The Wisdom of Dead Men, by Oisín McGann, is (with apologies to Winston Churchill) a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigmal. It is the second book in the Wildenstern saga, the first being Ancient Appetites, but it isn't necessary to have read Ancient Appetites before undertaking Wisdom, as the obscure, unusual or historical aspects of the story are all given sufficient definition or context.

Actually, it is just those aspects that make the Wildenstern saga stand out in the steampunk genre. Wisdom and Appetites celebrate the main tropes of steampunk - science, technology, mathematics and the joy of researching and inventing in the Victorian Age. However, this saga differs in that the inventions are built on a type of living machine which is found in the wild, but which has defied all attempts to explain its origins. These machines are called "Enigmals". They can't mate and are unique; their intelligence varies from that of an insect to higher-level primates. These exotic beasts are inordinately difficult to capture and tame and are quite rare, so usually only the rich can afford to own them. The Wildensterns, an enormously wealthy Irish family, powerful throughout the British Empire, has several which they have adapted for many uses, from intelligent wheelbarrows to animal/motorcycle hybrids. Gerald Wildenstern, the cousin of the patriarch of the family, is the standard steampunk scientist, researching, vivisecting and experimenting with enigmals.

The Wildensterns have a feature that very few other families in the world have - aurea sanitas, a kind of intelligent particle found in the blood of these families that imparts superb healing and long lives. Interestingly, these particles seem to be found in the enigmals, also. Given their wealth and longevity, the ascension of family members to positions of prominence and power is depressingly slow. In response, the Wildensterns have developed a family code called the Rules of Ascension, whereby assassination may be used within the family in order to improve one's position. The family would cover up the murder if it were committed according to the Rules. This has bred aggression, cunning and ruthlessness into the fabric of the family.

The Wisdom of Dead Men and the rest of the Wildenstern saga is interesting not just for how it differs from standard steampunk, but also in the effect these characteristics of wealth, power, intelligent particles, exotic locale (a superstitious Victorian Ireland), and intelligent, living machines have on the conflicts that emerge. Wisdom begins with the Witch of Tinahely stumbling out of her cottage and burning, seemingly by spontaneous combustion. An investigation finds that the woman was a member of the Wildenstern family, much to the surprise of its ranking members. Shortly thereafter, an assassination attempt is made on the Patriarch because he is blamed for making a family member's mother disappear. These two events introduce the main theme of the book - the role of women in the family and within Victorian society at large.

The riddle of the intelligent particles inside of the enigmals is wrapped in the mystery of the women in the family and in the larger society who have disappeared. This mystery is the substance of the plot - which women disappeared secretly and which from natural causes? Why did those women disappear? Where did they disappear to? What happened to them after they were gone? The family members, men and women, set out to find the answers to these mysteries, of course employing their ruthlessness and cunning and using their enigmals and aurea sanitas particles to help them through the dire situations that transpire.

The story is gripping and exciting; it explores some of the dark side of Victoriana; and it is strange. The Wisdom of Dead Men is well recommended, even for those who are averse to the steampunk genre - it is unusual enough to stand out from the crowd.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Page-turner about a powerful family in Ireland in the late 1800s. For Berto, the head of the Wildernstern clan, assassination attempts are a fact of life as he tries to shake up the family and its traditions. Confined to a wheelchair, he resorts to some desperate measures to get his strength back. The healing power in his blood not working on its own.
Many topics are addressed in this book including women's rights, magic vs. science, medical ethics in the backdrop of a mystery investigation.
There is a lot going on in this book, but the author manages to keep all the subplots rolling and the characters distinct. ( )

Following on from Ancient Appetites, this is the second story about the murderous Wildensterns. Berto is now head of the family, ruling from his wheelchair and Nate is his protector. Daisy helps as only she can and they have to face up to some family secrets that people would like to keep hidden.

The end took me by surprise. I didn't expect what happened to happen and I really do want to know what happens next! While some things were made clearer some were obscured even further. The larger mystery deepened and Nate is pivotal to discovering the truth. ( )