The Translated Man and Other Stories

I am only writing this review cause im betting the author reads these. More please! Read this and stitch and am hankering for more

If that title makes any sense to you whatsoever, do yourself a favor and buy this book immediately--and then clear your schedule for however long it takes you to read it. The author has created a mischievous and dense world of his own, seemingly drawn from the aspects of the Cthulhu mythos, Edwardian-era boys adventure stories, and light-hearted fantasy a la Terry Pratchett. A first-rate debut, and I for one look forward to the next installments in the series. And for the record, no, I am not the author.

If theres such a thing as steampunk noir, these wonderfully gritty, mesmerizing and moving works perfectly embody the sub-genre. Think some junkie, near burned out Harry Potter as a dying yet noble master detective inhabiting some dark, dystopic alternate world rife with political intrigue, a permanent war economy and racism, and you have just a starting point. Make no mistake: Mr. Braak can write very, very well. This is stand-out dystopian, alternate universe noir fiction.

Super fun book. Great example of modern pulp. A little Lovecraft, steampunk, noir detective, and more all mixed up in a fun batch.

This book was interesting, dark, and extremely imaginative. Even with the fre-quent ran-dom hyphen-ations, I could hardly put it down! I wanted to transport myself there to look around--the visuals were just that incredible. Looking forward to reading the next book. Good work, Mr. Braak.

The Translated Man is a lot of fun to read. Ive been describing it to my friends as a Lovecraftian steampunk Dark Victorian crime story. The setting and the situations of the novel are the reason to read this novel. Theyre incredible. Sometimes the writing is a bit uneven, and you probably shouldnt squint too hard at the plot, but there is a lot to enjoy about this novel: the city of Trowth and its Architecture Wars, the sharpsies and the trolljrmen, phlogiston (whatever the hell that is) and Aetheric geometry, and more. Its well worth the read.

As a big fan of Lovecraft, and a new Kindle owner, I was recommended this book and I enjoyed it very much. The mythology created is rich and interesting -- an entire alternate world of geopolitics, metaphysics, and some very strange diseases. It was no surprise to me to hear that the author is working on more stories set in this world -- there are so many concepts thrown about, almost offhand, that could function as entire fantasy cycles in their own right (I REALLY want to know more about the nature of Cross the Water and the City of Brass) that it can almost cause ones head to spin. The writing in itself is not particularly Lovecraftian; its descriptions of the world of Trowth, are extraordinary in their detail, whereas HPL would be more likely to just use lots of disturbing adjectives and let you sort it out yourself. But when horror strikes, and it does, the way Braak leaves just enough to the imagination to let you freak yourself out is deftly handled and worthy of the association. A fast, fascinating read, and a steal at only five bucks, if youre a fan of fantasy, thrillers, and/or horror, you dont have a good reason not to pick this up. My copy had some formatting problems, but apparently thats fixed and Ill be taking the author up on his offer to sort that out.

I purchased this book for my Kindle and enjoyed the read a great deal. Chris Braak creates strong characters in fully realized world. The writing is crisp. There is some dry wit to the story as well, particularly the main character. the supporting cast is excellent. i would love to see more works in this setting. highly recommended.

I had one of the weirdly formatted ones but it didnt matter. Its a textured read with layers of stories and styles interwoven. Its dark but also has a flawed hero who keeps trying and winning when he should fade away, a blind girl with almost supernatural powers, a 13 year old mathematical genius an a bunch of odd and nasty characters. I loved it - 6/5 from me. Cant wait for episode 2

is a decaying city patrolled by press gangs and brutal police groups. Petty magicians and insane scientists engage in dangerous experiments. The disease afflicted MC charged with suppressing these abominations takes a drug that induces disturbingly regular hallucinations. I like the characterizations, especially that of the city.