Review: Very British humour
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 8, 2011
This is a compilation of two short stories. What Ho, Automaton! introduces Reggie, an amateur detective who has been engaged multiple times, and Reeves, a steam-powered automaton. This is story of how they met. Something Rummy This Way Comes is their first detective case together. Debutantes are disappearing, but no one seems to be investigating. Reggie and Reeves set out to solve this mystery.This is a very British, humourous steampunk story, written like PG Wodehouse. I will admit that I didn't find most of the British humour funny. But it is easy to see that the writing fits this style very well.I found Reggie to be stupid and annoying. How he managed to be engaged so many times is a mystery to me. He seems to be short more than a few screws, with no idea that everyone else thinks he is slightly crazy.The storyline for Something Rummy This Way Comes was very interesting. I loved Emmeline's character. She was a strong female who easily managed Reggie's behaviour, keeping him on the right track. Reading the story was worth it, simply for the introduction to Emmeline.