The Digging Leviathan

First, every blurb I've read for The Digging Leviathan has been pretty misleading. I know part of this is just the nature of blurbs, they're there to get you to pick up the book to start with, not necessarily to be synopses. But, in this case, I feel it is my duty to explain why the blurbs have probably let to many disappointed readers.

The blurb creates the impression of an adventure. One would expect a plot like an adventure, i.e. ...and then this happens and then this obstacle and then GOAL! However, the book is actually about the anticipation of adventure and a group of protagonists who are varying degrees of insane, obsessive, or deluded. That's not to say that this group isn't also delightful, but they tend to wander through the world taking zorth turns in their thinking and getting in their own way.

So, readers who enjoy the type of story where they're not quite sure what is real, what is imagination, or if that distinction even matters, will love this book. It may have taken me a month to get through, but from the other side I love it.

P.S. Because one of my delights is categorizing books, I will note that this is most definitely not a steampunk book. There's a little misguided (¿mad?) science and a few zany devices, but this is firmly in the realm of magical realism.