This review originally published on steamingenious.blogspot.com
I love Nikola Tesla. I really do. I love all the legends surrounding him, I love the fo...moreThis review originally published on steamingenious.blogspot.com
I love Nikola Tesla. I really do. I love all the legends surrounding him, I love the folklore, and I love the way he's been adopted as a hero by the steampunk community. But I always try to remind people that the historical Tesla's story had arguably more tragedy and failure than success. He claimed to have built things that never actually materialized and he ended his life in poverty, alone in a hotel room with only pigeons for company. This novel focuses on this end time of Tesla's life. It starts off inside his head which is quite disconcerting at first, since he is, after all, talking to pigeons. But ultimately the book celebrates this completely unique individual for the reach of his vision. It's a novel that recreates the feeling that technology could make anything possible.
First of all, I should make clear that this is not a "steampunk" novel. It's not written to be a genre piece, and this isn't an alternate history. But it is quite fictional, though the historical Tesla is at the center of the book. Portions of the novel take place from Tesla's point of view at the end of his life, and portions are his autobiographical account of his life. So it does cover most of the important moments in Tesla's life, from his POV. But there's a secondary POV character: Louisa, a housemaid at the New Yorker who becomes interested in the hotel's strangest resident. The novel is quite a bit about her life and her family and much of it is only thematically linked to Tesla's story. Partway through the novel the reader is introduced to her father's best friend, a man who says he has invented a time machine. Much of the suspense of the book involves trying to decide if this is, in fact, a book where time travel exists or if this man is just delusional.
That question of what is possible is central to the book. It's interesting viewing the world from the point of view of 1943. Louisa expresses the thought at one point that if airplanes can transport people all over the world within a day and television can beam pictures into a person's home, then why shouldn't science eventually make time travel possible? I think from our modern point of view this kind of thinking can be seen as quaint, but if you truly imagine the huge leaps that took place within a generation it's understandable how anything must have seemed possible.
Ultimately I didn't get exactly what I wanted from this novel. It left several things unresolved to an extent that bothers me. But certainly the Tesla portions are superb, and highly recommended to fellow Tesla fans. I guess I find that part of the story so satisfying because I've always been so fascinated by the image of Tesla as an old man locked in his hotel room talking to his pigeons over the triumphant mad scientist version of him. And this book does succeed in both conveying the tragedy of Tesla's story and overcoming that tragedy to celebrate the man and his extraordinary accomplishments.(less)
(Review originally posted at steamingenious.blogspot.com)
So I have a confession to make. I'm getting a bit burnt out on steampunk books. I've...more3.5 stars
(Review originally posted at steamingenious.blogspot.com)
So I have a confession to make. I'm getting a bit burnt out on steampunk books. I've read a LOT of them in the last six months, and I've gotten to a point where they all seem a bit same-y (with some notable exceptions, of course.) What hurts me even more is that I recently tried to read the first book in fairly well-known steampunk series and I disliked it so much I couldn't finish reading it. No, I'm not writing a review of it. But it left something of a bad taste in my mouth through its horrible writing.
So I'll be the first to admit I didn't read The Affinity Bridge in the best state of mind. 'Please let it be better than that last one,' I said under my breath while starting it. And, thankfully, it was. The writing is quite good, clear and straightforward and Victorian enough to give a little flavor without bogging down its plot. The heroes of the book are Sir Maurice Newbury, anthropologist by day and secret agent of the queen by night (or ok, day as well..) and his assistant Miss Veronica Hobbes. Sir Maurice is a comfortable Victorian gentleman, a scholar of the occult, and something of action hero. Miss Hobbes is more of a mystery. She seems at first to be little more than a hired secretary, but she's very intelligent and daring and Sir Maurice includes her in all details of his investigations. Both characters are fleshed out in interesting ways over the course of the story, and there are indications of even more interesting developments in the future.
As for the plot, I'm less enthused about that. But I can't tell you if there's anything actually wrong with it, or if its a symptom of my current overdose of steampunk fiction. There's a series of mysterious murders by a spectral policeman, a mysterious airship crash, and clockwork automatons going berserk. Oh, and the almost contractually required zombies. I can't fault anything in these elements other than to say that I've seen very similar stories before. But the real fault of the plot lay in the fact that the vast majority of the books is spent in long action sequences. I've never found action sequences particularly interesting to read. Often they just come off as someone trying to describe what something would look like in a movie. Steampunk fiction loves action sequences, however. I felt the ones in this book were too long, too frequent, and too difficult to believe. Sir Maurice, a scholar and an anthropologist, spends most of his time performing action movie hero stunts: fighting on the tops of trains, dangling from airships, fighting off zombies, being attacked by automatons... Around the third lengthy sequence in 24 hours of him being physically abused by all this action, I stopped believing in it. I was also stuck wondering why he was always the only one who was involved in the action, even when he had his friend from the police force standing next to him. I was starting to wonder if his friends just stand back and shake their heads, "Oh there goes Maurice, running after a train again..."
So, ultimately, yes, I recommend this book. The characters are well done, and I'm interested in future books in the series.
As for me, I'm taking a break from steampunk fiction. Because there are only so many books about male/female detective teams having adventures involving airships, clockwork men, and spooky stuff that you can read...(less)
It is really, really rare for me not to finish reading a book. Like, I think I've done it once in the past few years? And yet, I just can't force myse...moreIt is really, really rare for me not to finish reading a book. Like, I think I've done it once in the past few years? And yet, I just can't force myself to finish this one. I am so disappointed. I had heard good things about this steampunk book.
So, basically I just can't take how badly written this book is. Not just badly edited, as I've read other reviewers say. Yes, it IS badly edited, and if there was someone with the title editor who worked on this book, they deserve to be fired. But beyond simple mispellings and poor grammar are the constant misuse of words and sentence construction that makes no sense whatsoever. It took me forever to get through a page of this book because I had to reread things so many times to figure out what they were supposed to be saying. It was PAINFUL to read, and eventually I just couldn't take it anymore. I tried to pick up this book three times, determined to finish it just so I could give it a negative review on my blog, but I just don't have the will to subject myself to it anymore.
Beyond the actual words, the world building isn't very good either. The author doesn't do a good job of making clear exactly what kind of world the story is set in. It's as if she thought "oh, it's steampunk" and thought that was enough of an explanation. For a long time I was assuming that it was a fairly historically accurate Victorian world, since the steampunk elements are covert, part of a secret ministry. But then she would so blatantly violate the rules of Victorian society or dress or speech that it was incredibly jarring.
As an example, there's a scene in which a lot of time is spent describing how the female protagonist looks in her corset. While she's walking around outside. Ok, so apparently she's wearing a corset as outer wear, so I guess this isn't a truly Victorian world. Except the men in the pub are all staring at her because she's so daring as to wear that. And...look. If a woman walked into a pub in Victorian England wearing only a corset...she would probably be sent to an insane asylum. Not even prostitutes went around like that, not in public. In the 21st century, if I walk into a gas station wearing one of my corsets, I get stares and looks and maybe leering, which is what happens in the book to this Victorian women. NO.
I also spent a lot of time while reading this wondering how the female protagonist got to be so utterly un-Victorian. She's basically a 21st century female character, and there's absolutely no explanation given for why she's in the Victorian period and yet doesn't act like it. Why is she wearing trousers and using explosives and talking back to her bosses? Was she raised from birth to be a spy? If you're going to write this kind of character, you really have to give me some kind of explanation, some backstory. Her backstory is, as far as I can make out, she is a spy and likes shooting things and blowing things up. Does she have family? Who knows?
It's honestly a shame that this is such a half-assed book, because I actually like the two main characters, especially the snobbish librarian male lead. But everything else made me want to pull my hair out.
There are too many really great steampunk books out there for me to waste my time with this one, and I refuse to give it a better rating just to promote the genre, since, as I said there are books out there you SHOULD be reading and spending your money on instead of this one.(less)
Review written originally for steamingenious.blogspot.com
I have been eagerly anticipating this first book in a new series by Gail Carriger, author of...moreReview written originally for steamingenious.blogspot.com
I have been eagerly anticipating this first book in a new series by Gail Carriger, author of the fantastic The Parasol Protectorate series.
The book follows the exploits of 14 year old Sophronia Temminnick, a troublemaking youngest daughter of a middle class Victorian family. Not knowing what to do with a daughter interested in technology and books, her mother is only too happy to send her off to an exclusive finishing school. Except this finishing school teaches more than just deportment. It also teaches the arts of espionage and assassination.
This book has all the fun of the first Harry Potter novel; it shows an unsuspecting protagonist encountering a weird and wonderful boarding school, and, in fact, almost an entire new society of which she was previously unaware. So this book takes some pretty familiar "starting a new school" tropes and puts a nice spin on them. Sophonia is an extremely likeable character and her new school provides lots of opportunities for her to show off her daring.
This series takes place in the same world as the Parasol Protectorate series, but it's set several decades earlier, in the 1860s, I believe. So fans of that series will enjoy seeing some familiar characters pop up here and there. As for the steampunk elements, while I tend to think of the Parasol Protectorate as a predominantly supernatural series set in a steampunk world, this series seems to be a steampunk series set in a supernatural world. Meaning that this series seems to involve a lot more technology in more important roles than the previous series. There are also vampires and werewolves, but the supernatural elements don't drive the main plot and are pretty much incidental.
I don't want to spoil all the surprises of the book, but I will say that the steampunk elements include: airborne highwaymen in small balloons, a giant airship, a steam-powered dog, mechanical servants, airship pirates, a school for evil geniuses, aetheric communication devices, and a group who adorn their clothing with gears and their top hats with decorative goggles.
Ultimately, I loved this book. I found it totally charming, with its combination of polite manners, adventure, and emphasis on practical skills such as how to fake a faint without wrinkling your skirts. I would absolutely enroll in this type of finishing school.
My one and only complaint is that I wish it were longer. It's a young adult series, so it's fairly short. Otherwise there's no noticeable difference in language or style from Carriger's other books. There's no sex or any real romance in this one, which is another difference. (And can we take a moment to celebrate a YA book with a female protagonist that DOESN'T place any emphasis on romance?) I'm extremely excited about the potential for this to be a phenomenal series. I know the second book is already written and I think is supposed to come out later this year? I can't wait.(less)
Review originally published at steamingenious.blogpot.com
A Steampunk's Guide to Sex is a unique little book that seeks to both educate on Victorian s...moreReview originally published at steamingenious.blogpot.com
A Steampunk's Guide to Sex is a unique little book that seeks to both educate on Victorian sexual practices and provide guidance to modern readers in the sexual arena.
It consists of a few themed "chapters" which are collections of very short pieces on various topics, by various authors. As such, the quality and interest of the pieces varies. But generally the information about Victorian sexuality is very informative, well researched, and interestingly written.
I read this book mostly in very short sessions, but I often found myself reading more than I intended because it was so interesting. I consider myself something of an expert on the Victorian period after decades of reading fiction and nonfiction on the subject. I've even read a few nonfiction books on the subject of Victorian sex. So it's pretty impressive that I definitely learned things I didn't know from this book. The collection of Victorian sexual slang was particularly impressive in the sheer number of terms I'd never encountered (and I've read Victorian porn.)
So from slang, to Victorian porn, to Alan Moore on the lives of prostitutes of the period, to the history of vibrators (steam-powered and otherwise), the Victorian content is really good. My only complaint is that I often wished the pieces were longer, that sometimes I had just got good and interested in the subject when the piece ended.
The latter portion of the book discusses different forms of kink and offers advice related to people looking to pursue them today. This I found both less interesting and less helpful. Perhaps I am in a minority who has had plenty of exposure to basic ideas about polyamory, BDSM, sex work, and consent issues, but I didn't learn anything I hadn't known or heard before, and I was bored. Moreover, I really don't see how some of the topics related either to steampunk or the Victorian period. Tips for becoming a stripper, for instance. I understand the feeling that a "guide to sex" must provide practical advice, but I think possibly a general "how to pursue ethical sex" and "how to find out more about things you might be interested in" may have left more room for the interesting Victorian stuff.
Again, opinions might differ from mine. But I felt that the very superficial treatments these topics received here were unlikely to really help people who are genuinely interested in them. And the focus on kink to the exclusion of "normal" sexual practices (common practices, maybe) might leave someone with a skewed image of steampunk itself. Certainly steampunk may be accepting of people who practice a wide variety of kinds of sex, but it's hardly of huge import within the community. Unless I'm just attending the wrong steampunk parties. Also, I suppose I should mention that this book includes tintype photographs that contain nudity. I have to say the photos were a little disappointing in their total lack of "steampunk-ness," other than the fact that they were tintypes.
At any rate, I do recommend this book to anyone curious about what Victorians really did in the bedroom.(less)
(This review originally published at steamingenious.blogspot.com)
So, free books are awesome. Free steampunk books that are actually well-written and e...more(This review originally published at steamingenious.blogspot.com)
So, free books are awesome. Free steampunk books that are actually well-written and entertaining are even better. This 200 page novel is available free for the Kindle on Amazon.
The heroine of this book is an upper-class young lady named Claire Trevelyn about to graduate from finishing school. She dreams of going to university to become an engineer, but her traditional family won't hear of it, of course. The story is set in a Victorian era only slightly changed from the real one. Society is divided into Wits and Bloods. Wits are the scientists of the age while Bloods are the traditional aristocracy. Other than that and some advanced steampunk technology, not much is unfamiliar.
Tragedy in her family leads Claire to break social norms and seek out a new independent way of life. This story surprised me in the direction it ultimately went. I expected more romance, though there is a hint of the possible beginnings of a romantic plot. I found some of the events very improbable, but they did continue to entertain me even so. I was becoming quite interested in where the story would go right about the time that the book ended. It ended surprisingly abruptly, too. I turned the page and expected another chapter at least, when I got an epilogue.
This is the first in a series, and I will probably continue reading it eventually. But for free, you can't really go wrong checking out this opening tale.
Review written for steamingenious.blogspot.com where I have many steampunk book reviews.
I don't know why I begin most steampunk books with low expecta...moreReview written for steamingenious.blogspot.com where I have many steampunk book reviews.
I don't know why I begin most steampunk books with low expectations. When I haven't heard of the book or the author before, well, I always at least halfway expect it to suck. Which means that I'm almost always pleasantly surprised.
In the case of The Doomsday Vault, I was extremely pleasantly surprised. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys steampunk.
The world depicted by Harper is very close to historical Victorian England. All the real world societal rules still apply. Things are very difficult for women and racial minorities. The only difference is that there is a "clockwork plague" that causes illness, death, and sometimes zombies. So zombies are roaming the streets of London, only coming out at night or under cover of fog. They aren't the huge threat that zombies usually are in fiction, they really are something of a minor annoyance, except that if they touch you they can infect you with the plague.
But for a very small number of people infected with the plague, the results are different. They become "clockworkers", essentially mad science geniuses. They don't live long, but they create incredible technological inventions while becoming more and more insane. So society at large benefits from some of these inventions, while shunning anyone who has any contact with anyone infected.
The heroine of the book is a young woman who lost several family members to the plague and therefore is shunned by society regardless of the fact that her father is a baron. She's seeking only to find a wealthy husband to improve her family's fortune and save her respectability. Her secret desire is to spend her time working on automatons and putting her mechanical skills to use, but her duty to her family prevents her from acting on those desires. The hero is a young airman from America who is stranded in London after pirates attack his ship. The two of them eventually encounter one another and become involved in a series of mysterious events.
The feel of this book reminds me most strongly of Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series. This book doesn't have the same amount of humor, but otherwise the attitude and tone is similar. Alice Michaels must deal with her own secret skills and various shadowy conspiracies while also trying to fit in with upper class society, regardless of how much she wishes she could rebel against it. The idea of uncontrollable mad scientists constantly inventing things in fits of inspiration is also reminiscent of the webcomic Girl Genius, though again with less humor.
The lack of humor isn't really a negative though, as the implications of the events in the novel are serious. Even the personal struggles of the heroine are disturbing due to the lack of freedom she has as a Victorian woman. In short, things have weight and reality to them, which I appreciate.
To summarize, if you are looking for an enjoyable steampunk read, you can't go wrong with The Doomsday Vault. Plus it's the first in a series and I'm looking forward to spending more time with these characters and this world.(less)
So the latest book in the Clockwork Century series. I enjoyed it. I bought the book at a signing with Cherie Priest so I actually heard her talk about...moreSo the latest book in the Clockwork Century series. I enjoyed it. I bought the book at a signing with Cherie Priest so I actually heard her talk about it quite a bit before reading it. That probably influenced my reading of it a bit. I expected the main character, Rector, to be more of a drug addict, or at least for that aspect of his character to be more important than it was in the book. But I didn't find Rector to be unlikable, just realistic. It was nice getting to see more of Seattle and the characters there. And I really liked the Sasquatch angle. But ultimately, there was something missing from this book, and I'm not sure what it was. Lots of stuff happened, and I enjoyed it, but it didn't move me in the way I feel it really should have. (less)
This was not a disappointing sequel at all. There's a lot of adventure and mystery packed into this novella when the mysterious Smith and his assistan...moreThis was not a disappointing sequel at all. There's a lot of adventure and mystery packed into this novella when the mysterious Smith and his assistant April Malone have to get to the bottom of an apparent Martian invasion of Earth. With appearances from Teddy Roosevelt and Harry Houdini, this continues the steampunk fun of the first volume. Honestly you cannot beat these stories for the price. I would love to see more.(less)
I bought this book for my Kindle because it was a steampunk book and it cost $0.99. And then two months later I read it and was surprised to discover...moreI bought this book for my Kindle because it was a steampunk book and it cost $0.99. And then two months later I read it and was surprised to discover that it was quite good. In 1890s Boston, Miss April Malone has a strange job. She goes to work everyday and sits in a room by herself. She gets requests to read a lot of different things, attend lectures, feed punch cards into things, and keep the coffee pot full. One day, after two years of this, a vault door in her workroom opens and a man called Smith appears and they go off to investigate a series of disappearances. The story is instantly engaging because it's so strange and mysterious. The mysterious "Smith" is at least 80 years old, but still young, and he seems to have been in the cellar the whole time, until the calculating machines decided it was time to wake him up. April is his "computer" due to her extraordinary recall. Without really any more explanation they proceed to investigate why people have been vanishing into heavy mist around the city.
Smith is fairly obviously influenced by Doctor Who, so much so that I can't picture him as anyone other than the 10th Doctor. But I have read a lot worse ideas than "someone pretty much exactly like the 10th Doctor is in 1890s Boston and there are monsters and weird science and a smart and awesome female assistant." Who or what "Smith" is isn't exactly addressed in this short novel, but I'm certainly ready for the sequel.(less)
This is a very difficult book to talk about. It has its good points, and there were times I was really enjoying it. But there are also a bunch of thin...moreThis is a very difficult book to talk about. It has its good points, and there were times I was really enjoying it. But there are also a bunch of things that were simultaneously making me NOT enjoy it.
This is a steampunk fantasy, and fantasy is a very important word for this book. The author does something that I HATE in fantasy novels: he refuses to use the normal word for something. Everything is some made up fantasy word. And none of this is ever explained, you are just meant to pick up the meaning from context. But when every other word is gibberish, it's a tiring read. And there were words that I honestly never had any idea what they meant.
The main flaw of this book is that it WAY WAY over complicated. There are constant introductions of new characters, new races, new political factions, new plots, new words, new technology, new magic, new supernatural spirits, etc, etc. It's just piled on and on and there's no time to understand any of it or breathe or live with the characters. The characters are poorly serviced, since they are little more than plot points with names that run from location to location and watch things. Then when it's time for them to do something, some power they have just inherited from (take your choice) a magical object, a mystical spirit, a previously unknown power, their mysterious and heretofore unknown heritage, or some other unexplained supernatural force.
The steampunk cred of this book relies both on the fact that the fantasy world bears some vague but mostly unexplored similarities to 19th century England and that there is a lot of steam-powered technology around. But actually, the tech is pretty much all tied in with the race of "steam-men" who are not created by men but by each other and are independent people. But the more the steam-men are explored (and they are the most interesting characters, in my opinion) the less their clockwork bodies and spirits have anything to do with tech. It's really all mystical. So that's why I say this book is a fantasy novel with steampunk trappings.
There's a lot more I could say about this book. For one thing, it deal a lot with government and politics and revolutions. And that part of the book is really disturbing and depressing and unpleasant. It's pretty successful, since that's what it's obviously going for. But it's not a fun, light adventure like many/most steampunk novels.
What's really frustrating about this book is that somewhere, under all the confusing, over-complicated plots there is a really good book. But it feels like the author just got over-excited and tried to throw an epic fantasy series into less than 600 pages. It's possible to have a plot about political revolution without having 7-9 (depending on what you count) different sides being involved. The story would have been much better served by being simplified and slowed down so that the reader had time to connect to the characters and really grasp the world. I don't have a problem with complex fictional worlds, but my god, you've got to pace yourself.
I don't understand how there is a second book in this series. There doesn't seem to be any need for more, since pretty much the entire battle for the future of the entire world was shoved into this book. I honestly at this point don't feel like reading more. I'm exhausted by this damn book. (less)
I didn't realize it before reading, but this is a free ebook prequel to The Girl in the Steel Corset, which is on my list to read.
The setting is a pr...moreI didn't realize it before reading, but this is a free ebook prequel to The Girl in the Steel Corset, which is on my list to read.
The setting is a pretty generic steampunk world. It's 1897, there are mechanical horses and other clockwork automata, the heroine wears short skirts and leather corsets. Finley Jayne is the heroine, a maid who happens to possess mysterious super strength for no discernible reason. She ends up being hired by a family who treats her more like one of the family than a servant, which is frankly very odd and difficult to believe. There are several action scenes and mad science.
I can't really rave about this story, because it doesn't really stand on its own well. There's no attempt to explain the progtagonist's super powers and though the plot is brought to an end, it barely had time to really get going.
The writing isn't objectionable, except that the author feels the need to explain pretty much everything about Victorian London, while not actually being that period accurate. For example: "...Bedlam, the insane asylum..." I find it really jarring, but apparently the books are intended for a teen audience, so I guess that offers some explanation.
I reserve judgement until I read a full novel of this series. In particular, I want to see if Finley's character gets rounded out into something less of a Mary Sue and if the author can sustain a longer plot.(less)
This might actually rate 4.5 stars. It's got a lot going for it. First of all the steampunk world is phenomenal, one of the best I've read. It's set i...moreThis might actually rate 4.5 stars. It's got a lot going for it. First of all the steampunk world is phenomenal, one of the best I've read. It's set in an alternate 19th century (I think, no actual dates to go by) when for the past 200 years England and Europe have been occupied by The Horde, Mongol invaders with highly advanced technology, including nanoagents that infect the blood and can be used to control the populace. Nine years after their control is broken and a revolution removes the Horde from England, the rich who fled to North America have come back. So there is a very complex class system of the wealthy who didn't experience 200 years of enslavement and the poor nobility who did, and then the lower class whose bodies were modified to do labour. The heroine, Mina, is fantastic. A product of rape, she has Horde features and faces racial hatred and violence, while being a badass Detective Inspector in the police force. But her mother is a countess, so she lives in both worlds. If it sounds like I'm giving away a lot, I'm really not. This is the very basic setup. It's a wonderfully detailed and thought-out world.
Then it's also a romance. The hero, the Iron Duke himself, was a pirate who is a national hero for destroying the tower used to control the populace. He's very much a romance novel type: arrogant and forceful. So the romance starts out in a way that is familiar to anyone who reads romance very often. She doesn't respond to his charms, he becomes obsessed with having her, she resists but secretly longs for him, etc. Meanwhile there are murders and conspiracies and airships and firefights and giant armored kraken attacks, etc. But although the romance starts out in a pretty cliched place, it ends up being one of my favorite stories of romance, ever. Let's just say it's not every romance that makes me cry actual tears MULTIPLE TIMES.
So, you know, I'm changing my star rating to a five. This book accomplishes a hell of a lot all at once. (less)
This third book of the Burton and Swinburne series is a return to form after a disappointing second novel. The plot is much clearer and less cluttered...moreThis third book of the Burton and Swinburne series is a return to form after a disappointing second novel. The plot is much clearer and less cluttered than the second one, even though it shifts around in time without explaining itself. This book is set simultaneously in Africa in 1863 and in Africa in 1914 during a hellish alternate WWI. Time travel is handled excellently, and this series is such a must for time travel fans. I couldn't tell you if all the time travel paradoxes make sense, because they are so very difficult to follow, but it doesn't matter to me. The book does an excellent job of blending technology with the supernatural in such a way that it's difficult to tell the difference between the two.
The only criticism I can give this novel is that in parts it moves very slowly, as long portions recount people walking through Africa. It was a book that took me a while to get through because I kept putting it down and reading or doing something else. It wasn't because I wasn't enjoying it, but I felt I needed breaks from it at times. But ultimately, all that journeying contributes to feeling empathy of what the characters have been through by the end.
I'm not sure if this is a conclusion to the series or not, as it could go either way. All I can say is that the ending does not disappoint.
Oh, one final thought. I expressed a wish in my review of the first novel to have female characters take a larger role. I was somewhat given what I wanted when Burton's fiance led a group of oppressed Arabic women as an army of mounted guerrilla fighters. However, it continually bothered me that these women were killed off by the ten and twenty without so much as an eyeblink, but when one of the male characters of the group died, it was a major tragedy with tears and funerals. Same with the African porters. I appreciate that these attitudes are probably historically accurate, but if you're going to create an army of female warriors to do all the fighting for the men, you could go all the way and give them names and make them more than cannon fodder.(less)
I have so many feelings about this series. I have many, many feelings for the characters. The characters continue to be amazing. But I have to admit t...moreI have so many feelings about this series. I have many, many feelings for the characters. The characters continue to be amazing. But I have to admit to being irked by a couple of things in this book. First, I'm getting a little tired of one of the main characters being kidnapped and kept captive as a main plot. Second, there was a lot of torture in this book, which, well, I just found really unpleasant. It felt like there didn't need to be so much time spent on it, especially as it seemed not to have that much of a lasting effect on the recipient. Third, I feel like the pace of real developments in the plot has slowed down a lot in this series. I feel like I've been waiting for resolutions of certain things over three books now, and haven't gotten all that much new in each book. It's frustrating knowing it's going to be a long wait for a continuation of the story and that the plot might not get very far once the next installment is here.
All that having been said, I still adore this series and am practically panting in need of the next one. There's a reason I've finished this book within a couple of days of its release. Mostly, I just want MORE. Now. *sigh*(less)
My love for this series only grows. This is really, really excellent addition (completion?) to this series and has rocketed it to the very top of my l...moreMy love for this series only grows. This is really, really excellent addition (completion?) to this series and has rocketed it to the very top of my lists of: Steampunk Books, Vampire Books, Romantic Books. (Want to be clear that this is not a "romance novel" but the romance is very important and central to the story.) I just can't say enough good things about the original way vampires are presented in these books and how that turns the main vampire character Gareth into something more like an alien than your typical vampire. I love that this is a book about war, about countries made of different species who are at war, and the politics of that. And that the romance is pretty much the most impossible ever, being between two different species, who are at war, and between members of the royal family of the two nations at war. I really didn't know what direction this book was going in, or what ending it was headed at. It kept me up till 3:30 finishing it last night. (less)
I was quite excited when I discovered this book. The design and art associated with it was attractive. I bought the Kindle edition for the reasonable...moreI was quite excited when I discovered this book. The design and art associated with it was attractive. I bought the Kindle edition for the reasonable price of $2.99. Now before I get into my thoughts on this work, I have to make some things clear. I am a Sherlockian. I have been a rabid Holmes fan since the age of 12. I've read all the Arthur Conan Doyle stories many, many times. I've been part of scholarly discussions of them. I've read lots of Holmes pastiches (what other fandoms would call fanfiction, but these are published. Yay public domain.) I've written Holmes pastiches.
So with all of that background, I am a particularly picky audience. Half-assed depictions of Sherlock Holmes are just going to annoy me. But I do enjoy pastiches, and am open to pretty wild versions of Holmes. As I stared reading this book (novella? 144 pages isn't much of a novel, really) I was impressed. The language did a very good job of recreating the style of Doyle. As I continued I started to notice that entire sentences were lifted from various places in the Doyle canon. That's not unheard of in Holmes pastiches. I started to appreciate the differences the author made from the Doyle stories: Watson has a cybernetic arm with weaponry, Mycroft is Holmes' sister instead of his brother, Holmes drives a motorized velocipede and is a tinkerer of gadgets.
But then as I got to the actual plot, I very quickly realized something: this is not an original plot. It is the Arthur Conan Doyle story "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans" with some of the names changed. Instead of the stolen plans being of the Bruce-Partington submarine, they are of the Nautilus. The name of the dead man is changed from Cadogan West to Cadbury. The gender of the villain is changed. But the actual mystery, the solution to it, that's all lifted straight from Doyle. A good 40% of this book is a slightly altered version of a Doyle story, and as such was really, really boring to me. After finishing it, I compared the two texts side by side. The author changes enough around to avoid being a direct find-and-replace plagiarist. Wording of sentences are slightly changed without changing their meaning. Paragraphs are added in between the Doyle sections. But it is still a retelling of a story that already existed.
After about 40% of the way through (don't you love the Kindle) the author suddenly breaks with Doyle by adding in a bunch of action sequences. Shootouts and chase scenes. Holmes and Watson sure seem comfortable killing a bunch of people. The fact that the people they kill are mostly Indians may be consistent with the racial attitudes of the time, but since that is an addition by a modern author, I side-eye it a bit. There is an attempt to make the climax and conclusion of the story different than the Doyle story and create more of a plot tied in with Jules Verne. But I didn't find it all that interesting. Action sequence, exposition scene, action sequence, action sequence, exposition scene. There is no actual mystery or solving of mysteries after the author copies the mystery part of the Doyle story.
The only saving grace of this story, in my opinion, is the writing style. The author is very good at making her style Victorian and Doyle-esque in a subtle way that modern writers usually have a hard time capturing. So that impresses me. The accompanying illustrations are nice, although I wish someone could have copy-edited the LARGE BOLD type under them so that "Lestrade" was spelled correctly.
So, ultimately, I don't feel I can recommend this story. Someone who has never read the Doyle stories might really enjoy it, but its difficult for me to say that. Of course, if you haven't, you might just want to go read those, which you can get for free.
I really enjoyed this book. In fact I liked it better than the first one in the series. I'm not sure why, but I think I spent less time trying to figu...moreI really enjoyed this book. In fact I liked it better than the first one in the series. I'm not sure why, but I think I spent less time trying to figure out the world in which the story is set and more time enjoying the characters. I'm still not really feeling connected to the main characte Alyss, but this book is really more about Hatter Madigan and Homburg Molly, the two Millinery assassins. This book has a lot of action scenes, probably too many really, and the author has some tics like using sounds effects ("Whuaummp!") in his action scenes that annoy me.
But as light action/fantasy/adventure stories, they're pretty fun. As far as whether the series is steampunk...I think there's an argument that it is. There is a tie-in with Victorian England and Earth, plus the technology is frequently, if not exactly steampunk, at least something that steampunks would like. So I will call this "Recommended if you like steampunk."(less)
I think I have to say I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as the first one, but still a lot. These stories are mostly just really, really well writ...moreI think I have to say I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as the first one, but still a lot. These stories are mostly just really, really well written adventure stories, and this one doesn't disappoint on that front. I like the new characters introduced, and the setting and plot of this one. Some of the character interactions got a little angsty and very slightly annoying at times. But I really enjoyed it.(less)
Honestly, I have to say this is both one of the best steampunk books I've read and one of the best YA books. Set on a passenger liner airship in an al...moreHonestly, I have to say this is both one of the best steampunk books I've read and one of the best YA books. Set on a passenger liner airship in an alternate early 20th century, with a cabin boy as the main character. It's sort of inevitable to compare it to Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan series, but besides taking place on a working airship there's not that much in common. This book doesn't deal with war, and it's set in a world that more closely resembles our own. There are no fantasy elements here, just sci-fi ones.
Honestly, it's difficult to talk about this book without spoilers. One of the reasons I like it so much is that it is simultaneously an adventure story, with pirates and daring rescues and such, but also resonates on a deeper level. It gets into the psychology of a young boy who lost his father and is now seeking to replace him onboard his father's ship. There's a satisfying emotional arc to the story that gives it a deeper feel than a lot of steampunk stories that tend to focus on action over character. It also manages to be a complete story. I'd be happy if this was it, though I understand there are sequels.
This is a quite enjoyable story about a girl racing in a dogsled with a steam-powered sled while people try to kill her. It is quite short. I like the...moreThis is a quite enjoyable story about a girl racing in a dogsled with a steam-powered sled while people try to kill her. It is quite short. I like the characters but find them too similar to the main characters of the author's other series for me to really enjoy them on their own. But as a free Kindle download, it was very nice. (less)
I can finally just decide to call this series steampunk, cause it has airships now. ;P I enjoyed this book, but the cliffhanger ending is a bit annoyi...moreI can finally just decide to call this series steampunk, cause it has airships now. ;P I enjoyed this book, but the cliffhanger ending is a bit annoying and unsatisfying. I'm not sure what I think about all the plot points in this one, but I'll have to wait and see how they get resolved.(less)
4.5 stars - Since this book is finally out in a format that's affordable, I finally read it. It's a really great novella addition to this universe. Ca...more4.5 stars - Since this book is finally out in a format that's affordable, I finally read it. It's a really great novella addition to this universe. Captain Hainey and Belle Boyd are both great characters. I especially love the treatment of race in this book. The POV of an escaped slave is very believable both in his moments of pride and moments of fear. (less)
I had never read anything by Jules Verne, and I inherited a leatherbound version of this book with my dad's book collection. So when I was out of thin...moreI had never read anything by Jules Verne, and I inherited a leatherbound version of this book with my dad's book collection. So when I was out of things to read one night, I thought, "Why not?" Now, I know this will be controversial, but I have to say I don't think much of this book.
First of all, I LIKE Victorian literature. I've been enjoying the original Sherlock Holmes stories since I was 11. I was an English major. I've read Victorian literature in both English and French, and enjoyed it. So I think I was well-prepared to enjoy this work. But, the truth is that I haven't. I seriously doubt that many people out there have actually read this book, and not just seen the Disney movie version. Because this book is incredibly boring. The narrator is a biologist specializing in marine species and he gets picked up by Captain Nemo and the Nautilus after he nearly drowns. What follows is hundreds of pages in which the narrator talks about the marine life, using mostly scientific or outdated species names. Again, I think I'm pretty well equipped to understand a discussion of marine life. I'm not a biologist in any way, but I watch my share of nature documentaries and I really enjoy snorkeling, so I think I know more about ocean life than most people. But what the majority of the book reads like to me is reminiscent of the adult speak from Charlie Brown cartoons. Gibberish, gibberish, gibberish, algae, gibberish, gibberish, phosphorescent, gibberish.
Let's play the Open the Book to a Random Page Game. Ok, so I ended up on page 83 in my book, which is actually fairly interesting as they are preparing to leave the ship. But about one third of the page is as follows: "I did honor to the repast. It was composed of several different kinds of fish, and slices of holothuridae (excellent zoophytes), and different sorts of seaweed. Our drink consisted of pure water, to which the captain added some drops of a fermented liquor, extracted by the Kamschatcha method from a seaweed known under the name of Rhodomenia palmata."
So, yeah. I haven't finished reading this book yet, and considering how intensely I've been avoiding it, I doubt that I ever will. I pushed myself along for a while, telling myself that Part II would be more interesting (it's not) or that surely the ending would be worth it. I'm more than 3/4 of the way done with it, and I just don't have the will to continue. It honestly reads like someone was looking for a way to teach kids about aquatic life. According to the introduction, all the extraneous detail is in order to make the reader buy the larger sci-fi setting of the story, but all I can say is that its something of an accomplishment to make traveling in a submarine through secret caves with a mysterious captain boring. Not even the occasional shark or giant clam attack makes up for the much lengthier passages in which nothing at all happens except the narrator looks out the window. (less)
I didn't enjoy the second book as much as the first in the series. It felt a bit loosely plotted and weirdly paced. But it was fun and it sets up the...moreI didn't enjoy the second book as much as the first in the series. It felt a bit loosely plotted and weirdly paced. But it was fun and it sets up the rest of the series in a way that makes me excited for the next installment. Of steampunk book series, this is pretty much a must read, IMO.(less)
I really, really liked this book. I have to be honest and admit that I judged this book by it's cover, which is actually not that bad, but I read the...moreI really, really liked this book. I have to be honest and admit that I judged this book by it's cover, which is actually not that bad, but I read the hand-drawn illustration as amateurish and wasn't in a big hurry to read it. But I'm on something of a mission to read ALL steampunk books, so I went ahead. And I was so pleasantly surprised. At first I was enjoying this fun and exciting book about Victorian era superheroes called The Paragons, and the daughter of one of them who wanted to be involved but was locked out due to her sex. But as the book went on, and I progressed through multiple mysteries and mysterious unknown characters and action sequences, I started to get unreasonably attached to the heroine Sarah, and the Automaton, Tom. And towards the end I got quite emotional and angry about their situation. So the book ended with some resolution and some cliff-hangereryness. (It's 1AM, thinking is hard.) I am ashamed to say I had ordered the sequel from Amazon within 10 minutes of having finished the book. (Ashamed because I shouldn't be spending the money.)
But this is really an exemplar steampunk novel. The use of technology and gadgets and steam power is among the best I've read. But the characters are also particularly good. They are very clearly VICTORIAN characters, regardless of the fact that they dress in leather costumes and fight clockwork powered super-villains. Sarah especially walks that line between a rebellious Victorian woman and a totally out-of-character-for-her-time Mary Sue. And I always appreciate when I believe the characters are of the period. (less)
This alternate history steampunk version of Tombstone, the gunfight at the OK Corral, etc, is fast-paced and enjoyable. Doc Holliday is a likable main...moreThis alternate history steampunk version of Tombstone, the gunfight at the OK Corral, etc, is fast-paced and enjoyable. Doc Holliday is a likable main character. But overall, this book is just ok. The characters don't really stand out or mean much. The tech is cool, the use of Native magic is cool, the character of Kate Elder is briefly cool. But it's not exactly a book that's going to MOVE you in any way. And there was a little too much concentration on robot whores for my taste. Like, ok, we get it, move on. You're a little too fascinated with the idea of the robot whores, Mr. Author. It's getting creeepy.
Ultimately, the big shootout and end of the book is a total letdown. It was over really quick and didn't really payoff in a way that satisfied. But it's worth a read if you like Weird West or Western Steampunk and want a light, fun read. I just wish there was more substance.(less)
I loved this final book in the series. It's got all the excitement of the first two, and some satisfying character stuff. And Nikola Tesla, being his...moreI loved this final book in the series. It's got all the excitement of the first two, and some satisfying character stuff. And Nikola Tesla, being his crazy-ass self. This series is a must-read for steampunks.(less)
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