‘Anno Frankenstein’ – Jonathan Green (Abaddon Books)

If you’re anything like me then you’ll find yourself with a clutch of favourite authors who you know publish their work on a very regular basis; so regular in fact that a large chunk of your reading schedule takes care of itself. It’s June? It must be time for another book from Author X, I’ll just pop the kettle on...
Now, as you all know by now, my reading schedule is pretty much shot to hell but that doesn’t stop me keeping an eye open for those favourite authors of mine and having all the best intentions of picking them up as soon as possible. Jonathan Green and his ‘Pax Britannia’ novels fall very firmly into this category. I’ve been having a lot of fun with these books ever since the blog began and I don’t see that fun stopping any time soon; I can’t get enough of this series and if you’re a fan of steampunk adventure then I reckon you’ll be the same.  When one of these books comes through the door then I know I’m in for a good read, even if it takes me a little longer than normal to get to it.
I got there in the end (in your face life!) and finished ‘Anno Frankenstein’ off yesterday. As good a read as ever but I had my reservations in places...

Ulysses Quicksilver, agent of the crown, was last seen following the insane Daniel Dashwood into the depths of the time vortex. Both have found themselves in the Germany of the Second Great War but each of them is there for very different reasons. Dashwood wants to share modern technology with Hitler’s forces and change the very shape of history. Quicksilver must stop him otherwise the world he knows (in the future now) will never have existed...
The Nazis are bolstering their ranks with the necrotic flesh of undead super soldiers and this is what Quicksilver must fight through if he is to win the day. Quicksilver has his own allies though. A team of undercover female spies are working their own brand of havoc behind enemy lines and Ulysses Quicksilver’s own father is there too, wondering just why the British Government has partnered him with the weakling scientist Dr. Jekyll. Anything could happen, especially when the hills around the Nazi castle reveal yet more surprises...

As much as I love to take a chance on new reads, I also love the knowledge that I can pick up certain authors and be guaranteed a good time. That’s just what I got with ‘Anno Frankenstein’, a book that I should have got round to sooner but was polished off in record time anyway.

The danger with reviewing books in a (relatively) long running series is that, almost inevitably, you’re going to run out of original things to say; especially if the writer in question has found his groove and is doing what he does best. Is this such a big deal though? Thinking about it, I’d have to say ‘actually it really isn’t’. You can only review what’s in front of you after all so here goes...

If you haven’t read any of the preceding ‘Pax Britannia’ novels then this really is the wrong place to get started. Not only is there a lot of back story that you’re missing out on but you’re also missing out on six books worth of devious villains, dashing heroes, well drawn steam punk weirdness and stuff getting blown up. You can’t fail to enjoy this stuff so go find yourself a copy of ‘Unnatural History’ and get going.

For those of you who have read and enjoyed the previous six books then you’ll be pleased to know that you’re in for more of the same here. In the best traditions of pulp fiction, Green sets the stakes incredibly high and then has his hero go about his job in the best possible way, all wise cracks and flirting but with a propensity for violence when it’s needed. These are the moments where you look at what’s happening on the page and think to yourself that it wouldn’t be out of place on the big screen, I’d love to see it. Set pieces flow into cliff hangers which result in more set pieces. It all happens so quickly that this approach doesn’t feel repetitive in the slightest, there’s no time for anything else but being swamped by everything that’s happening on the page.

It’s not all about the action though (although there’s plenty of it). Green handles the meeting between Ulysses and his father in a delicate way that lets us all know about one of the big dangers of time travel (especially given what Ulysses knows will happen in the future). You’re not really told an awful lot about Ulysses’ father but enough inferences are made for you to be able to build up a picture of your own.
On a slightly different note, I’ve always been a fan of the way that Green brings pop culture into this series and although it was a bit of a mixed bag this time round there was still plenty to make me chuckle. The ‘Star Trek’ reference was a little heavy handed and overdone but bringing the Incredible Hulk into the story was a touch of genius. The ‘Quantum Leap’ reference was inevitable but handled very well nonetheless.

There was one issue that I had with the book and, funnily enough, it was an issue that I’d had with the preceding book ‘Dark Side’. For me, part of the appeal of Ulysses Quicksilver’s adventures was the gloriously gawdy, yet dark, steam punk backdrop of Green’s British Empire. The character and this backdrop dovetail superbly but the plot is gradually moving away from the backdrop and things somehow feel like there isn’t so much to sink your teeth into and be a part of. You’re there for the story but there isn’t that same level of detail in the background that makes you want to stick around a little before turning the page. I can’t really complain, given what else is on offer, but I’m left hoping that the action heads back to Magna Britannia very soon.

That to one side though, ‘Anno Frankenstein’ is another rip-roaring instalment in the adventures of my favourite British secret agent. I can’t wait for the next book but it’s not like I have much choice in the matter...

Nine out of Ten