Skies of Steel (The Ether Chronicles, #3)

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Skies of Steel (The Ether Chronicles #3)

by Zoe Archer (Goodreads Author)

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 53 ratings · 14 reviews

In the world of The Ether Chronicles, the Mechanical War rages on, and appearances are almost always deceiving . . .

The Prim Professor

Daphne Carlisle may be a scholar, but she's far more comfortable out in the field than lost in a stack of books. Still, when her parents are kidnapped by a notorious warlord, she knows she'll need more than quick thinking if she is to reach...more

ebook, 100 pages

Published October 9th 2012 by Avon Impulse

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Steampunk/Romance

104th out of 167 books — 492 voters

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Nov 03, 2012 J9 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk, avon-addict, 2012-reads

Originally Reviewed for The Book Vixen

Great steampunk world with two great leads and a strong adventure plot.

The world building is stellar here. This is book three in the Ether Chronicles but I hadn’t read the previous two and didn’t need to as the world was well explained. Anyone who reads steampunk will find the world of airships and mechanized humans to be familiar but it’s all described in such detail that I enjoyed it more than the typical steampunk I read.

The adventure plot is a steampunk...more

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 28, 2012 Louise rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, romance, steampunk

What a great palate cleanser! This was just the perfect book I needed when I wanted to immerse myself in a fantastical world of airships, battles, taut abs, bulging biceps, adventure, and romance.

I had put off reading this for a while because of the awful cover and awful hair. Unfortunately, the awful hair was true to the story. However, I'm glad I overlooked that and still went on with reading. One of my apprehensions was that this book would be too similar to the previous one, Skies of Fire, w...more

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Nov 17, 2012 Lori rated it 3 of 5 stars

It’s a shame I read this after Meljean Brook’s Iron Duke, or I might have given it more stars. As it is, it’s formulaic, but entertaining. I can’t quite get a bead on time period, other than quasi Victorian (It’s somewhat shocking when the heroine wears trousers). I’m afraid my lack of excitement for this book began at the beginning. It features a hero who has been transformed, through science, into a kind of cyborg battery. Attaching the metal telumium (some sort of aluminum analog, by the soun...more It’s a shame I read this after Meljean Brook’s Iron Duke, or I might have given it more stars. As it is, it’s formulaic, but entertaining. I can’t quite get a bead on time period, other than quasi Victorian (It’s somewhat shocking when the heroine wears trousers). I’m afraid my lack of excitement for this book began at the beginning. It features a hero who has been transformed, through science, into a kind of cyborg battery. Attaching the metal telumium (some sort of aluminum analog, by the sound of it) to his left shoulder (surgically, over several hours, without anesthesia!), allows it to run filaments into his heart, which in turn turns him into a bigger, stronger guy. In fact, he sounds like a body builder, which had me turning back to the punk on the cover and going hmmmm. I do try to avoid making any determination about a book based on the cover, but I do notice, and this one was off. He should be post treatment Captain America, not pre-treatment Steve. In the book, he sounds like a very sexy creature, though more Russian bear than wolf. The heroine was your usual sassy chick who gets into all kinds of trouble and knows how to use a gun (though an ether rifle knocks her ass over teakettle). unfortunately, she’s one of those recently popular heroines who lie(tm). I suppose, rather than using her body, using her brain to cheat people is… more honorable? Different? Getting boring, frankly.

Interesting parts of the book: The plot’s not bad, with plenty of convoluted stuff going on, bad guys galore, danger, and a bit of fancy (just go with it) brain work. Ether, the side effect of this telumium battery treatment, becomes the gas that floats the dirigible. In fact, the captain becomes necessary to the ship and vice versa. If he leaves the ship too long, he goes hulk smash and the ship crashes, which sounds kind of cool, and improves the book’s plot a bit. It’s fun enough, if you can’t find something you love more. I didn't realize this was 3rd in a series until I read it, but it works fine as a standalone. (less)

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Oct 10, 2012 Marlene rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reading-romances-challenge

Originally published at Reading Reality

The Mechanical War is a damn big war. If the first "world war" were fought, just a bit earlier, and with "ether" instead of guns and tanks (and still a few horses), would you get something like the war that Archer and Rosso have envisioned in their Ether Chronicles?

In this third glimpse into their fascinating construct of man/machines, airships and ether-powered horses (after Skies of Fire (review) and Night of Fire (review)) we see a totally different plac...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Bitten By Love Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

In the world of The Ether Chronicles, the Mechanical War rages on, and appearances are almost always deceiving . . .

The prim professorDaphne Carlisle may be a scholar, she would rather be out in the field than stuck with a bunch of books in a library. After he parents are kidnapped by a notorious warlord she knew she needed to act fast before it was to late. Daphne’s only chance to get across enemy lines is by an airship…and that means she needs to find a rogue Man O’ War Mikhail Denisov who is...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Diana N rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: avon-addicts, edelweiss, for-review, steampunk

Daphne Carlisle is in desperate need of help; her parents have been kidnapped and their captor is demanding a ransom. Captain Mikhail Denisov is her one chance to deliver the ransom and rescue them. A rogue Man O' War and mercenary, Mikhail has no loyalty save to his crew and the next fortune. Helping Daphne will net him quite a profit; then he can leave and move on to the next treasure. However, when these two are forced together on a journey across countries and seas, sparks start to fly.

I wil...more Daphne Carlisle is in desperate need of help; her parents have been kidnapped and their captor is demanding a ransom. Captain Mikhail Denisov is her one chance to deliver the ransom and rescue them. A rogue Man O' War and mercenary, Mikhail has no loyalty save to his crew and the next fortune. Helping Daphne will net him quite a profit; then he can leave and move on to the next treasure. However, when these two are forced together on a journey across countries and seas, sparks start to fly.

I will admit; I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. I have read Archer in the past and enjoyed the titles. I expected this book to be the same pleasant experience. (Of course, I have to admit the guy on the cover did have some influence on my choice of choosing this. I mean, come on! Dude is sporting a red tipped mohawk! How awesome is that!)

May I just say: Wow! I was just amazed. I've read several steampunk romances but they all seemed to be a different story set in the same scene with the same stories. I know that steampunk has a few set requirements to be called "steampunk" but these other stories just blurred together. There was nothing thrilling about them.

Not like in Skies of Steel. This story had an refreshing and original feel to it that I really enjoyed. The idea of a bionic solider is not new, I'm old enough to remember the Bionic Woman and Six-Million Dollar man, but I didn't think of either of those characters when reading this story. We got the impression mechanical attributes were an everyday occurrence in society but also a sense of wonderment at the marvels of human creativity. Archer also gave the other side of the story, too, demonstrating the cost of such of marvels. This story could have gone the way of social commentary like Tolstoy or Swift, but there wasn't a sense preaching or ranting. Instead Skies of Steel educated and entertained.

I also liked the widespread representation of cultures. I don't see enough mulit-cultural stories in print as I would like, but this one gave a sense of the different ethnicities and their traditions and histories not seen much in romances today. And they were handled very well too. There was no hint of condescension or use of stereotypes to differentiate one culture from another. There was a sense of respect and appreciation with each different group.

If I had to have a problem with this story, it would have been with the pace and length of the story. Not quite novella length, more like category sized, this story was fast paced and moved well until the end. At the end, the pace seemed to move double time and I felt rushed and left behind. Until this point, I had been right alongside of Daphne and her actions and reactions. (If you want me to be honest, I wanted more story. I wasn't ready for it to end yet!)

This issue with pace wasn't bad enough, however, to impact my feelings to adversely. I was surprised at Daphne's and Mikhail's choice in the end and would have liked more story to demonstrate their decisions better. Overall, it was still a fantastic and engaging read; even now, having finished it some time ago, I want to go back and start reading it again.
(less)

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Oct 20, 2012 Meghan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

Okay, full disclosure: I am not a huge fan of the steampunk subculture. Sure, I find all the clockwork jewelry appealing, and who doesn't love a gaslight lamp from time to time? But, forming a totally unfair bias, I have just had a couple of unusually unpleasant run-ins with the steampunk crowd and I think it's colored my opinion of the subculture in general. Which I will readily and easily admit is unfair, and not really a reflect at all on what this genre or trend is about at all.

So, having di...more Okay, full disclosure: I am not a huge fan of the steampunk subculture. Sure, I find all the clockwork jewelry appealing, and who doesn't love a gaslight lamp from time to time? But, forming a totally unfair bias, I have just had a couple of unusually unpleasant run-ins with the steampunk crowd and I think it's colored my opinion of the subculture in general. Which I will readily and easily admit is unfair, and not really a reflect at all on what this genre or trend is about at all.

So, having disclosed my predisposition to not be all that into this book... I was really, really into this book, a new release in The Ether Chronicles by Zoe Archer, Skies of Steel. I loved the characters: the professorial but resilient Daphne, the part-man, part-metal, all broiling internal conflict Captain Mikhail, and the sparks the two admit together in this steampunk international adventure to lie, sneak, and steal their way toward rescuing Daphne's hostage archaeologist parents.

Besides handling well what Archer always handles well—heated romance, the fine razor line between frustration and attraction, sharp-paced action sequences and heroines so badass they must have uteri of steel—what impressed me most about this book was its capable handling of some really complex relational themes, namely, How do we regain trust, once lost? and What types of deception are forgivable? What motives excuse untrustworthy behavior between lovers? Those are questions I think most of us don't have the answers to, and seeing Archer's characters struggle familiarly and honestly with them is deeply moving and deeply honest. We sometimes, in Romance, see two people overcome insurmountable odds to find love with one another, and sometimes I admit I feel cheated by their triumph, as though the author hasn't truly made them earn it.

Archer's Daphne and Mikhail earn the outcome they end up with, earn it with blood, sweat, deep midnight panics, and some seriously impressive vodka consumption.

Full Disclosure: Avon Books, an imprint of HarperCollins, provided me with a free ARC of this book, though I was under no legal responsibility to provide a review. I also am acquainted with the author personally—a pleasure that makes reading her books no less an authentic experience. (less)

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Oct 08, 2012 Miss Amby rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am going to be honest. I requested this book from Edelweiss simply because the guy on the cover had a mohawk, and I have a weakness for punk guys. I didn't know anything about this novel when I began reading it, but I was pleasantly surprised. This is a steam punk novel, not punk rock, but Mikhail still puts the punk in steam punk. Skies of Steel had excellent world-building, two great leading characters, and a captivating and action-packed plot. I couldn't put this book down.

Mikhail and Daph...more I am going to be honest. I requested this book from Edelweiss simply because the guy on the cover had a mohawk, and I have a weakness for punk guys. I didn't know anything about this novel when I began reading it, but I was pleasantly surprised. This is a steam punk novel, not punk rock, but Mikhail still puts the punk in steam punk. Skies of Steel had excellent world-building, two great leading characters, and a captivating and action-packed plot. I couldn't put this book down.

Mikhail and Daphne both were terrific main characters. Mikhail had that tortured thing going on, but he wasn't angsty. He was strong and rebellious, but he had a good heart. I completely adored him. Daphne was completely kick ass. She didn't rely on a man for anything, and if it came down to doing what she felt she was supposed to do or giving up everything for a guy? She did what she felt she was supposed to do. I really admired that about her. My one complaint about this book is that the secondary characters were not developed at all. I would have loved to have gotten to know Mikhail's crew better. As it stands, all the secondary characters were simply filler characters, and I didn't like that.

One of the things that totally blew me away was the amount of research Archer put into this book. How she characterized the field of anthropology at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century was spot on. At that time, the field was basically known as salvage anthropology. Daphne stated that she enjoyed documenting cultures before they were crushed under the wheels of modernity, and that was an actual quote from that time period. Of course, we now know that these cultures can sustain the supposed modernity and that the ideas of primitive vs. modern are problematic within themselves. Daphne, being the advanced girl that she is, hints at that by stating that cultures can adapt and change and grow into something even greater. The accuracy regarding this field of study for that specific time period really made the book so much more enjoyable and realistic for me.

The plot was full of action and suspense. I really didn't know if Mikhail and Daphne would both make it out of this alive, or if they'd end up together. Because of that, I was forced to keep reading. I had to know how the story ended! There were a lot of battles and close calls that kept up the feeling of suspense for the whole 100 pages. The other complaint I have is that I wish this book had been longer. The pacing was perfect, and I didn't feel cheated out of anything, but I wanted more of Mikhail and Daphne! They were great.

The romance was kind of sweet and kind of steamy. This wasn't erotica, but there was sex in it (obviously). I liked that the characters got to know each other AND had a mutual attraction. I don't really enjoy books where the characters just screw each others' brains out with no actual feelings other than lust involved. This book had some depth, though, and I liked that.

The word-building was excellent as well. Archer didn't describe too much, so I didn't get bored and irritated with the descriptions, but she shared enough details that I could easily picture the world she created. I love the idea of a "bionic man," and the author explained the side effects of becoming a Man O' War, but she didn't go into depth about the scientific explanation, which I found refreshing. I hate when authors try to make scientific sense of things that aren't scientific, and since I'm no scientist, I don't care how things work as long as they do, haha. Obviously when reading a work of fiction, one must willingly suspend disbelief. That was easily accomplished with this novel due to Archer's excellent research.

Basically, I'd recommend this book to fans of adult romances and fans of steam punk. It's a short, quick, and enjoyable read. You don't want to miss the fantastic world that Archer has created!(less)

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Oct 15, 2012 E_bookpushers rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, e-book, series, steampunk, reviewed

Joint review with Joy originally posted here: http://thebookpushers.com/2012/10/15/...

Publisher: Avon
Publish Date: Out now
How we got this book: ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss

In the world of The Ether Chronicles, the Mechanical War rages on, and appearances are almost always deceiving . . .

The prim professor
Daphne Carlisle may be a scholar, but she’s far more comfortable out in the field than lost in a stack of books. Still, when her parents are kidnapped by a notorious warlord, she knows s...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 14, 2012 Juli rated it 4 of 5 stars

I continue to enjoy Zoe Archer's books. Her heroines are never wimps nor Mary Sues, her heroes are strong but respectful of a woman's ability and independence, and there's always a lot of action -- of both kinds. Several of her books have this sort of Indiana Jones vibe; my only quibble with this book was that the "Jones" stuff was almost too easy. But I love the mismatch of scholarly heroine with rebellious Russian hero, and I continue to be intrigued by the wider world that Archer (and her hus...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 19, 2012 Jen (That's What I'm Talking About) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk, romance, 2012-new-to-me-author

My Rating: 4 stars: Enjoyed - strongly recommend (A-)
Full Review: http://www.twimom227.com/2012/12/revi...

Professor of Anthropology Daphne Carlisle finds herself in a desperate situation when her parents are kidnapped by a warlord on the Arabian Peninsula. The British government refuses to get involved, which leaves Daphne to seek out the help of rogue Man O' War Airship Captain Mikhail Mikhailovish Denisov. Once a decorated Captain in the Russian navy, Mikhail is now a mercenary for hire. Daphn...more

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May 08, 2013 Lissa Trevor rated it 5 of 5 stars

Awesome absolutely fantastic. I immediately went out and bought book 2

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Oct 16, 2012 Miscjoy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: the-book-pushers

Joint review with E_bookpusher posted on October 15, 2012 on The Book Pushers blog: http://thebookpushers.com/2012/10/15/...

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Nov 01, 2012 Commentary rated it 3 of 5 stars

Solid steam punk romance entry. The Zoe Archer that I liked so much in her Rogue series is back.

1 like · like · see review

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About Zoe Archer

Zoe Archer is an award-winning romance author who thinks there's nothing sexier than a man in tall boots and a waistcoat. As a child, she never dreamed about being the rescued princess, but wanted to kick butt right beside the hero. She now applies her master's degrees in Literature and Fiction to creating butt-kicking heroines and heroes in tall boots. She is the author of the acclaimed BLADES OF...more

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Skies of Steel (The Ether Chronicles #3)

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