I’ll start by saying that while this isn’t 100% horror, it has enough of the themes that I’ll count it. Being steampunk doesn’t hurt either. And now for the review
Clockwork Universe was a very fun read. It’s full of action and John’s writing style suits the genre very well.
The characters were well written and the dialogue was entertaining.
It follows Kevin Barnes, a modern man who plays in a punk band on the weekends. On one of his regular commutes, he finds himself in an unfamiliar Boston, one where steam is the primary source of energy. He soon meets up with some Big Game Hunters and the adventure begins.
I mentioned it briefly before, but the absolute strength of this novel is in the writing style of John W. Dennehy. His scene descriptions never go on longer than they should, which is something that a lot of steampunk suffers from and his prose isn’t overly flowery. He does a terrific job of vividly painting the world and the characters and it’s an absolute blast to experience.
If you enjoy steampunk but find that it’s all starting to blend together then I definitely recommend picking up a copy of this book. It’s a breath of fresh air in a genre that is currently stagnating and waiting for fresh ideas.