The Translated Man and Other Stories

This is a wonderful story / novel. Steam punk but more than that. It has a steam punk setting that is full and rich with texture but its the story line that make the novel!

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

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.

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

Chris Braaks Translated Man is pretty good! His fictional world is a fresh and eclectic mixture. It has a dark 1800s feel, with a hint of a modern British gritty cop drama. Imagine if the discoveries in physics and chemistry for the last 200 odd years never happened. Now imagine the scientists of this world marched on anyway without the periodic table of elements, without quantum mechanics, etc. Take this world of dark stone streets, airships, and Aether, throw in a few non-human races, a few man-made abominations, and a good murder mystery, and youre just starting to get the picture. If you really want to get the picture, read book! There was a typo or two. And yes, Translated Man may not turn the highbrow heads at the Atlantic or the New Yorker. Very little science fiction or fantasy ever does. But Translated Man is a crisp, well-spun yarn, and a darned good read! Theres a lot of drivel in the world of sci-fi and fantasy, and the bottom line is: this isnt it.