The Secret of Abdu El Yezdi (#4)
The Beast is coming. History will be remade.
Since the assassination of Queen Victoria in 1840, a cabal of prominent men-including King George V, HRH Prince Albert, Benjamin Disraeli, and Isambard Kingdom Brunel—has received guidance from the Afterlife. The spirit of a dead mystic, Abdu El Yezdi, has helped them to steer the empire into a period of unprecedented peace and creativity.
But on the eve of a groundbreaking alliance with the newly formed Greater German Confederation, scientists, surgeons, and engineers are being abducted—including Brunel!
The government, in search of answers, turns to the Afterlife, only to find that Abdu El Yezdi is now refusing to speak with the living.
Enter the newly-knighted Sir Richard Francis Burton, fresh from his discovery of the source of the Nile. Appointed the king’s agent, he must trace the missing luminaries and solve the mystery of Abdu El Yezdi’s silence.
But the Beast has been summoned. How can the famous explorer fulfill his mission when his friends and loved ones are being picked off, one by one, by what appears to be a supernatural entity—by, perhaps, Abdu El Yezdi himself?
Reviews
“Intricate worldbuilding.”
“Steampunk aficionados and series fans should enjoy this.”Library Journal
“Those new to steampunk, wondering what all the goggles and airships are about, or steampunk superfans, make sure to read this. [So should] those simply looking for a fun read with solid characters, rip roaring plot, and explorations of Victorian occultism.”Chicago Center for Literature and Photography
“Burton & Swinburne books to continue in amazing new adventure of intrigue and mayhem! […] Hodder has earned himself a permanent spot in my rank of favorites. The next book of this series can’t come soon enough, and yet all I can do is wait. Like a phoenix that burns to ash as it rises anew, EL YEZDI provides both an end and beginning to a story whose doors I never want to close.”
“The plot of THE SECRET OF ABDU EL YEZDI is highly complex, brimming with mystery and intrigue, but what really makes this a keeper is the mind-blowing twist. Hodder really knows how to spin a fantastic tale while combining multiple genres.”
“I am astounded and floored by this series and I heartily enjoyed this fourth entry. People, I really, really loved this book.”Summer Reading Project
“Not only has Hodder done some amazing world building here, but he’s created a mythology that is morphing from book to book as he twists and pulls the timeline with some creative interference from more than one key character.”
“Serious literary fun as Mark Hodder vaults to the front of the new steampunk writers pack […] Hard to imagine any lover of alternate British empires not being thoroughly amazed and entertained.”K. W. Jeter, author of MORLOCK NIGHT and INFERNAL DEVICES
“Well written as always.”Don D’Ammassa