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The Tyrant Rises
The fate of Europe is in the balance.
1815. Wellington retreats from Waterloo. The Napoleonic War becomes The Rambling War.
1853. Europe is broke and France is ruled by a puppet government that answers to both Prussia & Great Britain. The embers of outright revolution are inflamed by an unknown force, with Wilhelm Stieber, the sneakiest and cleverest agent of them all, chief amongst the suspects. Who is he working for? And how can they possibly use revolution to their own ends? Who is the power behind the forces of revolution? And can it be vanquished?
William Hope finds himself in a secret technological weapons facility. The only problem is that it is run by Brocklehurst, a traitor to the nation. He is working with an arcane fiend called Rune, and it desires the Lady Amara. Brocklehurst's only option is to kill William, who must find a way to escape.
Amara is taken from her home and enslaved to imbue an automaton army with the souls of the dead. The automata are virtually indestructible, and anyone owning them may just own Europe. She may hold the key to defeating them. After all, she did enable their creation. But what can a slave girl do?
William and Amara must team up - with Brocklehurst's valet, Bob - to identify and defeat the threat to Europe.
The first book in an alternate European history tale; a thought provoking, white-knuckle ride that expands to encompass the whole of Europe
1815. Wellington retreats from Waterloo. The Napoleonic War becomes The Rambling War.
1853. Europe is broke and France is ruled by a puppet government that answers to both Prussia & Great Britain. The embers of outright revolution are inflamed by an unknown force, with Wilhelm Stieber, the sneakiest and cleverest agent of them all, chief amongst the suspects. Who is he working for? And how can they possibly use revolution to their own ends? Who is the power behind the forces of revolution? And can it be vanquished?
William Hope finds himself in a secret technological weapons facility. The only problem is that it is run by Brocklehurst, a traitor to the nation. He is working with an arcane fiend called Rune, and it desires the Lady Amara. Brocklehurst's only option is to kill William, who must find a way to escape.
Amara is taken from her home and enslaved to imbue an automaton army with the souls of the dead. The automata are virtually indestructible, and anyone owning them may just own Europe. She may hold the key to defeating them. After all, she did enable their creation. But what can a slave girl do?
William and Amara must team up - with Brocklehurst's valet, Bob - to identify and defeat the threat to Europe.
The first book in an alternate European history tale; a thought provoking, white-knuckle ride that expands to encompass the whole of Europe
400 pages, Paperback
Published December 2, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 21, 2016
Chris Dutton makes his steampunk/alt-history debut with The Tyrant Rises, a darkly serious and heavy tale of impending peril and desperate revenge. With a sublime undercurrent of historical detail, the story is still surprisingly personal, saving ample room for airship adventure and the cybernetic supernatural while an ominous cloud of looming war hangs over the plot, right up until the end.
Indie novels are always a mixed bag, especially in speculative fiction, but Dutton balances his personal affinity for Napoleonic war stories and supernatural cyborgs with reasonably good writing and gravitas. Brief use of French and other languages, as well as a confident grasp of European geography and historical context adds a subtle but effective veil of verisimilitude.
All in all, this is an impressive offering and Dutton puts the work in. Most locations and people are ripped right out of history. Or at least they seem to be. I can’t vouch for any levels of “accuracy” in that regard, but the level of realism is sufficient to convince me and contribute tastefully to the atmosphere. It gets bleak but the characters keep their chins up. The historical asides add a touch of flavor I rather enjoyed, even if the story so obviously deviates from true history (cyborgs and ghost photographs and airships).
Conclusion: 3.5 out of 5. I tend to be strict, but I would consider this a positive recommendation to anyone enticed by the prospect of Voodoo-cyborgs meets airships action in a darkly European historical dystopia.
See a full review at CWilliamPerkins.weebly.com
Indie novels are always a mixed bag, especially in speculative fiction, but Dutton balances his personal affinity for Napoleonic war stories and supernatural cyborgs with reasonably good writing and gravitas. Brief use of French and other languages, as well as a confident grasp of European geography and historical context adds a subtle but effective veil of verisimilitude.
All in all, this is an impressive offering and Dutton puts the work in. Most locations and people are ripped right out of history. Or at least they seem to be. I can’t vouch for any levels of “accuracy” in that regard, but the level of realism is sufficient to convince me and contribute tastefully to the atmosphere. It gets bleak but the characters keep their chins up. The historical asides add a touch of flavor I rather enjoyed, even if the story so obviously deviates from true history (cyborgs and ghost photographs and airships).
Conclusion: 3.5 out of 5. I tend to be strict, but I would consider this a positive recommendation to anyone enticed by the prospect of Voodoo-cyborgs meets airships action in a darkly European historical dystopia.
See a full review at CWilliamPerkins.weebly.com
March 17, 2017
I would appreciate any reads & reviews...good or bad!
January 1, 2025
I started this book in good faith but have to admit steam punk is not a genre that I am familiar with. The book was not coherent and the author seems to have a fetish for women of colour and having a white saviour rescue them. I am sure I am not the audience for this book as it did make me very uncomfortable to read but I did finish it. It could have used with an editor giving it a review to cut down on the bloat and advise on what would play better to a broader audience
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November 20, 2016The cover is amazing and the description is more than promising.
I picked the book and read it during the weekend.
And now I'm here and have to report what a disappointment it has been.
I found the first four chapters confusing. The following chapters also did not deliver what I expected. Furthermore the style was not my taste.
Nevertheless I read the book until the end, always hoping something will change.
I decided not to rate this book because all the disappointment is the result of my expectations and my taste.
I picked the book and read it during the weekend.
And now I'm here and have to report what a disappointment it has been.
I found the first four chapters confusing. The following chapters also did not deliver what I expected. Furthermore the style was not my taste.
Nevertheless I read the book until the end, always hoping something will change.
I decided not to rate this book because all the disappointment is the result of my expectations and my taste.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews