try and get back into it. Still, it was enjoyable and I look forward to the sequel.
suzi4213's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book. The combination of sci-fi and noir and superheroes is fantastic! I look forward to reading more of Adam Christopher's work!
The writing is interesting and I really felt like I was watching/reading Film Noir. I felt like everything should have been in black and white and there should have been soft jazz playing in the background while I read.
The more I think about this book, the less I like it. I feel like the characters could have been far more developed, especially the ones that are supposed to be the "main" characters. There are aspects of the book that I loved, but a lot of it left me feeling pretty "meh".
The writing is interesting and I really felt like I was watching/reading Film Noir. I felt like everything should have been in black and white and there should have been soft jazz playing in the background while I read.
The more I think about this book, the less I like it. I feel like the characters could have been far more developed, especially the ones that are supposed to be the "main" characters. There are aspects of the book that I loved, but a lot of it left me feeling pretty "meh".
dantastic's review against another edition
3.0
Two battling superheroes open a rift into a parallel dimension. On the other side of the rift is The Empire State, an imperfect copy of New York. Empire State detective Rad Bradley's search for a missing woman brings him into conflict with forces from New York. But do they mean to save the Empire State or destroy it?
Why I liked this book:
Parallel universes are awesome, aren't they? One out of ever five Star Trek episodes uses them in some way. The Empire State is a copy of New York that reminds me of the movie Dark City. Many New Yorkers have analogues in the Empire State. In the course of this story, many of them meet their doppelgangers. Some people's doppelgangers were not very dissimilar from the originals.
The setting is a pseudo-New York of the 1930's, with robots, detectives, prohibition, and a war against an Unseen enemy. Ray Bradley is just a gumshoe that isn't all that bright and keeps finding himself in the thick of trouble. The two superheroes, Skyguard and Science Pirate, after pretty interesting. Nimrod and Carson were both characters I'd like to see more from. I had no idea where the central mystery was going.
Why I did not think this book was amazing:
Let me take a deep breath and... for a book that's promoted as a superhero book, there isn't nearly enough super hero action. The logic of how New York and the Empire State are connected was inconsistent from chapter to chapter. None of the characters were particularly well developed. I know I was supposed to care when the Skyguard's identity was revealed but I didn't. I felt like a lot was going on and it never really came together into one cohesive story. In that way, it kind of reminded me of Stephen Hunt's Court of the Air.
I think if the book had been more focused and about a hundred pages shorter, I would have liked it a whole lot more. It had it's moments but felt plodding and bloated in places. It's not a bad book, though. It's pretty entertaining if you can stomach the slow parts. I've giving this one a 3-.
The thing I meant to mention but forgot until I was driving home from work: For a similar but better story, give Doc Sidhe a try.
Why I liked this book:
Parallel universes are awesome, aren't they? One out of ever five Star Trek episodes uses them in some way. The Empire State is a copy of New York that reminds me of the movie Dark City. Many New Yorkers have analogues in the Empire State. In the course of this story, many of them meet their doppelgangers. Some people's doppelgangers were not very dissimilar from the originals.
The setting is a pseudo-New York of the 1930's, with robots, detectives, prohibition, and a war against an Unseen enemy. Ray Bradley is just a gumshoe that isn't all that bright and keeps finding himself in the thick of trouble. The two superheroes, Skyguard and Science Pirate, after pretty interesting. Nimrod and Carson were both characters I'd like to see more from. I had no idea where the central mystery was going.
Why I did not think this book was amazing:
Let me take a deep breath and... for a book that's promoted as a superhero book, there isn't nearly enough super hero action. The logic of how New York and the Empire State are connected was inconsistent from chapter to chapter. None of the characters were particularly well developed. I know I was supposed to care when the Skyguard's identity was revealed but I didn't. I felt like a lot was going on and it never really came together into one cohesive story. In that way, it kind of reminded me of Stephen Hunt's Court of the Air.
I think if the book had been more focused and about a hundred pages shorter, I would have liked it a whole lot more. It had it's moments but felt plodding and bloated in places. It's not a bad book, though. It's pretty entertaining if you can stomach the slow parts. I've giving this one a 3-.
The thing I meant to mention but forgot until I was driving home from work: For a similar but better story, give Doc Sidhe a try.
branch_c's review
3.0
With its emphasis on imagery and mood, not to mention the pair of superhero characters, this book definitely has a comic book / graphic novel sensibility to it. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I do think it’s tricky to pull it off in normal book form, and I have yet to read an example that does it in a completely satisfying way. Also, the overwhelming mood here is the dark and brooding Batman-style - there are deep shadows and fog in almost every scene, which is not a favorite of mine when it comes to comic book inspired writing.
There are some interesting aspects to the story and creatively constructed characters, but ultimately I didn’t find it much fun to read. The moody darkness and confusion about the nature of this world’s reality result a story that’s murky and rather plodding for me, but for those who enjoy this sort of story I can imagine it will find some fans.
There are some interesting aspects to the story and creatively constructed characters, but ultimately I didn’t find it much fun to read. The moody darkness and confusion about the nature of this world’s reality result a story that’s murky and rather plodding for me, but for those who enjoy this sort of story I can imagine it will find some fans.
emheld's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars is a good rating. I liked it, didn't love it, but I'll certainly read the sequel. Some parts were terrific, but there's a bit more tightening to be done to make this a definitively crowd-pleaser. Worth your time and a solid workman start to a publishing career.