Official Review: Introducing The Helmholtz Resonators
Posted: 16 Feb 2014, 17:59
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Introducing The Helmholtz Resonators" by The Helmholtz Resonators, illustrated by James Lightfoot.]
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Introducing the Helmholtz Resonators is a collection of the “background stories” of the members of the band The Helmholtz Resonators (there are videos on Youtube). The delightful, yet odd, book falls under the genre of science fiction with aspects of steam punk.
The name of the band is derived from a certain German physician and scientist by the name of Hermann von Helmholtz who invented the Helmholtz Resonator, “a device used to identify the various frequencies present in music.” Much like Helmholtz (but not really), these Victorian era scientists created something the likes of which nobody before or after has ever had the fortune to invent: the time machine. Said time machine wound up in London, of all places, in 2008 and the band has been entertaining audiences ever since.
The Helmholtz Resonators is composed of “musician scientists” Garland Vanderbilt, Chladni Plates, Van Damme Laudenkleer, Carlton Breezy, and Frithel Stock-Stone. Despite their strained relationships with their parents and, exile in the case of Plates, they developed a desire to succeed in the fields of technology, philosophy, and science (different field for each). All, of course, are misunderstood geniuses. What kind of story would this be if they didn’t have vices? Accordingly, Laudenkleer was deeply involved in the gin and opium craze while Vanderbilt is partial to alcohol.
After we get their backgrounds, we get some strange stories, one of which is about a certain hair follicle repression engineer (who knew such an occupation existed?!) named Fenkel Gore. Poor Fenkel Gore tries to find a serum to stop hair growth during time travel. However, he only succeeds in creating something that accelerates hair growth and becomes a big mustache (lol). Apparently, though, he can play bass guitar better than anyone. This, by the way, is only one of the rather fantastical tales that are told by The Helmholtz Resonators. The rest of the stories are just as oddly humorous. My favorite was the one about the well-dressed eyeball who dropped his top hat. After each of the stories, there are also really good illustrations which let the reader understand what really happened to these time travelling adventurers.
Overall, I liked the book. It has funny names and occupations (hair follicle repression engineer, I mean seriously). The humor is not laugh out loud funny all of the time, but it is funny nonetheless. The illustrations are well-drawn and add depth to the book and help out those who are more visual.
I would rate the book a 3 out of 4 because it’s not something I usually read, which isn’t to say I didn’t like it, but someone who normally reads this genre would probably enjoy it more. I would recommend it to fans of the band and to people who are just looking for something new to read.
***
Buy "Introducing The Helmholtz Resonators" on Amazon
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The name of the band is derived from a certain German physician and scientist by the name of Hermann von Helmholtz who invented the Helmholtz Resonator, “a device used to identify the various frequencies present in music.” Much like Helmholtz (but not really), these Victorian era scientists created something the likes of which nobody before or after has ever had the fortune to invent: the time machine. Said time machine wound up in London, of all places, in 2008 and the band has been entertaining audiences ever since.
The Helmholtz Resonators is composed of “musician scientists” Garland Vanderbilt, Chladni Plates, Van Damme Laudenkleer, Carlton Breezy, and Frithel Stock-Stone. Despite their strained relationships with their parents and, exile in the case of Plates, they developed a desire to succeed in the fields of technology, philosophy, and science (different field for each). All, of course, are misunderstood geniuses. What kind of story would this be if they didn’t have vices? Accordingly, Laudenkleer was deeply involved in the gin and opium craze while Vanderbilt is partial to alcohol.
After we get their backgrounds, we get some strange stories, one of which is about a certain hair follicle repression engineer (who knew such an occupation existed?!) named Fenkel Gore. Poor Fenkel Gore tries to find a serum to stop hair growth during time travel. However, he only succeeds in creating something that accelerates hair growth and becomes a big mustache (lol). Apparently, though, he can play bass guitar better than anyone. This, by the way, is only one of the rather fantastical tales that are told by The Helmholtz Resonators. The rest of the stories are just as oddly humorous. My favorite was the one about the well-dressed eyeball who dropped his top hat. After each of the stories, there are also really good illustrations which let the reader understand what really happened to these time travelling adventurers.
Overall, I liked the book. It has funny names and occupations (hair follicle repression engineer, I mean seriously). The humor is not laugh out loud funny all of the time, but it is funny nonetheless. The illustrations are well-drawn and add depth to the book and help out those who are more visual.
I would rate the book a 3 out of 4 because it’s not something I usually read, which isn’t to say I didn’t like it, but someone who normally reads this genre would probably enjoy it more. I would recommend it to fans of the band and to people who are just looking for something new to read.
***
Buy "Introducing The Helmholtz Resonators" on Amazon