The Extraordinary and Unusual Adventures of Horatio Lyle [Paperback]

Catherine Webb (Author)

Book Description

Series: Horatio Lyle | Publication Date: September 1, 2008

In Victorian London at the height of the industrial revolution, Horatio Lyle is a former volunteer law enforcement officer with a passion for science and invention. He’s also an occasional, but reluctant, sleuth. The truth is that he’d rather be in his lab tinkering with dangerous chemicals and odd machinery than running around the cobbled streets of London trying to track down stolen goods. But when his government calls, Horatio swaps his microscope for a magnifying glass, fills his pockets with things that explode, and goes forth to unravel a mystery of a singularly extraordinary nature. Thrown together with a reformed—in other words "caught"—pickpocket named Tess, and a rebellious young gentleman named Thomas, Lyle and his faithful hound, Tate, find themselves pursuing an ancient Chinese plate, a conspiracy that reaches to the highest levels of polite society, and a dangerous enemy who may not even be human. Solving the crime will be hard enough—surviving would be a bonus.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Originally published in Great Britain in 2006, this rollicking escapade propels a Sherlockian inventor and two young Irregulars on a wild chase through Victorian London in search of an ancient artifact with eldritch powers. The Fuyun Plate has vanished from a deep vault in the Bank of England, and against his better judgment reclusive genius Horatio Lyle leaves his elaborately booby-trapped laboratory to track it down. He picks up a wonderfully competent and cocky young thief named Tess and the naive but resourceful scion of high nobility, Thomas, and together they encounter corpses, bloodstains, subtle clues, and sudden attacks from weirdly hypnotized assassins. The climactic battle is fought amid huge explosions and massive electrical phenomena. Despite being barely past high-school age when she wrote this novel, Webb weaves puckish humor, intelligent plotting, high suspense, and appropriately grimy atmosphere into a well told tale that will leave readers praying for more. Happily, there are two sequels already waiting in the wings. Grades 5-8. --John Peters

Review

"Clever, surprising prose . . . Rich in action and character."  —Sunday Times

"A hell of a romp . . . unstoppable imagination."  —Sunday Telegraph

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1904233619
• ISBN-13: 978-1904233619
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #614,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Doctor Who Meets Sherlock Holmes, August 17, 2008

By 

Writergrrl (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Extraordinary and Unusual Adventures of Horatio Lyle (Paperback)

"When mystery beckons, he gathers his courage, sharpens his wits and fills his pockets with things that explode."

How could you not enjoy a book with that as the back cover copy? Catherine Webb's brilliant world of Horatio Lyle, special constable and inventor, is the intersection of Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes, and Harry Potter. Full of sly wit, adventure, and well, things that explode, The Extraordinary and Unusual Adventures of Horatio Lyle is quite likely to be the best book no one will hear of this year.

When a culturally significant artifact, the Fuyun Plate, is stolen from the Bank of England and the theives that stole it are murdered, Constable Lyle is called in to solve the mystery. Assisted by his loyal dog Tate, the reformed (read: caught) theif Tess and the amiable Thomas, son of Lord Elwick, the plate's guardian, Lyle matches wits with a very odd group of people who need the plate for a special ritual. Will Horatio save the day or will the menacing Lord Moncorvo have his wicked way?

Beyond the highly enjoyable story, Webb's characters are just as vivid as the world they inhabit. In fact, it is easy to see the book becoming a BBC miniseries staring David Tennant (although Johnny Depp could certainly pull off the role with panahe) Biting wit will keep adults entertained - not that they need to be with the extraordinary and unusual adventures going on - as children will cheer Lyle and his associates on. Read this, and you'll be impatiently waiting for the next book in Webb's series to be released.

Read it. Now.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The extraordinarily boring and obnoxious narrative of Horatio Lyle, July 26, 2011

By 

Lujanitus - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Extraordinary and Unusual Adventures of Horatio Lyle (Paperback)

I'm not sure how anyone can think this is a good book in any way, less of all a great one. The `author' can't write a plot, what she can do is describe with jarring sentences a multitude of objects and actions that are of no consequence. She does this at length, and I really mean that. The writing is indeed so bad I had no energy left to pay attention to what was `actually' going on, not that it was that interesting, as there is nothing truly original in this text (which for some reason has a sequel). I was going to include this in my thesis, but not even the fact that it leaves itself open to so many criticisms was enough to entice me to pick this book again once I was done with it. Sincerely, don't bother with this. For good writing, Victorian settings and something with substance, go for Pullman, G.P. Taylor or Philip Reeve.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly delightful., August 20, 2008

By 

Singin' in the Rain - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Extraordinary and Unusual Adventures of Horatio Lyle (Paperback)

The Horatio Lyle series is my favorite series that no one else has ever heard of. Sherlock Holmes collides with Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the middle of a science fair in Victorian London. Mystery, unique uses for everyday science, and evil supernatural creatures lurking in fog-shrouded streets. What more could you ask for?

Horatio is smart, occasionally sarcastic, and far braver than he thinks (though he's still sensible enough to run away when it's clearly the best course of action). His affection for his young sidekicks - the hilarious pickpocket Tess and the charmingly brilliant-but-awkward Thomas - is touching and makes for a strong emotional core to the books.

Webb's prose is experimental, but almost always a delight. She settles down in the next two books of the series and her writing becomes even stronger. The most amazing thing is that she was only 19 when she wrote this first book. I'm excited to see where she goes in her career.

There are two more books in the series after this one - two more unusual and extraordinary adventures - and they just get better. I can't praise this series highly enough, and I can't wait for book four.