The Source of Lightning

by Donna K. Fitch

Richard Davisson was celebrated in newspapers and dime novels for his daring exploits apprehending mail train robbers until he retired in disgrace, falsely accused of collusion with the robber he couldn't apprehend. Now he's trying to start over with a new name, an office job and marriage to the boss' daughter. But when a train wreck throws him at the feet of airship inventor Kate Jordan, will he stick with his original plan for a quiet life, or help thwart a scheme to steal Kate's airship, when the schemer is the one man he couldn't bring to justice--his own father?

Genres: Steampunk, Fantasy

294 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 2011

About the author

Born in Huntsville, Alabama, the "Rocket City," Donna K. Fitch grew up hearing the sound of rocket testing at Redstone Arsenal and graduated from a high school named for Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, the astronaut who died in Apollo 1. She also heard tales of the ghost of Sally Carter and the "old Grizzard Mansion" near her home, said to be haunted. This background, when mixed with an early diet of Dr. Seuss, the reference section of the Oak Park Public Library, 1930s mystery stories and the Gothic novels of Victoria Holt, set her to writing her own stories at age 13. Later literary influences spilled into Donna's writing--Ambrose Bierce, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft and Tim Powers--to give it more than a tinge of paranormal and the macabre. Her love of research led her to a Master's in Library Service, and her fascination with HTML led her to switch careers from academic librarian to web designer. For fun, she visits cemeteries--the older the better--and plays roleplaying games.

Reviews

[Angela Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first steampunk novel, and it was quite an interesting experience. It was a little confusing at first, with a couple major characters alternating between aliases, until I got a firm grasp on them. Set in 1897, it starts off with a strong historical feel with hints of magic in places, and moves a little slowly as the criminal masterminds move their pieces into place and the protagonists go about their business, unaware. As it progresses, more strange occurrences happen, including murder, the crash of an airship from the past, and the capture of Kate and Richard to further the antagonists' purposes. And finally the actual journey into the Aether becomes a non-stop, fast-paced, magical experience.

There's a good handful of characters involved, and one thing I liked was the degree of evolution they each underwent in their respective roles. The one downside to that was there were some moments in the middle where I started to dislike the two main protagonists, Kate and Richard, because of their acceptance and collaboration with their captors. I suppose the point was power and adventure are alluring, and in the end the characters had to make a choice, but it did make me not see either of them as a "hero." But if you like the type of character development where people aren't all good or all bad, the author did a good job.

There's also quite a bit of complicated romances, and I never knew which characters were going to end up with whom. The story was well-written and well-researched; I had no trouble immersing myself in the world. (A few times throughout reading, I even thought it might make a good anime film, lol.)

The book is 109,000 words, and certainly feels epic when you start off on an old boxcar train and end up on a flying ship headed for a volcano made of glass and energy. I did enjoy the read, and am curious to check out other books of the genre.

[Paul Kater · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Source of Lightning is written by an independent writer. I tend to drift towards indie writers more and more, probably because I am one myself. But that aside.

The start of this book is surprising. It’s a steampunk book but starts out feeling like a western. This changes quickly, and before you know it you are immersed in aether, airships, father-son difficulties and all kinds of relational problems. The main characters are thrown in deep and sometimes boiling water by Donna K. Fitch, and it is up to them to find their way out of it. Their attempts are of course hindered by people who are out for power. These people don’t use the nicest of methods to get to their goal, and the place where the final confrontation is played out is an amazing space where the beginning of the book never pointed to. If you like complex characters and a good steampunk read, the Source of Lightning is definitely for you.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came into this book with some uncertainty. This was my first steampunk novel so I really had no idea what to expect. I ended up enjoying it quite a bit and Donna Fitch has convinced me to peruse the genre further. I am a casual reader and I don't nit-pick every detail, but I saw no real flaws in it. I would say it is definitely worth a try and would recommend it.

[Josie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Crud. Somehow I lost my first version of the review.

I got this one as a free download from Amazon. While it was better-written than many of the others I've obtained the same way, I'm not sure I would read it again or really recommend it. Spoilers below.

The Good
-Interesting world-building
-Strong women
-Nods to history
-Depicting horrifying things in ways that actually made me feel kind of horrified

The Less Good
-One character of color that I can remember. Who was in the backstory. And who was lynched, giving one of the protagonists additional reason to angst.
-Nearly all the characters being revealed to either have a connection to one secret society or another, or having access to magical power
-...except for the character with a disability, who was portrayed as generally unsympathetic until he died
-An unsatisfactory ending.
-Occasional over-the-top villainy

An additional thought:
Okay, I don't mind that this took a turn from steampunk to old-school, C.S. Lewis-style sci-fi/fantasy. But it was kind of jarring to have it be set somewhat realistically in 1897, with characters throwing around science as something new and interesting (and talking about whether women could be scientists) to launch into mystical otherworlds and whatnot. I would have found the latter half of the book much more engaging if it had remained more grounded in a fight over control of airships or something.