D. L. Mackenzie

The Last Adventure of Dr. Yngve Hogalum by D.L. Mackenzie is the first book in The Magnetron Chronicles. The story is told by 19th century inventor Phineas J. Magnetron. He is a member of the Hogalum Society which is a group of humans with special talents that fight crime, are dedicated to going on adventures and protecting mankind from evil.

The year is 1877 and things aren’t good for the Hogalum Society as their founder dies under mysterious circumstances. Against the wishes of the rest of the group Phineas decides to bring their comrade back from the dead. Needless to say, things don’t go well and a mystery is uncovered.

This book was excellent, its funny and the way the story is told and the language used make it a must read. One thing that every steamunk story I’ve read has is some really interesting characters and this one is no exception. The story is told in the first person by Phineas Magnetron who is a bit of a mad scientist and has visions of life in the future. This story moves along quickly, I find some stories told in first person don’t come across as exciting but this one does. I loved how the Hogalum Society is brought together and despite Phineas describing them as being superior to others. He also describes how some members fight among themselves and have issues with dealing with the stress of protecting the world.

The Hogalum society is like a 19th century Justice League or like The League of Extraordinary Gentleman. The story made me want to read more science fiction from the likes of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. I also liked how D.L. Mackenzie describes everything in the book, he brings Phineas’s world to life in stunning detail. This book is a self-contained story but there are three books after it that follow the adventures of the Hogalum Society. The Last Adventure of Dr. Yngve Hogalum was a fun read and a great beginning to what looks to be an excellent series.… (plus d'informations)