Clockwork City by Paul Crilley

This is the second instalment in the author’s Delphic Division series, an urban fantasy, crime, horror fiction mash-up that is thrilling in it’s scope. The series features Gideon Tau, who everyone calls London, who works for the Delphic Division, the occult investigative unit for the South African Police. With London is his spirit guide, an alcoholic, speaking dog. While his boss, Armitage, originally from Yorkshire, is some kind of undead being. 

I first encountered this series when I read, and reviewed, Crilley’s first novel, Poison City. Set in South Africa it was a wild, fun, horrific ride through demons and folklore. The first novel had a lot of theology too, something some reviewers felt uneasy about. Personally I didn’t mind that at all, in fact I lauded it for being thought provoking. I gave Poison City four stars, with one caveat and reason for losing a star - that in my opinion the author tried to cram too much into one novel.

So what of its hotly anticipated sequel, Clockwork City? Well, we have the same mix that went into the first novel. London, Armitage and the Dog head of to London, UK, on a case which involves a lot more demons, deities, and this time, faerie gangs who control the city’s underworld.

Once again this is a madcap tale, but I found it lost something in it’s transition to the UK. Personally, perhaps because at one point the South African police really did have an Occult Crimes division (albeit normal police officers investigating humans involved in various unsavoury activities), I felt the novel lost a bit of it’s unique sparkle.

More critically, however, was a repeat of my criticism of the first book. I just feel the author squeezed too much into this novel. At no point was the story given time to breath, there’s just too much going on; if I’m honest, reading this book, I kinda came away feeling exhausted.

This is still a good book and the series is certainly original. No doubt there will be a third in the series and I will definitely give it a read. But I would advise the author to slow it all down a touch, focus the story more and not feel the need to cram so many supernatural beings and events into one tale.

3 out of 5 stars