Affinity Bridge

The Affinity Bridge is a 2008 novel, the first full-length entry in author George Mann's "Newbury & Hobbes" series. Set in a Steampunk Victorian London, it follows the adventures of Sir Maurice Newbury and Miss Veronica Hobbes as they investigate a string of murders and an airship crash. Combines a Sherlock Holmes style with extra technology and zombies.


 * Alternate History: Steam powered carriages and clockwork robots? Welcome to Victorian London!
 * Break Out the Museum Piece: Newbury wards off some assailants using an axe and a flail that had been mounted on the wall.
 * Friend on the Force: Bainbridge.
 * I Can Still Fight: Maurice pulls off this trope with a combination of his stubborn, restless attitude, and a continuous stream of things trying to kill or escape from him and his friends.
 * Neck Snap
 * Not Using the Z Word: Well, the back of the book does use it, but said zombie-like entities are referred to as "revenants" within the story. Also applicable to the robots, which are always referred to as "automata". Both instances can be justified by the setting, and the terminology which would be appropriate in it.
 * Police Are Useless: Averted, they totally aren't useless.
 * Sword Cane: Actually, an electric cattle-prod-type-thing cane.
 * Steampunk: Sparse at first, but as the story progresses so does the density of awesome, era-inappropriate stuff made out of brass.
 * Traintop Battle
 * Viral Transformation: The zombie plague is contracted by scratches or bites. It makes the skin stop regenerating and causes violent, animalistic behavior. Also comes with immunity to pain!
 * You Fail Physics Forever: The power source of the "automata" is powered by their own movement, in complete violation of the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
 * Zeppelins from Another World
 * Zeppelins from Another World