Soon after Sir Maurice Newbury attends a mummy unwrapping, people connected to the expedition that recovered it turn up dead. Meanwhile, Veronica Hobbes is investigating the disappearances of young girls that seem to be connected to a traveling magician. How do their investiations intersect? What does it have to do with the mysterious agent who was supposed to meet Newbury at the train station? And who is behind the Osiris Ritual?The Osiris Ritual is the second Newbury & Hobbes Investigation boo...

I loved the historical references and the continuation of the steampunk elements but I still have some issues with the characterisation.The world building is very strong and really gives an excellent portrayal of a steampunk Victorian London. It really brings they time period to life.I'm having a little trouble with relating and connecting to the characters but I'm getting there. They are very short books and I think I need to read a few more in the series to connect a bit more with them.The plo...

Ah.That's the first thing that came out of my mouth after finishing this book.Ah.Sort of like the sigh you give after you drink water when you're really thirsty.This book was that for me: an amazing Victorian mystery that didn't let me down. The idea of a mystery, steampunk, mythology, and paranormal book seemed like too much for me, but George Mann managed to make it both logical and enjoyable.The Osiris Ritual is the second book in the Newbury & Hobbes series. Somehow I ended reading this one

Significantly worse than the first book in this series, which was pleasantly readable. Horrid, cliche'd prose, character un-development (they became more cardboard than in the introductory volume), and a generally hashed-up mystery plot. It was an effort to finish this, and I'll go out of my way to avoid further works by this author.

The flawed agent of this highly imagined Victorian England returns in this second Newbury and Hobbes Investigations. In the prior novel in this Steampunk trilogy, we have learned of many marvels that infuse this society, from seers, like Hobbes sister, to the mysterious Dr. Fabian, who keeps the Queen alive with pumps and wires, to robotic automons. Mann has a rich imagination and his highly stylized writing buoys this novel, which in the end is more about a mystery involving life after death, t...

It’s 1902 in London and Sir Maurice Newbury is on a new case for his boss, Queen Victoria. He must chase down a former agent of the Queen who has gone rogue. Meanwhile an Egyptologist has unveiled a new find, an Egyptian mummy of an ancient priest, which has resulted in a series of unexplained and bizarre murders. And to add to the complexity, loyal assistant Veronica Hobbes has launched her own investigation into a series of missing women, all having something to do with a stage magician’s act....

I’m sick of this dude’s opium addiction.

Reading The Osiris Ritual demonstrated to me that I liked Mann's first book, The Affinity Bridge, more for the novelty of a steampunk detective team than for the writing itself. He clearly has a lot of talent, and loves his characters, but it doesn't seem like he spends enough time getting to know them - they all come across as rather flat. It doesn't take more than a couple of pages to tell me that a) Newbury is very smart, b) Newbury is addicted to opium, c) Newbury is attracted to Hobbes, and...

The Osiris Ritual was a satisfactory follow up to The Affinity Bridge. Steampunk can be fun to read but stories must be taken with a grain of salt, especially as some of the technology in these books is actually more sophisticated than what we have in use today. Newbury and Hobbes conduct multiple investigations in this book, but by the end of the novel everything is (essentially) tied up with a nice neat bow. Real life is rarely so simple but then this is a work of fiction. Tensions are beginni...

Excellent steampunk tea time action. A short summary: I think TOR works better as an introduction to Mann's universe than Affinity Bridge. TOR seemed less weighed down with ornamental brass than AB, and was far more quickly paced and action packed for it. My only quibble would be a certain damsel in distress scenario that seemed a lost opportunity and a lack of Amelia, but I won't say more for now is not the time for spoilers.I also have a theory as to how Newbury is the Fox Mulder of his time,

My first steampunk novel

Back for the second in the series with Newbury & Hobbes! They being the intrepid sleuths, Sir Maurice Newbury and Miss Veronica Hobbes, of a Steampunk adventure involving immortality & artifacts so says the speal. Sarcophagus, mummies & ancient curses would seem to the way this is going from the early text as we meet everybody at an exclusive party which includes Sir Maurice Newbury amongst the guests. At said party an ancient mummy is revealed which lends all the hallmarks of being part of the

This series is growing on me. The first book I thought was merely serviceable, with a bit of a revelation at the end that made one of the characters much more interesting. Either the author has gotten better at plotting, or the tension has been amped up, or I was just in a better mood to enjoy Victoriana. I think perhaps all three, and the end result was that this was quite enjoyable. Not revelatory, but fun.Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy

This is an entertaining and exciting steam punk novel involving a serial killer who is seeking immortality. Interesting characters and a level of tension that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Very enjoyable.

The Osiris Ritual by George Mann - OKFirst book of the year finished!This is the second in a series that I began in 2009. It's taken me ten years to finally get hold of a copy - thanks to my 2019 Secret Santa!Maybe I built it up in my mind too much or maybe I'd forgotten too much of the first book, but it wasn't quite as good a read as I'd hoped. Still it was enjoyable and I shall begin a quest to find the third in the series.So this is Steampunk. Set during the reign of Queen Victoria (A monarc...

I really want to like these books. The characters have the potential for compelling relationships, and the story has potential as well. And--steampunk detective novels with zombies and Egyptian rituals? Sounds like a win. I have now slogged through two Newbury and Hobbes investigations, and I doubt I'll do a third. Mann's writing is the impediment: poor pacing, absurdly extended predictable action sequences, and a bad tendency to restate obvious plot point sseveral times in as many chapters (whi...

This is a steampunk mystery novel about immortality, featuring investigators Newbury and Hobbes, agents of the Crown. And I loved it. Was it perfect? Definitely not. But I didn’t care.This second book is better than the first one. It is not weighted down by the standard steampunk clichés, but is its own thing. Its making the promise of the rest of the series to be unique and lots of fun.We learn a bit more about the two main characters, the charming Mr Newbury and the feisty and intelligent Miss...

This is the special collector's edition of 500 slipcased copies, signed and hand numbered by the author. This copy is numbered 288 of 500 produced.The book includes two exclusive short stories , an embossed invitation card, and a 'Mysterious Alfonso' poster.Contents:009 - "The Osiris Ritual" 301 - "What Lies Beneath" 315 - "The Shattered Teacup" 333 - Chapter One from the Forthcoming book "Ghosts of Manhattan"

Newbury and Hobbes are not working in tandem. Sir Maurice is off on assignment for the Queen looking into the "return" of another agent, William Ashford, who may have gone rogue and who may be involved in a high profile killing of the Egyptologist Lord Winthrop, whose discovery and then death are front page news as written by Newbury's new protege, George Purefoy. Veronica meanwhile is concerned about a spate of disappearances of young women, all who visited a magician, The Mysterious Alfonso, a...