"The Dark Deeps" (Hunchback A. 2) by Arthur Slade is scary steampunk. Brief precisely titled chapters shift viewpoints clearly, without confusion. Some, as the prologue with experimental "Yellow Boy" Griff, link, as to evil Dr. Hyde and icy lovely metal-hand red-haired Hakkandottir, and reappear with invisible coughs. Premonition hints, such as ch4 "On the last day of his life" sprinkle lightly, not too much. Ugly masked chameleon Modo, now 14, and distracting vision Octavia Milkweed, now 15, look and act older, brave secret agents defending Britannia. Posing as a married couple, they find an underwater Utopia where comrades are equals and recognize no deformities. Should Modo ally with Griff, or an older 18 courageous pretty French agent? Colette, teased for her half-Japanese parentage, "felt like a monster at times", and asks to see his true face.[Spoiler: Icaria suggests flying to me, not seabed, and the sacrifices of the comrades seems cruel. Too bad metal-hand Hakkandottir survives. The second book of the series finds Modo and Octavia posing as husband and wife and heading to New York in search of a missing fellow British agent. Once they arrive, they find out that he is dead but can't figure out by whom, and then there is the mysterious note with the words "Big Fish" and a location. What is this Big Fish? Is it part of the Clockwork Guild or something else? What is the organization's master plan? *Spoilers*Overall I enjoyed the book and especially learning about Icaria, and everything that the Captain had achieved underwater. However, I thought the story lacked a bit of the excitement of the first book. The Griff character was particularly evil and crazy, but at the same time you feel kind of sorry for him, kind of like Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I'm hoping the author continues the series and we see more of Colette, the half-Japanese/half French spy, as the end of the story made her seem more intriguing.
