Rating: 
(11 reviews)
Author: Arthur Slade
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Product Description
A gripping new series combines Steampunk, spying, and a fantastic Victorian London.
The mysterious Mr. Socrates rescues Modo, a child in a traveling freak show. Modo is a hunchback with an amazing ability to transform his appearance, and Mr. Socrates raises him in isolation as an agent for the Permanent Association, a spy agency behind Brittania’s efforts to rule the empire. At 14, Modo is left on the streets of London to fend for himself. When he encounters Octavia Milkweed, another Association agent, the two uncover a plot by the Clockword Guild behind the murders of important men. Furthermore, a mad scientist is turning orphan children into automatons to further the goals of the Guild. Modo and Octavia journey deep into the tunnels under London and discover a terrifying plot against the British government. It’s up to them to save their country.
5 Comments
This book is like a cross between a William Gibson Novel, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and the Matrix. Modo is a secret agent; he was raised almost from birth by Mr. Socrates who is a member of a secret agency within, or on top of, the British Government. Their goal is to protect all things British and to make the world in its own image. But unlike Neo’s ability to shape his reality, Modo can shape himself. He can change his looks and appearance and Mr. Socrates believes this gift will make him an excellent agent. Therefore he invests years in his upbringing and training in all the skills he will require.
The story is classed as SteamPunk. It takes a historic setting, time and place and adds in technology they did not have at the time. Kind of an alternate reality storyline. Once the adventure begins the story is a race to the climax. Modo meets another agent of Socrates, a beautiful young woman named Octavia Milkweed and together they must discover the truth around missing children – a missing grandson of the queen and strange stories of feral children with incredible strength, and bolts coming out of their shoulders. Their enemies are a mysterious Clockwork Guild and their mad scientist Dr. Hyde.
This story was great fun to read. After the first few chapters about Modo’s upbringing, it races through to a great battle. The story is compelling and Modo, with his abilities and his difficulties, is a charming protagonist. It is another great novel by Governor General Award-winning Canadian author, Arthur Slade. We can only hope it will be the first in a series, for upon finishing the book you are left wanting more and wondering what will happen between Modo and Octavia.
The Hunchback Assignments is a creative twist on the Quasimodo hunchback story that had me reading until the wee hours.
The tale begins with Modo as a toddler and one of the attractions in a traveling freak show. After seeing the child’s amazing shape-shifting ablities, Modo is saved by the mysterious Mr. Socrates, who raises him in seclusion and trains him as a first-class secret agent for the Parliament Association.
Cool, right? Modo is adept at math, science, languages, etc. He’s a clever kid although lonely and also devastated by his deformed appearance.
At fourteen he’s set upon the streets of Victorian London and is soon investigating the mysterious disappearances of several street children. In his sleuthing, Modo relies on his amazing shape-shifting abilities. While his natural appearance isn’t pretty, he can transform/mirror any other person. He’s also like a Victoria era free runner because he travels over London’s rooftops with ease.
Modo learns that the Clockwork Guild has set in motion a malicious plot against the government, just as a evil scientist is creating a monstrous army of altered children to further the goals of the Guild.
To protect the empire, Modo teams up with another agent, Octavia Milkweed, for an assignment that takes them from the tower of London to a frightening world deep beneath the city, that includes traipsing through the city’s sewers.
The setting is a creepy Victorian London but with a dystopian twist because of the cool gadgets. Modo is lovable. He’s this smart guy and adept super spy but he also has many insecurities, and while his feelings for Octavia grow you keep rooting for him to succeed in saving the world and finding love.
The Cover: A winner! The cloaked figure on the roofs of London, the gears and symbols – and the blue gives it a dangerous, eerie feel. It’s what prompted me to pick this one up.
The First Lines: The large carriage rattled with grotesqueries – bones of cats and pigs strung up as wind chimes, bleached bear skulls dangling from wires, and three shrunken monkey heads mounted on posts. Their glass eyes stared out at the approaching winter. Bells that hung from reins tinkled, warning away wandering spirits. Four horses pulled the carriage, hip bones protruding from their bedraggled flesh, hides scarred by thousands of whippings. Huddled behind them in a thick, warm coat and muffler was a grizzled old man.
I love these first lines. So creepy and bizarre, I’ve got to find read on!
Bottom Line: The Hunchback Assignments is a fast-paced adventure with snapppy writing and an intriguing plot that had me from page one. Sinister villains, engaging heroes, terrific description, action, adventure, romance – The Hunchback Assignments wraps them all in a exciting tale that reminds us that physical appearance has nothing to do with a person’s true character. I highly recommend this one!
Review by Gregory Kirk
This thin blue book is certainly deceiving. In //The Hunchback Assignments//’s meager 288 pages, we find adventure, romance, and perhaps even horror. Arthur Slade has reinvented the story of //The Hunchback of Notre Dame// into Modo and his life story. Modo had been raised in England, first as a freak in a traveling caravan, but quickly evolving (both literally and figuratively) into a useful tool or even weapon for the Permanent Association – one so secret that only the most faithful employees can know its name. They fight against the Clockwork Guild, a conspiring, twisted group set on transforming Britannia for its own evil goals. The cast of characters includes Modo and his secret love Octavia as the heroes, the elusive Mr. Socrates, the brick-like Tharpa, and the murky, crazed Dr. Hyde (obviously named after //The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde//, which the creepy atmosphere of the book is akin to). Hyde wishes to transform humans into living, immortal robots and is funded by Ms. Hakkandottir, a one-handed nightmare. Together, they will do anything to accomplish their goal – and yes, that includes murder. This is the Hunchback as readers have never seen him before, though this is not necessarily a good thing.
The quick pace and steady surprises keep the younger generation entertained, although I would have liked to see more emphasis on Notre Dame as opposed to London, where the story is set. (Perhaps it shall come back in the sequel.) The book does not do well creating a consistent connection between the old and the new, and perhaps inventing a new character would have been a better choice, but overall it is well written, and I hope to see more of this series.
Reviewed by Alex Masri
First, I’ll say that I liked this book, very very liked this one. It’s been a while -long time- since I last read a good book that catches my attention like this one.
It has a good story. I specially like the fact that is developed in a Victorian era, with all these mysterious things and characters.
The characters: I have to say it would’ve been nice to have a little more back story of them, but it was fine for me, not bad.
The story: Is very interesting, have science, fiction, humor and more things than I expected. It surprised me:
”The Hunchback Assignments: Modo, a disfigured hunchback, after spending his childhood traveling in a freak show and being rescued by a mysterious gentleman, Mr. Socrates, at the age of fourteen he’s assigned his first task and left alone in the streets of London. But he has a special gift, he relies on his ability to shape-shift and continues his mission. But there is the Clockwork Guild of which he learns about later. This guild has set up a malicious plot against the government, and with the help of an evil scientist, they create an ‘army’ of altered children to further the goals of the guild. But also, there is the Permanent Association that races to protect the empire.
Modo, trained to be an agent for the Association, teams up with another agent, Octavia Milkweed, for an assignment that will risk their lives.”
The story in every chapter seemed like changing point of view of the plot for me, and added mystery to it. Some chapters were very short, honestly, but didn’t disturb. When I less expected it, I was nearly finishing the book because I always wanted to read more and more (and adding the fact that some chapters were short..). And when I got to the epilogue, when reading the last sentences, certainly it has to have a sequel, and I would like to read it too.
But it all depends in your interests. I guess if you are interesting in Victorian era and dark themes and mystery, then I recommend it to you~
others described the story so i won’t. but i will say that i was engrossed start to finish, trying to figure out what would happen and dreading it once i did. for that reason i rate this five stars as a great original mystery. the author created such a weird world– creepy like the London we have read about before but with super sinister villains (one with a mechanical arm!) and good guys that are kind of questionable. Modo and Ottavia are the real heros. i can’t wait for book number two!