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The Aylesford Skull (Tale of Langdon St. Ives) Paperback – January 15, 2013

by James P. Blaylock (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars 54 ratings
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It is the summer of 1883 and Professor Langdon St. Ives - brilliant but eccentric scientist and explorer - is at home in Aylesford with his family. However, a few miles to the north a steam launch has been taken by pirates above Egypt Bay; the crew murdered and pitched overboard. In Aylesford itself a grave is opened and possibly robbed of the skull. The suspected grave robber, the infamous Dr. Ignacio Narbondo, is an old nemesis of Langdon St. Ives. 

When Dr. Narbondo returns to kidnap his four-year-old son Eddie and then vanishes into the night, St. Ives and his factotum Hasbro race to London in pursuit... 

The first new steampunk novel in over twenty years from one of the genre's founding fathers!
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  1. Book 3 of 4
    Langdon St. Ives
  2. Print length
    400 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Titan Books
  5. Publication date
    January 15, 2013
  6. Dimensions
    5.15 x 1.11 x 7.98 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    9780857689795
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0857689795
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for James P. Blaylock:

"A singular American fabulist." - William Gibson, author of The Difference Engine

"Blaylock is a magician!" - Michael Swanwick

"Blaylock's prose is so rich it literally sings!" - Charles de Lint

"Blaylock is better than anyone else at showing us the magic that secretly animates our world..." - Tim Powers, author of On Stranger Tides

"While many recent novels have picked up the steampunk banner, this one fully delivers, offering action, farce, tender relationships, and prose full of genuine Victorian cadence and flavor." - Publishers Weekly [on The Affair of the Chalk Cliffs]

"St. Ives has to be one of the most fleshed out Victorian characters ever written, and I’m sincerely hoping that Blaylock isn’t finished with this scientist adventurer. The Aylesford Skull can easily stand alone without any knowledge of Blaylock’s previous steampunk stories, but you’ll want to hunt down additional St. Ives tales, I’m for certain." – Wired.com

About the Author

James P. Blaylock is one of the founding fathers of modern steampunk along with fellow writers and friends Tim Powers and K.W. Jeter. He has won the World Fantasy and Philip K. Dick Awards. Blaylock lives in Orange, CA with his wife - they have two sons.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0857689797
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Titan Books
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 15, 2013
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 0
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780857689795
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0857689795
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.15 x 1.11 x 7.98 inches
  • Book 3 of 4 ‏ : ‎ Langdon St. Ives
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 54 ratings

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James P. Blaylock

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
54 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book delightful to read. They enjoy the story, with one customer noting it's full of adventure and another mentioning it's reminiscent of the Victorian era.

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6 customers mention "Readability"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book delightful to read, with one noting how it appeals to modern readers.

"...It is reminiscent of the Victorian era, but appeals to modern readers and never becomes stuffy...." Read more

"The first in the series. I love the time period. A good read...." Read more

"A witty, zany, fun read - full of adventure. The Victorian gentleman explorer and inventor, Langdon St. Ives, is back...." Read more

"Blaylock is amazing! Love this tale and was engaged from page 1. Looking forward to next book without a doubt." Read more

4 customers mention "Enjoyment"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable, with one mentioning it's full of adventure and another noting its Victorian era setting and appropriate steampunk elements.

"...With appropriately steampunkish props, St. Ives is back with a new mystery to solve. One that becomes more personal than he'd like...." Read more

"The first in the series. I love the time period. A good read...." Read more

"A witty, zany, fun read - full of adventure. The Victorian gentleman explorer and inventor, Langdon St. Ives, is back...." Read more

"Blaylock is amazing! Love this tale and was engaged from page 1. Looking forward to next book without a doubt." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • M. E. Wilson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful Read!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    What an absolutely delightful book from one of the founding fathers of the steampunk genre! With appropriately steampunkish props, St. Ives is back with a new mystery to solve. One that becomes more personal than he'd like. And that's all I'm saying about the plot, so as not to invoke spoilers.

    Blaylock's writing is elegant. It is reminiscent of the Victorian era, but appeals to modern readers and never becomes stuffy. With touches of humor that actually made me laugh out loud, he has created characters that are rich, complex and easy to fall in love with. Even his supporting cast soon has you rooting for them. The story is fast-paced and the mystery elements work well. Indeed the book itself is a very fast read, which kept me turning those pages.

    Overall, the novel is excellent and entertaining and I highly recommend it!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Dale Malisiak
    4.0 out of 5 stars The Aylesford Skull (Tale of Langdon St. Ives)
    Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    The first in the series. I love the time period. A good read. Reminded me of the Adventures of Jules Verne television series that ran on the Sci-Fi Channel a few years ago.
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  • Michael RM
    3.0 out of 5 stars A Rip-Roaring Steampunk Adventure
    Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2013
    Steampunk! Strap on your goggles, grab your ferret and fill up your zeppelin with hydrogen, because it's time to read The Aylesford Skull, the latest of James P. Blaylock's novels featuring his popular protagonist Langdon St. Ives.

    St. Ives is described on the jacket as "brilliant but eccentric," though in practice he comes off as Sherlock Holmes without the flaws: his brilliance is the same MacGyver-type encyclopedic knowledge of whatever's needed in the current situation. We don't see too much of his "eccentricity," aside from his taste for ADVENTURE! and a fondness for gadgetry. All in all, he's a bland protagonist who's good for moving the plot forward but isn't too terribly interesting otherwise.

    His archnemesis, the infamous Doctor Ignatio Narbondo, suffers from the same problem. His name is the most interesting thing about him, though to be fair it is an excellent name. Dr. Narbondo's modus operandi is the same throughout the book: bribe someone, then betray and kill them. Apparently none of London's criminal underground have heard about the Dr. Narbondo Retirement Package, though, because this trick keeps working over and over again. Come to think of it, how would they have heard of it? It's not like Narbondo has any ex-employees. A job for Narbondo is a job for life.

    The book suffers from these shallow characterizations, which is a shame because the plot is rip-roaring. Within the first fifty pages we have a pirate attack, an attempted poisoning, a grave robbing, a murder, a bombing, a sewer chase, and the appearance of a ghost. Yes, a ghost. Though "steampunk" is usually considered a subgenre of science fiction, Blaylock weaves several supernatural elements into his plot, chiefly the titular skull. It adds an interesting wrinkle to his alternate England, but does make St. Ives look a bit silly by the end. He keeps insisting on "rational explanations" for these supernatural events after he's encountered multiple ghosts and enlisted the aid of a psychic.

    The book keeps up the pace throughout, building up to an intense, exciting climax followed by an abrupt and disappointing cop-out of an ending. Barely-a-spoiler alert: Narbondo is undone by his own villainy. I know! My shocked gasp sent my monocle flying across the room.

    In general, it's impossible to spoil this book because it does nothing you haven't seen before a thousand times. The minute St. Ives climbs into his rickety airship you know that thing's going to crash into something. Every time Narbondo walks into a room you know somebody's getting killed within three pages. That said, it does do old stuff well. The pacing is breakneck, and though the book's a little longer than the plot requires, it's a fun, lightweight read.

    The Aylesford Skull won't surprise you, but if you're a fan of this type of genre fiction you're not looking to be surprised. You're looking to read about a man firing incendiary bullets at a ghost made of coal dust to turn it into a walking bomb. And friend, you will not be disappointed.

    -Andy North for Cultural Transmogrifier (a site I own and operate)
    [...]
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Cornelia Amiri
    5.0 out of 5 stars Witty, Zany, Full of Adventure
    Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    A witty, zany, fun read - full of adventure.

    The Victorian gentleman explorer and inventor, Langdon St. Ives, is back. When his son, Eddie, is kidnapped by Langdon’s arch nemeses, Narbondo, he and his friends from the Royal Academy go after the villain and chaotic adventure ensues.
    One person found this helpful
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  • K.C.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Blaylock is amazing! Love this tale and was engaged from page 1. Looking forward to next book without a doubt.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars The Aylesford Skull (Tale of Langdon St. Ives)
    Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    A good read, but I found the antagonist to be too unrealistic a character, a bit too far over the edge.
    One person found this helpful
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  • kris L
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Blaylock is one of my favorite writers and this book is amazing.
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  • Katherine
    3.0 out of 5 stars Absured steampunk with a subtle wit
    Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2015
    Originally posted at Fantasy Literature.

    James P. Blaylock is most famous for being a protégé of Philip K. Dick and, along with his friends K.W. Jeter and Tim Powers, developing the steampunk genre of fantasy fiction in the 1980s. Blaylock’s most popular steampunk stories take place in Victorian England and feature gentleman inventor Langdon St. Ives and his archnemesis Dr. Ignacio Narbondo, a hunch-backed necromancer. The Aylesford Skull is considered to be the seventh installment of THE NARBONDO SERIES, though each of the LANGDON ST. IVES novels can stand alone.
    In The Aylesford Skull, Langdon St. Ives seems to be considering retirement. He and his wife (Alice) and their two small children (Eddie and Cleo) have moved to the country to lead a quiet life. Langdon continues to work on his hobby — building a functioning airship in his barn. Currently he’s trying to figure out how to roll back the roof of the barn so the airship can get out. He’s thinking about acquiring an elephant to provide the pulling power. Meanwhile Alice is fishing for the huge pike that lives in the stream behind their house so she can stuff it. (Are there always fish in Blaylock’s novels? I’m not sure.)

    But the peace doesn’t last long. Narbondo’s mother (he has a mother?!) lives up the hill. When she asks St. Ives to help her destroy her son, at first he refuses. But then he discovers that Narbondo has been using a child’s skull to conjure up ghosts. When Narbondo kidnaps Eddie, St. Ives decides to act. He recruits his gentlemen friends from the Royal Academy and off they go to London on a manhunt. Arthur Conan Doyle, who was in town to meet with his publisher, accompanies them. The gentlemen don’t know it yet, but they will also be joined by a few more characters including Alice, Narbondo’s mom, a fortune-teller, and the gardener.

    In London they uncover a nefarious plot that involves ghosts, skulls, anarchists, a pipe organ, and a portal to Hell. The plot is zany and chaotic as the characters run around chasing each other all over and underneath London, stopping only for the scientists to dine and for the dastardly villains to monologue. There are plenty of chases, gunshots, and explosions. And, of course, an airship goes up in flames.

    I expect that the likelihood of any particular reader enjoying The Aylesford Skull will depend on how well they appreciate Blaylock’s extremely subtle and absurd sense of humor. If it doesn’t amuse you to think of using elephants to solve engineering problems, or to witness a group of gentlemen scientists from the Royal Academy camping in the woods (it’s extremely civilized camping), or to watch them running around London while buildings explode, then you might not find this story entertaining. There are nice period details and dialogue, but the story is slow moving at times (the book’s a bit too long), several of the characters are shallow, and it’s not blatantly funny. Those who are already familiar with Blaylock’s sense of humor and know they enjoy it will surely be entertained by The Aylesford Skull. Those who are unfamiliar with this father of steampunk should certainly give Blaylock a try.

    I listened to William Gaminara’s narration of The Aylesford Skull. It’s 12 hours long and produced by Audible Studios. Gaminara does a very nice job with this story and I enjoyed his performance.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • squidbeak
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another Blaylock classic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 4, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Super steampunk nonsense from the godfather of steampunk! Brilliant stuff.
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  • peejay
    4.0 out of 5 stars the aylesford skull
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    although i was aware i wasn't reading a sherlock holmes novel with moriarty as the main protagonist i just could not get both characters out of my mind . apart from that i found this a very enjoyable read. the descriptions of a bygone london were very vivid. i would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a chase novel with lots of different & interesting characters &a really exciting& fast paced ending. read it& enjoy////////.
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  • Kevin
    3.0 out of 5 stars Good adventure story and characters,, but misses out on the Steampunk elements.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 31, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Brought this as advertised as Steampunk. Decent enough story with good characters, but anyone looking for a steampunk story this misses out. Some elements but not nearly enough. For a real Steampunk adventure story try the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences story's These are true rip roaring books all the gadgets you want and gripping adventure by the bucket load.
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  • mrsmadmare2
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 22, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    great item excellent service
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