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6th out of 83 books
—
132 voters
By Any Other Name (The Sauder Diaries, #1)
by
Michel R. Vaillancourt (Goodreads Author)
A pirate-infused steampunk world, rooted in the historical fabric of Victorian Europe, in which the Crimean War ended with a stalemate and not a victory. Airships and clockwork mechanisms are the technology of the future, mad scientists and engine-driven dragons run rampant, and Russia stands tall as the supermenace overshadowing the world. Living amidst this vivid, turbul...more
Paperback, Lazarus (Second), 320 pages
Published
June 28th 2012
by Avenger Press Services
(first published December 19th 2011)
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I read this first novel in The Sauder Diaries series chapter by chapter, before it had been published in ebook form, and despite not being a usual reader of steampunk, I truly enjoyed the adventures of Mr. Sauder and told Mr. Vaillancourt that he should seriously consider having his book published. The story is well thought out, his writing style is both comfortable and nevertheless gripping, and his characters are multi-dimensional, realistically flawed, and delightful.
The story follows our her...more
The story follows our her...more
I've tried the steampunk genre before, but couldn't find anything that really drew me into the whole steampunk mindset. All that changed when I downloaded The Sauder Diaries on a whim and devoured it over Christmas - as in, stayed-up-till-4am-and-lost-precious-sleep-because-the-book-wouldn't-let-me-go, kind of devouring. Michel's pirate-infused steampunk world is rooted in the historical fabric of Victorian Europe, but with his own distinct slant on how love, war, espionage and life would have c...more
I was not sure what to expect.
The result: a stor with twists and turns; characters with depths and development.
A world which is much more than just an alternate kind of Victorian England.
And yes, this is definitely a steampunk novel.
I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
My FULL REVIEW is now available here, on Amazon under my nick name brienneselwyn and on my blog Edi's Book Lighthouse
My Expectations
I must say the cover and the blurb created a certain atmosphere. I expected a fast pac...more
The result: a stor with twists and turns; characters with depths and development.
A world which is much more than just an alternate kind of Victorian England.
And yes, this is definitely a steampunk novel.
I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
My FULL REVIEW is now available here, on Amazon under my nick name brienneselwyn and on my blog Edi's Book Lighthouse
My Expectations
I must say the cover and the blurb created a certain atmosphere. I expected a fast pac...more
A few days ago, this book appeared in an Amazon recognition email. I snagged a sample on Kindle, read maybe three paragraphs, then purchased it without delay. What drew me in immediately was Mr. Vaillancourt's excellent writing style and strong opening chapter. However, it was the meticulously described technical detail that has earned my highest praise. Few steampunk authors expend the research and thought into carefully describing the underworkings of their mechanical marvels - "The Sauder Dia...more
I recently read a novel which motivated me enough to write a new blogpost (amazing, eh?) so may I please introduce to you a new friend and a pretty darn good author- Michel R. Vaillancourt.
Michel R. Vaillancourt is a romantic swashbuckler of a novelist. Don’t believe me? Just look at his name – all Canadian French and romantic and full of dreamy syllables. He lives on an island, you know- Prince Edward Island, to be exact. How romantic is that?
The name “Michel” rolls off the tongue, causing one...more
Michel R. Vaillancourt is a romantic swashbuckler of a novelist. Don’t believe me? Just look at his name – all Canadian French and romantic and full of dreamy syllables. He lives on an island, you know- Prince Edward Island, to be exact. How romantic is that?
The name “Michel” rolls off the tongue, causing one...more
Michel Vaillancourt has got his genre pretty much completely wrapped up. Not that I've ever been a big reader of Steampunk, but as a lover of both adventure and Victorian fiction I thoroughly appreciated the way that the author uses Steampunk's idiosyncrasies, it's blending of modern technological advances with Victorian sensibilities to create a narrative that's not just delightfully old-school in its feel but also one that explores the disjunct of those two thing through its central characters...more
Jan 31, 2012
Daniel Swensen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
urban-fantasy,
indies
Sauder Diaries: By Any Other Name reminds me of a cross between Jules Verne, Herman Melville and Robert E. Howard. There's action, adventure, and (very frustrating) romance. The characters are charming and diverse, and there are some truly terrific battle sequences.
The setting of the Bloody Rose crackles with detail -- Vaillancourt's engineering background really pays off in that department. Hans Sauder himself is such a straitlaced hero that sometimes I wanted to shout at him to loosen up a bi...more
The setting of the Bloody Rose crackles with detail -- Vaillancourt's engineering background really pays off in that department. Hans Sauder himself is such a straitlaced hero that sometimes I wanted to shout at him to loosen up a bi...more
Sep 02, 2012
Jenny Schwartz
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
authors-i-know,
steampunk
Utterly absorbing. A story of honour and adventure.
Stylistically, works brilliantly that each chapter begins with an extract from Hans's diary, followed by the rollicking adventures.
It's a fine line to balance the harsh consequences of actions with hope and mercy. "By Any Other Name" does this well.
It's part coming-of-age, part quest ... and opens the door to a series that I hope we get many more of. The characters are complicated and appealing. The world is vivid.
Superb steampunk adventure!
Stylistically, works brilliantly that each chapter begins with an extract from Hans's diary, followed by the rollicking adventures.
It's a fine line to balance the harsh consequences of actions with hope and mercy. "By Any Other Name" does this well.
It's part coming-of-age, part quest ... and opens the door to a series that I hope we get many more of. The characters are complicated and appealing. The world is vivid.
Superb steampunk adventure!
After a wee bit of a slow start, this swashbuckling tale of an upper crust Englishman who gets kidnapped by some air pirates sails off on a magnificent adventure! A few minor errors that can be tweaked in later versions do not detract from this at all. My only complaint was that the ending was a tad rushed. Thus I knocked it down to 4 stars instead of 5. That aside, I am still waiting for the sequel. The author had best hurry before I ship him some highly caffeinated toddlers.
A thoroughly enjoyable read.
Elements of Jules Verne, along with pirates and technology reminiscent of an old TV series "The Wild Wild West"
Appealing characters, plenty of action.
I found the idea of combining excerpts from the main character's diary with a third person narrative a little repetitive, but it didn't spoil my enjoyment.
Looking forward to a sequel.
Elements of Jules Verne, along with pirates and technology reminiscent of an old TV series "The Wild Wild West"
Appealing characters, plenty of action.
I found the idea of combining excerpts from the main character's diary with a third person narrative a little repetitive, but it didn't spoil my enjoyment.
Looking forward to a sequel.
Another foray into the steampunk world - I enjoyed it! Hans is kidnapped by pirates and many fun adventures ensue. This story was written in a more adult and subdued fashion than some of the others that I have read. I liked the steady pace, character development and deeper plot lines. It was still great fun and not a hard read (even though my Kobo started at 74% so I never knew where I was in the book).
May 03, 2013
Megan
marked it as to-read
Apr 17, 2013
Amanda Wilson
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Apr 15, 2013
Kelly
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Apr 08, 2013
Galactica_actual
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Apr 01, 2013
Sage
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Mar 23, 2013
Anna
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Mar 19, 2013
Maryanne
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Mar 19, 2013
Rox
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Feb 20, 2013
Kira
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Feb 11, 2013
Kiko
marked it as series-to-start
Feb 09, 2013
Hannahkeeth
marked it as to-read
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To everyone that's been waiting to read it... | 2 | 4 | Sep 08, 2012 10:59am |
In brief about me, I am forty-two years old, currently living in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. My day job is CEO & Alpha-Geek for a video conference hosting company. I’m married, I have a son and I have been reading and writing for most of my life. I have been involved in Steampunk for two years and a fan of adventure stories since I was twelve.
You can find out more about me at...more
More about Michel R. Vaillancourt...
You can find out more about me at...more
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Jan 01, 2012 07:06pm