Whitechapel Gods: S.M. Peters

Somewhere around 1877 things went awry in London and Whitechapel became walled off from the rest of the country. Ruled over by Grandfather Clock and Mama Engine the world of Whitechapel has gone steam-driven and underground. As down-trodden workers begin to exhibit growths of gears and veins running oil a small group of rebels decides to stand up and fight back.

In the years since Whitechapel was walled in the smog has settled in like a blanket over the underground city. Every home and shop is kept under control by the watchful eye of Grandfather Clock, who has an view into any clock available. The followers of the new gods have spiraled into half-human/half-machine beings that brook no resistance to the set order. Bringing an iron hand to the forces of these gods is the emotionless violence of the Boilermen, creatures that have no definable explanation or humanity and will crush without mercy. Oliver and his group have set themselves against this totalitarian regime; Oliver took part in the Great Uprising years before and he must decide if he is willing to risk his life and the lives of his friends once again to bring down the faceless leaders that are destroying the people of Whitechapel slowly through technology.

The rising interest in steampunk is producing some incredibly fine novels and Whitechapel Gods is a wonderful entry in the genre. The author has done a fantastic job of capturing the dirt and despair that lingers in the underground city. The ride is not a slow one though. The story is fast-paced and moves through a labyrinth of tunnels and tumble-down houses infested with clockwork creatures that skitter and click in the dark. The overt idea of the devastation and corruption that technology can cause, the darker side of steampunk, is illustrated in all its grimy glory. You might be left with the need to take a hot shower when you’re finished but you won't regret having taken the ride.
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Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Pub. Date: February 2008
ISBN-13: 9780451461933
384pp