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9th out of 52 books
—
93 voters
The Mercenary
by
Cornelia Grey (Goodreads Author)
There are more elusive things than water in this wasteland.
Now that a monstrous London machine has stolen the clouds from the sky, Asher Connor survives by selling his mercenary skills to transport water across York’s wasted moorland. Until his unit is attacked by a pack of Tamer-controlled wolves, and his ingenious mechanical arm fails.
He awakens, surprised to find he’s
...moreebook, 1st Edition, 124 pages
Published
March 8th 2011
by Samhain Publishing
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What to say. This short story was enjoyable in plot but was not easy to read. And by that I mean -technically easy.
The author chose words and descriptives for the flowery effect rather than making the story readable and the flow smooth. For instance, concupiscence was use instead of the far simpler -lust. Now I am all about increasing my vocabulary but not so much when I am in the middle of a story and have to keep using my dictionary (thank god for electronic readers). I went to college too, b...more
The author chose words and descriptives for the flowery effect rather than making the story readable and the flow smooth. For instance, concupiscence was use instead of the far simpler -lust. Now I am all about increasing my vocabulary but not so much when I am in the middle of a story and have to keep using my dictionary (thank god for electronic readers). I went to college too, b...more
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Aug 03, 2011
Heather C
marked it as did-not-finish
I could not finish this book. I could not understand what was going on. I could not understand what many of the words meant.
The MC has a brass arm and it wasn't even mentioned if it was the left are the right arm. I stopped around 28%; somewhere in chapter 2.
Maybe I will revisit this at a later date...but probably not.
ETA Its like I was only getting a piece of a story. Like where is the rest of it? I really don't even want to know, now! I think this could have been a great story if there was ac...more
The MC has a brass arm and it wasn't even mentioned if it was the left are the right arm. I stopped around 28%; somewhere in chapter 2.
Maybe I will revisit this at a later date...but probably not.
ETA Its like I was only getting a piece of a story. Like where is the rest of it? I really don't even want to know, now! I think this could have been a great story if there was ac...more
The Mercenary is a mix of many themes, post-apocalypse future, fantasy, the more trendy steampunk but above all romance: yes, because even if fighting and flying and another action staring for f and continuing with u and c and k, these men are also men in love and so there is also loving and kissing and yes, also being jealous.
What Asher is expecting from life right in that moment is basically nothing: stranded in the middle of nowhere and wounded, he is only waiting for a merciful death; inste...more
What Asher is expecting from life right in that moment is basically nothing: stranded in the middle of nowhere and wounded, he is only waiting for a merciful death; inste...more
This is a wonderful read. Short at less than 67 pgs. the author managed a well written story. Saved only by chance when he comes under attack, Asher is invited to join Gabriel on his journey home with the incentive that Asher's damaged arm (think Will Smith in I, Robot) will be repaired.
Once there, Asher discovers that this little home town has some secrets-with Gabriel at the center of them. His interest is piqued and so he finds himself trying to discover just what is going on; especially when...more
Once there, Asher discovers that this little home town has some secrets-with Gabriel at the center of them. His interest is piqued and so he finds himself trying to discover just what is going on; especially when...more
The setting of this story is fantastic. Britain is a deserted land, where water is the most valuable commodity. In London an ominous machine is collecting all the clouds, leaving the rest of the land in drought. Asher is a mercenary with an artificial arm. When he awakes after being attacked, he meets Gabriel, who is like a beacon that Asher begins to follow.
Their first bond is formed in battle, in the sharing of the blood of their enemies, and the fighting leads to sex. Asher's is the only poin...more
Their first bond is formed in battle, in the sharing of the blood of their enemies, and the fighting leads to sex. Asher's is the only poin...more
I'm so disappointed. I was really looking forward to this because I love mercenaries/ morally ambiguous or even bad MC's. Unfortunately, the world wasn't fleshed out and the the story felt so rushed I was often very confused. The writing style itself really distracted me-purple prose times like a thousand. I like vivid descriptions and unique imagery, but I like best when the prose is almost invisible, so you forget you're reading a book and feel like you're watching and listening to the charact...more
3.5 Stars - A very short piece with an interesting premise and unique setting. I also liked the characters a lot.
Sadly, I couldn't give this book a higher rating because it was a bit difficult to get through due to a lot of the sentences being bogged down by far too many words. I hope this problem gets ironed out in other stories because I definitely would like to read more by Grey.
Sadly, I couldn't give this book a higher rating because it was a bit difficult to get through due to a lot of the sentences being bogged down by far too many words. I hope this problem gets ironed out in other stories because I definitely would like to read more by Grey.
Great premise, great worldbuilding, but the story was let down by the purple prose. From the author's bio I note that English is not her native language, which may account for the sometimes awkward phrasing, and her background as a poet perhaps leads to the occasionally beautiful but more often than not very dense and unnaturally convoluted descriptions. Some of the words are used incorrectly within the sentences (the fault here must lie with the editor). As a result of the over-writing, I lost...more
The world is dying from thirst, except for the Southern Capital, London, where a giant apparatus sucks the clouds from the sky, hoarding water for the Water Vendor's Guild.
Asher is a mercenary, hired to defend a water tank on its way through the dried - out lands. But his party was wiped out by brigands,leaving Asher the sole survivor, albeit with meager chances to remain that way. Until a passing stranger, Gabriel, takes him on.
Joining forces in a fight against more enemies brings Asher and G...more
Asher is a mercenary, hired to defend a water tank on its way through the dried - out lands. But his party was wiped out by brigands,leaving Asher the sole survivor, albeit with meager chances to remain that way. Until a passing stranger, Gabriel, takes him on.
Joining forces in a fight against more enemies brings Asher and G...more
Jan 16, 2013
Blaine
added it
Loved the world and world building, the setting, Asher, and Gabriel. Both tech men were wonderfully geeky, and Athena, the little owl, was a lovely side-character :)
I was dragged into Asher and Gabriel's world from the beginning, and enjoyed every minute of it, despite the language seeming a bit too poetic at times, making me stand still instead of moving with it. Asher and Gabriel's meeting and subsequent evolving relationship was refreshing and interesting.
Still... Wouldn't mind another view i...more
I was dragged into Asher and Gabriel's world from the beginning, and enjoyed every minute of it, despite the language seeming a bit too poetic at times, making me stand still instead of moving with it. Asher and Gabriel's meeting and subsequent evolving relationship was refreshing and interesting.
Still... Wouldn't mind another view i...more
Fans of steampunk will probably enjoy THE MERCENARY so long as they don't expect a strong romance.
This is a great world. The first part of the novella focuses on the rough life in the British countryside which has been turned into a desert where water is scarce and people kill for it. This brutal frontier town setting was a great introduction to the rugged and stoic Asher. The second half of the novella is set in London with the spider apparatus looming over the city. I love the steampunk elemen...more
This is a great world. The first part of the novella focuses on the rough life in the British countryside which has been turned into a desert where water is scarce and people kill for it. This brutal frontier town setting was a great introduction to the rugged and stoic Asher. The second half of the novella is set in London with the spider apparatus looming over the city. I love the steampunk elemen...more
3. 5 stars
The story reads like a very good first draft, but draft nonetheless. All the elements of the good story are there, but they lack depth, probably due to its length. The world - post-apocalyptic, filled with amazing machinery, dark inventions and fantastical beings - lacks background and the readers are forced to fill the gaps themselves. What happened to the world? Why was Apparatus made? Who are the Tamers? What role the ogres and other beings have? These are just some of the unanswere...more
The story reads like a very good first draft, but draft nonetheless. All the elements of the good story are there, but they lack depth, probably due to its length. The world - post-apocalyptic, filled with amazing machinery, dark inventions and fantastical beings - lacks background and the readers are forced to fill the gaps themselves. What happened to the world? Why was Apparatus made? Who are the Tamers? What role the ogres and other beings have? These are just some of the unanswere...more
As with other reviews, I agree the flowery flow of words often distracted from the story itself, though for the sex scenes I found it refreshingly different. Not once did tab A jab into tab B, it was more of an experience.
I liked Gabriel's energetic personality, and the way both men tried to remain mysterious while becoming friends. Their strange little spat of jealousy was both cute and frustrating, but kept at a decent length so that I never wanted to throw the book across the room as I so oft...more
I liked Gabriel's energetic personality, and the way both men tried to remain mysterious while becoming friends. Their strange little spat of jealousy was both cute and frustrating, but kept at a decent length so that I never wanted to throw the book across the room as I so oft...more
This has to be one of the hardest books to categorize. For one, I have no idea whether it's sci-fi, steampunk or post apocalyptic because it feels like all three combined. It's hard to describe because I'd think it was steampunk and then it'd be described how there's ogres and other creatures which makes me think sci-fi but then there's references to how the world changed and OMG it just confused me even more than I already was. There should be a rule about how a book can't be all three at once...more
3.5 stars. There's a cool story here, and it evokes a world really well in a short space. The richly detailed language works most of the time, but a more attentive editor would have flagged a few moments of awkward phrasing or not-quite-right word choice that I suspect are the result of the author writing in her second language. I also wasn't entirely sold on the relationship -- Asher appears to find Gabriel childish and annoying except when they're having sex. The sex is hot, but personally I d...more
Beautifully written with wonderfully engaging characters. I loved the imaginative setting with the gorgeous steampunk gadgetry. The pacing was perfect, with enough action and enough slower parts to allow me to connect to the story. Enough of the world was revealed to set the story, but not too much to be frustrated at having it all end quickly with a feeling of loose ends. A pretty perfect short story, in my opinion.
Post-apocalyptic steampunk fantasy of violence and sex and un-credible world-building, starring Asher Connor, the merc with a brass mechanical arm, and Gabriel. Fails to maintain consistent character voices. A salute to all things brass: they forget how to make steel post-apocalypse, but they can make a brass wheelchair? Full of inconsistencies, and transparencies. Maybe I just don't appreciate the greatness of brass.
I'm enjoying this so far, though futuristic it has a distinctly steampunk feel.
A quick read that was much better than I was expecting - especially once I realised it was M/M.
There was a gripping story with characters who were both complex and mysterious. A dystopian future London that was unrecognizable and a steampunk milieu. The author was skilled enough to evoke this richly without an overabundance of detail. I loved the little owl, Athena.
A quick read that was much better than I was expecting - especially once I realised it was M/M.
There was a gripping story with characters who were both complex and mysterious. A dystopian future London that was unrecognizable and a steampunk milieu. The author was skilled enough to evoke this richly without an overabundance of detail. I loved the little owl, Athena.
This is a great novella (about 335 KB) that has mercenaries, violence, hot bedroom scenes and steam punk mechanics. The story was almost too short for me, but there was enough plot that drove both Asher and Gabriel forward.
There is much more to this world and I hope the author comes back, I need more details! And more backstory, I recommend this and the price tag of under $3 is a plus.
There is much more to this world and I hope the author comes back, I need more details! And more backstory, I recommend this and the price tag of under $3 is a plus.
I don't really have a whole lot to say about this book, except that I truly enjoyed it and found myself wishing it was longer. It was a very quick read, but also very engrossing. The ending was just very abrupt, I felt. I wish more of the aftermath of the final event was included in the story. I wasn't ready for it to end.
Great story and world-building! I could see this made into a miniseries episode of Steampunk goodness. Had trouble with the slightly pedantic vocabulary which kept stopping my flow of reading but enjoyed the story nevertheless.
What a wild ride! Cornelia Grey's The Mercenary combines so many different genres into one fast-paced page-turner. I would have loved to stay longer in this well conceived futuristic society, learning more about Asher and Gabriel and the world they live in. In particular, I want to know more about the Tamers.
The action sequences got my pulse to racing, and the scene of the two heroes in the back room at a bar positively sizzled. I loved Athena, the clockwork owl.
And that cover! Whoa! Gorgeous....more
The action sequences got my pulse to racing, and the scene of the two heroes in the back room at a bar positively sizzled. I loved Athena, the clockwork owl.
And that cover! Whoa! Gorgeous....more
This little nugget is a nice outline for a successful future novel. The cover art is stunning. The characters are interesting, primarily Gabriel and Asher. The setting, a dystopic future England with little water, is fascinating. The steampunk elements of the Apparatus and the little clockwork owl are a great start.
If this was intended as a complete story, I would be flummoxed. There is good stuff here, but it needs to be expanded and fleshed out. I love the characters and the setting, but want...more
If this was intended as a complete story, I would be flummoxed. There is good stuff here, but it needs to be expanded and fleshed out. I love the characters and the setting, but want...more
I absolutely love this cover!
If we overlook the fact that Asher followed Gabriel with no apparent reason it was a pleasant read :)
I would have rated this higher if it had been a full length novel.... Lots of potential there for more and I was sorry to realise how short this was. Interesting futuristic steampunk-ish setting, likeable heroes with just enough romance, threads of a rebellion and intrigue...all elements I love but just felt like they were novel length ideas rushed into a short story. Enjoyed the writing style , would read more from this author
Difficult story to follow. It seemed like lots was happening but very little was explained. I enjoyed the two MCs but was left with little feeling as for why they were even involved. This needed more world building and character development. Love the idea of the book and the little I saw of the world was very interesting.
interesting, but too much was hazy & obscure
Стимпанк такой стимпанк. Очаровательная, очень комиксная вещица.
May 17, 2013
Spencer
marked it as to-read
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Cornelia Grey is a creative writing student fresh out of univeristy, with a penchant for fine arts and the blues. Born and raised in the hills of Northern Italy, where she collected her share of poetry and narrative prizes, she is now based in London, and she is thoroughly enjoying the cultural melting pot that is the City.
Her interests vary from painting to photography, from sewing to acting; whe...more
More about Cornelia Grey...
Her interests vary from painting to photography, from sewing to acting; whe...more
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