Steampunk. Alternate history. Victorian fantasy. David Barnett’s Gideon Smith series can easily fit into any of those sub-genre of speculative fiction. No matter the label, however, one thing holds true for Mask of the Ripper and its predecessors: They are each rousing tales of daring-do with memorable characters who will sweep you away into adventure after adventure.

As frequent readers already are aware, the first two books of the series took our young Gideon Smith from daydreaming about pulp adventures in his home town to living them in exotic locals such as Egypt. Amazing discovers were made; heroes were uncovered as fakes; vicious enemies revealed and vanquished, and through it all, small town dreamer Gideon Smith became the new “Hero of the Empire” — a position of importance and one which granted him instant celebrity status in jolly old England. Only one problem, whenever there is a crisis, Gideon can’t hide from the requests to fix it already.

As Mask of the Ripper begins, our weary hero has settled down in London, attempting to enjoy some well earned rest and relaxation from world spanning adventures – at least for a short time. Sadly, it is not to be though, for trouble seems to follow poor, old Gideon . . . or he follows it. (I’m not sure which, but you get the idea, anyway.)

The problem Gideon now finds himself confronted with is the mysterious murders taking place in London. These horrendous deaths have become a nightly occurrence. Prostitutes gruesomely slain. People near paralyzed with fear. And the name plastered across the headlines is Jack the Ripper!

Naturally, the masses turn to their “Hero of the Empire” and his friends (Rowena Fanshawe, Aloysius Bent, and Maria the Mechanical Girl) to save them from the nightmare. And though he is initially reluctant, Gideon eventually succumbs to the pleadings and sets off alone to uncover the true identity of this murder. A personal guest which very quickly goes awry.

When their friend takes this action, Rowena and Maria find themselves cast adrift; each walking their own path of inner discovery and gritty adventure. Tests of their own inner fortitude unexpectedly arise, forcing them to confront head-on their own demons and brave the most untenable situations.

And Aloysius . . . well, he does what he always does best: find a good angle to play and be around to help when absolutely necessary.

There is a lot to love about Gideon Smith and the Mask of the Ripper. Filled with non-stop action, steampunk fun, and a surprising amount of character development, Mr. Barnett begins the process of evolving this series beyond just Gideon Smith. Sure, our plucky hero is still the star of the show, but Rowena and Maria are now given very emotional and powerful story lines, narratives which transform them from near sidekicks (though I never viewed them as such) into co-stars. A decision which opens up infinite possibilities for the continued growth of the series into the future.

If I was forced to name a deficiency of the novel, the only one I see is that it is different, and while change is good, it is still change. Here the transition from the very straightforward adventure tale of Gideon to that of the “Hero of the Empire and Associates” is deftly handled, but without a doubt, Mask of the Ripper is different from its predecessors in its perspective. Not necessarily a bad thing, just a different thing, and frequent readers will have to decide if they enjoy the new recipe or not.

As for me, I thoroughly enjoyed this new and improved Gideon Smith. Fun, insightful, filled with humors comments and rollicking action, it was the perfect steampunk . . . err, alternate fiction . . . ahhh, Victorian fantasy novel to sit down and lose myself in.

Other reviewers have compared The Shadow Revolution to a summer blockbuster movie, which is an apt description. However, I personally like to think of it as a Victorian Era roller coaster; it bursts from the pages going full speed, slows down long enough for you to catch your breath before plunging you down into the next pulse-pounding adventure. Werewolves, magic, mad science and alchemy zip by in a whirlwind, as our cast of colorful characters speed from the beginning to the end of this first installment of Crown & Key with nary a stop along the way.

Sound like exactly what you have been waiting for? Well, keep reading then.

The hero here is spell-casting scribe Simon Archer and his sidekick . . .I mean, mentor, Nick Barker. Simon is that handsome rogue with the impeccable manners of a gentleman; you know, the one who is always turning the ladies eyes, even as he thumbs his nose at conventions. His sidekick . . . (God, I did it again!)mentor Nick is as unprofessional as Simon is impeccable, as negative as Simon is positive. And lastly, there is Kate Anstruther; this independent, Victorian lady is as beautiful as she is intelligent and naturally catches Simon’s eye very quickly.

In chapter one, this ride creaks off from the start with Simon and Nick encountering a werewolf, who kills an old friend of Simon. This act triggers our gentleman rogue to begin a search not only for who was behind this vicious supernatural murder, but also what is causing evil things to stir in the city.

Meanwhile, while fending off unwanted male suitors at an elegant ball, Kate Anstruther finds herself embroiled in an ugly squabble with her younger sister Imogen, who has become involved with an unseemly ex-soldier and who refuses to act appropriately for a girl her age. Something that Kate feels the need to put to a halt, especially since she finds her sister’s suitor not only troublesome but -- suspicious. And did I mention, Kate is one hell of an alchemist, who uses her own concoctions to drive away those aforementioned unwanted male advances upon her person? I didn’t. Well, I just did.

From this beginning, the authors bring the three companions together under intriguing circumstances, setting the story into full motion. One act of daring-do leads to another and then another until eventually the story is at an end. Or rather, I should say this part of the tale is at an end and the next two are soon forthcoming, since books two and three will be released within the coming months!

Of course, all this non-stop action does force the authors to skimp on some story elements. With so many pages dedicated to thrilling urban fantasy adventure, the character development and world building are not as robust as in many stories. Oh, there are still mentions of Simon’s inner turmoil or explanations about where this cities magical arts arose, but they are few and far between, serving as bookmarks between the action sequences.

All in all, though, The Shadow Revolution was an entertaining novel; it definitely grabbed my attention and held it, packing as much excitement as it could into its relatively short three hundred pages. However, it was a little too action oriented for my current tastes. I’ve been drawn to more character driven stories lately, and while Simon and Katherine hold lots of potential for growth in their individual persons and their relationship, I just can’t envision the next two books pulling back on the brakes and slowing this urban fantasy coaster down long enough to delve into those things. Nope, for good or bad, this feisty story is a non-stop action tour de force. So if you’re dying for some roller coast thrills, pick this one up, strap yourself in, and hold on, because this book is going take you on a bumpy ride through urban fantasy-land.

I received this book from Del Rey and Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I'd like to inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.