Let me introduce you to George Feather, chimney sweep and assistant cryptographer. While sweeping chimneys in the city of Little Obscurity, George literally falls upon a mystery, or more rightly falls into the Bureau of Mysteries. Quickly recruited into the Bureau, George sets out to save the city from a gang of criminals bent on mayhem. And he is taking us with him. Armed with the Cryptographer’s Compendium (code-breaking book), George and the reader decode increasingly tricky clues in the quest to foil the plans of The Clockwork Octopus Society. As George learns a code and how to break it, so do we. Try it: they’re tricky, but fun to crack.

The world of Little Obscurity in 1886 much resembles Dickensian England except that in the best tradition of Steampunk many things have developed very differently. There are clockroaches and markets with mechanical chickens and flying vehicles. But there are also the orphanages that supply child labour (such as George, a seasoned chimney sweep at the age of 12). This highly stylised steampunk world is wonderfully illustrated in Nahum Ziersch’s panels depicting characters and scenes in the unfolding adventure.

In Bureau of Mysteries, H.J. Harper creates a fantastic world rich in humour and wordplay (evil Doctor Morrie Artery springs to mind) that pays homage to nineteenth-century fantasists such as Conan Doyle and Verne, while delivering an action-packed adventure in which the reader and George race to save the day. Enjoy the rollicking adventure and look out for the Barbarian Librarians along the way.

Marie Matteson is from Readings Port Melbourne