Book Review: "The Casebook of Newbury and Hobbes" 

- by Ninja Ross, 20 November 2013

Straight after our interview with George Mann himself, I bring to you a review of his collection of short stories, starring two of his best known characters; Newbury and Hobbes. The duo is firmly rooted in the world of Steampunk, a genre I’ve been slowly getting into for a while now.

The collection contains stories featuring supernatural monsters, pygmies and the great Sherlock Holmes. It all sounds pretty darn interesting, right?

As I mentioned, the book features two characters who already have an established universe and history, thanks to previous books. So, an important question when looking to read a book like this is “do I need to read everything else to enjoy it?”

Well, there’s a lot in this book. It’s not simply a way for Mann to fill in gaps left in the regular novels, no no. In this collection, he not only explores different parts of the universe, in different times, but he also takes a shot at different writing styles. For example, telling a tale mostly in the form of letters read by Veronica Hobbes.

One of my favourite examples of Mann’s experimentation is A Rum Affair, which is written in the form of “drabbles.” Drabbles being stories consisting of only one hundred words. He uses this format to tell a short, interesting tale featuring metal spiders and exploding stomachs.

This tactic keeps things fresh and it shows how much thought Mann has put into these stories. It’s not some collection of ideas he couldn’t turn into full novels, no no. Mann has taken this opportunity to really show off his abilities.

But I know next to nothing about Sir Maurice Newbury and Miss Veronica Hobbes, the lead characters of the book. All I knew before reading this collection is that they’re kind of like Holmes and Watson, but not really. Thanks to this book, though, I know a little more about the pair. Mann is clearly a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (it was kinda made obvious from the start) and that really shows, especially in Newbury. He’s pretty much a Holmes who deals with a darker, more supernatural world. Of course, Newbury has his own personality but he’s a little too much like Holmes for my liking.

My problems with Newbury aside, both characters are incredibly interesting. Hobbes is a very fun strong character who, in my opinion, doesn’t feature enough in this collection. She’s Newbury’s assistant but is just as fleshed out and even more interesting than Newbury himself. While I haven’t read any of his previous work (yet) I would gladly read a Hobbes solo book, based on what I’ve read of her so far.

The problem with short stories is, it’s very hard to flesh characters out and give the reader a real reason to care about them. For example, one story focuses on Newbury’s former assistant, Templeton Black. It’s well written, sure, and it’s essential to the character... But it means very little to me, without enough context. Regardless, Mann does a very good job of sparking an interest. While it probably isn’t the best representation of his work or the characters, I’m confidant it’s a good starting point.

The stories also don’t overdo the Steampunk element. It’s subtle and interesting and doesn’t take away from the stories themselves. It also features occult elements, with Newbury having something of an obsession with the subject. Steampunk and occult are two elements that seem to work rather well together. Bravo, Mr. Mann!

The stories themselves are very well written. While being limited by the length at times, causing things to feel slightly rushed, unfinished or even empty at times, they all range from pretty decent to fantastic.

One of the best, after A Rum Affair, is A Night, Remembered; a tale featuring an older Newbury as he tells Peter Rutherford, a British spy, what really happened on the Titanic. It’s an interesting tale which features one of the supporting characters, Lady Arkwell, who’s featured elsewhere in the collection.

So, it’s a pretty great book. Mann’s experimentation is a delight to read and it definitely makes one want to read Mann’s other Newbury and Hobbes stories. Give it a go. Go on, you know you want to.


George Mann's "The Casebook of Newbury and Hobbes" is out right now, published by Titan Books. Have you read the book? Do you consider it a good "jumping on" point for new Newbury & Hobbes fans? Leave us a comment!

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