Category: Steampunk Page 1 of 5

Warriorborn by Jim Butcher: Butcher Serves Up Quite the Appetizer Before The Olympian Affair

WarriorbornWarriorborn

by Jim Butcher

DETAILS:
Series: The Cinder Spires, #1.5
Publisher: Podium Publishing Ulc
Publication Date: September 19, 2023
Format: eBook
Length: 146 pg.
Read Date: November 11, 2023
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

What’s Warriorborn About?

A little time has passed since we met our heroes—training was completed, people have new jobs, promotions were given, the threat of war looms larger, and so on. The status quo, in short, is in flux and everyone’s trying to settle in before things get really messed up.

The mysterious and deadly Warriorborn, Benedict Sorellin-Lancaster, has been promoted to lieutenant—as one example. And, as you can guess from this novella’s title, we will be focused on him. The Spirearch is sending him on a mission to retrieve certain documents that the Spirearch seems to have misplaced at a colony that’s gone radio silent. As backup, Benedict is assigned three other Warriorborn for this mission—deadly criminals put away by Benedict, who will earn freedom in return for their help here. Not exactly a merry band, but they should be enough to tackle most threats they encounter.

But what they find when they arrive at Dependence isn’t what anyone figured, and “most” quite definitely doesn’t mean “all.”

The Development of the Series

There are a couple of notable things about this novella—first of all, we get a great look into the Warriorborn as a whole, not just what we learned about Benedict in The Aeronaut’s Windlass. The Warriorborn was one of the most intriguing concepts from that book, so getting to learn more about them was a treat. That right there is enough to justify the purchase price.

But even better is the little updates we get about many of the primary characters, setting the stage for where they’ll be in The Olympian Affair. I was already eager to dive in—seeing these flashes of their future, and the way that the war is progressing just makes me want to tear into The Olympian Affair.

So, what did I think about Warriorborn?

This was a fast-moving thrill ride. Yeah, there’s some character development and exploration of some of what makes the various characters (particularly the new ones) tick. Butcher knows how to write action—if you’ve read anything by him, you know this. Throw in some clever dialogue, and that’s enough to satisfy me.

The threat that they discover once they get to Dependence is as creepy as you want. The world of The Cinder Spires isn’t a kind world, and it’s hard for humanity (and felinity) in more than one way, as we’re learning now. But as long as there are people like Benedict and the crew of Predator, maybe there’s hope.

Despite this being a bridge between Books 1 and 2 of the series, this wouldn’t make a bad jumping on point—if you like this quick taste of this world, you’ll want to go see how Benedict and the rest got to this point just as much as you’re going to want to see what happens to them next.

In a podcast interview, Butcher described this as “an apology novella,” due to how long it took to get the second book of the series completed. In the eyes of this fan, apology accepted.


3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

20 Books of Summer 2023: Wrap Up and Other Summer Reading

20 Books of Summer
Summer’s Over, so how did I do at this year’s challenge run by Cathy at 746 Books.

By the skin of my teeth—and using my own (not Cathy’s) dates—Memorial Day through Labor Day, the unofficial US Summer—I made it. I knew back in July when I said I should have a week to spare that I was going to be getting myself into trouble. What I didn’t know was that my library was going to deliver a book to me that was going to take 4 days longer to read than I’d expected (and I’d assumed it’d take me 5 in the first place). Throw in a Book Tour last week, and well, I had to scramble. Thankfully, the last book I had to read was a blast and I tore through it without regard to the deadline (honestly, I’d given up on finishing the challenge and only did it inadvertently), finishing it mid-morning today.

As of this morning, I’ve only posted about 13 of the books—that’s going to take me a bit to finish, especially at the rate I’ve been going lately.

On the whole, I’m glad I picked the books that I did. I might not have fallen head-over-heels for them all, but I’m glad for the experience, glad I scratched a curious itch, and/or glad I cut down the size of my TBR (we’ll ignore how I worked against that this summer for the moment). This might have been my most satisfying 20 Books yet. I had a lot of fun—which is the point, right?

Oh, I almost forgot. I did substitute one read, a totally acceptable thing for the Challenge, but something I typically resist. I’d been saying that I was going to read, Spirelli Paranormal Investigations: Episodes 1-3 by Kate Baray for months (even before I posted my 20 Books). But it turns out that I’d bought and read Spirelli Paranormal Investigations: Season One: Episodes 1-6, which is roughly 300 pages longer. So, yeah, it was a substitution, but a substitution that took 300 more pages to read. So, it really didn’t do me any favors when it came to completing this challenge (although having all six episodes was far more satisfying).

Also, earlier this summer I posted Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Summer 2023 to-Read List (That Aren’t on My 20 Books Challenge). How’d I do with those? I’ve read seven of those and should be tackling the other three soon. Possibly this month. Hopefully this month.

But for the immediate future, I have two Book Tours in the next week or so, two other review copies that I want to post about really soon—and a couple of NetGalley reads I need to take care of, too. That almost sounds like work, but thankfully, it’s work I want to do (even if I don’t get paid for it. All in all…it’s been a good summer.

✔ 1. The Curse of the Silver Pharaoh by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris (my post about it)
✔ 2. Spirelli Paranormal Investigations: Season One: Episodes 1-6 by Kate Baray (substitution)
✔ 3. The Lemon Man by Ken Bruton (my post about it)
✔ 4. The Flood Circle by Harry Connolly
✔ 5. Barking for Business by E.N. Crane (my post about it)
✔ 6. Random Sh*t Flying Through the Air by Jackson Ford (my post about it)
✔ 7. Eye of the Sh*t Storm by Jackson Ford (my post about it)
✔ 8. A Sh*tload of Crazy Powers by Jackson Ford
✔ 9. The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith
✔ 10. Stone of Asylum by Hilarey Johnson (my post about it)
✔ 11. Proxies by James T. Lambert (my post about it)
✔ 12. Teaching Moments by Troy Lambert
✔ 13. Stray Ally by Troy Lambert (my post about it)
✔ 14. Cutthroat Cupcakes by Cate Lawley (my post about it)
✔ 15. Shadow Ranch by Rebecca Carey Lyles
✔ 16. Pure of Heart by Danielle Parker (my post about it)
✔ 17. The Worst Man by Jon Rance (my post about it)
✔ 18. However Long the Day by Justin Reed (my post about it)
✔ 19. Klone’s Stronghold by Joyce Reynolds-Ward (my post about it)
✔ 20. Fuzzwiggs: The Switcheroo by Amy Maren Rice

20 Books of Summer '23 August Check In Chart

The Curse of the Silver Pharaoh by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris: A Little Steampunk, a Little Supernatural, A Lot of Fun

The Curse of the Silver PharaohThe Curse of the Silver Pharaoh

by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: Verity Fitzroy and the Ministry Seven, #1
Publication Date: October 15, 2016
Format: eBook
Length: 198 pg.
Read Date: July 4-5, 2023
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

Placing the Book

It’s been too many years (and too many books) since I read the early books in The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series, so I’m a little fuzzy on the Ministry Seven. But from things said throughout this book—and my dusty memory—I’d put this book slightly earlier than that series (or maybe right after book one…but I’m pretty sure it’s earlier). We’re in your classic Victorian Steampunk area dealing with an agent for the Ministry dealing with fringe science and other weirdness and the street urchins that he uses for things he can’t do.

Think the Baker Street Irregulars. But with goggles.

What’s The Curse of the Silver Pharaoh About?

Verity Fitzroy’s primary focus in life is finding out what happened to her parents and why. She’s tracked down one person who she’s convinced could help her—and when she attempts to contact him, she disturbs a Ministry operation involving their Ministry contact, Agent Harrison Thorne. Because things go so wrong during this operation an Egyptologist is kidnapped and Verity’s contact is gone.

Thorne recruits the Seven to help him track down the kidnap victim. All tracks lead to the Delancy Academy—a school outside of London for students gifted in the sciences (most of whom come from money, obviously). The oldest two are enrolled (and, shine, it should be said) in the Academy to try to discover the tie between the Academy and the kidnappers.

The rest take up residence on a nearby farm to wait for their chance to help out. These children aren’t ready for life in the countryside—the work is different from what they’re used to doing (scrambling for scraps on the streets of London) and the environment as a whole takes some adjusting.

So, what did I think about The Curse of the Silver Pharaoh?

I don’t have a lot to say about this, and it kind of bugs me. Because it seems like I should. I had a real blast with this—it had a different flavor as a whole than the Ministry books—there’s more of a supernatural bent to things, and the whole sexual-tension thing between Books and Braun is absent (obviously).

There’s more of a YA-feel to it, too. Largely because the oldest two in the Seven are young adults. But it doesn’t ever scream YA—it’s just a fun fish-out-of-water adventure for a bunch of Steampunk kids.

I liked the devices that the Academy’s students cooked up and would’ve been very content to spend a few months watching things at the school before the main action of the novel kicked in. Verity’s new friend Julia McTighe is part Luna Lovegood, part whatever Amari Peter’s best friend was called (I can’t believe I can’t come up with it)—and all sorts of fun. I hope they find a way to bring her back for the second book.

It’s a short, fast, steampunkily fun adventure. That’s good enough for me.


3 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

20 Books of Summer 2023: July Check-In

20 Books of Summer
Here’s a quick check-in for this challenge run by Cathy at 746 Books.

So far, I’ve read 11 of the 20—which puts me 2 behind last year (but 3 ahead of 2021, though). I should read at 2-3 over the rest of this week, so I’m feeling pretty good about where I am. I think I’ll have a week to spare.

Now I’ve only written about four of these books, so I’ve got my work cut out for me if I want to get caught up on these by the end of the Summer. It’s doable, but, I need to get to work on that.

✔ 1. The Curse of the Silver Pharaoh by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris
2. Spirelli Paranormal Investigations: Episodes 1-3 by Kate Baray
3. The Lemon Man by Ken Bruton
4. The Flood Circle by Harry Connolly
✔ 5. Barking for Business by E.N. Crane
✔ 6. Random Sh*t Flying Through the Air by Jackson Ford (my post about it)
✔ 7. Eye of the Sh*t Storm by Jackson Ford
8. A Sh*tload of Crazy Powers by Jackson Ford
✔ 9. The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith
10. Stone of Asylum by Hilarey Johnson
✔ 11. Proxies by James T. Lambert
12. Teaching Moments by Troy Lambert
✔ 13. Stray Ally by Troy Lambert
✔ 14. Cutthroat Cupcakes by Cate Lawley (my post about it)
15. Shadow Ranch by Rebecca Carey Lyles
✔ 16. Pure of Heart by Danielle Parker (my post about it)
✔ 17. The Worst Man by Jon Rance (my post about it)
18. However Long the Day by Justin Reed
✔ 19. Klone’s Stronghold by Joyce Reynolds-Ward (my post about it)
20. Fuzzwiggs: The Switcheroo by Amy Maren Rice

(subject to change, as is allowed, but I’m going to resist the impulse to tweak as much as I can).

20 Books of Summer '23 July Check In Chart

The Irresponsible Reader On…Self-Published Steampunk

(updated 7/25/23)
Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week

From the first moment that people did the strange thing of asking me to talk about their books on my blog, I’ve been impressed by the quality of a lot of what’s been published by authors going out on their own, taking all the risks, shouldering all the responsibility and doing all the work to get their words, their dreams, their blood, sweat, and tears. This should be celebrated—it’s definitely appreciated, as we’re trying to show this week.

In addition to the Q&As and Guest Posts I have this week, I’m also continuing my habit of highlighting the self-published works that I’ve blogged about over the last few years—just a sentence or two.  Hopefully, this’ll be enough to make you click on the link to the full post. Beyond that, it’d be great if I inspired you to add a few of these to your TBR. Also, be sure you check out the other posts over at the SPAAW Hub.

Today we’re going to be looking at Self-Published Steampunk. This list doubled this year. Okay, sure, that’s still not a lot. It hardly seems to justify a separate list. But I kept these on their own so they wouldn’t get lost in the SF mix. Consider this an open invitation for people to fill up my comment section with recommendations so I can post a longer version of this list next time I run this.

bullet The Curse of the Silver Pharaoh by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris—set in the same world as their Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series, this puts the adventurous group of homeless kids the Ministry uses in a private school to find an Egyptian artifact. I still need to write my post on it, but it’s worth your time.
bullet Bartleby and James: Edwardian Steampunk Chronicle by Michael Coorlim—these short stories are a nice little dose of Steampunk with a thin coating of Victorian P.I. Light fun. (my post about it)
bullet Bodacious Creed: A Steampunk Zombie Western by Jonathan Fesmire—the reanimated corpse of one of the most-feared lawmen in the West roots out a criminal organization set to rule California. (my post about it)
bullet Bodacious Creed and the Jade Lake by Jonathan Fesmire—Creed heads to SF and tangles with a human trafficking ring. (my post about it)
bullet Bodacious Creed and the San Francisco Syndicate by Jonathan Fesmire—Creed has settled into San Francisco and is on the hunt for an outlaw who uses machines to alter the bodies and minds of his victims. I haven’t read this yet, but I can’t pass up the chance to talk about it. Really looking forward to diving in.
bullet Aether Powered by James T. Lambert—A UW Engineering student inherits a trunkful of steampunk goodies from a distant relative. Action ensues. (my post about it)
bullet The Silk Empress by Josef Matulich—a brilliant and reckless British orphan finds himself on an airship on the Silk Road (well, technically, above it). It’s a rollicking adventure. (my post about it)
bullet The Golden Spider by Anne Renwick—a steamy Kraken-filled Steampunk story, lots of good action, and great inter-personal moments. (my post about it)

If you're a self-published author that I've featured on this blog and I didn't mention you in this post and should have. I'm sorry (unless you're this guy). Please drop me a line, and I'll fix this. I want to keep this regularly updated so I keep talking about Self-Published Authors.

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Footer

The 2023 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

20 Books of Summer 2023: June Check-In

20 Books of Summer
Here’s a quick check-in for this challenge run by Cathy at 746 Books.

So far, I’ve read 4 2/3—which puts me a little behind last year (still far ahead of 2021, though). I should read at least 1 1/3 this coming week, so I’m feeling pretty good about where I am. Since one of those four that I have finished was The Ink Black Heart and that took a week or so, I’m not that worried. None of the rest of these are nearly that much of a commitment.

1. The Curse of the Silver Pharaoh by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris
2. Spirelli Paranormal Investigations: Episodes 1-3 by Kate Baray
3. The Lemon Man by Ken Bruton
4. The Flood Circle by Harry Connolly
5. Barking for Business by E.N. Crane
✔ 6. Random Sh*t Flying Through the Air by Jackson Ford
7. Eye of the Sh*t Storm by Jackson Ford
8. A Sh*tload of Crazy Powers by Jackson Ford
✔ 9. The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith
10. Stone of Asylum by Hilarey Johnson
11. Proxies by James T. Lambert
12. Teaching Moments by Troy Lambert
13. Stray Ally by Troy Lambert
✔ 14. Cutthroat Cupcakes by Cate Lawley
15. Shadow Ranch by Rebecca Carey Lyles
16. Pure of Heart by Danielle Parker
✔ 17. The Worst Man by Jon Rance
18. However Long the Day by Justin Reed
19. Klone’s Stronghold by Joyce Reynolds-Ward
20. Fuzzwiggs: The Switcheroo by Amy Maren Rice

(subject to change, as is allowed, but I’m going to resist the impulse to tweak as much as I can).

20 Books of Summer '23 June Check In Chart

20 Books of Summer 2023: This Summer I Settle All Family Business

20 Books of Summer
Cathy at 746 Books is hosting 20 Books of Summer again. This challenge has been fun the few years and has proved to be a good way for me to actually focus on things I’ve gotten distracted from and/or impulse buys. This year, my personal theme is “This Summer I Settle All Family Business.” “All” isn’t quite right, but it’s close. I’m using this to take care of another reading challenge, to catch up on my Literary Locals reading, and to put a major dent in my Mt. TBR. It’s an ambitious list in a sense, but, I think I can do it. I mentioned the 3 Jackson Ford books on 2 posts last year as things I wanted to finish in 2022–and well, here they are. So I can at least catch up with some of my ambitions from last year (blech).

As usual, I’m going with the unofficial US Dates for Summer—Memorial Day to Labor Day (May 29 through September 4th), just because it’s easier for me to think that way. And I’ve needed those first few days of September more than once, but let’s not think about that. The mildly observant among you will note that I’m posting this after May 29, so I’m already late. At the earliest, I’ll start reading for this on June 5. We’ll make it interesting (I think it was last year or the year before I barely started before July, I will do better than that this year. Most likely).

There’s still time to join in the fun–if you’re into this kind of thing. (there are 10 and 15 book versions, too)

This summer, my 20 are going to be:

1. The Curse of the Silver Pharaoh by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris
2. Spirelli Paranormal Investigations: Episodes 1-3 by Kate Baray
3. The Lemon Man by Ken Bruton
4. The Flood Circle by Harry Connolly
5. Barking for Business by E.N. Crane
6. Random Sh*t Flying Through the Air by Jackson Ford
7. Eye of the Sh*t Storm by Jackson Ford
8. A Sh*tload of Crazy Powers by Jackson Ford
9. The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith
10. Stone of Asylum by Hilarey Johnson
11. Proxies by James T. Lambert
12. Teaching Moments by Troy Lambert
13. Stray Ally by Troy Lambert
14. Cutthroat Cupcakes by Cate Lawley
15. Shadow Ranch by Rebecca Carey Lyles
16. Pure of Heart by Danielle Parker
17. The Worst Man by Jon Rance
18. However Long the Day by Justin Reed
19. Klone’s Stronghold by Joyce Reynolds-Ward
20. Fuzzwiggs: The Switcheroo by Amy Maren Rice

(subject to change, as is allowed, but I’m going to resist the impulse to tweak as much as I can).

20 Books of Summer '23 Chart

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: The Thirteenth Hour by Trudie Skies

I’m very pleased today to welcome The Write Reads Blog Tour for Book One of The Cruel Gods series by Trudie Skies, The Thirteenth Hour. I’ve been hearing almost universally great things about this book since it was released (if not before), and it drives me crazy that I didn’t have time to read it for this Tour. Do yourself a favor and check out https://twitter.com/WriteReadsTours over the next few days to see a lot of bloggers write interesting things about it. The Thirteenth Hour was a finalist for the 2022 Book Blogger’s Novel of the Year Award, so you know there’s a lot of good to be said about it–but before getting to the spotlight for it, let’s start with a word about BBNYA.

BBNYA:

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner. If you are an author and wish to learn more about the BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website http://www.bbnya.com or Twitter @bbnya_official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

The Thirteenth Hour Tour Banner

Book Details:

Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Fantasy, Gaslamp Fantasy, Steampunk
Age Category: Adult
Release date: October 13, 2021
Format: Hardcover/Paperback/Ebook/Audiobook
Length: 535 pages
The Thirteenth Hour

About the Book:

When the saints fail, the sinners step up.

Cruel gods rule the steam-powered city of Chime, demanding worship and tribute from their mortal subjects. Kayl lost her faith in them long ago, and now seeks to protect vulnerable and downtrodden mortals from their gods’ whims. But when Kayl discovers powers that she didn’t know she had—and destroys a mortal’s soul by accident—she becomes Chime’s most wanted.

Quen’s job was to pursue sinners, until the visions started. Haunted by foreboding images of his beloved city’s destruction, Quen hunts soul-sucking creatures made of aether who prey on its citizens—and Kayl is his number one target.

To ensure Chime’s future, Kayl and Quen must discover the truth of Kayl’s divine abilities before the gods take matters into their own hands.

For a city that bows to cruel gods, it’ll take godless heathens to save it.

Book Links:

Amazon.ca ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Goodreads

About the Authors:

Trudie SkiesTrudie Skies is a British indie author who has been living inside fantasy worlds ever since they discovered that reality doesn’t quite live up to the hype. Through the magic of books, they wish to share these worlds of hope and heroes with other weary souls. You can chat with Trudie on Twitter @TrudieSkies, or to find out more about Trudie and her fantasy worlds, visit www.TrudieSkies.com.

My thanks to The Write Reads for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

The Silk Empress by Josef Matulich: A Rollicking Steampunk Adventure on the High Silk Road

Be sure to come back this afternoon for a Q&A with the author, Josef Matulich


The Silk EmpressThe Silk Empress

by Josef Matulich

DETAILS:
Publisher: Dalmatian Alley Books
Publication Date: December 11, 2022
Format: eBook
Length: 332 pg.
Read Date: February 2-6, 2023
Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org


N/B: After I wrote this post, I saw that Matulich calls this “an adult novel with YA sensibilities” in our Q&A. That is a great way to describe the book, but I read it under the impression given by a certain eBook seller who labeled it as for readers of 12-18, and judged it accordingly. Some of what I said below reflects that. So take those with a grain of salt.

Finally, the Captain spoke: “You’re insane.”

“And that’s what will save us all,”Feng Po said with a smile. “We have about ten seconds before our friends out here realize we aren’t going to fall out of the sky by ourselves. If you have a brighter idea, I will be glad to execute it.”

The Captain spent five of those ten seconds in silence. He came back on the wire with a grunt and an unhappy tone.

“This is what Mme. Streif hired you for. You’d better be right.”

“If I’m not, I’ll be dead and wrong, and that should make you very happy in the Afterlife.”

What’s The Silk Empress About?

Our hero is Algie Piggrem (not surprisingly, nicknamed “Pig” by many), a twelve-year-old First Mate’s apprentice on the airship Wu Zetian flying along the High Silk Road between China and Europe. In the first chapter he and the first mate, Feng Po McLaren, try out some experimental weapons to fight off some air pirates. Algie is fueled more by adventure stories from penny dreadfuls than by common sense or an instinct for survival and takes risks with a panache that will endear him to the reader immediately.

This attack, and the way that Algie and Feng Po succeeded, will bring them (especially Algie) to the attention of the owner of their company, a regional British governor, and others—before he knows it, Algie is in the middle of some high-stakes intrigue.

The Flashbacks

I am depending upon you to do something both brilliant and short-sighted.”

That comes late in the novel, but it’s in the flashbacks that we get to see how Algie develops this ability.

We get to see a little bit of what happened to Algie right after he was orphaned—how he reacts to that, both in good and unfortunate ways—in flashbacks scattered throughout, leading up to the time he joined the crew of Wu Zetian. The way his mother raised him and the books that he read shaping his mind to act in certain ways (or at least attempt to) tells us a lot about him in the present, and how he has grown and learned from those days.

He shows his gallant and would-be heroic impulses from the beginning—his impulsivity and creativity, too. He learns (the hard way) that he can’t win every time, but it doesn’t stop him.

The Worldbuilding

if you have problems believing that a man from Nigeria might be able to outdo the best minds of the British Empire, I could bring in Mister Liu to explain the science of these fire suppression spheres,” Mme. Streif said coolly. “His English is quite good and he can speak very slowly if you have problems with the larger words.”

The worldbuilding here is outstanding. The obvious thing to look at in a Steampunk book is the tech—I really enjoyed that, both the airship Wu Zetian (and the rest) as well as the smaller, everyday tech. The revolutionary stuff that Algie and the rest encounter—like the clockwork dragon, and similar automatons, is just fantastic. It’s precisely the kind of thing you go looking for in a Steampunk work—it sounds great and you get just a hint of the kind of science that would make it possible. It’s enough like your typical Steampunk technology to feel familiar, but Matulich puts his own spin (helped in large part by the setting) on it, so it feels fresh.

The setting and the people it’s populated with, however, are probably even better than the Steampunk-ness. In addition to the typical Victorian English that usually populate Steampunk, you have people like the Scottish-born (and accented), Feng Po McLaren. But beyond him, there are characters of ethnicities and nationalities like Uyghurs, Chinese, Nigerians, Americans, and French citizens. These all come from a variety of religious, social, and economic backgrounds and combine in this book with a mix of curiosity and acceptance—as well as a decent helping of elitism and racism (as is to be sadly expected). It’s a great way to show how the kind of transportation and technology in this world is bringing things together a little faster than it did in our reality—in addition to the diversity just making things entertaining.

The use of so many non-English phrases (translated in endnotes) is a fun—if occasionally frustrating—plus as well. There were times I was annoyed by having to break from the action to look up the translation—although context would carry you through a scene if you want to finish it before checking the note.

The Illustrations

There are a few illustrations by Seth Lyons (who also did the great cover) starting off each chapter. A few didn’t do much for me, most were pretty good—a few were excellent. I don’t know that the book needs them—but I certainly don’t think they hurt it. Overall, they’re a nice little touch and do a great job of capturing and reflecting the tone and gadgets of the book. They might be a real bonus to a young reader dipping his toe into steampunk for the first time and isn’t sure how to imagine some things.

So, what did I think about The Silk Empress?

“There is a picaroon cutter lying in wait for us about seven kilometers off the port bow.”

“Air pirates?”

“So they are called in Adventure Stories for Boys. I usually just call them well-armed layabouts. Less pressure to live up to expectations that way.”

I’ve tried to stay pretty vague above while talking about a few things that really stood out—because half of the fun of this novel is in the discovery of this world and learning with Algie just what he’s found himself in the middle of. It’s a bonkers adventure—fit for one of Algie’s adventure novels.

I’ve only read one other YA Steampunk—Westerfeld’s Leviathan trilogy—so that’s all I have to compare this to. Matulich’s world is just as intricate and volatile, this book is just a bit leaner than any of Westerfeld’s. Also, this is more fun. That’s not a knock on Leviathan—they’re in a war and trying to stop it. This is more of an action/adventure lark (at least initially). But fans of one should check out the other. Some of the humor is a bit more “adult” than YA—but it’ll either fly right over the heads of a reader or give them a grin.

It’s not just the action or antics that make this an entertaining read—Matulich’s a writer that you want to read. There is a subtle charm to his phrasing, for example—he can take a pretty straightforward sentence or sentiment and tweak it just a bit to make it something that’ll stand out.

I don’t know if there are more books in this universe planned—but man, I hope so. I could live with this as a stand-alone, but I’d really appreciate at least a duology. I’m betting you’ll feel the same way. But first, you need to read The Silk Empress, and I encourage you to do so (and then pass it along to a YA reader).


3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Bartleby and James: Edwardian Steampunk Chronicle by Michael Coorlim: Fun, Fast Steampunk Mysteries

Bartleby and James: Edwardian Steampunk ChronicleBartleby and James:
Edwardian Steampunk Chronicle

by Michael Coorlim

DETAILS:
Series: Galvanic Century, Book One
Publisher: Pomoconsumption Press
Publication Date: September 10, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
Length: 123 pg.
Read Date: January 7, 2023
Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org

“Good news, James,” he said. “We are to be detectives.”

I looked up from my workstation, the jeweller’s loupe in my eye distorting his otherwise handsome face. “I’ve no desire to be a detective.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Bartleby said. “For it’s what we’re to be.”

What’s Bartleby and James: Edwardian Steampunk Chronicle About?

Alton Bartleby is something of an intellectual dilettante—he has some degree of brilliance and uses it to flit around from idea to idea, interest to interest, and so on. He gets very invested in some sort of project or occupation for a little while, and then plunges wholeheartedly into something else. Thankfully (for him) he has the wealth to indulge his flitting attention span.

James Wainwright is his friend—Wainwright’s a brilliant engineer, who is far more interested in whatever device he’s fiddling with than interacting with anyone. He seems to go along with Bartleby helping him out with whatever flight of fancy he’s on. But he’s not so sure about his latest idea—after meeting a certain retired Consulting Detective who now keeps bees, Bartleby wants to be a detective.

He sticks with it for longer than Wainwright or his fiancé expects—this book collects four short stories recounting some of their earliest cases. The Duo tangles with an automaton assassin, an out-of-control airship, a rogue spiritualist, and more.

The Tone

“I may be able calibrate my Forensic Viewers and attune them to his particular N- Ray signature.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“My science goggles can track him.”

“Brilliant!”

These stories are told with a very light touch—they’re not comedic, but they have their moments, but they’re definitely not stories that take themselves too seriously.

That doesn’t stop them from brushing up against serious thoughts or emotions—and there is a little bit of character growth (and the “little bit” is solely a function of the brevity of the collection based on what I’ve read). Bartleby is largely the same man we meet in the beginning, except that he doesn’t seem to be tiring of being a detective. James, on the other hand, is definitely not someone he’d recognize from his pre-detective days.

So, what did I think about Bartleby and James: Edwardian Steampunk Chronicle?

Bartleby shook his head. “Look, can you invent… detective things?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

“I don’t know. You’re the engineer.”

This was a fun, quick read—a nice little dose of Steampunk with a thin coating of Victorian P.I.

The stories were all a little too brief for me, I could barely get my teeth sunk into them—I’d prefer one story told over 120 pages rather than four.

But these were fun enough that I can see myself going on with the books. And think just about anyone would, too.


3 Stars
This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Page 1 of 5

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén