Storm & Fury: A Storm & Fury Adventures Collection

The Storm and Fury Adventures

by Gail Z. Martin, Larry N. Martin

Secret agents, supernatural threats, experimental weapons and plenty of explosions!

It's 1898, and Mitch Storm and Jacob Drangosavich belong to a secret government agency dedicated to looking into paranormal situations that pose a larger threat than local law enforcement can handle. The Department of Supernatural Investigation was set up to take care of those things that live below, that go bump in the night… those odd cases that go beyond ‘standard’ investigation. Nicknamed ‘Storm and Fury’, Mitch Storm and Jacob Drangosavich are two of the more creative agents, working in New Pittsburgh and breaking all the rules with necessary to save the city--and the world.

Mitch and Jacob get called in when things get messy. They stop resurrectionists, dark witches, dangerous inventions, experimental weapons, angry ghosts, and plots to take over the world--fighting evil in the shadows and keeping the citizens of New Pittsburgh safe. Facing unusual supernatural threats requires quick thinking, fast reflexes--and plenty of explosions!

Storm & Fury is a steampunk action adventure filled with daring escapades, armed airships, vengeful vampires, mysterious magic, found family, mad doctors, quirky inventors, clockwork zombies, and loyal friends.

This book is set in the same world as Iron & Blood: Jake Desmet Adventures, and as the Morgan Brice Sharps and Springfield series.

Includes:
Airship Down
Ruin Creek
Resurrection Day
The Hunt
Grave Voices
Rogue

Plus two bonus stories:

Ghost Wolf

and a Steampunk fairy tale:

The Patented Troll

Genres: Steampunk, Paranormal, Fantasy, M M Romance, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook, Mystery

380 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2018

About the author

Gail Z. Martin discovered her passion for science fiction, fantasy and ghost stories in elementary school. The first story she wroteat age fivewas about a vampire. Her favorite TV show as a preschooler was Dark Shadows. At age 14, she decided to become a writer.

She enjoys attending science fiction/fantasy conventions, Renaissance fairs and living history sites. She is married and has three children, a Maltese and a golden retriever.

Gail Z. Martin is also Morgan Brice, which is her pen name for urban fantasy MM paranormal romance.

In addition to the online sites listed below, you can find me on
Facebook.com/Groups/MartinShadowAlliance
Facebook.com/Groups/WorldsOfMorganBrice
Twitter: @GailZMartin and @MorganBriceAuthor
YouTube: YouTube.com/c/GailZMartinAuthor
IG: @MorganBriceAuthorGail & Larry newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dd5XLj
Morgan Brice newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dy_8oL
BookBub for Morgan: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/morga...
Bookbub for Gail: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/gail-...
Amazon profile: https://www.amazon.com/Morgan-Brice/e...?
Amazon profile: https://www.amazon.com/Gail-Z-Martin/...
Pinterest (for Morgan and Gail) www.Pinterest.com/Gzmartin

Reviews

[Madison Warner Fairbanks]

Storm & Fury Adventures Collections by Gail Z Martin and Larry N Martin

A series of novella steampunk, science fiction stories with airships, airbikes, zombies, golem, and werewolves. Set in the world of the Iron & Blood novels.
Alternative history 1898 New Pittsburgh.

Mitch and Jacob work for The Department of Supernatural Investigations. Together they follow orbs, chase down bad guys and blow things up. It’s part supernatural, part fantasy with lots of gears that are part of the steampunk genre.

An adventure broken down into short stories that are easy to read separately or as part of the whole world. Perfect if you like the steampunk world craziness.
Not all the stories have actual resolutions or endings. The last story in the set is about an inventor. It’s separate from the Storm & Fury/Mitch & Jacob stories.
A few got a little too creepy for me. Lots of monsters.

[Christi M]

Storm & Fury is a collection of short stories and novellas that really show how much fun the Steampunk genre can be.  If you have been wanting to dip your feet into this genre these short stories may be a good way to start.

What fun it must be to work at the Department of Supernatural Investigations.   Set in the world of the Iron & Blood novels, this book contains 7 short stories/novella and 2 bonus content stories along with an excerpt from the Iron & Blood novel.  Most of these stories feature two agents:  Mitch Storm and Jacob Drangosavich.  Mitch is the one you can count on to take the greatest risks to complete the mission (which means a lot of things get blown up and destroyed in the process.)  Jacob has the cooler head and approach to things, although you rarely see him strongly object when Mitch has a crazy plan.  

Mitch and Jacob are a lot of fun to read, but the stories also include other members from the agency giving us a more well-rounded look at how this department works and functions.  One of the more recognizable features of steampunk are its inventive gadgets and equipment and these stories have no shortage of them.  In fact, it very refreshing to see that this world has more than just an airship and a mechanical arm or leg. 

Of the stories, my favorites were Resurrection Day, Lagniappe, and Grave Voices. Lagniappe has a little mystery to it that was fun to work through and Grave Voices was very memorable due to how one of the character's makes his appearance in the story.

Out of all of them, I will say I was a little disappointed in the first story, Airship Down, only because I didn't feel like I got a resolution to the mystery.  However, as I kept reading through the different stories, I learned that anything alien-related generally remains a mystery.

Thank you SOL Publishing and Netgalley for the review copy and the opportunity to provide my honest opinions.

[Melissa Hayden]

*I was given this free review copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This is a collection of novellas and short stories set in the worlds of Iron & Blood novels and Storm & Fury Adventures. It's sort of an anthology. Some of the stories were published in other anthologies, but it's always great to have them all in one handy place.

This is my first adventure in a world I've been wanting to visit. I'm pleased that I took the journey. I love how destruction seems to be left in their wake. I laugh as they are always being shot at and blowing something up, likely blowing up of something valuable too. lol. Also, the "bad guys" don't always fair well when they go against Jacob and Mitch.

Mitch is so drawn to the science-y things. Jacob feels to be the grounded person. But both are big on guns. Mitch and and Jacob kind of have a feel of Lethal Weapon movies with Riggs and Murtaugh for me. They don't always agree but are a great team that gets the work done. Also, one's a little more grounded than the other. And, things do seem to go boom around these two. lol.

Airship Down
This was an interesting investigation for Mitch and Jacob as they follow orbs that make electricity flash. It's fun watching them destroy their travel methods along with a few other things along the way. lol.

I was a little bummed at the end of the short as I felt we didn't get a resolution to the orbs. I'm not sure if these show up in the books or another short though. So maybe there is a resolution in another story? It is sort of mentioned in another short, briefly.

Resurrection Day
Oh this is neat. I like what they find in this short. Resurrection day indeed. This gives a blend between steampunk and supernatural in this world.

This is, however, another case that's not fully answered. I still have questions, like how the resurrection is done and what about two of the bad guys. I do love the world I'm getting glimpses of in these shorts and curious if the answers are given in the novels.

Langiappe
Oh this one is cool. I love the mystery to solve here. This kept my attention the whole time. I love how the pieces puzzle together. This was a cool view into the supernatural world.

Jacob and Mitch aren't as...destructive in this story. But we get to meet a female character, Della, I really loved. She sounds strong and one not to go against. I hope to see more of her.

Grave Voices
This was a longer story that gives us the full view of world and characters. We get a larger cast here and I love how one makes his appearance. The magic and mechanicals of the world are present.

We get a conclusion to the story here. This is cool and leaves a chance of working with others.

This one is full of mystery and action. Nice story. There is a connection to religion and magic and science here too.

Ruin Creek
This is short but a full story of a mission Jake and Mitch head out on. Neat story with ghosts, projections, and maybe aliens.

We see another "bad guy" here that our duo fights against. Gun shots and fighting.

I liked how this one concluded with the whole feel of the story and where they are.

The Hunt
This story as a feel of alien tech in it as well. The blend of steampunk and old west with our agents and town in are an awesome blend.

We get a full story here, and the guys are on their probation from something they blew up and shouldn't have, along with not capturing a bad guy. We get things tied up with what they are looking for along with unfinished business as to why they are here.

Rogue
This story had a feel of a magical National Treasure. Though the treasure wasn't gold but a magical relic. Very interesting how things all connect and the magic that's present. I really liked how the references to history was used to create something new.

Interesting what we see with different groups in the world and how they protect and work together. And the turn of events with one person here. Very good.

Ghost Wolf
He dresses as a wolf and defends the workers that are being attacked. One night the immigrant hating gang might be Irish against Polish, tomorrow it could be a Polish gang against an Irish one. He'll defend each at any time.

This story is set in the world of Storm & Fury but it's not a story of their adventures. We see them briefly as our main character overhears them but that's all.

The character present is important in helping stop fights in New Pittsburgh, and saves the city at the same time.

The Patented Troll
This story is not of Storm and Fury, it's of the inventor that started all with his inventions. This is a lovely little tale that gives the feel of an inventor and how he felt of his inventions, and how others used them. I loved the feel I got from this story with the inventor and a young man that wants to be safe as well.

Iron & Blood (Excerpt)
There is an excerpt of the first book present too. So if you haven't started the series (like me) you get a feel for what we are missing.

[Join the Penguin Resistance!]

As a devoted fan of these two fabulous authors, I'm always delighted to come upon a new collection. STORM AND FURY's stories are set in an alternate U.S.: New Pittsburgh 1898. If you love Steampunk, if you love the supernatural genre, you'll definitely adore this collection. In addition to the fact that Gail Z. Martin and Larry Martin are such excellent writers, their magical spell on the reader inspires immediate suspension of disbelief: no matter the genre, whether fantasy, steampunk, urban fantasy, supernatural, or anything else.

[Valerie - Cats Luv Coffee Book Reviews]

DNF for me. While I've loved the authors' other works, I just don't think I'm a steampunk fan.

[Susan]

This was a very fun collection of stories. It’s a little steampunk, a little urban fantasy, a little historical fiction, and a helluvalot of fun. Includes: Airship Down, Ruin Creek, Resurrection Day, The Hunt, Grave Voices, and Rogue. Plus two bonus stories: Ghost Wolf and a Steampunk fairy tale: The Patented Troll. There’s also a preview of another Martin & Martin book.

Mitch and Jacob reminded me a bit of the TV show Supernatural. Mitch is the charming, pretty one. Jacob is a bit more moody, a bit more serious. The whole collection also put me in mind of another great steampunk tale, the Clockwork Legion series by David Lee Summers. I love all the mechanical creatures, some with more sentience than others. Steam tech has allowed for airships and motorcycles as well as other fun gizmos. Adam Barber is Storm & Drang’s stay-at-home mad scientist, always coming up with something new for the guys to field test.

Then there’s the paranormal side. They guys work hard for the DSI with their investigations into zombies, werewolves, and more. Oh my! Those creepy golem dolls! I will have those images stuck in my head for weeks to come. I liked the werewolf stories the most, especially the one with the evil magic user who was tricking people into becoming werewolves.

The guys are periodically joined by the clever and capable ladies, Della and Anna. I liked Della a bit more, but I could be biased because I’ve liked that name since I first heard it on the old Perry Mason mysteries. There’s a few other ladies scattered among the stories, like the Absynthe Witch.

I especially enjoyed the bonus tale, The Patented Troll. This master creator wants to be left alone and so he creates a troll to block the bridge to his hideaway. Years pass and a kid, who’s a bit of genius with mechanical creatures himself, sets out on a quest. It’s beautifully told. While it’s certainly a different tone than the Storm & Fury tales, I felt it was an excellent way to end the collection. 5/5 stars.

The Narration: Neil Hellegers does a great job with this collection of stories. I love his excitement and his regional accents for all the side characters. I can tell he’s into the story, never sounding bored. There were a few times where the two main characters, Mitch and Jacob, sounded the same and I had to listen close to keep track of who was talking. There were no issues with the recording. 4.5/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book courtesy of Audiobookworm Book Tours. My opinions are wholly my own.

[Cath]

This is a collection of short stories set in New Pittsburgh, back in 1898 and the agents of an organisation called The Department of Supernatural Investigation. The two main agents in the stories are Mitch and Jacob and are nicknamed Storm & Fury, due to their last names, but also the manner in which most of their investigations are carried out! The stories are set in the world of the Iron & Blood books, which I haven’t come across as yet, by these authors, and also the Storm & Fury adventure books. The department is set up to investigate all those cases which are just a little bit more ‘weird’ than normal, with strange visions or sounds in the dark, or creatures of the dark, unknown to most of the populace.

It is in a Steam Punk era, with ‘modern’ inventions being created by one of the scientists attached to the department and he comes up with faster airships, steam powered motorbikes (but not called a motorbike of course) and other odd special weapons and tools as the team require. A bit like ‘Q’ from James Bond. Mitch and Jacob come across different cases in each separate story, whether that be strange light orbs that seem to be causing power draining from the mills along the river, or voices coming from beyond the grave and even someone they know from their past. A great mix of storylines and even the repeating of the intro to the characters and the background each time, are not tedious.

Each of the tales brings danger and excitement, but also a bit of fun as nothing is ever taken too seriously by part of the team. There was even additional stories at the end with a different main character, working in the same line of investigations and a fairy tale style story with a troll. The fairy tale was a really interesting story of an inventor who loved to make mechanical animals and people, until his inventions are taken by those who want to use them for evil intentions. This was my favourite of all the stories. I loved the action in the main stories, but this one just touches you with its simplicity and message. There is something for everyone with these tales. I received an ARC copy of this book from Hidden Gems and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

[Annie]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Storm & Fury is a collection of shorter fiction in the Storm & Fury world by creators Gail & Larry Martin. Released 23rd Feb 2019 it's 410 pages and available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.

There are 10 short-to-novella length pieces included in the collection. Several were previously published in other anthologies, but are collected here with additional material for the first time. They're built around an alternate steampunk timeline in and around Pittsburgh (PA). The two lead characters Mitch and Jacob are partners and agents of the Department of Supernatural Investigation. This gives the authors very broad scope for a range of 'things which go bump (or whizzzz) in the night'.

The stories are well written, genuinely entertaining steampunk fantasy. Some of them (Airship Down) end without a real denouement. I'm not sure if the plotline is taken up in other longer works or not, but I found myself wondering what happened.

Worth mentioning, the electronic ARC I was given for review purposes has a nifty interactive table of contents and hyperlinked resources. Presumably the ebook version does as well.

One of the things I love about collections and anthologies is tjat they usually include extra author/editor information about the stories themselves or the writers. This is completely missing here. The stories are very well written however and it's not a crippling deficiency. The authors do include an afterword about their alt-steampunk Pittsburgh.

I grew up in the area and these stories are obviously written by authors who are intimately familiar with P'burgh and environs.

Strong stories, well written, with mostly appealing protagonists. They are worth a read, definitely.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[The Book Junkie Reads . . .]

You get an intense collection of shorts that encompasses fantasy, steampunk, supernatual, magic, the unknown, the different, the unique, and much more. The writers Martin have done a fab job with give you something to spark you on different levels. Take the time to enjoy one story at a time or gobble down several or binge on all that are offered. With each new story you find more to find wonderous about the 1890s and the era build by writers Martin. The world building was great. The various characters charming, enchanting, weird, strange, not-so-much-want-to-touch, but all gave you something to feel.

Narrator Hellegers did the job of bring to life each story in a different way. You felt that tones reflect the story. The clarity of the audio was above par. The ease of the listen was delightful.

*****
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Audiobookworm Promotions on behalf of various authors, narrators, and publishers. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

[Debbie Benson]

I received this book as part of an ARC review. The writing is as good as the other books I've read from Gail and Larry. I like the devil may care attitude of Storm and Jacob who really doesn't reign him in much. In a way they remind me of James Bond in that they are extremely hard on their equipment but their cases are much more interesting them James' ever could be. While I did find the futuristic elements of workmen and steam bikes hard to handle at first considering it was set in the 1890s, I managed to get over it and the cases Mitch and Jacob investigated more than made up for it. It's nice to know that someone was protecting the general population from evil witches, werewolves and aliens to name a few. I especially liked the bonus story of Ghost Wolf. This is the first time I've read steam punk and I can say it is an interesting genre.

[Marissa]

Storm & Fury is a collection of stories about Mitch Storm and Jacob Drangosavich, agents in the Department of Supernatural Investigation protecting a reimagined world in the late 1800s from (your not necessarily traditional) otherworldly beings. Mitch and Jacob complement each other really well as lead characters. This can be described as an urban historical fantasy setting with some elements of steampunk. I had not read other books in the series featuring these characters prior to picking up this book and did not find this to be an issue when reading. This duo of writers bring some very creative story telling and technologically innovative approaches to problem solving. I would definitely be interested in reading more in this world of books.

I received a copy of this book through Hidden Gems ARC Reviews.

[S]

Took me a while to get in the rhythm of how the stories were flowing. I wanted resolution in several of them that just didn’t have any. Plus, while I like action, I would have liked a little more talk and a little less action just to get to know the characters a little better.

There was a bit of repetitiveness in some of the stories where it seemed like same danger just a slightly different setting.

I did enjoy how all of the characters interacted with each other, nice chemistry.

I eventually realized anything with aliens was just going to be left hanging so I didn’t invest too much in those stories as I knew it would just fade to black.

So, while I did enjoy most of the stories I just wasn’t as invested as I would have liked.

I received an ARC and I am leaving an honest review.

[Amy]

This collection of stories was a great introduction to the world of New Pittsburgh. It's got a bit of everything, action, adventure, the paranormal, and mystery all wrapped up with a steampunk bow. It was great fun, and after reading these stories I would definitely look up full length works in the world, especially with the main characters from most of these tales. An added bonus is the location. As a Pittsburgher seeing my hometown turned into an 1898 steampunk city was very enjoyable. The authors clearly spent time making the setting believable, considering how fictional this type of world can be. I was able to visualize the places visited, and enjoy the stories even more because of that.

**I received a copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

[Erin Halbmaier]

Storm and Fury was an enjoyable read. It was amusing to listen to the relationship between easy-going, too-ready-to-blow-things-up Mitch Storm and his partner Jacob Drangosavich who could never seem to manage to keep him reined in. The mix of not-quite-modern technology using 19th-century technology was intriguing, as well as meeting wunderkind Adam Farber, the inventor of said technology, who was always as full of coffee as he could be.

The narrator was pleasant to listen to and did an excellent job interpreting the stories. I was sad when I reached the end!

I received this audiobook at no-cost from Audiobookworm Promotions. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

[Ani Conda]

I am relatively new to the steampunk genre. I’ve never been 100% sure I would enjoy it so having a set of mini stories to ease me in was absolutely perfect. Great bite sized pieces to lure me and get me hooked. I really liked the way mechanical engineering and Victorian society are seamlessly introduced and the world in which they live sounds amazing. I live Storm and Fury, their relationship is comfortable and adventurous. You are immediately drawn to them with the first story and all the additional characters that you meet after just add more texture to the world. I can not wait for more Steampunk adventures!

[Miriam]

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

This is a good steam-punk style collection of shorts. You don't need to have read other books in the series to understand these stories (they're actually a great introduction to this world). The stories are a good mix of multi-chapter stories and quick-read short stories.

Mitch and Jacob are constantly pushing the limits (and occasionally stuck being shipped off to the frontier as punishment), but they pull off some amazing feats towards solving their cases. There are a good mix of secondary characters to help on their cases (especially liked Della).

[The Mysterious Reader]

I love a good steampunk yarn, and Gail Z. Martin and Larry N. Martin’s Storm & Fury: A Storm & Fury Adventures Collection is just full of them. Truly great world building and a fantastic leading duo in Mitch Storm and Jacob Drangosavich, these stories definitely “satisfy the itch” of anyone with a craving for fun stories in this genre. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises. The book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, and it is easy to highly recommend.

[Ron]

This book collects seven of the adventures of Mitch Storm and Jacob Drangosavich from the Department of Supernatural Investigations. The tales are set in an alternate steam-punk world centered around New Pittsburgh, but going where the adventures lead. There are encounters with very strange airships, alien visitors, zombies, animated dolls, magic users and werewolves. As a bonus there are two short stories ("Ghost Wolf" which I had read in an anthology of super-hero stories and "The Patented Troll") and an excerpt from Iron & Blood. I thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read this collection and to Neil Hellegers for narrating the audio version.

[Adena Lee]

Gail Z. Martin does it again. She writes these truly intriguing thrillers set in various fantastic universes and makes them so engrossing that it is next to impossible to put any of them down to deal with life. In this one, we have Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin in an alternate-universe steampunk Pittsburgh hunting supernatural beings while dealing with victorian age society. I'm not sure which is more difficult - monster hunting or dealing with society.

I got this book from Hidden Gems and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

[Kandice]

I'm a big fan of Gail Martin's supernatural roamnce titles under her Morgan Brice pen name and wanted to try some of her co-written titles. This was a fun collection of stories featuring steampunk historical world of supernatural government agents. I was super impressed with the narrator. Excellent voices and accents.

[Kea]

STORM & FURY is a Storm And Fury Adventures Collection of 9 stories written by Gail Z. Martin and Larry N. Martin. Excellent reading!

[MariF]

Can help but love this author's writing. Right up my alley.

[Ppcfransen]

They blow stuff up, or crash it, or burn it. A lot.

I like the stories where there actually was a resolve to the investigation better than the stories that ended with a maybe next time.

I read a copy of this book through Netgalley

[Rita Kruger]

I received this book free as a book blogger doing a tour on Rita's Reading Room.

What a privilege to review this book! This is a historical urban fantasy. I would also classify it loosely at a detective noir.

Meet the unlikely heroes, Jacob and Mitch. Their boss calls them Storm and Fury, because one has no brakes and the other burns like a hot fire. Together they are a team of special investigators fighting men and monsters and the things of nightmares.

What men fear most in the time when Mitch and Jacob lives is that machines will take over the world. But instead of fighting this nightmarish fears, these two brave men find a way to incorporate machines and technology in their fight against criminals and ‘monsters’.

Assisting them, as a side-kick, is Novak. Also on the team is Adam Faber, who gives all kinds of advice that leads them to solve many mysteries. Adam is a scientist inventor, and has his finger on the pulse of what is happening in the world.

If words were like drugs, Storm and Fury had me royally hooked by page two. Addictive. Each story is well thought out and beautifully put together. The action is superb. At times I laughed aloud. I found it hard to put the book down.

Filled with a selection of short stories, this book will be reading a pleasure for those who can read only in short intervals.