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Clockwork Skies #1
Secrets
Gelton isn't the revolutionary type. If you asked him, it would be
the last thing he would ever use to describe himself - if you could
get the gefling to answer at all. When he gets entangled in events
larger than his own story, he finds that he's got more than a few
things to learn about himself.
Part speculative history, part fantasy, and definitively steampunk,
Secrets is the first novel in the Clockwork Skies series. Action
packed and full of political intrigue, romance, and richly detailed
fantasy settings, Secrets will entice you from the first page and keep
you guessing until the last.
the last thing he would ever use to describe himself - if you could
get the gefling to answer at all. When he gets entangled in events
larger than his own story, he finds that he's got more than a few
things to learn about himself.
Part speculative history, part fantasy, and definitively steampunk,
Secrets is the first novel in the Clockwork Skies series. Action
packed and full of political intrigue, romance, and richly detailed
fantasy settings, Secrets will entice you from the first page and keep
you guessing until the last.
240 pages, Paperback
First published February 12, 2013
370 people want to read
About the author
J. Cunningham
1 book4 followersJ. Cunningham has over 30 years of fantasy world-building and
storytelling experience. He is also a decorated veteran of the special
operations community, making him no stranger to combat and government
black operations. His list of creative achievements include success as
a songwriter, musician, film director, and RPG writer. He brings to
his novels the experience, authenticity, and detailed creativity of a
lifelong soldier, story teller, and science fiction fanboy.
storytelling experience. He is also a decorated veteran of the special
operations community, making him no stranger to combat and government
black operations. His list of creative achievements include success as
a songwriter, musician, film director, and RPG writer. He brings to
his novels the experience, authenticity, and detailed creativity of a
lifelong soldier, story teller, and science fiction fanboy.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 9, 2014
Secrets by J. Cunningham is the first book in the Clockwork Skies series, which is a Victorian era science fiction book, which is an up beating fantasy of the past, where the world is ruled by a king and the servants, which are some unique creatures called, Geflings, are protesting their voice for their freedom.
Thanks to the author, J. Cunningham, for giving me this opportunity to read and review his book.
Gelton, the little Gefling, who serves the highly regarded ambassador, Grayson, is a complete genius, who helps his master to break the codes to gather info required for their secret movement. Gelton's girlfriend, Mia, is sweet and likes to take care of Gelton, which makes Gelton more nervous. Their chemistry sparks up the whole mysterious mood of the book. There is a dictatorial king, who wants more and more control and wants these countrymen to support for his greed. And the author has crafted the world, where the acid rains erodes the purity and increases the scarcity of water. But when the king's clockwork army comes for the war, things get messier followed by a murder, and I kept guessing till the very end.
This is the first time that I read any book on steam punk, and I must say, I was left pretty impressed by the author. The whole 18th century setting of the book is quite striking, and the introduction to the clan of Geflings is something very unique and very vividly the author has narrated us about their society and culture. From all the technological to scientific logics provided by the author, it seems that the author has a brilliant mind to recreate his imaginative words so intensely. I really loved the author's style of portraying his characters, and this new clan of creatures living among the human lives. All-in-all, the mystery was at its best and I kept turning the pages till the very end.
Read this steam punk novel and get amazed by this captivating story about Geflings and their war against the monopolizing king.
Thanks to the author, J. Cunningham, for giving me this opportunity to read and review his book.
Gelton, the little Gefling, who serves the highly regarded ambassador, Grayson, is a complete genius, who helps his master to break the codes to gather info required for their secret movement. Gelton's girlfriend, Mia, is sweet and likes to take care of Gelton, which makes Gelton more nervous. Their chemistry sparks up the whole mysterious mood of the book. There is a dictatorial king, who wants more and more control and wants these countrymen to support for his greed. And the author has crafted the world, where the acid rains erodes the purity and increases the scarcity of water. But when the king's clockwork army comes for the war, things get messier followed by a murder, and I kept guessing till the very end.
This is the first time that I read any book on steam punk, and I must say, I was left pretty impressed by the author. The whole 18th century setting of the book is quite striking, and the introduction to the clan of Geflings is something very unique and very vividly the author has narrated us about their society and culture. From all the technological to scientific logics provided by the author, it seems that the author has a brilliant mind to recreate his imaginative words so intensely. I really loved the author's style of portraying his characters, and this new clan of creatures living among the human lives. All-in-all, the mystery was at its best and I kept turning the pages till the very end.
Read this steam punk novel and get amazed by this captivating story about Geflings and their war against the monopolizing king.
July 21, 2013
I really enjoyed this book and the perspectives provided by Gelton the Gelfling, servant (although ward suits his situation much better) of the highly placed and regarded Ambassador Grayson. Mixing the steampunk and new character traits with a mystery, rebellion, a touch of romance, a dictatorial king and the overwhelming ecological threats from the acidic rain added levels of complexity that manage to create a story that grabbed my attention almost from the first sentence.
An alternate version of history maintains an easy relationship with readers as Cunningham has managed to cleverly mix plausible and actual references, providing a feel of grounded potential to his story: the events in the book feel more real because of this clever technique. New characters in the Gelflings create an interesting imagined figure, and Gelton being the most predominant introduction to the race as he rushes to tell us how he is different from the ‘norm’, gives a unique insight into their perspective, and the rebellion that is slowly fomenting.
Adding in clockwork soldiers with touches of magic, a murder, walrus for dinner and the increasing influence of Mya’s attentions to the socially awkward Gelton and the story just takes off running. Cunningham has mixed political intrigue and threats of war, introduced new creatures and races, and given us characters to appreciate and empathize with: then set it into a completely unique and clever setting that is highly reminiscent of Victorian-era Britain. Whether you are a steampunk fan, or a newcomer: this is a delightful start to a new series.
I received an eBook copy from the author for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
An alternate version of history maintains an easy relationship with readers as Cunningham has managed to cleverly mix plausible and actual references, providing a feel of grounded potential to his story: the events in the book feel more real because of this clever technique. New characters in the Gelflings create an interesting imagined figure, and Gelton being the most predominant introduction to the race as he rushes to tell us how he is different from the ‘norm’, gives a unique insight into their perspective, and the rebellion that is slowly fomenting.
Adding in clockwork soldiers with touches of magic, a murder, walrus for dinner and the increasing influence of Mya’s attentions to the socially awkward Gelton and the story just takes off running. Cunningham has mixed political intrigue and threats of war, introduced new creatures and races, and given us characters to appreciate and empathize with: then set it into a completely unique and clever setting that is highly reminiscent of Victorian-era Britain. Whether you are a steampunk fan, or a newcomer: this is a delightful start to a new series.
I received an eBook copy from the author for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
August 4, 2013
Secrets, the first in the Clockwork Skies series by J. Cunningham, has some amazing characters and a really riveting plot. I absolutely loved the rich characters of Gelton, a somewhat autistic little gefling (which I pictured as a sort of gnome-y hobbit), his gefling girlfriend, Mia, and the resistance fighters they hook up with on the way, Dev and Tink. These four were my favorite, but the Elvorians are pretty awesome, too, especially Lanthis, who we will be seeing more in future installments. Gelton's "idiot-savant" genius with numbers and patterns really helped the plot move along and was a touch of brilliance. The story moves quickly with just enough technology to not bog down the story. There are many layers of treachery and conflict that kept me turning the pages. Also, the elemental fantasy side to this steampunk story makes it unique and certainly works in its favor. For world-building, plot, and characters, I give 5 stars. However, I had to take off a star for the grammar and punctuation as it seemed that this book could have used one more copy-edit to fix mistakes before publishing. It has grammatical errors that can't be ignored, so if you are a stickler for that sort of thing, this might not be the book for you. I felt the story was strong enough that I was willing to forgive these issues, but it did take away from the overall rating.
July 14, 2013
Secrets (Clockwork Skies 1) by J. Cunningham is a book that has a Victorian setting. It has a bit of a steam punk feel though clockwork is probably a more appropriate description. A lot of the technology seen is similar to what you would see in steam punk stories, but the powering seems to be more magic than steam.
I really enjoyed the Gefling resistance aspect of the book. The name Gefling reminds me of the creatures from The Dark Crystal though the mannerisms of the characters in the book are very gnome like. The combination of the two images in my head made for an interesting creature to follow. As I mentioned earlier the technology in the book enriched the world nicely. The clockwork soldiers were very cool and the technology that is used to travel is pretty fantastic.
The characters were dynamic and entertaining (well Gelton isn't particularly dynamic but that fits him). Tink, Dev, and Mia more than make up for the subdued nature of Gelton's contribution. There is a lot of potential in this series and it's something that I look forward to seeing some more of when the second book is released.
Review copy provided by the author.
I really enjoyed the Gefling resistance aspect of the book. The name Gefling reminds me of the creatures from The Dark Crystal though the mannerisms of the characters in the book are very gnome like. The combination of the two images in my head made for an interesting creature to follow. As I mentioned earlier the technology in the book enriched the world nicely. The clockwork soldiers were very cool and the technology that is used to travel is pretty fantastic.
The characters were dynamic and entertaining (well Gelton isn't particularly dynamic but that fits him). Tink, Dev, and Mia more than make up for the subdued nature of Gelton's contribution. There is a lot of potential in this series and it's something that I look forward to seeing some more of when the second book is released.
Review copy provided by the author.
May 28, 2013
Secrets (Clockwork Skies 1) by J. Cunningham is a book that has a Victorian setting. It has a bit of a steam punk feel though clockwork is probably a more appropriate description. A lot of the technology seen is similar to what you would see in steam punk stories, but the powering seems to be more magic than steam.
I really enjoyed the Gefling resistance aspect of the book. The name Gefling reminds me of the creatures from The Dark Crystal though the mannerisms of the characters in the book are very gnome like. The combination of the two images in my head made for an interesting creature to follow. As I mentioned earlier the technology in the book enriched the world nicely. The clockwork soldiers were very cool and the technology that is used to travel is pretty fantastic.
The characters were dynamic and entertaining (well Gelton isn't particularly dynamic but that fits him). Tink, Dev, and Mia more than make up for the subdued nature of Gelton's contribution. There is a lot of potential in this series and it's something that I look forward to seeing some more of when the second book is released.
Review copy provided by the author.
I really enjoyed the Gefling resistance aspect of the book. The name Gefling reminds me of the creatures from The Dark Crystal though the mannerisms of the characters in the book are very gnome like. The combination of the two images in my head made for an interesting creature to follow. As I mentioned earlier the technology in the book enriched the world nicely. The clockwork soldiers were very cool and the technology that is used to travel is pretty fantastic.
The characters were dynamic and entertaining (well Gelton isn't particularly dynamic but that fits him). Tink, Dev, and Mia more than make up for the subdued nature of Gelton's contribution. There is a lot of potential in this series and it's something that I look forward to seeing some more of when the second book is released.
Review copy provided by the author.
December 10, 2014
Where to start with this book? It's definitely a genre-crosser, in a good way. The story definitely has a strong fantasy element, with different races, lots of fleshed out worlds that you can tell are rich with detail but aren't info-dumped on you, but rather flow naturally through the story. (Think Suzanne Collins, not GRRM). There's fantasy, alternative history, sci-fi, dystopia, steampunk -- it's got a lot packed in there, but the story is much richer for it.
I loved the lovability of the main character, Gelton, and the author's decision to make a neuroatypical character the lead. He's very relatable and wonderfully rendered.
The voice is very clearly a YA novel, but I love lots of YA novels and can appreciate the craft that clearly went into this book. It remains mature and complex, with strong themes, but does it in a classy, PG-13 way that means I can share it with my kids and friends.
I don't want to give away the plot, but I did enjoy the use of strong female characters that have something to say and are more important than their bodies or as a love interest.
I can't wait to see where this series goes! I'm eagerly awaiting number two.
I loved the lovability of the main character, Gelton, and the author's decision to make a neuroatypical character the lead. He's very relatable and wonderfully rendered.
The voice is very clearly a YA novel, but I love lots of YA novels and can appreciate the craft that clearly went into this book. It remains mature and complex, with strong themes, but does it in a classy, PG-13 way that means I can share it with my kids and friends.
I don't want to give away the plot, but I did enjoy the use of strong female characters that have something to say and are more important than their bodies or as a love interest.
I can't wait to see where this series goes! I'm eagerly awaiting number two.
December 17, 2018
Great read. Interesting new take on the adventure novel.
This was a great read. It continually surprised me with the twists and turns it took. Usually I can see where a book is headed. However, I was constantly caught off guard in a pleasant way in the directions the book took.
I highly recommend this book and can not wait for the follow up book to see what happens next.
This was a great read. It continually surprised me with the twists and turns it took. Usually I can see where a book is headed. However, I was constantly caught off guard in a pleasant way in the directions the book took.
I highly recommend this book and can not wait for the follow up book to see what happens next.
July 17, 2014
From the back cover of the book.
It's the late 1800s in the height of the great victorian age of England. A tyrant king still sits the throne, wielding his monarchy as a cudgel to dominate the geflings enslaved by the crown. His ambition knows no bounds, and now his eyes are set on the rest of the world.
In a dystopian world where water is precious beyond measure, an army of clockwork soldiers, zeppelins, and all manner of steampunk wonders fill the empire in service of the king's greed.
Free the geflings.
Free the people.
May you always stay dry.
It's the late 1800s in the height of the great victorian age of England. A tyrant king still sits the throne, wielding his monarchy as a cudgel to dominate the geflings enslaved by the crown. His ambition knows no bounds, and now his eyes are set on the rest of the world.
In a dystopian world where water is precious beyond measure, an army of clockwork soldiers, zeppelins, and all manner of steampunk wonders fill the empire in service of the king's greed.
Free the geflings.
Free the people.
May you always stay dry.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews