The Watchman of Eternity
It’s 1752, and Jacobite agent Thomas Aylesford is trying to bring to Paris the Hunter, a mysterious, clock-shaped weapon that could turn the fate of England, Scotland and France for good. With him is an envoy from the subterranean counterpart of London – with an agenda of his own. And if mutual distrust, the worst storm in years, and Aylesford’s dangerous lack of balance weren’t enough, there are all sorts of enemies eager to intercept the travellers: the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, deceptively foppish lords, famous clock-thieves, enigmatic girls – not to mention that the Hunter has a mind of its own, and not an especially benevolent one. All of this should make for breathless adventure, but the many repetitions, flowery writing and extensive use of phonetically spelt dialects and accents did much to bog it down for me. What is worse, though, is the dim sense of time and place that makes this historical fantasy rather thin on the historical side.
