The Constantine Affliction Audiobook By T. Aaron Payton cover art

The Constantine Affliction

A Pimm and Skye Adventure, Book 1

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The Constantine Affliction

By: T. Aaron Payton
Narrated by: John Lee
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It is 1864, and London is a city in transition. The Constantine Affliction - a strange malady that kills some of its victims and physically transforms others into the opposite sex - has spread scandal and upheaval throughout society. Scientific marvels and disasters, such as clockwork courtesans, the alchemical fires of Whitechapel, electric carriages, and acidic monsters lurking in the Thames, have forever altered the face of the city.

Pembroke "Pimm" Hanover is an aristocrat with an interest in criminology, who uses his keen powers of observation to assist the police or private individuals - at least when he’s sober enough to do so. Ellie Skyler, who hides her gender behind the byline "E. Skye", is an intrepid journalist driven by both passion and necessity to uncover the truth, no matter where it hides.

When Pimm and Skye stumble onto a dark plot that links the city's most notorious criminal overlord with the Queen's new consort, famed scientist Sir Bertram Oswald, they soon find the forces of both high and low society arrayed against them. Can they save the city from the arcane machinations of one of history's most appalling monsters - and uncover the shocking origin of... The Constantie Affliction?

©2012 T. Aaron Payton (P)2013 Audible, Inc. Fantasy Historical Science Fiction Steampunk
Engaging Storyline • Clever Premise • Excellent Narration • Cohesive Plot • Rich Social Commentary
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Steampunk that works on every level with alternate technology woven seamlessly into the plot (not just tossed in for effect) with a mash up of genres (melodrama, alternate history, paranormal, horror, romance) and flavored with a bit of everything (romantic comedies of the 40's, Dr. Frankenstein, Regency tales, etc.). The plot sizzles and steams until all these bits and pieces gel into a wonderfully fun and cohesive story that will have a permanent home in My Library. It would be a spoiler to detail anymore of the plot than provided in the Publisher's Summary, but the premise of a disease that causes gender change in a person during a era when genteel people would never mention the word gender much less sex and in a time when men held most of the property and power and women were not guaranteed basic human liberties obviously provides a setup for some interesting conflict. T. Aaron Payton (pseudonym for Tim Pratt) has used this terrific premise to lay out a very engaging story that is fun and funny while still providing some food for thought. I have liked some of Tim Pratt's previous books, but I'm glad I didn't realize Payton and Pratt are the same person before I read the book because The Constantine Affliction is a major cut above and I'm really glad this book is a "Book 1" because I want much more of this. The characters are well developed (I could so picture Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell or Katherine Hepburn playing the leads in this), the plot is crazy but coherent, the biological bent of the alternate technology is a nice new twist on steampunk, and John Lee's narration is truly great. Even if you have given up on steampunk (because, hey, there is a lot of it that isn't very good), I'd urge you to try this one - first rate entertainment!

A Mash-Up that Gels into a Rollicking Adventure

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The story reminded me of a mashing of a bunch of ideas into one; steam punk, Frankenstein, h.p. lovecraft... etc. The main characters are so full of themselves it almost seems as if being characters in a story was an inconvenience. The sub characters on the other hand were well formed and the dialog was interesting. over all, not today exciting of a story because nothing bad would ever happen to the main characters

Sub characters more interesting

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What did you love best about The Constantine Affliction?

The narrator did an excellent job, and the author provided him some excellent tools to display his craft.

If you’ve listened to books by T. Aaron Payton before, how does this one compare?

This is my first T. Aaron Payton (AKA Tim Pratt) book

What does John Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He brings a great series of voices, and does an excellent droll rendering of some quite silly scenes

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Victorian England is struck by a plague that converts men to women, and women to men... and this is the least of their problems

An fun romp of a story with a superb narrator

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i only wish there was more set in this, or at least i have not found it. it is a unique story line which is hard to come by nowadays. I highly suggest it. it's a little bit of a harsh start, but it quickly all comes together.

Good Story!<br />

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I went into this expecting a steampunk mystery built upon a screwball, gender-bending premise. From there, the only assumption I made was that it would either be fun or absurd. I got both, and I got a few surprises along the way, which I won't spoil because that's part of the fun.

The characters are a blast. Oddly, as much as I like the two lead characters, it's the supporting cast that really makes this story tick. Kudos for the villain on this one. I love a good over-the-top "I'm the hero of this story" monologue in the classic style, and this one doesn't disappoint. As bizarre as the premise is, the story does offer some rather spectacular modern social commentary through the lens of Victorian society and its expectations. Explained through the villain's point of view... wow.

I'm looking forward to book 2 now. I'm curious to see what the author offers as an encore.

Screwball Fun

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I really enjoyed this one. A helping of steampunk, not too much romance, a touch of Lovecraft. Mostly, though, it was the "clean" writing (by which I mean a plot that was not impossible to follow.)

How Odd That There Is No Sequel

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What did you love best about The Constantine Affliction?

This book is hilarious, in a good way. I can tell the author was having a blast writing it. It seems like T. Aaron Payton sat down one day, made a huge list of guilty pleasures and then set about working it all together in a story. Good fun that made me smile all the way through. I had hoped Audible would have the second book but I don't see it here. Too bad!

And the Kitchen Sink, too!

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I don't want to hype this book too much lest listeners be disappointed after reading my review, so I'll just say that if you love Penny Dreadful, H.P. Lovecraft, and the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes movies with Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law, you'll enjoy this book immensely. Extremely well imagined and written. The characters are easy to become fond of quickly. John Lee's narration is impeccable, as usual. I have the highest of hopes that T. Aaron Payton writes many more books with these characters.

Exceeded my expectations

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What did you like best about The Constantine Affliction? What did you like least?

The plot was OK, somewhat weak but at least not stupid.
However, the author tried to introduce too much of his political views, and that was irritating and unconvincing.
Also, steampunk is NOT fantasy, and T. Aaron Payton is NOT Terry Pratchett; so when he attempts to reinvent radioactivity and night-vision goggles with steam-and-gear technology, it's not cute, it's frankly dumb.

Still, it was the best of steampunk fiction I have listened to.
Never again, though.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Most certainly not steampunk.

Was The Constantine Affliction worth the listening time?

Maybe once, and only if you don't know any better.

Nice try, flawed execution

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Owing much to old-time radio plays, The Constantine Affliction remains fresh even while playing homage to Sherlock Holmes, Frankenstein, and H.P. Lovecraft. Yes, some of the characters are superficial and one dimensional, but only when it's called for and they are used to great effect.

The narrator brilliantly depicts a wide range of characters. At first I was a little worried about his ability to do female voices, but it seems all part of the plot.

The setup for the story is two-fold. The actual Constantine-Affliction, an STD that reverses the gender of it's victims, plays more of a background role, and the story could have been made to work without it(although it would be totally bland). The main plot centers around a series of murders. The victims all being young women, all of whom are employed as prostitutes.

It does get a little silly towards the end, and Payton lets the plot get away from him at one specific point, but then he manages to wrangle everything back together. You won't learn anything from this book, and you won't find yourself thinking about it once it's over, but it's a fun relaxing romp, for anyone who's not afraid of a little gender-bending.

More Fun than a Barrel of Mecha-Monkeys

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