Book Review: Ghosts of Manhattan
Ghosts of Manhattan
By George Mann
This is not a pastiche, but it was written by George Mann, author of The Spirit Box and editor of several anthologies of Holmes short stories.
Set in an alternate New York in 1926, Ghosts of Manhattan mixes alternate-history steam/dieselpunk with hard-boiled detective fiction. There are mobsters and policemen, and of course there’s a a Big Bad, the Roman, whose signature is leaving Roman coins on the eyes of his (often horrifically mutilated) victims and a vigilante, the Ghost, who is essentially a 1920s Batman. Except, unlike his DC Comics counterpart, he has absolutely zero qualms about killing. It’s sort of like Raymond Chandler by way of Christopher Nolan.
I enjoyed the world and the setting. The author conjures up a cityscape of disillusion and corruption that felt very gritty. In itself, that kind of setting can easily become a bit trite, but the steampunk and alternate history element keeps it from being such and adds to the novel’s atmosphere. I especially enjoyed the fact that the US and the British Empire are enemies in a cold war, and that Queen Victoria has only just been buried after artificially extending her life to 107 years of age.
One thing that made me feel a little iffy about it at points was that I found it took itself a little too seriously for my taste. I generally like my superhero stories on the sillier side, but if you like the Nolan Batman films, you’re going to like the Ghost in this. I also felt the Lovecraftian monsters in the Roman’s employ were a bit incongruous, I probably would have enjoyed clockwork robots or something of the sort more – but Lovecraft fans may enjoy those nods.
The plot is very action-driven and while I could see some of the twists coming, it was still an entertaining journey and a quick read. It’s the first in a series and three more books are already planned. There is definitely a lot in the setup that could be explored so I’m curious what Ghosts of War will bring.
Ghosts of Manhattan is available from all good bookshops and for Kindle and other e-readers.
Ardy is thirtysomething. Librarian. Transplanted German. Anglophile. Lover of tea and scones (and, yes, jam. I also own ridiculous jumpers).