Retribution Falls (Tales of the Ketty Jay, #1)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Retribution Falls (Tales of the Ketty Jay #1)

4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 · rating details · 2,150 ratings · 343 reviews

Sky piracy is a bit out of Darian Frey’s league. Fate has not been kind to the captain of the airship Ketty Jay—or his motley crew. They are all running from something. Crake is a daemonist in hiding, traveling with an armored golem and burdened by guilt. Jez is the new navigator, desperate to keep her secret from the rest of the crew. Malvery is a disgraced doctor, drinki...more

Paperback, 384 pages

Published June 18th 2009 by Gollancz (first published 2009)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Perdido Street Station by China Miéville

Best Steampunk Books

28th out of 471 books — 2,481 voters

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

New Speculative Fiction Stars

79th out of 424 books — 1,221 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Apr 19, 2013 Dan Schwent rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: steampunk, 2013

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. When they accidentally blow up The Ace of Skulls, and with it, the archduke's son, in a misguided act of piracy, Darian Frey and the misfit crew of the Ketty Jay wind up in the soup. Their salvation seems to be the mythical pirate port, Retribution Falls. But can they reach their safe haven before they wind up dead?

Retribution Falls is one of those books that's hard to classify. At first glance, it might be called steampunk, but it's more like fantasy with an odd tech level. There are airships t...more

38 likes · like · see review

Sep 03, 2012 Nataliya rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Sci-fi and fantasy buffs

Shelves: 2012-reads, favorites, first-in-a-series

Nataliya Gushes About This Book - Picture Frenzy - More Book Gushing - I Want To Be An Airship Pilot (*)

* Oh, did I mention how much I love Jules Verne-esque chapter titles?

Retribution Falls is a well-crafted steampunk novel that immediately won me over. It is a very entertaining and refreshing read that has everything you want for 400-plus pages of delightful fun. I am serious - I mean, there are airships, sky piracy, GOLD, legendary pirate city, revolvers, adventures, danger, undead, conspiracies, betrayal, camaraderie, debauchery, and plenty of tight corners for our characters. Whew! What else do you need? Plus, did I mention there is a golem - a charming Bess, "eight feet tall and five broad, a half-ton armoured monstrosity".

This is a story about a bunch of misfits who are forced together by circumstances and end up developing real bonds of friendship. Among others, we have a captain with a truly rotten luck, a demonist haunted by a dark secret, and a navigator who appears ~~undead~~ heartbeat-challenged. Living on the edge of the law, constantly broke, hiding their dark secrets, and having a knack for getting tangled up in the conspiracies that seem well above their heads, this rogue pirates-wannabe bunch somehow manages to wriggle themselves out of endless tight corners while winning over the readers' hearts. They start as a bunch of outcasts with no better prospects; they end up as a crew and *gasp* friends. Ahem... almost... unless gold is involved.

Darian Frey, the captain, starts as a classical antihero. He does not care that much for his crew (much to frequent and well-deserved dismay of Crake). Actually, the list of the things he cares for initially is pretty short, and if you are not on it (and are not a hot girl) but need Frey's help ... well, you're pretty much screwed. The aforementioned list is below:

But a heist gone terribly wrong combined with a few life lessons may just do the trick. This rogue Johnny Depp-esque captain just may turn out to have a heart of gold, after all. (The demonist Crake will definitely appreciate it, given that he has a propensity to end up in situations where a gun is held to his head.) Frey may learn to grudgingly appreciate his crew in the end (once there is no chance to obtain gold!)

Frey couldn’t keep down a grin. As he looked at the laughing faces of his crew, he was consumed by a surge of affection for these people, these men and women who shared his aircraft and his life. They were happy, and free, and the endless sky awaited them. It was enough.

The story is very much character-driven, but definitely not at the expense of the plot. The politics of this world are well-weaved into the story, and it does not have the clunky exposition feel of many other stories out there. The pacing is excellent, the world-building superb, the writing is good, crisp, and engaging. As for the setting, for me it was so much fun to trade the fun but well-used worlds of either spaceships and star travel or swords, dragons, and magicians for the steampunk setting with airships and revolvers.

Excellent read! So good. Loved it. Great concept, excellent execution. Can't wait to read the rest of this series. Also - I want to pilot an airship. Easy 5 stars.(less)

37 likes · like · see review

Apr 25, 2012 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Kim by: Nataliya

Shelves: action, adventure, conspiracy, crime, fantasy, humour, mystery, pirate, sci-fi, steampunk, supernatural, treasure-hunter, male-author, 2000s, 2009

I'd been hearing a lot about this book recently often mentioned in the same breath as sci-fi TV classic Firefly. And there are some similarities between them. A crew of misfits on a flying vessel, outside the law in a world recovering from war. There is a bit of humour and the crew gets in over their heads. But these are similarities with more than just Firefly. And all other similarities end there.

This tale revolved around Captain Frey and his ship, the Ketty Jay, and it's passengers. They aren...more

7 likes · like · see review

Aug 24, 2011 Chance Maree rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Firefly fans, space sci-fi adventure lovers

Shelves: kindle, science-fiction, steam-punk

I'm a Firefly fan who picked up Retribution Falls to feed my nostalgia for good old cowboy/pirate steampunk westerns. I wasn't disappointed, to say the least. I laughed, got misty, and turned pages, completely absorbed in the adventure. The writing is excellent, the characters fleshy and fascinating (except for 2 by my count), and the plot is somewhat classic, yet it delivers startling breezes of fresh air, plenty enough to prohibit yawns. The next book, Black Lung Captain, is now on my to-read...more

10 likes · like · see review

Feb 21, 2012 Dawn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: challenge-books, read-in-2012, science-fiction

I was pretty bored during the entire first third of this. I almost gave it up several times, just because it was taking me so long to dredge through it. I wasn't digging the plot or the characters, I just didn't think the premise was "my thing". Science fiction, sky pirates... Sounded weird to me. But I'm really glad I stuck with it. The characters grew on me, the plot stepped it up, and I got sucked in. Hell, I got so emotionally attached to the characters that I almost teared up in one spot. I...more

9 likes · like · see review

Nov 14, 2011 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Steampunk readers

Shelves: steampunk, owned-copy, fantasy, read-in-november-2011, bbb-review, bad-boy-rake-or-rogue, antihero, wizard-warlock-sorcerer, fugitive, pirate, all-things-autumn-challenge, part-of-a-series, 2011-reading

Retribution Falls took me on a journey where I was continually required to reevaluate everything-- from the story itself, the world in which it takes place, and not the least, the characters. Great worldbuilding, and surprisingly multi-faceted characters who seemed to be archetypes, but proved to be much more. It was complex, intriguing, and ultimately very enjoyable.

Reviewed for Bitten By books. http://bittenbybooks.com.

9 likes · like · see review

Dec 19, 2011 Pauline rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: steampunk fans, pirates

Shelves: steampunk, own, part-of-series

After borrowing and returning this book from library four times I finally got around to reading it. How I wish I had read it sooner! I would say that this is my first foray into a steampunk-esqe novel and I absolutely loved it!

This book has a lot of elements which make it fun and hard to put down. There is a slew of very distinctive characters that make up the crew of the Ketty Jay, each with their own struggles and quirks. Gunfights, airships, political intrigue and moral ambiguity all make a...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jun 10, 2011 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Carol by: Fantasy Aficionados

Shelves: steampunk, to-buy

Four and a half stars. First read through, have to say it was very good. Probably my favorite steampunk to date, and a fine novel all around. Airships, gunfights, pirates, a golem, daemons... lots of fun ingredients but also fully developed characters. A little bit of the "shades of grey" protagonists; the captain of the airship seems to resemble Captain Jack Sparrow--charming as all get out, but you have the sneaking suspicion he isn't trustworthy. In fact, first couple of incidents we witness...more

3 likes · like · see review

Nov 09, 2011 J.M. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Wow. I loved RETRIBUTION FALLS. Wooding, my friend, from that unfortunate offering that was STORM THIEF, you are now redeemed! I thank you.

FIREFLY fans, read this. You won't be let down. Highly recommended. Five stars!

10 likes · like · see review

Apr 22, 2013 Trike rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, read-in-2013, steampunk

I picked up Retribution Falls because someone had likened it to Joss Whedon's brilliant Firefly, and that isn't entirely incorrect.

There are significant differences in the details, to be sure. Rather than Science Fiction Space Opera, Retribution Falls is a Steampunk Fantasy that is confined to one small continent on a planet. There is a magic skeleton key, an enchanted cutlass, a monstrous golem and guest appearances by demons and perhaps a zombie. (That last one isn't particularly clear.) There...more I picked up Retribution Falls because someone had likened it to Joss Whedon's brilliant Firefly, and that isn't entirely incorrect.

There are significant differences in the details, to be sure. Rather than Science Fiction Space Opera, Retribution Falls is a Steampunk Fantasy that is confined to one small continent on a planet. There is a magic skeleton key, an enchanted cutlass, a monstrous golem and guest appearances by demons and perhaps a zombie. (That last one isn't particularly clear.) There are even a version of the Reavers, but they are minor figures in the backstory and seem slightly demonic in origin.

The airship Ketty Jay is similar to Serenity, and her motley crew comprised of runaways and roustabouts, felons and freebooters does resemble the cast of Whedon's series. The most significant difference for me was that this crew is led not by an analogue to Malcolm Reynolds, a good man turned hard, but by Jayne Cobb, a thug who discovers some empathy for others. Darian Frey is incredibly hard to like; he is selfish, petty and has little sense of honor. As we come to understand him he does have some redemption, but he's still kind of a dick.

All of those comparisons aside, the story itself is quite good. The arcs of the characters are interesting, the world Wooding has created is intriguing, and the plot moves right along as one event logically leads to the next.

I particularly enjoyed how the captain and crew of the Ketty Jay go from being reactive to proactive, stepping up from minor piracy to big league intrigue, yet still suffer from their innate incompetency. Aside from the ship's engineer, the former slave Silo, and the ship's cat, the irascible Slag, none of these people are really good at what they do. It's only once they take on the sort-of-qualified navigator Jez that they stop bumbling around as much. (The arrival of Jez sets up one of the best lines early in the book, for the crew tends to go through navigators the way Spinal Tap goes through drummers.)

There's adventure a-plenty, turnabouts, a couple of twists and some terrific action scenes. Plus a little romance on the side. I was able to see some of the background stuff coming and a couple of the twists were telegraphed, but those weren't enough to severely damage my enjoyment.

All in all an enjoyable adventure tale.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Apr 13, 2013 Katina French rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of Firefly, fans of LOST, steampunk lovers

Recommended to Katina by: Sword & Laser forums

I adored this book, but not for the reasons I thought I was going to. A few people on the Sword & Laser forums had recommended it as a nice way to scratch the "I still miss Firefly" itch. And it does scratch that itch, admirably. Fast-paced, retrofuturistic action adventure, with a quippy crew of ragtag misfits on a rattletrap ship? Sign me up.

What I wasn't expecting was for it to also fill the deep, longing "I still miss LOST" ache as well. The crew of the Ketty Jay are very like the survi...more

like · see review

Feb 19, 2013 Peter Pimblett rated it 2 of 5 stars

Two stars seems quite stingy, I realise.

It is a very well reviewed and received book by all accounts and so don't take my view as an eminent one..! That being said, on with the short review.

Chris Wooding is by no means the best author of our time. Sometimes - in my opinion - his writing tends towards the pedestrian. And when characters are just existing, it can feel very uninteresting.

The action set pieces of this book are, however, entertaining. When the plot is moving at a clipping pace the pr...more

like · see review

Oct 21, 2012 Olga rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012

For a long time now I've wanted to read a solid old-fashioned adventure in the traditions of R. L. Stevenson and Jules Vernes, but there didn't seem to be any. I was as if the genre was extinct. So when I read Nataliya 's review of Retribution Falls I didn't just put it on the list, I requested it at the library. That was a good call, let me tell you.
From the very first pages it was clear that in addition to the adventure I was after this book was going to give me several other genres. There is...more For a long time now I've wanted to read a solid old-fashioned adventure in the traditions of R. L. Stevenson and Jules Vernes, but there didn't seem to be any. I was as if the genre was extinct. So when I read Nataliya 's review of Retribution Falls I didn't just put it on the list, I requested it at the library. That was a good call, let me tell you.
From the very first pages it was clear that in addition to the adventure I was after this book was going to give me several other genres. There is fantasy, sci-fi, steampunk, pirates and survive-by-the-seat-of-your-pants action. You would think, how the heck does all that fit into one novel and feel like anything other than a Transformers movie? The answer is simple - little bits at a time. The elements of all these genres are more like fine seasonings in a dish than the main ingredient, and the meat of the story is in the characters and the plot (yes, I have been cooking more than usual lately).
I'm used to seeing novels as either plot- or character-driven and in this case was pleasantly surprised to see a book that has both a plot jam-packed with action and engaging characters who go from a rag-tag bunch of misfists to them all becoming parts of a whole working for one goal, and all, or almost all, growing in the process. Even the main antagonist proved to be more than met the eye at first. I've actually grown quite fond of them all and even though the novel didn't end on a cliff-hanger promising a sequel (very refreshing nowadays when practically every book seems to be part of a series of interconnected installments) I very quickly made a mental note to look up the rest of the Tales of the Ketty Jay. The writing worked too - there was quite a bit of clever humor (Crake with his out-of-place refinement provided the best quips on more than one occasion) and the voices of different characters fit the respective personalities very well. Wooding is without a doubt a talented writer and it comes through in the book.
This novel is definitely a fun ride but as much as I enjoyed the adventures Wooding's exploration of deeper themes such as belonging, living with the consequences of one's actions, and being better than the bottom-feeders by more than a little bit was what kept my interest when the manly descriptions of aircraft and battles got a little bit too much. That and him masterfully keeping up the suspense by revealing secrets in small tidbits with Jez's story, which is by far the most intriguing, being told last. All this gave the story a certain seriousness and depth, which was very welcome in a book where the main characters aren't exactly philosophers pondering the universe.
I think this book can have a very wide appeal, from guys to girls and from readers who want the adventure, the fights and the rough talk every once in a while to those who prefer a bit of quiet introspection on occasion. I myself definitely intend to explore Chris Wooding's work further. If his other books are like this one we may have a winner here. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Mar 31, 2012 My Awful Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have a confession to make. I first started reading this book when it came out in paperback a year and a half ago. I'd made it about 35 pages in when something else caught my interest more strongly, and this book fell by the wayside. After recently finishing Retribution Falls, I'm disappointed that I don't even REMEMBER what took me away from this book. I should have had this review up back in 2009, and I'm sorry that many of you have had to wait until now to hear about this great book.

Retribut...more

6 likes · like · see review

Mar 14, 2012 Jess rated it 3 of 5 stars

http://lightningtreelive.wordpress.co...

Fans of Firefly will probably find Chris Wooding’s Retribution Falls a bit like Marmite – and either love it or hate it. It seems a little harsh to call the book a ‘ripoff’ (as Alice of Sandstorm Reviews does) but then again, it would be an understatement merely to call it ‘inspired’ by Joss Whedon’s widely-loved TV show. The similarities are bountiful: a crew of genial degenerates and runaways, a ruggedly endearing captain, a fugitive aristocratic passeng...more

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 10, 2012 Jacey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction

I expected to like this a lot and found I mostly liked it, but it didn't quite live up to the expectations from the blurbs on the book jackets which said: "A kind of old-fashioned adventure that I didn't think you were allowed to write anymore" and "The pace is furious, the action s full-screen, the style is sharp and polished..."

Well, mostly the pace is furious and mostly it is an old fashioned adventure and I like it a lot for that, but there are a few elements I'm not too sure about.

But first...more

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 03, 2012 Nicholas Vachon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-write-recommend

Retribution Falls, by Chris Wooding, is very unique, While most people write off the steampunk genre as too fantasicaly and childish, lacking the elements of a decent book, I found Retribution Falls to be suprisingly good.
Darien Frey is the down-on-his-luck captain of the Ketty Jey, a rather pathetic airship, always on the verge of collapse. Frey has had more than a few misadventures, such as nearly dying in the Great War, and several failed attempts at piracy, but he and his crew always mange...more

like · see review

Jan 19, 2012 Rebecca Blackwell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourites

Although I'd liked all of Chris Wooding's books up until I read this one, I wasn't sure about this because I was concerned the characters would end up being a little flat. The premise of this series makes it sound like it's a case of a lot of action and not much character development or depth, but this is not the case at all, I was pleasantly surprised to find. At first, it seems each of the characters slots into a certain category - the reckless captain, the coward, the mysterious female crew m...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 19, 2011 Tal rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library-book, sf-fantasy

"Frey is the captain of the Ketty Jay, leader of a small and highly dysfunctional band of layabouts. An inveterate womaniser and rogue, he and his gang make a living on the wrong side of the law, avoiding the heavily armed flying frigates of the Coalition Navy. With their trio of ragged fighter craft, they run contraband, rob airships and generally make a nuisance of themselves. So a hot tip on a cargo freighter loaded with valuables seems like a great prospect for an easy heist and a fast buck....more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 25, 2011 Algernon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

Full praise for this book from me. Not so much for some intrinsic or objective artistic value, but for the fun I've had reading it.
The story is probably one we've heard numerous time before. A group of down of their luck misfits and outcasts try to make a living at the edge of the civilized world, playing a game of risk in a dangerous environment and stepping on the wrong side of the law every so often. We already had The Argonauts, some of the Knights of the Round Table, The Elizabethan private...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jul 14, 2011 Alyssia Cooke rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was another book which my brother picked out of the shop, and as I have said previously on my Lies of Locke Lamora review, that automatically makes me nervous. However, after The Lies of Locke Lamora was such an epically fantastic read and launched itself onto my all time favourite books, I didn't think it would be fair to complain. In addition to this I was massively bored due to the fact that my job is a ball-ache and I had absolutely nothing to do. All of this led me to the conclusion th...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 09, 2011 Jackie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, steampunk

A most enjoyable read. It was a mix of Firefly meets steam punk meets Indiana Jones
Darian Frey is the captain of a ship that doesn't quite operate within the law, he and his crew are bad men/women/golem, but not all the way bad. By that I mean that although they are more often than not doing very illegal and piratical acts, they are all likeable.
Most of them have deep dark secrets that are gradually revealed in such a way that the reader can really understand how they all came to be aboard the s...more

1 like · like · see review

May 26, 2011 Spinningjenny rated it 4 of 5 stars

A very interesting book. I would give it a 3.5 (rounded up to 4 in fairness I suppose), so I would recommend it really only to certain readers, but I recommend it nonetheless.
I am a huge Firefly fan and to me the similarities were so marked as to edge near ripping off, but I could be reading too much into it. This is Malcolm Reynolds if he was a true degenerate and had to work to achieve a moral center and connection to other people, instead of starting out as a rough-around-the-edges but heart...more

like · see review

May 25, 2011 Adrian Faulkner rated it 4 of 5 stars

The cover quote from Peter Hamilton says “Retribution Falls is the kind of old fashioned adventure I didn’t think we were allowed to write any more” and I think it’s very true. It’s mixture of strange lands, airships and magic cutlasses makes it at time feel like a fantasy novel, a steampunk novel and a swashbuckling adventure.
In essence the story is your classic “a job too good to be true” story that sees the crew of the Kitty Jay on the run from both the law and the Captain’s ex-girlfriend. An...more The cover quote from Peter Hamilton says “Retribution Falls is the kind of old fashioned adventure I didn’t think we were allowed to write any more” and I think it’s very true. It’s mixture of strange lands, airships and magic cutlasses makes it at time feel like a fantasy novel, a steampunk novel and a swashbuckling adventure.
In essence the story is your classic “a job too good to be true” story that sees the crew of the Kitty Jay on the run from both the law and the Captain’s ex-girlfriend. And as the crew tries to clear their name and find out who set them up, they come to bond as a crew.
And yes, this does feel like Serenity. So much so, that for the first few pages, I found I couldn’t read it without thinking I was reading fanfic with the names changed. The comparison was so strong I was even able to make character substitutions. But as the chapters rolled by, I was able to see past the comparisons and find well-rounded interesting characters, that like our hero Frey, you come to love.
Don’t let the similarities ward you off reading this book though, because it’s something we rarely get in genre these days, a fun book. There’s certainly some deep characterisations and emotional depth to the book, but it’s trying to sell you an enjoyable and entertaining read rather than some ideal.
There are some bits that do feel shoehorned in. Fray’s cutlass gets a showing at the beginning then hardly gets mentioned until the end when it suddenly becomes of major importance. I also had an issue with Trinica Dracken’s backstory which is too long to go into here but is an issue wider than just this book concerning strong female characters that I’m preparing a separate blog post about.
For me, what this book is, is the SF I was missing as a teenager. As much as I tried to get into SF, I always found it a little dry (I still do, having just given up on an Ian M Banks novel.) But what Retribution Falls is, is an adventure. It’s fun, it paces along, it has some memorable characters, and really delivers what it sets out to. It’s certainly not the deepest book out there (although I thought the section on leg cramp very insightful) but you can’t fail to pick this book up and not enjoy it.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 16, 2011 Jacob rated it 4 of 5 stars

(My review from Drying Ink: Drying Ink
Before I even talk about its merit, let me just say that it involves airships. Retro-fantasy airships in a world that's very reminiscent of steampunk. How can you not like the worldbuilding? Aside from that, Retribution Falls is something rare: fantasy that is above all, fun, but still has the depth of Woodings' previous novels. No, it's not fantastically deep, nor tragic: but who cares?

Darien Frey is captain of the Ketty Jay: a ship who, if truth be told, h...more (My review from Drying Ink: Drying Ink
Before I even talk about its merit, let me just say that it involves airships. Retro-fantasy airships in a world that's very reminiscent of steampunk. How can you not like the worldbuilding? Aside from that, Retribution Falls is something rare: fantasy that is above all, fun, but still has the depth of Woodings' previous novels. No, it's not fantastically deep, nor tragic: but who cares?

Darien Frey is captain of the Ketty Jay: a ship who, if truth be told, he likes far better than his crew - in the first chapter, he happily lets a smuggler hold a gun to his passenger's forehead without even thinking of giving up the ignition codes. That's Frey, and his crew aren't much better. Together, they're a craft of unsuccessful bandits, smugglers and general lowlife who can barely scrape together the money to stay up in the air: but Frey's been offered a job. The biggest job of his life. You, as the reader might suspect something - because Wooding's not going to let Frey get away with his fortune. And you'd be right! The craft he robs was rigged to blow, and Frey's no longer an aerium-poor bottom feeder: he's aerium-low public enemy number one. Blamed for the murder of the Archduke's heir, carrying a fugitive daemonologist, Frey and his crew have to prove their innocence. And it is awesome - how else can one describe a succession of swordfights with a daemon-infused cutlass, piracy, mad dogfights and dark humour galore?

It pulls off the fun fantastically, as you can see! So, what about the depth? Well, Retribution Falls manages quite a bit of character development: Frey and his tiny crew join together in the pursuit, and Frey learns from his mistakes. The development of one character is a little forced - but apart from that, Wooding pulls it off superbly.

The worldbuilding's done well as well: what glimpses we see of the world are filtered through the characters' perceptions, and nowhere does the author give in top the urge to infodump. No big chunks of exposition here! Daemonism's also a fun system of magic - it's pseudoscience, and used rarely enough to make it both interesting, useful, and essentially unpredictable. Its dangers are also shown well, and it does have a visible cost - as we can see from the character of Crake.
All in all, Retribution Falls is amusement with some depth as well: a fast-paced treat of airship battles, rabid piracy and widespread amusement.
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Feb 26, 2011 Shiromi Arserio rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Firefly fans or those who enjoy steampunk

If you’re a Firefly fan like me, you probably yearn for more adventures out on the raggedy edge. If you’re a Firefly fan like me, you’ll probably love Retribution Falls. On the surface, the story has a lot that is similar to the cancelled series. It focuses on a group of outlaws that don’t belong, as they struggle to keep their ship, the Ketty Jay, in the air, which is the only place they can now call home. The group is led by a rugged, good looking captain- a scoundrel who has too many damn mor...more If you’re a Firefly fan like me, you probably yearn for more adventures out on the raggedy edge. If you’re a Firefly fan like me, you’ll probably love Retribution Falls. On the surface, the story has a lot that is similar to the cancelled series. It focuses on a group of outlaws that don’t belong, as they struggle to keep their ship, the Ketty Jay, in the air, which is the only place they can now call home. The group is led by a rugged, good looking captain- a scoundrel who has too many damn morals that keep him from getting rich but does make him loveable.

The comparisons do continue, but to say that Retribution Falls, the first in Chris Wooding’s Tales of the Ketty Jay series, is nothing but a Firefly ripoff would be a disservice to this highly enjoyable new series. For one thing, if you’ve never watched an episode of Firefly, but you enjoy steampunk or pirate adventure stories you could just as easily enjoy Retribution Falls.

The world that Chris Wooding creates is one in which magic and the mundane coexist, albeit not peaceably. Magic is explored through demonism, a forbidden practice in which demons are trapped and used to create magical objects such as a demon thralled cutlass and an ear cuff that allows the crew to communicate with each other. Electricity is in short supply and a gas known as aerium is used to keep airships like the Ketty Jay flying.

Chirs Wooding manages the impossible by combining a rip roaring adventure story with strong, fully rounded characters. There are no cardboard cutouts in this story. Yes, you could lump them into categories such as the drunken doctor, the strong, silent female, or the spurned lover, but each of the crew offers an intriguing back story. And as Captain Darian Frey struggles to get this ramshackle team to work as, well, a team, it becomes clear that this dysfunctional group belong with Frey on the Ketty Jay.

Retribution Falls combines an old style pulp story with a healthy dose of murder, political intrigue, and double and triple crossing. When Darian Frey gets hired for a job that seems too good to be true, well, it turns out that it is, and Frey finds himself mixed up in espionage, and on the run from both the government and his fellow pirates.

I won’t lie to you, even now, I still have trouble picturing anyone other than Nathan Fillion as Darian Frey. And there were plenty of moments that I found myself comparing it to Firefly, but, in a good way, if that makes sense. If there’s anything that really bothered me about the story (aside from the surface Firefly comparisons) it’s that I didn’t get as much of a feel for the world that Wooding had created except for mentions here and there about certain religious groups and wars with neighbouring lands. But even this is only a minor niggle given that Retribution Falls is just the first in a series of Tales of the Ketty Jay books, so I have a feeling that Wooding will offer plenty more back story in his follow up books (book two, The Black Lung Captain is already out).

If you’re looking for a fast, enjoyable fantasy/adventure romp that you won’t want to put down, then Retribution Falls is definitely worth a look.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 19, 2010 Rasmus Paulsen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: steam-punk

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Jul 14, 2010 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: series, science-fiction, bought-copy

Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding is a tale about Darian Frey, captain of the Ketty Jay and leader of a motley band of misfits and rogues. They survive - barely - on the proceeds from petty piracy and small-time crook jobs. But now Frey has been offered a plush job, an easy killing, and he can't resist taking the bait - even though it all seems too good to be true. Almost inevitably - given Frey's usual run of luck - the heist goes horribly wrong and Frey realises that he has been framed. On th...more

4 likes · like · see review

Apr 26, 2010 David Hebblethwaite rated it 3 of 5 stars

When first we meet Darian Frey, freebooting captain of the Ketty Jay, he is being held captive by a smuggler. That can’t last for long, of course, as there’s a story to get underway; sure enough, a bit of artful escaping later, and Frey is back on the run with his raggle-taggle crew of misfits. Over the course of the novel, the Ketty Jay will be drawn into a far-reaching conspiracy, which will see her crew being hunted by some of the world’s most feared individuals, including the pirate captain...more When first we meet Darian Frey, freebooting captain of the Ketty Jay, he is being held captive by a smuggler. That can’t last for long, of course, as there’s a story to get underway; sure enough, a bit of artful escaping later, and Frey is back on the run with his raggle-taggle crew of misfits. Over the course of the novel, the Ketty Jay will be drawn into a far-reaching conspiracy, which will see her crew being hunted by some of the world’s most feared individuals, including the pirate captain Trinica Dracken, who just happens to be an old flame of Frey’s.

The stage is set for Retribution Falls to be a fine adventure story, and Chris Wooding does not disappoint in that regard. He imbues his prose with the requisite amount of energy and colour, and knows just when to move the plot in another direction. Quite often, a significant event may happen in between chapters or scenes, which is a neat way of sustaining momentum, as it constantly shifts events beyond the reader’s understanding (albeit for only brief amounts of time). Although the characters aren’t overly fleshed out (this being primarily a plot-driven novel, and the first in a series), they have their share of flaws and interesting back-stories. And Wooding’s world of airships, electricity and magic, is not without its quirks (magic in this world takes the form of ‘daemonism’, a semi-scientific practice in which all effects are achieved by binding daemons, who take a little of the practitioner’s energy for their trouble). There is enough here to keep one engrossed to the end of the book.

The thing is, though, that Retribution Falls lacks that certain something which would take it beyond being a fine adventure story. The plot is not so surprising, the characterisation not so rich, the setting not so distinctive, as to make the book truly shine. In other words, the novel is good as far as it goes, with both the positives and negatives that stem from that. But, if you’re looking for an entertaining tale of swashbuckling adventure, Retribution Falls is most definitely a title you should investigate.(less)

like · see review

Mar 03, 2010 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

For me Retribution Falls was the definition of a page turner, I could not put this book down and that is owed largely in thanks to the remarkable job Chris Wooding has done to create such an interesting and vivid world and the searing pace of his twisting plotline.

The story follows Darian Fray, a lecherous, drunken gambler who lives his life from port to port as captain of his airship the Ketty Jay. Earning a living from small time smuggling and other nefarious activities, Fray takes a risky ch...more

4 likes · like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Book Club: Retribution Falls Feedback incl. Spoilers	4	9	May 08, 2013 02:16am
What's The Name o...: Sci-fi/steampunk Pirate book series [s]	1	34	Dec 06, 2011 11:58am

combine
Other Editions (14)

More editions...

Genres

Science Fiction > Steampunk

317 users

Fantasy

189 users

Science Fiction

94 users

Adventure

41 users

Adventure > Pirates

24 users

Adult

7 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

7 users

Action

6 users

Paranormal > Demons

6 users

Fantasy > Urban Fantasy

6 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Heart of Veridon
by Tim Akers
The Bookman
by Lavie Tidhar
Mainspring
by Jay Lake
The Osiris Ritual
by George Mann
The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack
by Mark Hodder

About Chris Wooding

Chris Wooding grew up in a small town in Leicestershire, where not much of anything happened. So he started to write novels. He was sixteen when he completed his first. He had an agent by eighteen. By nineteen he had signed his first book deal. When he left university he began to write full-time, and he has been doing it professionally all his adult life.

Now thirty-two, Chris has written sixteen b...more

More about Chris Wooding...

Books by Chris Wooding

The Black Lung Captain (Tales of the Ketty Jay, #2)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Retribution Falls

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Retribution Falls

“The Ketty Jay was staffed with drunkards and drifters, all of them running from something -- whether it be memories or enemies or the drudgery of land-bound life -- but since Yortland they'd been running in the same direction. United by that common purpose, they'd begun to turn into something resembling a crew. And Frey had begun to turn into something resembling a captain.” — 1 person liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Retribution Falls
avg rating	preview: Retribution Falls Goodreads rating: 4.00 (2150 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6285903-retribution-falls?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338104818l/6285903.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6285903-retribution-falls?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding[/url]

Retribution Falls (Tales of the Ketty Jay #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website