Michael CoorlimReseñas

Definitely enjoyed. It was very short, but to the point. Characterization was king.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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"Good news, James," he said. "We are to be detectives."

I looked up from my workstation, the jeweller's loupe in my eye distorting his otherwise handsome face. "I've no desire to be a detective."

"That's unfortunate," Bartleby said. "For it's what we're to be."

WHAT'S BARTLEBY AND JAMES: EDWARDIAN STEAMPUNK CHRONICLE ABOUT?
Alton Bartleby is something of an intellectual dilettante—he has some degree of brilliance and uses it to flit around from idea to idea, interest to interest, and so on. He gets very invested in some sort of project or occupation for a little while, and then plunges wholeheartedly into something else. Thankfully (for him) he has the wealth to indulge his flitting attention span.

James Wainwright is his friend—Wainwright's a brilliant engineer, who is far more interested in whatever device he's fiddling with than interacting with anyone. He seems to go along with Bartleby helping him out with whatever flight of fancy he's on. But he's not so sure about his latest idea—after meeting a certain retired Consulting Detective who now keeps bees, Bartleby wants to be a detective.

He sticks with it for longer than Wainwright or his fiancé expects—this book collects four short stories recounting some of their earliest cases. The Duo tangles with an automaton assassin, an out-of-control airship, a rogue spiritualist, and more.

THE TONE

"I may be able calibrate my Forensic Viewers and attune them to his particular N- Ray signature."

"I don't know what that means."

"My science goggles can track him."

"Brilliant!"

These stories are told with a very light touch—they're not comedic, but they have their moments, but they're definitely not stories that take themselves too seriously.

That doesn't stop them from brushing up against serious thoughts or emotions—and there is a little bit of character growth (and the "little bit" is solely a function of the brevity of the collection based on what I've read). Bartleby is largely the same man we meet in the beginning, except that he doesn't seem to be tiring of being a detective. James, on the other hand, is definitely not someone he'd recognize from his pre-detective days.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT BARTLEBY AND JAMES: EDWARDIAN STEAMPUNK CHRONICLE?

Bartleby shook his head. "Look, can you invent... detective things?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"I don't know. You're the engineer."

This was a fun, quick read—a nice little dose of Steampunk with a thin coating of Victorian P.I.

The stories were all a little too brief for me, I could barely get my teeth sunk into them—I'd prefer one story told over 120 pages rather than four.

But these were fun enough that I can see myself going on with the books. And think just about anyone would, too.

Dang. This short story was my introduction to Coorlim's world of Sherlock-and-Watson characters in a steampunk setting, and it was awesome. Brisk, focused writing filled with quirky characters in a fascinatingly re-imagined world -- I want more. (James is my favorite. More James, please.)

A finished copy of this book was provided to me by the author through the Librarything Member Giveaway Program.

I'm not sure why, since I was really excited about this one, but it took me a while to get into it. It read like I was starting in the middle of the book. But I stayed with it and it was worth it. Fun steampunk escape. This has 3 stories in it; I liked the last 2 best.

Bartleby and James are a "Steampunk" updated Sherlock and Holmes. There are some great one-liners for some good chuckles. As I don't like Steampunk, I don't plan to read more stories with Bartleby and James."

Was not sure if I'd like a Steampunk mystery but I did. Set in Victorian times, a period I enjoy for a setting. The book is composed of four different mysteries that seem almost impossible to solve.

Alton Bartleby is well off and a bit of a fop, but he has an analytical mind that is capable of taking odd bits and bobs of clues and finding the common thread. James Wainwright, the other lead character, is not so social, comes from a lower class but is a wizard with mechanical things. Between the two they are able to solve these strange and bizarre mysteries.

The book ended a bit too soon so I will have to find more in this series....I hope there are more!

Another good read for me!

A series of short stories and novelettes chronicling the adventures of a trio in an alternate history, Edwardian steampunk London of the early 20th century, and sometime abroad.

The first protagonist is James Wainwright, a reclusive engineer with a working-class background sponsored by and dragged willy-nilly into the quickly shifting hobbies of his rich aristocrat friend Alton Bartleby. Until the latter settles for a longer time than usual as a private investigator in the footsteps of a famous and retired "Holmes".

The third member of the trio (though during earlier stories in this collection the men operate as a pair with her as a supporting character, and she has her own parallel adventures) is the aristocrat's long time fiancée Aldora Fiske, a brilliant young woman stifled by the boundaries set on women of her time and class.

They're fairly engaging characters, strongly defined (if not very deeply at first but the extra bits and pieces fall into place nicely with each new story). They face their own challenges both to their perceived strengths and weaknesses. They grow as persons and partners.½

Not what I was expecting..This was a short suspense story that wasn't very suspenseful. A for effort though

The life of Clay, young hunter from the Bear Clan, is turned upside down when his father, Bear Champion, is killed by a foreign tribe.
With his brother, Broad, he discovers that elsewhere, people have another way of life. Will he keep his beliefs, or adapt to change?
With this novel, Michael Coorlim starts a new series, "Hero Historia", mixing alternative history and superheroes.
I found the plot convincing, even with the supernatural elements. I really liked the excerpts from "scientific publications."
The setting reminded me of the movie "Quest of Fire" (by Jean-Jacques Annaud), one of my favorites.
The development of the characters is well described and the pace of the story varies, depending on their emotions or the situations they are dealing with.
The twist in the plot is great, and I hope to learn more in the next books of the series.
If you like stories where you forget what is fantasy and what reality, then this book is for you.

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

James Wainwright, Alton Bartleby, and Aldora Fiske investigate the murder of Director Arthur Paddock at the Bedford Mental Hospital. The investigation is brought about by The Home Office and Metropolitan Police. Neither group is happy about having James, Alton, and Aldora. During the course of investigation James becomes attracted to Doctor Loni Teague. This case becomes quickly a race against the clock. Can Wainwright and Barteby find the murderer? What about Doctor Teague? Your answers await you in Dreams of the Damned.

I must admit that I really enjoy reading Michael Coorlim's work. I've only found the steampunk genre this past year. Steampunk is vastly becoming one of my favorite genres to read. I love the characters and story because the rich, bold, unique, and interest thoughts. I will continue reading this author's work in the future.

WOW I never saw it coming. What a great new Series.

When I first saw the write up on this book "Hero Historia Jericho Rising,” I thought well it isn't my type of story...but it is written by Michael Coorlim and he is a great writer. He can take any subject or time or place in history and twist and bend it with his pen or keyboard into an adventure that you couldn't have ever imaged in your wildest dreams. His storytelling and creativity of human or nonhuman characters are so ingenious that you either associate with them or just fall in love with them. You care what happens to them.

This story is about Neolithic Superheroes and serial killers. And you wonder how in the hell is this going to come together, Mr. Coorlim has a writing style that is smooth and moves at a steady pace that keeps you interested but doesn't loss you. This is about a different kind of coming of age story, about Clay from the Bear Clan and his adventure to find a life for himself and his brother, and it has been twisted into a totally out of this world experience. I can’t go into any more detail I don’t want to give anything away. But it is a great story and if this is only Book 1 of the series I know it is going to continue to get better. Mr. Coorlim will work his magic, weaving and working the words into one great epic novel. Believe me it is not your usual Neolithic story it does have Superheroes and Serial Killers after all. This is for people that like the unusual, the strange and twisted…a little off-kilter storytellers.

I am sorry if I am rambling but Mr. Coorlim is an extraordinary author, and I admire all his works. I just can’t wait for the next chapter, no telling what may turn up.

In the small town of Laton, five adopted teenagers discover that they have unusual abilities. Secrets about their past are not easy to deal with, and now danger is everywhere.

In this YA, paranormal story, Lily, Gideon, Jessie, Barny and Delilah, each with their own dreams and fears, take a giant step towards adulthood in a very short time.

The story is fast-paced, Michael Coorlim makes each character special. The ending gives you a glimpse of what awaits our five heroes in the sequel.

I recommend this book also to older readers!

There are many, many books out there to launch independent authors and independent publishers. Every indie should read at least one or two of them, the question being: Which one did you run into first?

If you ran into this one first, it's a good, solid, short read, without any frills and cheerleading. Some unusual tips.

This is actually quite a good book. It's short, to the point, and doesn't waste your time on filler. The writing style is breezy and fun, the author refrains from overloading you with self-promotion, and there's even a sense of humor that made me chuckle a few times. It contains useful information, it links to useful places, and it's overall a pretty good overview of all the ways an author can use social networking.

The problem is, that is *all* it is. For a book that's being sold for money, I expected something different than what I can find elsewhere on the Internet for free (on any author's blog or in the Kindleboards forums, for instance). I wanted to find at least one brilliant thought I've never seen elsewhere, and it didn't deliver it. It was all just the same things you see everywhere, just packaged really tidily and neatly.

Three stars for the ease of reading, the usefulness of the information, and succinctness (much better than padding for the illusion of length). If it had contained anything I haven't heard elsewhere multiple places, it would have been four.

For a free book (I received a free reviewer copy), I was reasonably happy with it. But I think I would have been disappointed if I had paid any money for it.

Infernal Revelation Episodes 1-4
By: Michael Coorlim Paranormal Suspense
Pages 154 2014.
Courtesy of First to Read Goodreads

Mind Blown!!! Being a High School student, is
tough enough without finding that you are also
the proud owner of special abilities that you have
no idea how to control. Lily is not alone.
Children adopted in this small Texas town are
linked together by more than adoption, and special
abilities. What if you all had the same father?
Angel or Demon…His name is Lucifer.

Fear spreads through the town. Dark secrets have
been exposed. Targeted for elimination, they are
running for their lives.

Absolutely adored this story. Fast paced, and action
packed. A story of love, betrayal, lost hope, and new
beginnings. Must read. 5/5

An enjoyable and fast-paced novella! I would have liked to know what happened to some of the characters afterwards, but overall I am satisfied with the story. I also loved Aldora!

A collection of short stories featuring the steampunk detectives Bartleby and James, who seem to be loosely based on Holmes and Watson. Bartleby is a savant and James is an engineer. The stories include:

- And They Called Her Spider - Spider is an acrobatic female assassin who murders her victims in front of an audience but without anybody seeing the killing blow - there is something mysterious about her. This story also features a rapid detox machine built by James. Previously reviewed in May 2012.

- Maiden Voyage of the Rio Grande - Starts with James imprisoned on board a luxury American airship called the Rio Grande that is captained by a German. It was commissioned by an American industrialist named Frank Herbert - any illusion to the SF writer of the Dune series? James was suspected of killing one of the ship's engineers but Bartleby comes to his rescue. It appears that the murder was done to cover up sabotage. There are some minor typos in this story.

- On the Trail of the Scissorman - Bartleby & James take on the case of a boy whose parents have been killed by the mysterious Scissorman, who turns out to be a Frankenstein like creation.

- A Matter of Spirit - Starts with Bartleby & James interviewing, Buckley, an old Guild class mate of James, who has turned to the spirit world, much to James's disgust & scepticism. A female mystic has disappeared and Buckley has been charged with her murder. James has been appointed as Buckley's advocate by the Guild. This story is more along the lines of an Agatha Christie locked room murder - the skills of James are barely necessary. In fact, I thought that this was the weakest of the stories in this collection.

The characters of Bartleby & James are well developed through all these stories, although there are minimal physical descriptions of them. This is not unreasonable as James is the narrator & he has only passing interest in people & biology. These stories are good examples of the steampunk genre without reaching the heights of the Wild, Wild West.

I received this as LibraryThing review giveaway. Aldora Fiske is visiting Constantinople with her young charge Penny. Where she meets Cemal Bey of The Committee of Union and Progress. Aldora is attracted to him but engaged back in England. She loves the rights the women there are now enjoying and would like to have that same freedom. However, when she is almost kidnapped and Penny and other dignitaries go missing, Aldora must find the clues necessary to find her charge and determine who is behind these kidnappings before a war breaks out.
I won't spoil the ending but it was certainly a twist I didn't see coming.

A nice quick romp of a steam punk mini mystery. The author successfully creates a cadre of characters that come to life. The investigation, which is the thrust of the novella, is a bit like a Sherlock Holmes mystery. The ending however, was a bit shallow hence the 4 stars.

In this book, Michael Coorlim focuses on the second of the two detectives in his latest in the Galvanic series. Unlike Alton Bartleby, James Wainwright is an engineer who can do amazing things in his lab. In this story, patients have taken over Bedford Mental Hospital after the death of one of the doctor to ensure justice is done finding the murderer. I particularly enjoyed the author focusing on the second member of the detective partnership, while bringing to light some different aspects of this partnership. In addition, Alton Bartleby’s new wife, Aldora Fiske, also becomes involved and provides some essential assistance and guidance to the famous duo. The story becomes even more interesting when we learn that one of the key patients in the hospital is none other than Bartleby’s father, Dennis, who has become sort of a leader of the group of rogue patients. Who has committed the murder and how will they ever figure out the hows and whys is a fascinating tale. I did not enjoy this latest edition to the series as much as I did the others in the series. I felt, as I read, that the story dragged a bit. In many cases, the author goes into great detail about the rudimentary forensics that James uses to figure out what is going on in the case and who the murders is, but I had the murderer figured out almost from the beginning, and most of this was just confirming my belief. I did enjoy the flirtatious repartee between James and the female psychiatrist who assists the team in the investigation. Unlike in previous stories, I now can see James as a real person, with characteristics and peculiarities, relating to people in his own way. I figured the author wanted to sow us another side of the duo and succeeded. Previously, James always stayed in the background and the story became more about Bartleby than anyone else. The plot of the story was interesting, though I think the author could have developed it differently, spending more time on developing the two characters James and Dr. Teague, and their interesting relationship than on the intricacies of Edwardian psychiatry and the emerging forensic science in solving crimes. I saw a relationship between the two, engineer/scientist and the psychiatrist beginning, but, in the end it had no real development—or chance thereof either. Unlike in the other stories, I also saw a different side of Bartleby, largely brought out by the presence of his new wife and father, which proved an interesting side of his life. One thing that surprised me was the portrayal of Bartleby’s wife, Aldora. True to all the author has presented in previous stories, she is a remarkable woman for her times, but she could have played even a more important role in the mystery and crime investigation than she did. Though no shrinking violet, Aldora did fall back into the sidelines just as the woman she professes not to be might have in many instances. Based on her role in the story, I am not quite sure what the author intends her role to be in the duo’s detective work. All in all, the book is a good addition to the series, though it does have its flaws. I think anyone who enjoys reading about the detectives in this steampunk era will enjoy this latest addition. I received this from Library Thing to read and review.

Another satisfying installment in Coorlim’s Galvanic Century series. Like the preceding installment, “March of the Cogsmen”, this unites all of his main characters: James Wainwright, Alton Bartleby, and Aldora Fiske. Here, they intervene in a hostage situation at Bedford Mental Hospital.

The inmates have taken over the asylum, led by one Dennis Bartleby, the father Alton had committed there. Dennis wants a real investigation of the murder of the hospital’s director, true justice as opposed to Scotland Yard just railroading any convenient inmate. Confronted by psychiatrists representing various therapeutic approaches, Bartleby confronts his past, James is characteristically oblivious to both suggestions that he may resent Bartleby and Aldora’s marriage and that he’s infatuated with one Dr. Teague. And Aldora fears for her husband’s psychic well-being.

There is a bit of wonderous steampunk technology, but most of the story is Coorlim’s characteristic mixture of humor and drama and violence as we are given another satisfying chapter in the developing and changing lives of these characters.

Writtin in true Coorlim style—another story in the Galvanic Steampunk World. Each story proves to flesh out the main characters. This one gave yet another view of Aldora Fiske. I remain a fan! I received this book from Library Thing to read and review.

Written in true Michael Coolim style. This is a fast moving story keeping the reader on the edge of your seat to the very last page! I received this book from Library Thing to read and review.

This is the first of Michael Coolim’s works I have read. Wow! I love the steampunk world he has created! This novelette was a quick read with enough action to keep me reading. I will be reading more of Mr. Coolim’s works. I received this book from Library Thing to read and review.

A Matter of Spirit is another short mystery by Michael Coorlim in his Galvanic Century series. This time is a locked room mystery. James Wainwright is called in by the Royal Guild of Artificers and Engineers to help defend another member against an accusation of murder. His partner, Alton Bartleby, sees another level of intrigue to what seems a clear-cut case. With nods to Sherlock Holmes and 19th century spiritualists, Bartleby and James take on the cons of ghost whisperers and the bigotry of established religion to find a killer.
As always, the story moves quickly. Coorlim has built an intriguing alternate London filled with both stock characters and quirky individuals. I always enjoy the unique technology of the steampunk universe and appreciate Wainwright’s expertise in engineering. This is a good chapter in the Galvanic Century, but not the best one to introduce a reader to this world. Definitely worth reading, but I would suggest reading others first though the plot does not depend on it. The ending implies there will be more chronicles. As Bartleby points out : “We’re making waves here in the city and its being noticed by power players“.