Camera Obscura is set in the same world as The Bookman, Lavie’s first steampunk novel, the events of The Bookman are mentioned several times in passing and the main storyline takes place some three years later. Although I recommend reading The Bookman first (simply because it is one great Steampunk novel), it is not essential for understanding Camera Obscura. Lavie Tidhar’s latest novel is highly enjoyable on its own.In Camera Obscura, Lavie continues what he started in The Bookman. Fictional an...

I want to like it much more than I did. Coolest part was all the places/situations the characters found themselves in; I just didn't feel like I really connected with any of them.

Tidhar based this story more on movies than novels for his references, so I missed most of them, but the book was still enjoyable. Milady was a more compelling character than Orphan had been in the first book. And it was more fast-paced and had more action. Not that that means better, it was just a different style for a change. I read one review just now that said that he wrote the same story twice but it didn't seem like that to me. The first book was all about Orphan's personal journey, figuri...

OK, maybe I should have read The Bookman, and maybe I will. For the first third of the book, I thought I had a decent steampunk noir going. Not great, but worth reading. And I've read a LOT of steampunk. Then I started noticing the lack of a copy editor. And I started wondering why no one in late-1800s Paris thinks there's anything unusual about a 6-foot Dahomeyan woman with two guns. Then it occurred to me that a few real-life characters are interesting, but is she going to meet EVERY famous p...

Camera Obscura (Lavie Tidhar)Sci-fi/Fantasy. I won this on GR's give-a-ways. I usually do not read this genre, but this book sounded good. I was not sure if this was set in the future, past or present but it is clear that the book spans years. At times it was a bit confusing and there are many characters and bizarre creatures in this story. BUT it did hold my attention , and I found I could not put it down.Milady De Winter, an ex circus worker, now an agent in the quiet council is investigating

Excellent follow up to the Bookman! So steampunk you won't believe it - masses of fictional and historical figures included in the cast and a kick ass heroine and bad guy. If you liked the Bookman then you'll like this a lot. Tidhar has a lovely trun of phrase from time to time and he keeps the action coming thick and fast. Highly recommended, but read the Bookman first.

I got about halfway through the book but couldnt finish it. Originally I was going to give it 2 stars but if i cant even finish it, it has to be a 1 star book. The plot was basically all these characters telling De Winter things and became the prime example of telling instead of showing. It did have cool aspects but i couldnt get over the mediocre writing and characters that tried so hard to be interesting. As a minor note, the grammar and writing style were appalling

It’s hard to give this book a clear genre. I think you’d have to call it steampunk, through there is so much else going on as well that it could be any number of other things: science fiction, fantasy, horror, thriller.I was drawn in by the blurb, and the cover, which I just adore. The opening scene is really intriguing, and I was really interested to see where it would go. We’re presented with a problematic crime scene, and intensely interesting character (Milady), and some some kind of clockwo...

One of the many complaints about steampunk from those who dont' like the genre is that they are too dark and retro-futuristic, which is an attention-intensive and sometimes hard read. But that wasn't my complaint with this book. To be brief, it was creepy and I didn't like ti.MiLady de Winter is a private eye investigating for a mysterious organization. A series of murders leads her to the trail of an ancient object capable of giving the dead new life, or new animation rather. Great premise!But....

A locked-room murder occurs on the Rue Morgue in Paris and Lady De Winter, an agent of the Quiet Council investigates. That’s about all the plot I can tell you, not for fear of spoilers, but because of the convoluted nature of it.The second novel in the “Bookman Histories” trilogy is not a continuation of the plot from the first book at all. While it is obviously set in the same world, with Les Lizardes (a race of alien lizard people) in power in Britain and machines in control of France, they m...

Camera ObscuraLiked it. Didn't love it like The Bookman, but it was kinda fun anyway. (view spoiler)[A heroine with a Gatling gun integrated prosthetic is hard not to enjoy. But if you sprinkle with some kinky sex, add zombie pirates and a few dashes of literary references you've got the basic ingredients of a hell of a story. (hide spoiler)]The book starts in a Paris with a brothel dominated nightlife and includes a visit to an alternative future America (view spoiler)[ and cameo appearances by...

After finishing this book, I couldn't help but wonder what I just read. To be fair, I hadn't gotten a hold of the first book in the series, but I got that what I needed to know was that it's an alt-history steampunk world populated by automatons and characters from 19th Century fiction (plus a few real-life ones for good measure). Oh, and the British Empire was taken over by a race of lizard men, and Queen Vic's literally a lizard. Sounds fun, right?Well, sort of. Because if these story suffered...

I got an e-galley of this book through NetGalley.com. I was drawn to the interesting description and the mysterious title of the book. This was an absolutely fantastic book, but definitely not something everyone will enjoy. Those who like quirky characters and worlds that are gritty and a bit ambiguous will find a lot here to love. Those who like their stories happy with well-defined storylines should probably look elsewhere. I didn't know it when I picked this up but this is the second book in

I have a few problems with an otherwise strong story. First--de Winter is not a very likable character. She callously bullies her way through murder investigations she may or may not even have jurisdiction over. She threatens people, she destroys evidence, and is so intent on getting answers she has the body of one of the murder victims mutilated and forces the dead woman's daughter to look at it to shock her into coughing up what she knows. She never shows any remorse for these actions. Therefo...

I feel like this series is developing nicely. The second book feels slightly more accomplished than the first. But two books in, isn't it about time to state clearly what's going on here? It's not a deal-breaker, because I enjoy very much this literary steampunky world, but I've stuck it out for two books. What are Les Lezards? (Yes, it's been broadly hinted at. But I'm ready for answers, not just hints. If something major had been revealed each book, but reserved part of the secrets, that would...

Camera Obscura is another fun action-filled story -- gore-filled, too. Milady De Winter is a more compelling character than Orphan: she seems less wishy-washy. Still, both of them are at the mercy of the plot: they're pawns, being moved by peripheral characters. Which... is a little too obvious to the reader, all along. So I can't say it impresses me or is likely to stick in my mind.But it's also not to be totally dismissed. It really is fun, and the world Lavie Tidhar has created is bizarre and...

Lavie Tidhar had me hooked from the title of the Prologue to his novel Camera Obscura: "The Emerald Buddha Massacre." How could I not want to read further?And I was not disappointed. Tidhar's kitchen-sink approach to steampunk means he sometimes stomps gleefully over all credibility—in a world where Queen Victoria, the British Empire's current matriarch, is the green-skinned brood-mother to a dynasty of humanoid lizards, all bets are off—but his stuff's such great fun to read that I could forgiv...

A man is found dead in a locked room on the Rue Morgue, the mysterious object he was transporting cut from his abdomen. Milady de Winter investigates and uncovers a fiendish plot. Can de Winter figure out who killed the man and still retain her sanity?In this sequel to The Bookman, Lavie Tidhar crafts a steampunk noir tale with many wrinkles. As with the first book, Les Lizardes are in the background the entire time. De Winter follows a trail of clues and battles other agents of The Council as s...

Lavie Tidhar gives good setting. His descriptions of a Steampunk Victorian Age, ruled by Lizards, populated with historical and literary minor characters— Sherlock Holmes and his gang, a Lizard Queen Victoria, a nicely creepy Dr. Frankenstein — it’s all done very well. Totally enjoyable.But does he write good story? Kinda. In The Bookman, the poet Orphan finds himself at the center of a vast conspiracy and is dragged all around the globe, beat up, and almost killed, numerous times. In Camera Obs...

INTRODUCTION: Before reading The Bookman, I have heard of Lavie Tidhar in connection with his short fiction published in various places, so the fact that I enjoyed quite a lot his debut novel of last year was not surprising. When the second novel in his steampunk alt-history milieu was announced with totally different characters and set mostly in France this time, I was a bit apprehensive since I really liked Orphan and the cast of The Bookman."How will the books connect, will the series keep co...