The
Procurement of Souls by Benjamin Hope is a steampunk novel set in Victorian
England. It is essentially a battle between the positive and negative forces of
science.
I
have to confess this is a genre that I haven’t read before and consequently it
took me a while to get into the rhythm of the story. Basically it suspends any
notion of reality as an evil scientist is able to remove the souls of humans
and then control them like puppets. There is no grey area in this story and the
villains really are villains.
The
said mad scientist is a bitter and twisted individual named Thomas Weimer.
Perhaps of more interest to me is his assistant, Marina, a tough, powerful,
cigarillo smoking woman, who can physically get the better of most men. The
dynamic between her and Weimer has the potential to create lots of tension as
she is treated like a lackey by him and clearly resents his power. However, I
felt that Hope missed an opportunity to create a really interesting character
in Marina and in the end she remains a mystery with no real insight into who
she is.
Weimer
and Marina are offset by the renowned scientist, Magnus Drinkwater and his
seventeen year old daughter, Clementine. It is Clementine who first involves
herself in the disappearance of vulnerable young women, eventually forcing her
reluctant father to help investigate the situation. Magnus has invented a
machine called the viroscope that can potentially stop time but he is reluctant
to use it due to the mysterious death of his wife whilst experimenting with the
machine. The death of his wife in fact casts a shadow over the whole novel and
plays a role in bringing the plot together.
The
plot is very busy and there are lots of characters as Weimer takes up residence
in a monastery and the army is called upon to try and thwart him. I love
character driven novels and so personally felt a little bit cheated that we
never really have time to get to know the characters. Perhaps the most rounded
one is Novice Goode, a member of the monastery who is struggling with his
calling but again because the novel is so plot driven and didn’t feel that I
fully knew him.
I
really liked how Hope uses his novel to pit science against religion. Weimer is
clearly playing God by removing people’s souls and using them for his own ends and
this is referred to several times. By setting the bulk of the novel in a
monastery, Hope highlights the dichotomy between blind faith and reason. Novice
Goode and Clementine plainly represent the heart of the novel and both of them
are young and idealistic with compassion for others. The fact that the two of
them survive maybe suggests that Hope wants to show the triumph of humanity.
Hope
is a good writer and despite the fanciful nature of the story, it makes
complete sense within the realms of the plot. The description of Victorian
London and the crime-ridden docks is very effective and creates a good backdrop
to the story. My own personal disappointment is that characterisation is lost
in favour of the plot but maybe this is the nature of steampunk fiction.
If
you are a fan of steampunk then I have no doubt that this will be one for you
to enjoy. It’s exciting and well written and keeps you guessing until the very end.
