REVIEW: Ghost of Manhattan by George Mann

Ghost of Manhattan, by George Mann
Publishing Information: Paperback; 237 pages
Publisher: Pyr 1 April 2010
ISBN 10: 1616141948
ISBN 13: 9781616141943
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Back of Book: 1926. New York. The Roaring Twenties. Jazz. Flappers. Prohibition. Coal-powered cars. A cold war with a British Empire that still covers half of the globe. Yet things have developed differently to established history. America is in the midst of a cold war with a British Empire that has only just buried Queen Victoria, her life artificially preserved to the age of 107. Coal-powered cars roar along roads thick with pedestrians, biplanes take off from standing with primitive rocket boosters, and monsters lurk behind closed doors and around every corner. This is a time in need of heroes. It is a time for The Ghost. A series of targeted murders are occurring all over the city, the victims found with ancient Roman coins placed on their eyelids after death. The trail appears to lead to a group of Italian American gangsters and their boss, who the mobsters have dubbed "The Roman." However, as The Ghost soon discovers, there is more to The Roman than at first appears, and more bizarre happenings that he soon links to the man, including moss-golems posing as mobsters and a plot to bring an ancient pagan god into the physical world in a cavern beneath the city. As The Ghost draws nearer to The Roman and the center of his dangerous web, he must battle with foes both physical and supernatural and call on help from the most unexpected of quarters if he is to stop The Roman and halt the imminent destruction of the city."

Nearly every steampunk novel I read I tend to enjoy. There is just something about the thought of being able to continue to advance society without the use of digital technology. In George Mann's Ghosts of Manhattan coal is the fuel of choice. All the cars and appliances seem to run on the dusty mineral (I know it is organic and therefore not a mineral, but it's close). I found it humorous how swimming pools were heated in Mann's world.

The setting and characters of Ghosts of Manhattan instantly took you to the set of a noir detective film. Somehow Mann transports you right there, you can taste the grit and feel the pressure as it builds in the book. The Ghost may be the first steampunk superhero, but he felt and was built in a similar fashion to some of our favorites. He acts and behaves just like Batman, complete with nifty gadgets and dresses like The Shadow with an Oakley obsession. It worked for me. He is a flawed and committed hero out to save his city. The supporting characters were also well done. Even some of the minor characters had a lot of development which only added to the overall story.

Since Ghosts of Manhattan is a steampunk novel, that means an alternative history of the world and I liked the idea of a cold war between Britain and the United States. When England rolls out the newly developed tank the US fears that it will once again become a colony. To make matters worse, the queen is not opposed to the idea. while a few details were given regarding this straining of ties between the two countries, I would have liked to have learned more about it and had it play a more central role in the overall storyline.

The entire novel was very tight and it had to be at less than 240 pages. The action does not end for a moment and keeps a solid pace to the very end. My only complaint was the ending. I felt that even though Mann was building up to an ultimate showdown between The Ghost and The Roman that the ending was so far out of left field that I never had even anticipated it. Some may argue that that is a good thing but I felt that it did not fit with the rest of The Ghosts of Manhattan. The book leaves room for sequels and even with a small let down in the ending, I am ready for more adventures with The Ghost. Mann leaves it open and at the end gives us a sneak peak at what the future may hold for steampunks first super hero

Plot: 8
Characters: 8
Style: 8

Overall: 8/10