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Lev AC Rosen
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All Men of Genius Hardcover – Bargain Price, September 27, 2011

by Lev AC Rosen (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars 58 ratings
Editors' pick Best Science Fiction & Fantasy
Inspired by Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, All Men of Genius takes place in a Victorian London familiar but fantastical, where mad science makes the impossible possible. 
Violet Adams wants to attend Illyria College, a widely renowned school for the most brilliant up-and-coming scientific minds, founded by the late Duke Illyria, the greatest scientist of the Victorian Age. The school is run by his son, Ernest, who has held to his father's policy that the small, exclusive college remain male-only. Violet sees her opportunity when her father departs for America. She disguises herself as her twin brother, Ashton, and gains entry.

But keeping the secret of her sex won't be easy, not with her friend Jack's constant habit of pulling pranks, and especially not when the duke's young ward, Cecily, starts to develop feelings for Violet's alter ego, "Ashton." Not to mention blackmail, mysterious killer automata, the way Violet's pulse quickens whenever Ernest speaks to her, and a deadly legacy left by Ernest's father. She soon realizes that it's not just keeping her secret until the end of the year she has to worry about: it's surviving that long.
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  1. Print length
    464 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Tor Books
  4. Publication date
    September 27, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    5.87 x 1.46 x 8.46 inches
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The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"All Men of Genius is a true steampunk novel, a romance, a mystery, and a fun romp through an alternative Victorian England...a fast-moving, joyful experience that will leave the reader thoroughly satisfied."
-The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"A charming and fast-paced debut... Fans of Shakespeare and Wilde will delight in the transformation of the source material into something wholly original."
-RT Book Reviews

"A-: A nimble twist on Victorian romance... he never lets his mesh of relationships overwhelm a sprawl of vibrant, witty characters... Tackling the genre at its root, All Men slyly examines the psychology and the aesthetics behind the act of human invention."
-The A.V. Club

"Lev AC Rosen's debut is smart, thoughtful and even oddly timely. An intelligent, muscular work of steampunk with a strong central female character and a full load of steam. A great balance and a perfect mix...In a year filled with great steampunk, All Men of Genius can be included with the very best."-January Magazine

“This debut literary steampunk novel fits well on the shelf with Gail Carriger’s “Parasol Protectorate” series, with broad crossover appeal to fans of sf, historical romance, and young adult fiction.”
--Library Journal

“With All Men of Genius, Lev Rosen has constructed a wonderously vivid and dreamlike new world, both utterly original and mysteriously familiar. He writes with great wit, verve and tenderness, and he is without doubt, one of the most exciting and talented young writers of his generation.”
--Dan Chaon, bestselling author of You Remind Me of Me

“All Men of Genius is utterly charming. A large ensemble cast revolves around the central character, Violet Adams, as smoothly as gears in a precision clock. Like the best steampunk, it feels as though it were written in a much older time. Witty, dashing, and a little bit dangerous."--Mary Robinette Kowal, author of Nebula and Locus award nominee Shades and Milk and Honey

“All Men Of Genius is filled with a contagious joyful abandon.”
--Angela Zeman, author of The Witch and the Borscht Pearl

From the Author

A 2011 Best of the Year from Fantasy Book Critic, January Magazine, SF Signal, The Booksmugglers, Fantasy Cafe, Slatebreakers, Sci-Fi Fan Letter, The Mad Hatter's Bookshelf and Book Review, Jason Heller, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Skron 3.0 & Karissa's Reading Review

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00BJXZJ3K
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tor Books; First Edition (September 27, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.87 x 1.46 x 8.46 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 58 ratings

About the author

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Lev AC Rosen

Lev AC Rosen

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LEV ROSEN writes books for people of all ages, including the Evander Mills series (Lavender House, The Bell in the Fog, Rough Pages), Emmett, Lion's Legacy, and Camp. He lives in NYC.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
58 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy this steampunk adventure and find it an enjoyable whole. The writing quality receives positive feedback, with one customer particularly appreciating the descriptions of science. They also find the book humorous, with one review noting its good amount of humor.

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7 customers mention "Story quality"6 positive1 negative

Customers enjoy the story of this steampunk adventure.

"...There was adventure, and conflict (with creepy automata!), and a good amount of humor too. I really like the main character, Violet...." Read more

"...is pretty standard for books set in that period and allows for some abbreviated storytelling, but it's still a little jarring if you're not used to..." Read more

"...figures out what Violet is up to, this is a mostly enjoyable steampunk adventure." Read more

"The story is fun and interesting, although there aren't any major plot surprises for anyone who's familiar with Twelfth Night...." Read more

6 customers mention "Writing quality"5 positive1 negative

Customers appreciate the writing quality of the book, with one customer noting it is easy to read, while another mentions enjoying the descriptions of science.

"...created and encountered, including strange inventions, were described well, so I could easily imagine them...." Read more

"...The characters come to life in a quite vivid and real manner...." Read more

"...steampunk interpretation is definitely fun, and I loved reading the descriptions of science going on at Illyria College...." Read more

"...Characters are easy to like. Text is easy to read. All in all it's a fun book." Read more

5 customers mention "Enjoyment"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable, with one specifically appreciating its science and premise.

"I really liked this book. The character development was great; even the secondary characters definitely had distinct personalities...." Read more

"...parts, Rosen fits the pieces together into a tightly-wound and enjoyable whole." Read more

"...It is quite easily one of the best books I have ever read and cannot wait to read the next." Read more

"...Characters are easy to like. Text is easy to read. All in all it's a fun book." Read more

3 customers mention "Humor"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's humor, with one mentioning its dramatic irony.

"...There was adventure, and conflict (with creepy automata!), and a good amount of humor too. I really like the main character, Violet...." Read more

"...impressive, and the story is at its best when it's playing with dramatic irony and orchestrating bizarre love quadrangles...." Read more

"...I found that the book was well written and entertaining." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Iklypse
    5.0 out of 5 stars All Men of Genius
    Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    I really liked this book. The character development was great; even the secondary characters definitely had distinct personalities. Illyria and the various things the students created and encountered, including strange inventions, were described well, so I could easily imagine them. There was adventure, and conflict (with creepy automata!), and a good amount of humor too. I really like the main character, Violet. It was easy for me to identify with her strong desire to fulfill her dreams, and overcome her society's prejudices about the role of women.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Kurt Joseph Pankau
    4.0 out of 5 stars Gearpunk, Not Steampunk, But Whatever
    Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Rosen's debut novel is thoroughly modernist, paying constant homage. The most overt references are to Twelfth Night and The Importance of Being Earnest and no wonder, because the plot of All Men of Genius takes on shades of Shakespearean comedy and Wildean farse even as it purports to be a steampunk adventure (more accurately it's a gearpunk adventure, but who am I to argue with the marketing departments?).

    Our hero is Violet (get it?!), a mechanical genius who decides to impersonate her brother so she can attend an elite all-male technical school. The headmaster is a duke named Ernest (get it?!) who is flanked by his ward Cecily (get it?!). With the help of her friend Jack (get it?!), she must keep them all fooled without being thwarted by Mal Volio (see what he did there?!?!?!). Also, there are rabbits named Shakespeare and Oscar. Rosen is not a man who suffers from an abundance of subtlety.

    Like the farse and the Shakespearean comedy, the story is at its heart a ridiculous conflagration of confused love stories. That Rosen is able to keep all of these pieces more or less in the air at once is actually fairly impressive, and the story is at its best when it's playing with dramatic irony and orchestrating bizarre love quadrangles. The structure of the story, however, is a bit bewildering. It's told from the third person omniscient perspective (Rosen handles the head-hopping more gracefully than, say, Gail Carriger, so I didn't actively hate it... very much). This is pretty standard for books set in that period and allows for some abbreviated storytelling, but it's still a little jarring if you're not used to it. Rosen lacks the J.K. Rowling talent of spreading a plot over a school term, so the pacing is at times uneven. At the 40% mark, the school session was still in its first week. Around the two-thirds mark we start getting elaborate back stories for supporting characters who had been fairly one-dimensional up to that point. While it's interesting to learn that Professor Lothario (get it?!) Prism is colorblind, and that's why he uses those complex lenses that made him seem like such a caricature, it's a weird thing to trot out in the middle of Act III.

    And sometimes it's just clunky. Mysteries are pondered and abandoned. An entire subplot about a machine imitating a specific person is wholly unnecessary. The big action set piece is telegraphed pretty transparently, although it is executed with skill. Also, this is a book with an agenda. The gender-politics aren't bash-you-over-the-head up front... well, okay, they really are. And not just gender, we get gay rights pleas as well. Not that his message was wrong, per se, it just felt a wee bit preachy at times. But for all its warts, AMoG is ridiculously fun. It's light-hearted enough to not take itself very seriously and smart enough to enjoy the more over-the-top laughs that such non-seriousness affords. And while it may be mashed together from familiar parts, Rosen fits the pieces together into a tightly-wound and enjoyable whole.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • Michelle Boytim
    3.0 out of 5 stars Gender switching in the Steampunk Victorian Age
    Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Set in a Victorian steampunk alternative world, Violet is a brilliant engineer and longs to go Illyria College. However, the school only accepts young men. Violet comes up with a scheme to pose as her twin brother, Ashton and puts in an application to the school. With Ashton’s and their friend Jack’s help, Violet creates a disguise and enrolls at Illyria, rooming with Jack. Along with her educational pursuits, Violet runs into challenges when the niece of the director of the college begins to fall in love with her, and she herself has feelings for the director, Ernest himself. Underlying the gender bending story is a sinister plot that the students begin to unravel. With a cameo appearance by Ada Lovelace who shrewdly figures out what Violet is up to, this is a mostly enjoyable steampunk adventure.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • J
    5.0 out of 5 stars book review of a non reader
    Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    As someone who can count the books I have finished reading on one hand, I must say this was as close to a couldn't put it down book as I have ever come. I normally prefer audio books to help engage my imagination however the writing style of the author made it quite easy to picture the moving gears and mechanic's of the school. The characters come to life in a quite vivid and real manner. The chapters are spaced out in a manner where it is not overwhelming to finish a chapter if you need a break. It is quite easily one of the best books I have ever read and cannot wait to read the next.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Kate
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great story, mediocre writing
    Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    The story is fun and interesting, although there aren't any major plot surprises for anyone who's familiar with Twelfth Night. The steampunk interpretation is definitely fun, and I loved reading the descriptions of science going on at Illyria College. As a scientist, I hate when authors make up science and try to connect it to real science, or provide extensive detail that is just wrong. I love that this author embraces his science as fantasy and runs with it. I didn't love the writing, unfortunately. The writing feels a little pompous and self-important. To a certain extent that is consistent with the general feel of steampunk, but I think the author goes a little too far. I hope that in his future books he reins it in some. I would definitely recommend this book based on the story, not the writing. If you're the kind of person who loves a good story and doesn't really notice the quality of writing, this book is for you. I do not recommend it for people who have trouble finishing a book if the writing isn't exquisite.
    5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Ken
    2.0 out of 5 stars Not very good
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 31, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    The first steampunk book I have tried. Just didn't work for me. The whole concept of clockwork perpetual motion devices, or clockwork would springs that gave off huge amounts of force after only a little input is just so wrong.

    Set this with Victorian attitudes to women and I just don't get the appeal.

    I finished it but will not be reading any more in this style.
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