Whitechapel Gods by S.M. Peters
Paperback List Price: 6.99
Pages: 384 ISBN: 978-0451461933
Publisher: Roc
Available for the Sony Reader?: Yes
Available for the Kindle?: Yes
Synopsis: The area known has Whitechapel has been seized by two new Gods and turned into a mechanized hell. For years the citizens of Whitechapel have lived in fear of their omnipotent overlords, giving up their lives to their gods cruel desires. A small band of rebels has been nipping at the heels of Grandfather Clock and Mama Engine, waiting for the chance to bring these powers down. Now with the help of a bright young man from the outside named Aaron, a weapon has been discovered able to strike that necessary fatal blow. But the gods of Whitechapel are aware, and a third unknown power rages in the Underbelly of the city.
My Thoughts: Kudos go to the cover designer & artist. That is a gorgeous cover and very appropriate for the novel.
The rest though was a bit underwhelming. The descriptions were very poor, so even though I imagine Whitechapel looked like the dark and predatory beast I didn’t have a solid visual grasp of the place at any point in the book. The characters too were a bit nebulous as well, though clearer than the setting. The plot itself was predictable, and the only real surprise was the epilogue which was very vague and came out of nowhere.
Now to the good points. There were a few characters I really like, especially Tommy and Oliver. Tommy is both hilarious and pitifull. You really end up feeling for the man as a disease known as “Clacks” slowly eats away at his human parts. He is utterly devoted to Oliver in the way one might expect of a puppy, and who can hate puppies. Oliver (while be the typical rebellion leading do-gooder) is the type of hero you can root for, but he has a powerful character voice once he comes into his own. John Scared is also a great villian, especially when he is interacting with his “children”. It is endearing in a completely creepy manner.
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