Human Nature (Pax Britannia, #3) by Jonathan Green

Human Nature (Pax Britannia, #3) Reviews

• 
  Teo

  This is the 3rd entry in the steam-punk action saga of Ulysses Quicksilver, secret agent of the Empire of Magna Britannia. Even though it belongs to a series, the book can be read as a standalone adventure.
  
  Readers who would choose simply to drop in mid-series will miss some hints and implied significance of events that beckon to an overarching, underlying plot-line that is set up in the previous novels. That is to say, each of Ulysses' adventures stands up on its own, but there are some hidden machinations and sinister plots behind the curtains, the extent of which is only alluded at and not yet fully realized by our hero (and by extension us, the audience).
  
  The year is 1998. Only a few weeks after the disastrous maiden voyage of the mega-cruiser The Neptune (in the 2nd novel "
  Leviathan Rising"), Ulysses Quicksilver, dandy hero, is intrigued by reports of a stolen mermaid corpse. His investigations lead him to a remote fishing village named Withby in the British countryside (now littered with polluting factories instead of picturesque nature). Once he arrives in Withby, he soon becomes entangled in a sinister plot that - as always - could pose a threat to the whole of the Empire.
  
  Thematically, "Human Nature" wades fully into the territory of horror, with some sprinkling of weird fiction. Jonathan Green's imagination gives birth to some really scary and fearful creatures. But, keeping in line with his previous works, the focus of the writing is still mostly on the explosive and fast-paced action. Green doesn't spend much time weaving a yarn of psychological nuances and slow-burning scares that usually comes with weird literature. Instead, he takes and enemy, puts it before Ulysses, and lets the fists (and cane-sword) fly!
  
  The novels also have a master storyline, to call it that. If you remember, most of the overt villains from the 1st novel are MIA, and the covert ones haven't even been properly introduced. They're out there, somewhere, doing God know what and their end-goal remains a mystery. Green develops this master storyline subtly, side-by-side with the actual immediate plot of the novel. "Human Nature" is no different. In the end, another piece of the puzzle is added to this grand story, which serves to directly point our hero towards his next target. I have to admit, the bread-crumbs dropped so far make me very hungry for the main course!
  
  That said, quality-wise I did find "Human Nature" on par with the 1st novel "
  Unnatural History", while being a bit weaker than the 2nd, "Leviathan Rising" which was overall tighter and more focused. The story here seems to meander somewhat aimlessly for the first half of so, sending Ulysses on what feel like semi-random side-quests where he meets characters who quickly drop out of the picture. It's strongly hinted they'll play some part in the upcoming adventures, but judging them solely by their appearance here, they feel filler-y in this particular novel. Like, let's have side-quest for the sake of it, that kind of thing.
  
  Again, the characters adhere to just about every pulp cliché and genre trope out there. Not much flesh is added to our existing protagonists, nor villains for that matter. Still, I'm hoping Green is saving the back-stories for some later entry in the series.
  
  Let's not forget that the course of the three books so far spans only a few months' time. Some dark history and "daddy issues" are strongly suggested in the protagonist, however, and I'm hoping that the author will explore them in the future. As of his 3rd adventure in Her Majesty's service, dandy hero Ulysses Quicksilver still wholly plays into the invulnerable secret agent stereotype. Which is okay, 'cause that's who he actually is - and more importantly, he's fun to be around.
  
  I will therefore recommend this book as casual read to sate your thirst for a bombastic horror adventure. Followers of the Pax Britannia series should definitely pick it up. New readers may also jump in, but I'd still recommend starting from Book #1 and working your way up.
• 
  ᴥ Irena ᴥ

  I love these books. When you manage to get past the occasional silliness of the main character, you'll love him. He simply has to be like that. You'll love his faithful servant Nimrod too. Nimrod reminds me of Charlie from The Bloodhound Files series with his attitude.
  This adventure is edge-of-the-seat stuff. After Ulysses Quicksilver read the newspaper "Mermaid Stolen", he had to get to the bottom of the story. And what a story it was! It is a fast-paced, horror adventure. I loved it.
  
  The first book is pretty good introduction into the world of Pax Britannia, the second is a great sea and under the sea adventure with monsters and a murder mystery wrapped in one, and this one has more horror elements than the previous two. It didn't even spare the main character. A crazy surgeon amputated his arm and replaced it with an ape arm. I was horrified. I could not believe what Green allowed. At the same time, I loved the idea of a hero who didn't always get out of the trouble in time. Ulysses certainly did not in this case. I hope they will get him a mechanical arm. For some reason I find it harder to accept an ape arm than a mechanical one. Nimrod was the one who punished the surgeon and I was very satisfied with the punishment.
• 
  Lainy

  not has engaging has the previous 2.
• 
  Kenneth

  A collection of shorter works about the erstwhile hero Ulysses Quicksilver, anchored by a longish novella. This series is a flavor of weird that, frankly, I can't find anywhere else, and I love it.
• 
  edifanob

  Review in progress
• 
  Bob Blaschuk

  3.5/5
• 
  Tim

  Not a mystery, so therefore more satisfying....