The Engineer

Magic & Steam #1

by C.S. Poe

1881—Special Agent Gillian Hamilton is a magic caster with the Federal Bureau of Magic and Steam. He’s sent to Shallow Grave, Arizona, to arrest a madman engineer known as Tinkerer, who’s responsible for blowing up half of Baltimore. Gillian has handled some of the worst criminals in the Bureau’s history, so this assignment shouldn’t be a problem. But even he’s taken aback by a run-in with the country’s most infamous outlaw, Gunner the Deadly.

Gunner is also stalking Shallow Grave in search of Tinkerer, who will stop at nothing to take control of the town’s silver mines. Neither Gillian nor Gunner are willing to let Tinkerer hurt more innocent people, so they agree to a very temporary partnership.

If facing illegal magic, Gatling gun contraptions, and a wild engineer in America’s frontier wasn’t enough trouble for a city boy, Gillian must also come to terms with the reality that he’s rather fond of his partner. But even if they live through this adventure, Gillian fears there’s no chance for love between a special agent and outlaw.

Based on the short story, "Gunner the Deadly." Entirely revised, newly expanded, and Book One in the exciting new steampunk series, Magic & Steam.

Genres: Steampunk, M M Romance, Romance, Fantasy, Historical, Magic, LGBT

94 pages, ebook

First published May 28, 2020

About the author

C.S. Poe is an author of gay mystery, romance, and speculative fiction. She is a Lambda Literary and two-time EPIC award finalist, and FAPA, Indie, and two-time e-Lit award winner.

She resides in New York City, but has also called Key West and Ibaraki, Japan, home. She loves Romanticism artwork, Gilded Age New York, the films of Buster Keaton, coffee in the morning and whiskey in the evening, true crime, and cats. She’s rescued two cats—Milo and Kasper do their best to distract her from work on a daily basis.

C.S. is an alumna of the School of Visual Arts.

Her debut novel, The Mystery of Nevermore, was published 2016.

cspoe.com

Reviews

[* A Reader Obsessed * · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars!

A good start!

For me, one can’t really go wrong with a steampunk background, and this AU is full of elemental magic that some lucky humans may possess, making this world all that much more interesting and fantastical.

As per the blurb, Gillian is one of those rare magical practitioners. He works for the government, and his job is to monitor and capture those who use their magic for nefarious means. When Gillian’s dispatched to the wild west to apprehend a mad scientist tinker, he comes across infamous outlaw Gunner. On principle, they’re automatic enemies but of course, it’s only logical to join forces to bring down a shared adversary.

What Gillian soon discovers is that things aren’t black and white, and Gunnar is way more than he seems, his unlawful actions really vigilante good deeds. Not only do they work well together, the chemistry between them is undeniable.

Poe has not disappointed me yet, and I thought this was a solid start to a new series and I’m only sorry that it wasn’t longer. However, I guess that’s what sequels are for, and I look forward to continuing Gillian and Gunnar’s adventures when the The Gangster comes out later this year!

[Gerbera_Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

4/29/2022 reread

For a short novella it packs enough heat and feelings between two men to show what a great love story they are going to have. In the world of spell casters and gun slinging outlaws there are two men on different sides of the law. One is a special agent who wields magic and the other is the modern Robin Hood doling out justice. Despite their differences their attraction is impossible to deny. During the hunt for a mad engineer they find that maybe there is a chance for them to be happy after all. It had it all: awkward moments, attraction, a little bit of steam, plenty of magic and a whole lot of dangerous fighting for their lives. Welcome to the new world of Magic and Steam. Let the adventures of the outlaw Gunner the Deadly and special agent Gillian Hamilton begin. P.S. The last page melted my heart. *le sigh* I loved the characters, the mystery of Gunner and the promise the book ended with. Copy received for my honest and unbiased review

[Eugenia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steampunk + Western = What Mama Needs!

I ADORED ❤️ this novella by CS Poe and am CRAVING the next installment in what promises to be a great series!

What can you expect?
Action from the get-go
Magic
Steam
A sexy outlaw cowboy in black
A virginal federal agent
A crazed engineer🤪
Explosions🤯
A tasty hook-up😍
Something to look forward to

The audiobook for this was SUPERB!! Declan Winters is a new to me narrator who killed this performance!! 👏👏👏

Thanks to the author who provided me a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

My rec? If you like plot, action, romance and a bit of enemies to lovers action, then this is your ticket!! You can never go wrong with a CS Poe book!

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! So much. There's three books in this series so far (more to come!) and I read all three in four days! This story really grabbed me, and that's still not happening too often these days (it's year two of the epic pandemic reading slump!), so I was so stoked to be super excited reading this series. This first book is an exciting magic western and it's great. It's set in an 1880s America where magic is regulated by the government. I loved the characters straightaway. Gillian is a quietly badass magic federal agent from New York and Gunner is a noisily badass outlaw vigilante straight out of the Wild West and it turns out they're after the same baddie, so they team up and oh dear, they fancy each other. It's a wonderful romance of opposites and enemies. All three books in this series so far are about Gillian and Gunner fighting creepy bad guys and falling in love and saving the world and I just ate it all right up. This was *so* right up my alley. If you like magic action/adventure historical romance, this is worth a look. I hadn't read this author before and I will check out her other work for sure. The writing is great. I am so freaking excited for the fourth book!

[Kati *☘︎･ﾟ readsRomance · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5**** stars


mhm this is a clear case of it’s me not the book ! The writing is great with really good pacing. I loved both the main characters and would’ve loved to follow them some more, get to know Gillian and Gunnar and get their love story. There is so much more I want to know, esp about Gunnar!


But, unfortunately, a paranormal steampunk romance in a kind of Wild West setting is simply not doing it for me. 😭😭😭 I didn’t care much about what was happening besides the romance part. Maybe I try again one day. Our tastes change all the time, right?



Good thing is, this introduction to the series has less than a hundred pages so it’s perfect to take a look if it’s a good fit to one’s tastes before diving into the actual full-length novels.

[Kaje Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just plain fun. In an alternate Old West, where magic is common, regulated, and ties into materials in a unique way (magical steampunk) there were three men. One - Gillian Hamilton - is a solitary government agent with notable powers. He's sent by the Federal Bureau of Magic and Steam to arrest a megalomaniac known as The Tinkerer. This antagonist is number two - a caricature of evil, almost, with his Gatling-gun-wielding mechanical spiders. Except for a few small hints that there once was more to him than madness.

And then there's number three. Gunner. Vigilante, man of mystery, a cool, competent Robin Hood, and the first man to really spot the gay underneath Gillian's practiced veneer. And to want a taste.

This has magic battles, first times, a mysterious hero, instant attraction, and a tentative HFN. The characters are more superficial than Poe is capable of creating, and the plot moves swiftly. Luckily it has the sequel it screams for, and I'd bet that Poe will take us deeper into these characters, and show us more of the man underneath the costume, for both of them. Looking forward to it.

[suz ~Always Reading~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio review 2/13/21: This was great in audio. The narrator is new and he did a really great job with the voices. I am looking forward to hearing more from him.


I don’t think I’ve ever read a steampunk book before. Maybe I have or I tried one but I can’t remember. I enjoy CS Poe’s books and when she offered ARC’s on her Facebook group I was really excited to get one! This is a novella, a prequel almost to the upcoming novel length book. It was like a tasty appetizer and now I want more!

Gillian is the type of underdog character I love to root for. He seems to have hang ups about himself, especially the fact that he desires men. Gunner is the complete opposite. Gunner is very mysterious and there is a lot I want to know about him! Together these two make a really great team and I know the upcoming book should be fun and exciting because this certainly was!

ARC received by author in exchange for review

[Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second book by this author and what do you know, I enjoyed this one too! Who'd've thunk it? 😲

This was fast - it's under 100 pages - and the setup and world were interesting. There are magically inclined people, who have to register with the government "for their safety" and Gillian is one of them. He works with the government as an Agent who runs down criminals abusing magic. He's currently without a partner, and has some extra special abilities that are unusual for magic users.

Then there's Gunner the Deadly (not his real name, thank goodness, though whoever was drunk when they thought up that nickname should be fired), a vigilante out to protect the little people and kill the bad guys the authorities are taking too long to get around to. Gillian isn't in town for him, but probably should arrest him too anyway, right?

I liked the action, which was well-paced and not overly written. The restrictions in this world are interesting in regards to how magic effects those with the ability to call on the elements, and non-magical folk can find ways to manipulate aether if they're clever enough or know the right people.

The romance, such as it was, was a bit light, though I liked how this one ended, since it left lots of room for development going forward, and it was far from cliché, which I was worried it would be when it's revealed that Gillian is small and slight and Gunner is big and broody. But Gillian is not a damsel in distress, and Gunner isn't an alphadouche, so that's good. :)

I really enjoyed BRing this with Rosa. Can't wait for the next! In fact, we'll be starting it today. :)

One minor gripe: when your story takes place over two days, you don't need to start every single chapter with a date stamp. 🙈

[CrabbyPatty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short novella serves as a gripping introduction to Special Agent Gillian Hamilton (of the Federal Bureau of Magic and Steam) and Gunner the Deadly, notorious outlaw.

Or as Gunner says "Your files call me a vigilante, and if you must put a label to my actions, then yes, that is likely the most accurate. I've sacrificed my safety because I know I can do good. Sometimes bad men die when I do good. I don't regret that. I don't regret feeling alive."

As far as Gillian, "  ... there was no magic between me and Gunner, just flesh and bone and blood and heat and my heart breaking because the taste of human touch was confirmation that I wouldn't survive much longer in my self-induced isolation. I was wasting away inside, and Gunner was an antidote."

Gunner and Gillian are great characters, wonderfully fleshed out in just a few words, and their romance is a slow flame (with just a brief sex scene) but, oh my gawd, that brief glimpse is tantalizing

Poe gives us a steampunk western town, complete with an epic villain, and it all works together so seamlessly that you cannot wait to read the next book in the series.  5 stars.

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. 
Visit my blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews

[Caz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Engineer is the novella-length first instalment in C.S. Poe’s Steampunk AU Magic & Steam series, and it’s an entertaining mash up of magic, steampunk and Wild West historical. Magic caster and Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Magic and Steam Gillian Hamilton is sent to Shallow Grave, Arizona to apprehend a dangerous ‘mad-scientist’ engineer by the name of Milo Ferguson aka The Tinkerer, who is wanted for a number of illegal uses of steam energy and magic.  We’re plunged straight into the action as Gillian arrives in Shallow Grave and finds himself being shot at before he’s so much as identified himself. He’s surprised to find he has an ally in his skirmish with Ferguson, a handsome cowboy clad in all in black he later recognises as the mysterious vigilante gunslinger known only as Gunner the Deadly – who is also a wanted criminal.

Gunner and Gillian call a temporary truce and decide to work together to capture the Tinkerer, facing his deadly, gloriously bonkers inventions (steam-powered spider-legged Gatling guns! Massive armoured locomotives! Lightning bullets!) in some high-stakes action scenes that are cinematic in scope.  The world-building is solid with clear explanations of how magic works in this world, and of the hierarchical structure – although I suspect, given something Gillian discovers near the end, there is more to come on that score.

The author packs a lot of story and character development into this fast-paced novella.  Gillian is the PoV character, so Gunner is rather enigmatic, but he nonetheless has a considerable impact on Gillian’s outlook and the way he views his government job, making him see that perhaps there isn’t such a great gulf between them after all, and that they’re both operating in grey areas rather than in the starkness of black and white.

The characters are quirky and engaging, and the author creates a strong connection between them despite the short page count. Gillian is an extremely powerful magician, but is otherwise insecure and struggles with his sexuality, keeping himself apart and denying himself the solace of human touch so as not to engender rumours among his colleagues.  Gunner is a gorgeous and enigmatic bad-boy who turns out to be quite different to what Gillian expected, a kind of latter day Robin Hood who makes no bones about the fact that – “Sometimes bad men die when I do good. I don't regret that.”  Meeting Gunner kicks Gillian’s libido into gear and once he realises his interest is returned he decides to go for it; they have great chemistry, and even though we don’t get into Gunner’s head, it’s clear that he’s rather smitten with Gillian as well, and that he sees beyond the reserved exterior to something of who he really is inside.

There are hints that there's more to Gillian than meets the eye, and I'm intrigued to find out more about him and his considerable magical abilities. As this is an ongoing series, there’s no HEA in this book, but it ends on a firm HFN for Gillian and Gunner and the promise of more adventures to come.  The Engineer was a quick and absorbing read, and I'm looking forward to reading The Gangster, the next instalment in the series.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is very different from what I normally read. I picked it because it's C.S. Poe!!! I enjoyed it, but it's very different from Poe's other works. Not in a bad way. 😊 I do plan to continue the series, but not sure when. I didn't love it enough to pay full price so I'll have to wait for a sale or hope my library gets it.

3 not bad stars.

[Barb ~rede-2-read~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio review:

A short but very entertaining audio, this story was my introduction to narrator Declan Winters and he was fabulous! Steampunk has never been my theme of choice and yet every steampunk story I’ve read has been highly imaginative and very intriguing. This was no exception.

Special Agent Gillian Hamilton is on the hunt for a madman engineer known as Tinkerer, but also on the hunt is the very handsome, very bad-boy outlaw Gunner the Deadly. He’s so handsome and so very bad that Gillian can’t keep his heart and his virginal libido under control. Then, he learns just how much Gunner finds him attractive and just how much Gunner’s reputation is skewed, and he’s confronted with a tough choice: join with the outlaw and bring down Tinkerer or try to arrest Gunner first and then go after the mad engineer.

Amid several action-packed shoot-‘em-up scenes, Gillian and Gunner have a few minutes of alone time and it becomes evident that Gunner is a man who likes men, just as Gillian is, and Gillian’s heart is lost. What I’m trying to say is that this is so sweet, yet so true to the time period, and with a bit of magic and steampunk added to the mix, the story was terrific. Add to that the outstanding narrative with a great mix of voices, and this is definitely an audiobook I recommend.

NOTE: This audio book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[M'rella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warnings:

- This book is all about steampunk and adventure. Don't expect sex, there is only one (and very tame at that) scene. UST is plenty to go around, tho :)
- A little bit too much attention from the author to minor details that really didn't matter - tiny info dumps that thankfully disappeared after the first 25% of the book.
- Insta(?) love. We are talking a span of two days here. However, both Gillian and Gunner are so starved for attention (affection, really), that I can see how their short encounter might lead to something bigger and better and permanent.

Nice quick read. 4 solid stars :D
Can't wait for the next installment!

Eugenia, thank you very much for lending me this title! :)

[Skirmish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Reaction: https://neverhollowed.com/2020/10/20/...
Rating: 4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step away

[GeishaX · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.3 Stars
I kept this prequel to C.S. Poe's "Magic & Steam"-Series) in the waiting queue for a really long time, despite the fact that I love a good steampunk setting and the blurb sounded promising.
The reason for that was that I had low expectations, because the one other book by C.S. Poe that I had read hadn't really done it for me at all. And because I hate short novels, it needs a really really good author to make them fleshed out enough to draw me really in.

So while I still feel my general dislike of shortstories or novellas is valid and "The Engineer" has not convinced me otherwise, and while I thought the author showed the same disappointing disposition of sticking to the well known clichéd cast of characters at first glance (you know, the smallish, virgin, blushing, swooning, has-to-rescued bottom and the darkly handsome, experienced, much taller and well muscled top - this is a cliché that despite being so common in m/m romances really bothers me, because it seems constructed as a parallel to heteronormative couples) the novel also showed promise in several aspects.

For one I liked the world building, even if I could have done with a few more explanations and sometimes the villain seemed to pull a complete deus-ex-machina that wasn't really plausible to me. But still, delightfully steampunky setting. My stamp of approval here.

Also I the one small sex scene gave me a little reason at least to hope that the couple may yet break out if it's boring mould in future volumes.

I did think the end was too hurried and sudden - but well, novella ... again.
Overall though I was rather pleasantly surprised that my low expectations were surpassed and I am curious to see where the series will go.

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very fun and entertaining. It's a good starting point for a series, let's see how this goes until the end. I liked both main characters and the world they're into is interesting. I also liked the magic system, and that mix of mechanisms and magic. I thought it was very interesting that the magic takes its toll in the caster and that it also can be very dangerous and destructive. I'm looking forward to read more about that.
Another thing I liked about the plot is that the casters needs to be registered for their own "protection", or so the Goverment claims... I'm sure this won't bring anything good in the future... that kind of registration can be dangerous in its own way...
The BR with Linda was awesome and I'm looking forward to keep reading about this characters and world.

[C.S. Poe]

Buy Links:

Ebooks, Paperback, and Audio

[Ben Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Around 2011 I was really into the idea of Steampunk. I read a couple that I enjoyed like Dearly, Departed and Soulless, but I never really got into the sub-genre.

However, it's clear I'm still interested as I really enjoyed The Engineer.

The novella follows Special Agent Gillian Hamilton as he hunts down the murderous maniac known as the Tinkerer. Along the way Gillian meets Gunner the Deadly, a robinhood-esque outlaw. They're both hunting the same man, so they call a truce for the time being. But as the two work together, they develop feelings for each other that complicates things.

The sequel The Gangster is a full length novel, so I'm looking forward to more of Gillian and Gunnar!

[Fny · Rating 4 out of 5]

On gosh this was way too short.... but a great beginning to a series. The follow up will be out 12th of January and I’ll need it asap (good it’s an ebook as I can buy those without feeling bad I’m about shelf space...)

Where to begin. It’s a steampunk inspired western with elemental magic. Yea and a steamy beginning to a romance that I’m all here for. Gosh. It was action form the get go and I was drawn into the story directly. I want to know more about the world and about Mr Federal Magic Agent Gillian Hamilton and his Vigilante LI Mr C.G. Gosh. My feelings are all over the place.

That ending. Left. Me. Wanting. More.
.
This was a short first installment(only 84 p) of a new steampunk series called Magic & Steam and I can’t wait before I can devour the next book.
This one easily gets a 4/5⭐️ from me.

[Sammy Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★★½

I don't know why I waited so long to read this as it's amazing. I didn’t think I would like Steampunk, but I was so wrong! This may have been short but it packs a punch. The world is described beautifully and I loved the mass up of Steampunk, a western and then some magic is thrown in for good measure. We don’t know much about the character's backgrounds but hopefully, more will be explained in the next book. The chemistry between Gunner & Gillian is off the charts and so was the quick sexy scene at the end. I can’t wait to read the next book!

[Finnegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great new series from C.S. Poe, filled with interesting worldbuilding, steampunk and magic. There were UST galore, and I'm sure that will be more developed in the next book of the series. All in all, I really liked the concept and will be reading more.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a real good start to a new series and showed perfectly why I love steampunk books.

Gilian and Gunner are great characters ... not one-dimensional but with different quirks and hang-ups

Looking forward to the next book

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a bit of a slow start for me, but I am intrigued and will be picking up the next installment.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book starts with a bang...literally. It presents an awesome set of complicated, competent heroes who deserve each other...even if they don’t believe it yet. Also, the setting was a character of its own, not to be ignored. The affection between Gunner and Gillian develops quite quickly...but after all this is a novella of 148 pages so time really had to be speeded up. Great book with action literally from beginning to end...and a bonus of a little history thrown in... but this should be expected from the author that brought us the Winter and Snow series

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steampunk isnt normally my thing but I did enjoy this. The first book in what I hope is going to be a good series.

[Miriam on hiatus · Rating 3 out of 5]

4.5 stars audio
3.25 stars story because I'm not a fan of steampunk or fantasy.

[QuietlyKat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I’ve never read anything by C.S. Poe before, I expected to enjoy this one more than I did. I mean, it’s steampunk. Better yet, it’s queer steampunk! And the blurb sounded right up my alley. Those aspects of the story DID work for me but… I don’t know… the storytelling felt a bit lackluster and elements of the plot felt too ‘convenient,’ not necessarily forced, but too easy and not very organic. Beyond that, while I liked the world building conceptually, it didn’t feel very fleshed out, in many aspects it felt very superficial, and like some of the plot elements, too easy and convenient. I’m not explaining myself well but suffice to say the depth and dexterity of the storytelling just wasn’t there for me.

I did like the characters and the world but I’m not sure about continuing… if the series was KU or if my library had it, I’d give The Gangster a chance, but while it’s only $4, I’m not sure I want to spend even that much on mediocre. I’m going to give the sample a go but at the moment, I’m leaning more toward being done with this series.

Unread books on my kindle: 71 (I dumped a handful of samples about which I was feeling ambivalent after my last Get-Through-My-Unread-Pile dud.)

ETA: After trying the sample for The Gangster, I’m perfectly content to end my journey with The Engineer. My interest just hasn’t been captured enough to continue.

[Kaity B · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

this was a very short book but a lot happened in it i was very impressed.

i think since it was so short that it is hard for me to rate it more than 2 or 3 stars

for the relationship, while it was an opposites attract and a little bit enemies to lovers. with that said i don't think i liked this relationship as much as i hoped. while yes it was a lot more developed than i initially thought it would be, it still felt as though it was rushed. but that is to be expected since the book is less than 100 pages.

i don't think i am going to continue with this series, i don't think it is for me but the writing was well done and i don't think this will be my last CS Poe book.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5

"The Engineer" is only 72 pages long, so I do not have much to say about this magic-steampunk, queer romance short story by C.S. Poe. It seems to serve as teaser/setup to the remainder of the Magic & Steam series (1 short story, 2 novels). "The Engineer" does an adequate job of introducing us to the world of Gillian Hamilton, Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Magic and Steam (steampunk ATF?) and vigilante Constantine Gunner (aka Gunner the Deadly). While the plot is resolved at the end of this story, the larger story arc continues in the next book (per the endnotes of "The Engineer"). This doesn't resolve with an HEA, but perhaps it's a HFN (although, even that is a stretch).

No content or trigger warnings necessary (there is one very chaste frotting scene between two men, but that shouldn't require a warning if you're opting to read a queer romance).

[Terri Jones]

Fantastic. Short and punchy--which is hard to write, particularly when combining steampunk and western and romance together with some neat complexity that bodes well for the series. I'm delighted. The novel is due out Dec 15. :D