The Revolutions

I have mixed feelings about this book, which seems to be a common theme for me and Gilman: some fascinating ideas, somewhat flawed in execution. It's a period piece set at the end of the 19th century in England, in a world where real magic is hidden behind a veneer of fakery and cheap charlatanism. Not wanting to recap the plot, I'll just say that the book intermingles that magic and science fiction with each other.

Looking back on the story now I quite like it. But as a reading experience it started to drag around the halfway mark. Not always – in fact, the last sections were gripping. I tend to think Gilman's pacing suffers from this problem generally. Some people seem to feel similarly but about different parts; I've seen more than one person complain that it was great once it got going but took too long to do so.

I found the ending more than a bit disappointing. Appropriate, perhaps, but disappointing.