Customer Reviews

The Hunchback Assignments

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Arthur Slade's latest YA novel, The Hunchback Assignments, is steampunk-tacular.

Hunchback AssignmentsModo, a disfigured hunchback, is born with a strange gift. He can twist his appearance to mirror any imaginable person. Modo can hide behind the countenance of a prince or pickpocket, if only for a few hours. His true face, the one reflection he avoids at all costs, masks a heroic figure.

The enigmatic Mr. Socrates rescues Modo as an infant and trains him as an agent of a shadowy Victorian era organization. Modo's assignments thrust him into danger at every turn and pitt him against the mechanized villainy of a mad scientist. A monstrous enemy threatens the British Empire, and Modo must use every ounce of wit and skill he possesses to combat the forces of evil.

Modo not only faces physical peril, he also wrestles with his feelings for Octavia, a beautiful and compassionate fellow agent. Although Modo longs to accept Octavia's affection, he finds it impossible to reveal his true face. He dreams of becoming the handsome knight who can win her heart. She longs to know the real man behind the mask.

In the Hunchback Assignments, suspense builds steadily up to the ripping climax. Throughout the story, the audience feels Modo's heartache and witnesses his courage. After the final scene, the reader will be reluctant to leave his side.

Assignments is a satisfying brew infused with crisp writing and high flying action. It reads as though Slade threw the machinations of a 007 caper, the intrigue of a Young Sherlock Holmes adventure, the gothic romance of a Victor Hugo tale, the clever gadgetry of an H.G. Wells yarn, and the thrilling horror of a penny dreadful into a blender and pressed pulse.

Yes, it's that good. Read it.

I have to admit that I didn't realize this was a children's book when I picked it up, but as a fan of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series (which is definitely not for kids), the book's steampunkish Victorian setting appealed to me. In the early pages, we meet the protagonist, a horribly disfigured young boy who is kept by gypsies as a freak show entertainment. A brisk gentleman named Mr. Socrates purchases him, installs him in a country manor, and keeps him there for 13 years, training him in the arts of espionage and in the control of his special ability. For it seems that the young boy (named Modo) has the ability to shift his physical attributes so that he can impersonate others, and thus Mr. Socrates intends to turn him into a secret agent.

The Victorian British Empire of this book has all manner of nefarious enemies that Mr. Socrates and his top-secret "Permanent Association" work to stymie. In this first adventure in what looks to be a series, the villain is a mad scientist intent on creating hybrid mechanical-organic creatures. After being recruited by the mysterious Clockwork Guild (which is dedicated to destroying the British Empire) he sets about using kidnapped orphans to build a massive mechanized robot creature. Meanwhile, the Guild is also trying to use some combination of drug and hypnosis to turn several unwitting prominent men into assassins. Mr. Socrates sends Modo out to try and thwart some of this, along with another young agent named Octavia. They team up and Modo develops a crush on the intelligent, pretty girl.

Once the initial background is established, the story races along pell-mell, with plenty of action, menace, captures and escapes. At times this can make the book feel rather rushed and unfinished, as if there's a layer of descriptive writing missing -- sort of shallow. There is a lot borrowing and referencing of classic genre work here, and at times it can feel like the book is written in shorthand. However, by the end, it seems evident that the Clockwork Guild will be back to fight another day, and that subsequent books will inevitably reveal more about Modo and how he came to have his powers. I suspect most 10-14 year-old readers with a taste for adventure will want to seek out Modo and Octavia's further adventures, but older readers such as myself may find it all a bit too thin.

others described the story so i won't. but i will say that i was engrossed start to finish, trying to figure out what would happen and dreading it once i did. for that reason i rate this five stars as a great original mystery. the author created such a weird world-- creepy like the London we have read about before but with super sinister villains (one with a mechanical arm!) and good guys that are kind of questionable. Modo and Ottavia are the real heros. i can't wait for book number two!

Gold Star Award Winner!

Mysterious Mr. Socrates found a one-year-old child in the back of a gypsy cart with the label "L'Enfant du Monstre." Thinking the child was just physically deformed, Mr. Socrates turned to go; however, the toddler called out to him, and when he looked again, a reformation was taking place. This infant was able to change his facial features, so the deformity disappeared for a few moments. Mr. Socrates immediately recognized the value in this ability.

Four short years later, Modo shows advanced intellectual ability. He is able to read, complete complex mathematical equations, and study languages. Mrs. Finchley, a governess, has been hired by Mr. Socrates to care for him and Tharpa, an Indian man, has been retained to teach him combat skills. The only stipulations on Modo's life are that he cannot leave the three rooms that Mr. Socrates has declared as his and that he must concentrate only on studies that will increase his intelligence.

Though he can feel and even see a protrusion on his back, he is not allowed to see himself until at five, when he is given a mirror by Mr. Socrates. Modo is devastated by what he sees. His face, in fact his whole head, is deformed.

When Modo turns fourteen, Mr. Socrates finally allows him out of his rooms. Unfortunately, the journey that Mr. Socrates takes him on is not the gift he had hoped it would be. On the train to London, Mr. Socrates informs him that he will be aiding in the protection of England. His first task is to survive on the London streets without warning or help.

As the story progresses, Modo succeeds in that first task, so Mr. Socrates and a secret society called the Permanent Association send him on more difficult and dangerous assignments. Together with another agent, fifteen-year-old Octavia Milkweed, he undertakes a series of adventures in an effort to save the grandson of the queen.

Slade's gripping tale touches the heart, and readers will root for Modo and Octavia as they show the adults around them that loving others and offering mercy are among the strongest traits people should desire. The most important theme in the book is that physical appearances do not always reflect a person's heart.

Reviewed by: Theresa L. Stowell

To be honest, I was a little disappointed in this book. Perhaps it's that my hopes were so high to begin with, but they weren't quite met. Given the overview, there was certainly a recipe for an excellent tale--steampunk, Victorian England, the hunchback of Notre Dame as the main character, but as a teenager, and having been raised completely differently--but the execution was a little lacking.

Specifically, I felt like the story was rushed, and Slade didn't take the time to relish in the scenes, the action, the science, etc. Give it a hundred to two hundred more pages, and I think the whole story would really come alive. I would care more about the characters. They would have a bit more time to develop, especially Modo, who could use a lot more writing about his magical power as well as his training. We need more character backstory, more development, and more description about everything involved.

The ending certainly leaves it open for a sequel or a few, and I'm hoping they get better with each installment.

-Lindsey Miller, [...]

As a veteran Science Fiction, Fantasy and Steampunk reader who has read everything from Dragonlance, to Robert Jordan, to Tolkien, to Star Wars novels, to Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century series...this book stands head and shoulders above the crowd. It may be "junior fiction"...but it's not junior writing. Slade has a great sense of pacing and suspense that keeps the reader engaged. He creates characters you care about and feel for(not just Modo, the protagonist mind you). Even those characters that have their flaws, he engenders(in the reader)a certain respect for. The book had the exciting, mechanical wonders of steampunk while still staying grounded in solid characters and storyline. I couldn't wait to hand this off to my wife so she could enjoy it too. I have to be honest, this is the best book I've read in a decade.

YA (more middle school and up) Steampunk adventure. I give it 4.5 stars.

Loved it. So much fun. Modo (abandoned near Notre Dame) has a disfigured face and hunchback, but also has the power to shapeshift. As a baby, Mr. Socrates buys him from a traveling freak show and raises him, training him to be a future agent for a secretive English society. He grows up and finds himself investigating missing orphans, scientific experimentation, and threats against the country from an evil organization. And he has cool gadgets and a partner in fellow orphan Octavia. I'm not going to go into the details - had too much fun reading it to want to spoil Modo's adventures.

I would say that there was one part at the end where I wished it had been handled differently, but then I remembered the age group that this is focused on and it makes sense.

Modo is superhuman in his abilities, but his caring of others (despite Mr. Socrates' efforts to isolate him), his longing to be accepted, to be able to show his face and find his own family makes him endearing and relatable. There are enough unanswered questions to populate many more books (such as who Mr Socrates is really, where Modo came from, etc). Looking forward to the next one.

Arthur Slade is an author that few can rival when it comes to magical "steampunk" novels...simply said. The Hunchback Assignments follows the adventures of Modo, a hunchbacked teenager in Victorian London. Together with one of the most memorable characters in literature, Octavia Milkweed, a rescued urchin- the reader journeys into the very depths of London as our two heroes become involved with the Coclwork Guild, a maniacal organization bent on the destruction of the British Empire. The attention to period detail, the finely drawn character and plot display fiction writing at its very best!! I look forward to the second book in the series...The Dark Deeps...with much anticipation!!
A JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB MUST READ
RICK FRIEDMAN
FOUNDER
THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOKCLUB

The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade is a steampunk homage to Victor Hugo, with a bit of Robert Louis Stevenson thrown in.

Modo, as the gifted hunchback, is a winning character who yearns for friendship but knows he would be castigated if he ever revealed his true appearance. Despite his intelligence and big heart, he hides from the world with disguises and the protection of temporary transformation, only emerging whenever he is given an assignment by his stern guardian, Mr. Socrates.

Rich, powerful, and a touch cold, Mr. Socrates is a fascinating, mysterious character. His archenemy, Hakkandottir, a beautiful but deadly assassin with a mechanical hand, is a suitable and formidable foe. One of the things I love about The Hunchback Assignments is the balance of strong female characters. Wily and street-smart Octavia and the evil Hakkandottir are equals to Modo and Mr. Socrates.

The writing is top notch; every scene moves the story along - which is loaded with thrilling scenes. The steampunk elements are not fully showcased until the last third of The Hunchback Assignments, but the little glimpses seen here and there are chilling. With a brilliant but mad scientist, I actually thought the story was going to go a different way (The Island of Dr. Moreau), to a much darker and sinister outcome. To the author's credit, I was quite surprised when it came to the big reveal.

But it is Modo, the humble outcast at the heart of The Hunchback Assignments, who anchors all the wild elements. I look forward to reading more about his story, as well as the mysterious Mr. Socrates, in the next installment, The Dark Deeps.

"...[T]he creature mewed again and whispered, 'Puh-puh-pere?'

"Father? The gentleman stopped. The voice sounded so human, so mournful, and it struck a chord in the man's heart...he turned back to the creature. By it's size and shape he decided it was a boy. A monstrous, malformed boy...

"The boy said, 'N-n-non p-partir,' and gazed at him with absolute sadness that the gentleman was transfixed. Then the boy let out a yelp, clenching his fists as though he were feeling a sharp stinging. His face contorted, becoming even uglier.

"The gentleman couldn't look away. Was it possible? Was the child actually changing, his face shifting so that his features...softened? He let out another whimper. Where moments ago, there had been a crooked nose with splayed nostrils, now the nose seemed to be straighter. It was as if, seeing the horror in the gentleman's eyes, the toddler willed himself to change his appearance to something more attractive. The boy's brow was flatter, the eyes more even. Was it the flickering of the gaslight? The gentleman stepped closer. No, the boy's face was indeed altered."

This book is like a cross between a William Gibson Novel, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and the Matrix. Modo is a secret agent; he was raised almost from birth by Mr. Socrates who is a member of a secret agency within, or on top of, the British Government. Their goal is to protect all things British and to make the world in its own image. But unlike Neo's ability to shape his reality, Modo can shape himself. He can change his looks and appearance and Mr. Socrates believes this gift will make him an excellent agent. Therefore he invests years in his upbringing and training in all the skills he will require.

The story is classed as SteamPunk. It takes a historic setting, time and place and adds in technology they did not have at the time. Kind of an alternate reality storyline. Once the adventure begins the story is a race to the climax. Modo meets another agent of Socrates, a beautiful young woman named Octavia Milkweed and together they must discover the truth around missing children - a missing grandson of the queen and strange stories of feral children with incredible strength, and bolts coming out of their shoulders. Their enemies are a mysterious Clockwork Guild and their mad scientist Dr. Hyde.

This story was great fun to read. After the first few chapters about Modo's upbringing, it races through to a great battle. The story is compelling and Modo, with his abilities and his difficulties, is a charming protagonist. It is another great novel by Governor General Award-winning Canadian author, Arthur Slade. We can only hope it will be the first in a series, for upon finishing the book you are left wanting more and wondering what will happen between Modo and Octavia.