[BOOK REVIEW] THE PECULIARITIES BY DAVID LISS

an entertaining supernatural romp around late nineteenth-century London, which I felt was let down by casual antisemitism, which served no purpose (that I could discern) other than to leave an unpleasant taste in the mouth.

THE PECULIARITIES BY DAVID LISS
a book review by mark faulkner 

CW: Racism. Sexual assault.

Just before the turn of the 20th century, London is plagued by mysterious thick fog, and a collection of phenomena known as the peculiarities, which cause the residents of the city to be prone to strange afflictions.

Following their father’s death, our protagonist is placed in the care of his dispassionate elder brother and given enough funds to live as a fop until he’s taken into the employ of the family bank, starting as all family members do, as a junior clerk.

It’s here he begins to learn of the bank’s ties to prominent occultists, and its connection with the peculiarities.


Before we go any further, I need to address the racism in this book; in particular, antisemitism. I had to Google if the author was himself Jewish, else it would have been a DNF after the first few chapters. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind uncomfortable reading, as long as it serves a purpose, which in this instance it didn’t seem to, or the message was lost on me.
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While I appreciate the author was probably trying to reflect attitudes at the time the book was set, it didn’t bring anything to the story, and it coloured my enjoyment of this novel. I do try to see the best in people, so I’m going to assume the author had the best intentions but didn’t quite pull this off. I also wasn’t overly enamoured with the way some female characters were portrayed, although this improves later in the story.


An interesting feature about this book was the use of real-life characters in a fictional setting, doing fictional things. Aleister Crowley is a prominent character, as are Yeats and Arthur Conan Doyle, although the latter two are minor players. Much of the story is based around the social circles these people would have moved in, but for the purposes of this story I felt fictional characters would have better filled the role, with the real-life personalities maybe putting in a cameo appearance. However, this is probably my personal taste, and I can see how these characters would appeal to many people.


For all my grumping, and there does seem a lot, there are plenty of things to like about this story. The premise, setting and style are right up my street, and once it gets going there’s plenty to keep the reader entertained and enough depth to keep us guessing, with a couple of decent twists for good measure.


To sum up, this is an entertaining supernatural romp around late nineteenth-century London, which I felt was let down by casual antisemitism, which served no purpose (that I could discern) other than to leave an unpleasant taste in the mouth.

The Peculiarities Paperback 
by David Liss 

From popular historical fiction author David Liss (A Conspiracy of Paper) comes the tale of a clueless young man embroiled in a deadly supernatural mystery in Victorian London. Rooted in strange conspiracies and secret societies, this absurdist comedic romp combines strange bedfellows with murderous creatures, resulting in an unexpectedly delightful consequences."David Liss masterfully blends rich historical fiction with terrifying supernatural body horror . . . Highly recommended."
--Jonathan Maberry, author of V-Wars and Ink

Thomas's problems are more serious than those of a typical young Victorian gentleman. His elder brother may be sabotaging the family's bank. His childhood friend has died under mysterious circumstances. Far worse, leaves are sprouting on Thomas's skin. Perhaps it is all the fault of the long-rumored "Peculiarities" lurking in London's grey fog?
Proper society scoffs at the notion of magic, even as it seeps into their buildings, transfiguring the rich and poor alike. If Thomas is going to save the family business --and stop turning into a tree--he'll need help from some rather improper companions. Desperate for counsel, he seeks the advice of a lycanthropic medium and London's unacceptable occult society...including a strange fellow named Aleister Crowley.

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​MARK FAULKNER 

Mark is an Environmental Scientist and horror author from the West Midlands, currently living in Staffordshire with his partner, children and cats.
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He’s previously released two novels, Flux and The Dark Stone, and a novella, Infested. His next novel, Picker’s Bleed, will be published on the 13th of September 2021.

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