Tagged: steampunk
Hopebreaker by Dean F. Wilson
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
In the world of Altadas, there are no more human births. The Regime is replacing the unborn with demons, while the Resistance is trying to destroy a drug called Hope that the demons need to survive.
Between these two warring factions lies Jacob, a man who profits from smuggling contraceptive amulets into the city of Blackout. He cares little about the Great Iron War, but a chance capture, and an even more accidental rescue, embroils him in a plot to starve the Regime from power.
When Hope is an enemy, Jacob finds it harder than he thought to remain indifferent. When the Resistance opts to field its experimental landship, the Hopebreaker, the world may find that one victory does not win a war.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy in conjunction with the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]
Two years ago I really couldn’t have told you what steampunk was but it’s really been growing on me, particularly of late. So when I had an opportunity to read Hopebreaker, I leaped at the chance. It sounded like some pretty good steampunk from the blurb and it turns out that I was not wrong in trusting the description.
What is really striking about the world of Wilson’s The Great Iron War series is that it’s a mixture of fantasy and science to create a special blend of steampunk. On the fantasy end, we have demons controlling the human population by swapping out the souls of human fetuses with the souls of demons. Magical amulets are worn by rebellious pregnant women to prevent this from happening. On the science end, we have things like the Hopebreaker and the other machines used by the Resistance and the Regime. They’re classic steampunk complete with steam-powered engines and a mixture of cold machinery and elegance. And the world-building itself was quite good because Wilson’s grasp of politics is also good. Not everything is so black and white in his world and oftentimes there are people caught in the middle of the faction fighting that just really want to live their lives in peace, thank you very much. There are traitors on both sides of the line and nothing is as it seems.
The main character Jacob was both excellent and hard to relate to. On the surface he is an excellent character: he’s a thirty year old man who has been smuggling as a way of staying alive and rebelling against the Regime. In theory he supports the Resistance by getting the demon-preventing amulets into the hands of women throughout the city but he really just wants to survive. He doesn’t support the Regime because of the whole demon thing but he doesn’t actively support the Resistance because sometimes they can be just as bad as the ‘bad guys’. But when he’s captured by the Regime and saved by the Resistance in a raid he really has no choice but to fight with them, particularly as he wants to stay alive. Then he finds out that maybe he’s not as neutral and uncaring as he would have liked, particularly around the smart, brave and morally ambiguous Resistance leader Taberah (she’s not the supreme leader but she does command a fair number of men). But once he meets Taberah that sort of gets to the crux of my problem with him as a character: I can’t connect with him on an emotional level. Sure, he displays emotions in theory but I really wasn’t feeling them from him. Maybe it’s just me but it was sort of disappointing that he seems to go through the novel with minimal emotional reactions to the crazy events unfolding all around him.
Despite my little quibble with Jacob, I did otherwise enjoy the novel because the plot was well paced and although it was sometimes predictable there were enough twists thrown in to keep things interesting. You can probably guess the end of the novel by about a third of the way through but it’s well written so it’s actually quite an enjoyable journey that will have you eagerly turning the pages to find out what happens next. Dean F. Wilson is excellent at writing suspense even when the outcome isn’t really in doubt and he sort of keeps a line of tension running through the novel that slowly ratchets up until things seem ready to explode. So like I said, you’ll probably be able to predict the ending but you’ll enjoy the plot and want to know what happens next all the same.
If you’re looking for a little steampunk in your life or just a great suspenseful novel with generally good characters, Hopebreaker is for you. It’s a great introduction to a steampunk world that I’m really looking forward to learning more about.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Second Daughter by Susan Kaye Quinn
(Cover picture courtesy of Susan Kaye Quinn’s site.)
The sequel to the steampunk fantasy romance Third Daughter (The Dharian Affairs #1) is here!
Assassins, skyships, and royal intrigue…
With plans for a second skyship exposed, Third Daughter Aniri fears her sister, Seledri, will be caught in a war between the three Queendoms. Seledri is the Second Daughter of Dharia, which means she had no choice in her arranged marriage to the First Son of Samir—a country with whom they may soon be at war. As Aniri fights to free her sister from a husband and a country she does not love, she questions her own rushed betrothal to Prince Malik, the noble barbarian who controls the skyship—and whether a love pledged in the heat of adventure can survive the looming threat of war.
Second Daughter is the second book in The Dharian Affairs trilogy (Third Daughter, Second Daughter, First Daughter). This steampunk-goes-to-Bollywood (Bollypunk!) romance takes place in an east-Indian-flavored alternate world filled with skyships, assassins, royal romance and intrigue.
[Full disclosure: After seeing my 5 star review of Third Daughter, Susan Kaye Quinn provided me with a free ebook of her second book in exchange for an honest review.]
As you guys know, I really don’t read much steampunk. It’s never really appealed to me as a genre but I’ve picked up the odd one here and there. I almost didn’t request Third Daughter on NetGalley several months ago, but I’m so glad I did. I was even happier when Susan Kaye Quinn contacted me about reviewing the sequel. I mean, after that doozy of a cliffhanger, how could I resist?
I definitely wasn’t disappointed with this second installment in the Dharian Affairs. It has just the right amount of romance, intrigue and action to make it an enjoyable sequel. What I really liked about Second Daughter was that not everything is as it seems: the people you think are villains are a little more ambiguous later on. I don’t want to reveal too many spoilers, but I will tell you that all of the plot twists and turns will keep you on the edge of your seat.
I like how Aniri has matured a little bit after her adventures in Jungali. She’s clearly in love with Ash but at the same time she’s getting cold feet about the impending wedding since she’s only known the guy for a couple of weeks. These doubts make the whole thing a little more realistic and allow Aniri to decide what she really wants out of life. Add to that the fact her sister is pregnant in a country that is on the verge of a civil war between the two princes and you’ve got the perfect recipe for some adventure. She meets her old lover Devesh and things quickly turn complicated but I promise you that this is not your typical love triangle. It’s pretty far from that, trust me.
As I mentioned earlier, the plot was insane. It wasn’t action movie fast but it was so interesting I couldn’t put my ereader down. After learning about the second skyship at the end of the first book, I knew things were going to be exciting. What I didn’t know was just how exciting this book would be! There’s so much intrigue George R. R. Martin would be proud. When I say things aren’t always what they seem in this book, I really do mean it.
If you haven’t yet checked out Third Daughter, you really should. Even if you’re not a huge steampunk fan, it’s worth giving it a try because the Dharian Affairs trilogy is just amazing. And if you’ve read the first book, getting Second Daughter is a no-brainer. It’s just that good.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
(Cover picture courtesy of Fat Girl Reading.)
The behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy. It cam swallow even battleships with one bite. The Darwnists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker powers.
Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan, they hope to bring the war to a halt. But when disaster strikes the Leviathan’s peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory.
Alek and Deryn will need great skill, new allies, and brave hearts to face what’s ahead
I’m finding that I like Behemoth more than I like Leviathan. Now that I’m more used to Scott Westerfeld’s steampunk world, things make a lot more sense. And since Scott Westerfeld has already set up his universe, he can focus on the plot and characters.
This time I was actually able to connect with both Deryn and Alek. This is probably because I was more familiar with the world and could actually focus on the characters. Alek is much more sympathetic this time around because he isn’t as much of a spoiled brat prince as he was before. Deryn is also much easier to connect with as her secret is in jeopardy multiple times.
The world-building is excellent and I absolutely love Keith Thompson’s illustrations, which help bring the world alive. Scott Westerfeld masterfully intertwines the events of the real First World War with the fake scenarios he has created. The plot is faster paced than that of Leviathan and much more unpredictable. Overall, Behemoth is an excellent novel that makes me eager for the last book in the trilogy, Goliath.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
(Cover picture courtesy of And the plot thickens…)
Alek is a prince without a throne. On the run from his own people he has only a fighting machine and a small band of men.
Deryn is a girl disguised as a guy in the British Air Service. She must fight for her cause—and protect her secret—at all costs.
Alek and Deryn are thrown together aboard the mighty airship Leviathan. Though fighting side by side, their worlds are far apart. British fabricated beasts versus German steam-powered war machines. They are enemies with everything to lose, yet somehow destined to be together.
Although it’s surprising considering how much I read, this was my first-ever encounter with steampunk. I like alternate history and I like speculative fiction (which is what steampunk is generally a combination of), but I’m not really sure I like steampunk. Perhaps it’s simply because I didn’t pick up the right book, but at the time I’m writing this, my feelings about the sub-genre are mixed.
As with all of his novels, Scott Westerfeld has wonderful world-building. The strange animal-machines of the Darwinists offer a very stark contrast to the iron and steel of the Clankers. He also took time to develop slang for the world, which is confusing at first but adds a lot more realism to this alternate 1914 Europe once you get used to it. Of course the wonderful illustrations by Keith Thompson deserve a lot of credit for bringing Scott Westerfeld’s bizarre world to life.
The plot speeds along, taking readers on a whirlwind journey. It’s rather disorienting at first, but readers are able to quickly get up to speed. This is the kind of book you can’t stop once you start, no matter how hard you try.
The only thing that fell flat for me was the characters. Some like Deryn, a natural tomboy pretending to be an actual boy, should have caught my attention, but she didn’t. Much like Alek, she is a decent enough character, but is not particularly memorable for me. This should not be possible because both main characters are three dimensional and have fascinating backstories, but for whatever reason, they just didn’t click for me. I would still recommend Leviathan, however, because this lack of connection is probably just me.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.
Guest Posting: Part 2
Since I’m posting over at We Heart Reading today, I figured why not post over at Steam Trains and Ghosts as well? Margaret, the blog’s owner, asked me if I could write my thoughts on steampunk. Is steampunk a serious genre? Is it here to stay? Find out by clicking here!