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The Adventures of the Valiant Captain Ramos and Her Crew #2
Wireless and More Steam-Powered Adventures
Captain Marta Ramos, the most dangerous pirate in the Duchy of Denver, is back and she and Simms are up to their goggles in trouble. Has General del Toro found a way to use the Infected as an army and can Captain Ramos work with her arch enemy, Colonel Geoffrey Douglas, to stop him? Can Simms join forces with the devious Deliah Nimowitz on a jailbreak, some sewer misadventures AND a high society soiree involving tea, a heist and sausages? And what about the Rail King and his nefarious plans? Can Captain Ramos and her crew stop him before he completes his latest dastardly deed, one that may result in Deliah’s demise? Check out the next installment of the exciting adventures of Captain Ramos and her valiant crew to find out more!
Wireless picks up where Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures with 3 linked novellas, all set in or near the Duchy of Denver, in an American West that never was.
"Blood in Elk Creek" - When Captain Marta Ramos’s aeroplane is shot down over hostile territory, she has to work with her nemesis, Colonel Geoffrey Douglas, head of the Duke of Denver’s security division, to try and stop General del Toro’s plot to spread the dreaded Infection throughout the Plains tribes, thereby creating a monstrous private army. And the clock is ticking when Marta contracts the Infection too.
“Do Shut Up, Mister Simms” - While Marta is off having adventures, Simms involuntarily signs up for one of his own. He and the crew have to join forces with the lovely Deliah to break a crewmember out of the Duke’s prison. Then it’s off to visit two of Simm’s least favorite things: the city sewers and a high society tea party, whilst serving as Deliah’s escort. Make that three of his least favorite things.
“Wireless” – Marta returns from the Plains a changed woman and Simm’s plan to cure her gets Deliah kidnapped. Now the crew is racing against time to rescue her and stop the Rail King from executing his latest dastardly plan, with some help from some new and unexpected allies.
Wireless picks up where Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures with 3 linked novellas, all set in or near the Duchy of Denver, in an American West that never was.
"Blood in Elk Creek" - When Captain Marta Ramos’s aeroplane is shot down over hostile territory, she has to work with her nemesis, Colonel Geoffrey Douglas, head of the Duke of Denver’s security division, to try and stop General del Toro’s plot to spread the dreaded Infection throughout the Plains tribes, thereby creating a monstrous private army. And the clock is ticking when Marta contracts the Infection too.
“Do Shut Up, Mister Simms” - While Marta is off having adventures, Simms involuntarily signs up for one of his own. He and the crew have to join forces with the lovely Deliah to break a crewmember out of the Duke’s prison. Then it’s off to visit two of Simm’s least favorite things: the city sewers and a high society tea party, whilst serving as Deliah’s escort. Make that three of his least favorite things.
“Wireless” – Marta returns from the Plains a changed woman and Simm’s plan to cure her gets Deliah kidnapped. Now the crew is racing against time to rescue her and stop the Rail King from executing his latest dastardly plan, with some help from some new and unexpected allies.
294 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
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June 1, 2019Ooooh I loved this. Three closely linked novelettes, featuring Captain Ramos and her pirate train crew in a steampunky alt-American West. The characters are terrific--likeable, engaging, with a moral core as well as a piratical swagger. There's a great warped f/f romance following on from the first book Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures (I think this one is much the stronger, the characters are more deveoped and the writing freer).
The adventure swashes and buckles, villains are dispatched in a variety of satisfying ways, the steampunk elements aren't overused (ie it's not full of the droning on about automata and clockwork hats or whatever that makes most steampunk barely readable to me--the action swooshes through in a cloud of plausibility) and there is excellent use of zombies. A highly recommended rip-roaring action read. Also, you should absolutely read Hunger Makes the Wolf by the same author if you enjoy kickass action hero women, diverse casts, and action adventure with a powerful moral sensibility and social conscience.
The adventure swashes and buckles, villains are dispatched in a variety of satisfying ways, the steampunk elements aren't overused (ie it's not full of the droning on about automata and clockwork hats or whatever that makes most steampunk barely readable to me--the action swooshes through in a cloud of plausibility) and there is excellent use of zombies. A highly recommended rip-roaring action read. Also, you should absolutely read Hunger Makes the Wolf by the same author if you enjoy kickass action hero women, diverse casts, and action adventure with a powerful moral sensibility and social conscience.
March 15, 2019
This is the sequel to MURDER ON THE TITANIA and is every bit as good!
June 20, 2019
The author’s introduction gives the best description of the world I can imagine, so I’ll quote it here:
"[A] vision of what Sherlock Holmes might be like, if he were in fact a she and much more an anarchist, living in a rollicking steampunk universe where the rails are surrounded by ravening hordes of the undead."
The worldbuilding, as you can begin to see from that quote, is terribly fun. Steampunk, pirates, same-sex relationships, and zombies, oh my! I’m not wholly interested in the Victorian aspects of the steampunk milieu, but this is more adventure than period piece. This appears to be an alternate Earth, with America broken up into various Duchies and areas connected by rail. Airships exist, but are expensive and not so frequently used. Marta and her crew are pirates and troublemakers, and all of the characters are rich and interesting. One of the pirates used to be an opera singer (which actually becomes relevant), and another, trouble-making man loves to sew and embroider. These details are brought into the mix in charming and delightful ways.
The stories are great, and often put the characters into moral quandaries. Marta is determined that they don’t ‘do’ charity, but sometimes they find excuses to do the right thing. The characters are properly witty and banter as though they’re fencing with swords. I really enjoyed this collection of tales!
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/06/r...
"[A] vision of what Sherlock Holmes might be like, if he were in fact a she and much more an anarchist, living in a rollicking steampunk universe where the rails are surrounded by ravening hordes of the undead."
The worldbuilding, as you can begin to see from that quote, is terribly fun. Steampunk, pirates, same-sex relationships, and zombies, oh my! I’m not wholly interested in the Victorian aspects of the steampunk milieu, but this is more adventure than period piece. This appears to be an alternate Earth, with America broken up into various Duchies and areas connected by rail. Airships exist, but are expensive and not so frequently used. Marta and her crew are pirates and troublemakers, and all of the characters are rich and interesting. One of the pirates used to be an opera singer (which actually becomes relevant), and another, trouble-making man loves to sew and embroider. These details are brought into the mix in charming and delightful ways.
The stories are great, and often put the characters into moral quandaries. Marta is determined that they don’t ‘do’ charity, but sometimes they find excuses to do the right thing. The characters are properly witty and banter as though they’re fencing with swords. I really enjoyed this collection of tales!
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/06/r...
September 30, 2021
Oh, this was fun. It's three linked novellas set after the events in Murder on the Titania.
Captain Marta Ramos flies her aeroplane over the Great Planes to find out what hideous villainy General del Toro is up to. When she is shot down, she encounters the Duchy of Denver's head of security - Colonel Geoffrey Douglas - and works with him to set things right. Meanwhile, Marta having left her crew at home, Simms is bored - and feeling sort of hurt. Fortunately (?) after Lucius has gotten himself arrested, a little jailbreak, aided by Deliah Nimowitz, and a heist at a soiree, at the side of said Deliah, keeps life interesting. Finally, upon Marta's return, listless and moody, rescuing Deliah from her kidnapping by the henchman of the infamous Rail King - and foiling HIS latest villainy - perks up everybody's spirits with scientific secrets and well deserved revenge.
You don't necessarily have to have read Murder on the Titania first, but this book expands on the world building within the Western Duchies of North American - Denver, Salt Lake, and Missoula - as well as the natives of the Plains and the Infection - a disease that essentially produces zombies from the dead. It also develops all the the characters - and I am pleased to see Marta and Deliah do clearly end up as a couple, although I still would not characterize this as a romance. It is swashbuckling steampunk adventure. And piracy.
Captain Marta Ramos flies her aeroplane over the Great Planes to find out what hideous villainy General del Toro is up to. When she is shot down, she encounters the Duchy of Denver's head of security - Colonel Geoffrey Douglas - and works with him to set things right. Meanwhile, Marta having left her crew at home, Simms is bored - and feeling sort of hurt. Fortunately (?) after Lucius has gotten himself arrested, a little jailbreak, aided by Deliah Nimowitz, and a heist at a soiree, at the side of said Deliah, keeps life interesting. Finally, upon Marta's return, listless and moody, rescuing Deliah from her kidnapping by the henchman of the infamous Rail King - and foiling HIS latest villainy - perks up everybody's spirits with scientific secrets and well deserved revenge.
You don't necessarily have to have read Murder on the Titania first, but this book expands on the world building within the Western Duchies of North American - Denver, Salt Lake, and Missoula - as well as the natives of the Plains and the Infection - a disease that essentially produces zombies from the dead. It also develops all the the characters - and I am pleased to see Marta and Deliah do clearly end up as a couple, although I still would not characterize this as a romance. It is swashbuckling steampunk adventure. And piracy.
August 12, 2019
(This review originally appeared at Mad Scientist Journal.)
Wireless and More Steam-Powered Adventures by Alex Acks is the second collection of steampunk adventure stories featuring Captain Marta Ramos and her intrepid crew of railway pirates. The stories in this collection are all longer pieces, and they’re connected to one another sequentially. In some ways, this almost makes Wireless a non-traditionally structured novel, but the individual stories can also stand alone.
The first of the stories, “Blood in Elk Creek,” delves deep into the threat of Infection, a loathsome disease that runs rampant in the wide-open spaces between the Duchies. Occurring roughly simultaneously to Marta’s adventures in the first story, Simms has adventures of his own in “Do Shut Up, Mister Simms,” when he gets roped into a heist with Deliah Nimowitz. Finally, the titular story, “Wireless,” brings the whole gang back together for a larger and more dangerous adventure.
While Wireless and More Steam-Powered Adventures could be read as a novel, the structure of three independent stories does not lend itself to a traditional novel structure. However, each of the pieces are necessary to the larger whole, as the first story sets up a major point of contention in the third story, while the second story, though it may initially seem tangential, adds a necessary element that helps instigate the third story. As the foreword to the book recommends, these stories should be read in the order they are presented, and I think that each story is essential to the enjoyment of the book as a whole.
The publisher provided us with a free copy of this collection in exchange for review consideration.
Wireless and More Steam-Powered Adventures by Alex Acks is the second collection of steampunk adventure stories featuring Captain Marta Ramos and her intrepid crew of railway pirates. The stories in this collection are all longer pieces, and they’re connected to one another sequentially. In some ways, this almost makes Wireless a non-traditionally structured novel, but the individual stories can also stand alone.
The first of the stories, “Blood in Elk Creek,” delves deep into the threat of Infection, a loathsome disease that runs rampant in the wide-open spaces between the Duchies. Occurring roughly simultaneously to Marta’s adventures in the first story, Simms has adventures of his own in “Do Shut Up, Mister Simms,” when he gets roped into a heist with Deliah Nimowitz. Finally, the titular story, “Wireless,” brings the whole gang back together for a larger and more dangerous adventure.
While Wireless and More Steam-Powered Adventures could be read as a novel, the structure of three independent stories does not lend itself to a traditional novel structure. However, each of the pieces are necessary to the larger whole, as the first story sets up a major point of contention in the third story, while the second story, though it may initially seem tangential, adds a necessary element that helps instigate the third story. As the foreword to the book recommends, these stories should be read in the order they are presented, and I think that each story is essential to the enjoyment of the book as a whole.
The publisher provided us with a free copy of this collection in exchange for review consideration.
April 29, 2019
Every bit as fun as the first book: pirates, steampunk, infected and lots of action. In this case, short stories (three as a whole) are way more interlaced than in the first book. I'm not sure which format I prefer, but I was certainly looking forwards for a story in the Dead Plains, mind you! Looking forwards to the next statement! :)
January 2, 2020
I really liked this sequel to Murder on the Titania. It elaborates a bit more about what’s going on in the world, especially the business with the Infected. It shows some of what’s going on with the Native people, which I definitely appreciate. There was a much deeper and more thoroughly drawn character arc for Captain Ramos than I was expecting.
May 1, 2019
More great fun adventures of the rail pirate Captain Ramos and her crew and squeeze
May 6, 2019
More adventures from a pirate captain who mixes Irene Adler with Catwoman
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
January 17, 2022
What fun! A famous outlaw and her band (of merry 'men'?) do good in spite of themselves. It's an alternate universe where America went the way of monarchies instead of democracy, with technology at the steam engine level, set in a wild wild west that vaguely reminds me of that old TV show 'The Wild Wild West,' but with a more realistic cast of characters.
Kudos to Mx. Acks for adding more depth to the 'Steampunk' genre, and for giving me practice with the pronoun 'they' in singular usage (in addition to the conventional plural). Their characters were complex enough for me to discover that 'singular' people still contain pluralities, and it's an easy entertaining read.
Kudos to Mx. Acks for adding more depth to the 'Steampunk' genre, and for giving me practice with the pronoun 'they' in singular usage (in addition to the conventional plural). Their characters were complex enough for me to discover that 'singular' people still contain pluralities, and it's an easy entertaining read.
July 20, 2020
I actually loved this book more than the first! There are three stories in this collection and each was fun and entertaining. I highly recommend this book if you're looking for an adventurous escape. A must-read!
July 11, 2021
This book is divided up into 3 stories, each story a different heist performed by Captain Ramos and her crew. It takes place in a world where steam railways and airships are the only way to travel between competing Duchies and there is a zombie infection in the unruled lands.
March 17, 2020
More adventures with Captain Ramos, Simms, and the crew. This one definitely felt more serious and dark, but the characters, as ever, are gems.
May 13, 2022
The racism surrounding Indigenous People was just too much. DNF
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April 3, 2019Review forthcoming.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews