Smoke

Intriguing premise. As others have said, it is reminiscent of Dickens, The Quincunx, and Jonathan Strange & Mr. Morrell. I didn't get bogged down like some people say they did; in fact, I read it in less time than it usually takes me to read novels. The only problem is that I read it quickly hoping to find the answers to a couple of questions which never did get answered. In most dystopic fiction, the "alternate" characteristics of a society are presented as a given, with no explanation of how things got that way; they just ARE that way, or at least they evolved over a long period of time. But in Smoke, we are told that "Smoke" began at a certain point in history (about 300 years ago), during what we are led to believe was a very short time span, so I naturally wanted to know how and why. Did Government scientists infect the populace with it? Is it a supernatural phenomenon - did God do it? We are never told, or even given a hint. And is there a significance to the fact that it started around 1625 (my recollection), or was that just a coincidence? I was an English history major in college, so stuff like that bothers me. I think I would have given the novel five stars if these questions had been answered; I was only really somewhat dissatisfied with it after I finished it.

The thing about high-concept novels is that, somewhere along the line, the concept needs to be made clear; that doesn't happen in "Smoke." Like other reviews that have three or fewer stars, I found the opening promising in that now-familiar dystopian way that is NOT Dickensian in the slightest (and I know my Dickens very well, thank you). But after the Potter-like trio leaves for London, the plot gets murkier and the mechanics get unnecessarily complex (way too many unnecessary POV shifts).I really wanted to like this book, but found myself rushing to the end just to get the point, only to be disappointed that, if the point is made, I didn't quite get it. Some are calling this a YA novel; if I had tweenagers I wouldn't want them reading this. Although it's not sexually graphic (like the last "Twilight" book) it has a lot of violent actions that result in no real consequences.If I want to read a Victorian novel, I shall from now on read an actual 19th century novel. Most contemporary writers just don't have what it takes to create a convincing 19th century milieu.

Good for the dark, Dickens-like story and writing. Entertaining in spite of the negatives. The negatives were: too many side stories within that took away from the main story; many of the side stories didn’t really fit and detracted from the plot and theme; strange vocabulary here and there that couldn’t be found online for definition; the story went down too many ‘white rabbit holes’; right when you think you have a grasp on what the “smoke” really is, another concept will emerge and lead you back to trying to make sense of it all over again. In the end, I was frustrated with the events that lead to nowhere, the people who didn’t matter to the story, and the lack of developing some of the more interesting side-stories and weaving them back into the plot. It was a push to get myself through to the end.

When I read the description of this book, I couldn't wait to read it and pre ordered it. The idea of a Victorian London with a new history totally enthralled me. Humanity in Smoke emits smoke when they lie, think unclean thoughts or do any wrong. The worse the sin, the oilier the smoke, it can only be removed from their clothes with lye.The story starts off well enough with Charlie a future Earl making friends with Thomas and helping him to control his smoke emission. The upper class has to be able to do this, the lower classes can emit it without concern. It opens in the elite boys school where all boys in the school avoid the bully Julius who, true to bully style, is horrible. About 40% into the book, it becomes pure drudgery to try to read, absolutely boring! The boys go for the Christmas holidays to stay with Thomas' Aunt where mysteries pop up, of course Julius shows up and a connection is established, but from here on in it gets more and more difficult to get through. I only gave this 2 stars due to the interesting writing style, although even this gets bogged down. I would not recommend this book.

The premise grabbed me - a dystopian future where sins (from the mundane "white lies" to murder) manifest from people as Smoke. Visible, and able to be tasted, the higher classes go to schools in order to attempt to suppress their Smoke. However, the characters fell flat. I could not muster much empathy towards the protagonists - plural, because there are three who are most involved in the story. The ending was reminiscent of Guy Fawkes, but without any explosions or, to be honest, much excitement at all. If the plot line sounds intriguing to you, give it a try, but perhaps wait until you can borrow it from the library instead of spending money on a purchase.