What do you think?
Rate this book
The Society of Steam #2
Hearts of Smoke and Steam
Superheroes and steampunk come together in 19th century New York. Sir Dennis Darby has been murdered, the Automaton has been destroyed, and Sarah Stanton has turned her back on a life of privilege and comfort to try and find her way in the unforgiving streets of New York. But Lord Eschaton, the villain behind all these events, isn't finished with her yet. His plans to bring his apocalyptic vision of the future to the world are moving forward, but to complete his scheme he needs the clockwork heart that Sarah still holds. But she has her own plans for the Automaton's clockwork heart--Sarah is trying to rebuild her mechanical friend, and when she is attacked by the Children of Eschaton, the man who comes to her rescue may be the one to make her dreams come true. Emelio Armando is a genius inventor who had hoped to leave his troubles behind when he and his sister left Italy for a life of anonymity in the New World. Now he finds himself falling in love with the fallen society girl, but he is rapidly discovering just how powerful the forces of villainy aligned against her are, and that fulfilling her desires means opening the door to a world of danger that could destroy everything he has built. The Society of Steam takes place in a Victorian New York powered by the discovery of Fortified Steam, a substance that allows ordinary men to wield extraordinary abilities and grants powers that can corrupt gentlemen of great moral strength. The secret behind this amazing substance is something that wicked brutes will gladly kill for, and one that Sarah must try and protect, no matter what the cost.
327 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
4 people are currently reading
447 people want to read
About the author
Andrew P. Mayer
11 books66 followersAndrew P. Mayer is an author and video game designer.
His first novel series, the acclaimed steampunk superhero trilogy, The Society of Steam, was published by Pyr books.
He has published two volumes of "The Fool", a cross-dimensional fantasy series, and is currently hard at work on a new epic fantasy series.
Andrew currently lives in Portland, Oregon, where he crafts his novels on cloudy days.
His first novel series, the acclaimed steampunk superhero trilogy, The Society of Steam, was published by Pyr books.
He has published two volumes of "The Fool", a cross-dimensional fantasy series, and is currently hard at work on a new epic fantasy series.
Andrew currently lives in Portland, Oregon, where he crafts his novels on cloudy days.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
February 22, 2012
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)
This is volume two of a new "steampunk meets superheroes" series from Andrew P. Mayer, a rather potboilerish adventure tale about masked vigilantes with fantastical weapons fighting crime in late-1800s New York; I reviewed the first volume last year and found it only so-so, while after finishing this latest found it…er, only so-so. And that's because Mayer never really does anything with this admittedly fascinating premise once he comes up with it; the action scenes are ho-hum, the dialogue purposely written with a kind of comic-book simplicity, and in general with plot developments that never rise above the clunky pulp serials that Mayer is obviously trying to emulate. And that's not bad if that's specifically what you're looking for, which is why it's getting at least an okay score today; but I'll warn you now that you'll be bored and disappointed if you're expecting even an ounce more than a competent genre quickie, and that this should be kept in mind if you're picking it up yourself. It comes recommended to steampunk fans who have a high degree of patience, but pretty much no one else.
Out of 10: 7.6
This is volume two of a new "steampunk meets superheroes" series from Andrew P. Mayer, a rather potboilerish adventure tale about masked vigilantes with fantastical weapons fighting crime in late-1800s New York; I reviewed the first volume last year and found it only so-so, while after finishing this latest found it…er, only so-so. And that's because Mayer never really does anything with this admittedly fascinating premise once he comes up with it; the action scenes are ho-hum, the dialogue purposely written with a kind of comic-book simplicity, and in general with plot developments that never rise above the clunky pulp serials that Mayer is obviously trying to emulate. And that's not bad if that's specifically what you're looking for, which is why it's getting at least an okay score today; but I'll warn you now that you'll be bored and disappointed if you're expecting even an ounce more than a competent genre quickie, and that this should be kept in mind if you're picking it up yourself. It comes recommended to steampunk fans who have a high degree of patience, but pretty much no one else.
Out of 10: 7.6
November 18, 2011
In THE FALLING MACHINE you were left with a cliffhanger: during the battle with Lord Eschaton, Tom is dismantled and Sarah leaves home after a fight with her father.
In the continuation, HEARTS OF SMOKE AND STEAM begins over a month later. Even though Tom was destroyed, Sarah was able to recover his heart in the chaos. Unfortunately it's broken, and she needs to find someone to repair the heart, but doesn't trust the majority of the people in New York who are able to do it. Her search leads her to Emilio Armando, an Italian immigrant and inventor—whose past, if Sarah knew it, would make her think twice about trusting him with Tom's secret.
In the meantime, the Paragons have lost two of their rank, and must find help, as the remainder of them aren't getting any younger. They interview new applicants—a strange and varied assortment—and discover King Jupiter, who appears to not only be able to create amazing technology, but who may just have supernatural powers. Don't forget, however, that in FALLING we learn that one of the Paragons is a traitor. The Paragons are in great danger, and as a result so is New York.
After a slow start, the action in HEARTS moves very quickly, even more than in FALLING. I read the books in succession, and after I was finished I had to sit on it for a while to absorb everything before I could disseminate how I feel about this series thus far. The action moves fast and is detailed, but like in FALLING the actual plot isn't much further than when we started; I could probably number the main plot events on one hand. This doesn't mean, however, that FALLING and HEART aren't lots of fun to read, because they are. I only wished there were more. (Hrm. Wanting more isn't necessarily a bad thing, is it?)
There are more points of view here compared to the previous book, and the switching back and forth isn't strictly chronological. Mayer will move PoVs around in time in order to cover simultaneous character viewpoints in an important scene. While it's helpful for knowing all the events in a scene and each character's motivations, it does get confusing. Mayer did it in FALLING, too, but not as much as he does in HEART and it got frustrating when I was more interested in the forward movement of the plot.
Sarah must deal with the reality of being a working-class girl in 1880s New York, find a trustworthy repairman, and keep her identity secret from the Children of Eschaton who will do anything to retrieve the heart. She wants to be a hero like her father and the Paragons, but she's discovering that it isn't all adventure—it's dangerous and frightening work. But Sarah is determined, and works past her worries in order to restore Tom, which she believes is the only thing who can stop Lord Eschaton and his 'children'. Tom was the most interesting character in FALLING, but in HEART there's very little of him—and most of that is his disassembled parts. This was a frustration. The story is about him, and yet we see very little of him. Fortunately we are introduced to some new characters, including Emilio, who's trying to move past his complicated history. These new viewpoints add flavor to the storytelling.
The majority of the setting is established in FALLING, but in HEART Mayer doesn't set it aside in favor of plot advancement. We still get to see new and exciting inventions, learn more about what life was like in 1880s New York, and discover some fascinating things about Tom and the true genius of Dennis Darby, his inventor.
More self-contained than the first book, HEARTS ends without as big of a cliffhanger...comparably. Not that Mayer doesn't like to leave you at the edge of your seat. He promises more adventure, and has set up for a spectacular continuation.
Recommended Age: 14+
Language: Very little
Violence: People get stabbed or shot, some death, but not detailed enough to be gory
Sex: Innuendo—there was none at all in FALLING, but here there's the potential for a romantic relationship, and the prudish mores of New York's high society are addressed; there are also references to erotic art
(This review is from the ARC.)
In the continuation, HEARTS OF SMOKE AND STEAM begins over a month later. Even though Tom was destroyed, Sarah was able to recover his heart in the chaos. Unfortunately it's broken, and she needs to find someone to repair the heart, but doesn't trust the majority of the people in New York who are able to do it. Her search leads her to Emilio Armando, an Italian immigrant and inventor—whose past, if Sarah knew it, would make her think twice about trusting him with Tom's secret.
In the meantime, the Paragons have lost two of their rank, and must find help, as the remainder of them aren't getting any younger. They interview new applicants—a strange and varied assortment—and discover King Jupiter, who appears to not only be able to create amazing technology, but who may just have supernatural powers. Don't forget, however, that in FALLING we learn that one of the Paragons is a traitor. The Paragons are in great danger, and as a result so is New York.
After a slow start, the action in HEARTS moves very quickly, even more than in FALLING. I read the books in succession, and after I was finished I had to sit on it for a while to absorb everything before I could disseminate how I feel about this series thus far. The action moves fast and is detailed, but like in FALLING the actual plot isn't much further than when we started; I could probably number the main plot events on one hand. This doesn't mean, however, that FALLING and HEART aren't lots of fun to read, because they are. I only wished there were more. (Hrm. Wanting more isn't necessarily a bad thing, is it?)
There are more points of view here compared to the previous book, and the switching back and forth isn't strictly chronological. Mayer will move PoVs around in time in order to cover simultaneous character viewpoints in an important scene. While it's helpful for knowing all the events in a scene and each character's motivations, it does get confusing. Mayer did it in FALLING, too, but not as much as he does in HEART and it got frustrating when I was more interested in the forward movement of the plot.
Sarah must deal with the reality of being a working-class girl in 1880s New York, find a trustworthy repairman, and keep her identity secret from the Children of Eschaton who will do anything to retrieve the heart. She wants to be a hero like her father and the Paragons, but she's discovering that it isn't all adventure—it's dangerous and frightening work. But Sarah is determined, and works past her worries in order to restore Tom, which she believes is the only thing who can stop Lord Eschaton and his 'children'. Tom was the most interesting character in FALLING, but in HEART there's very little of him—and most of that is his disassembled parts. This was a frustration. The story is about him, and yet we see very little of him. Fortunately we are introduced to some new characters, including Emilio, who's trying to move past his complicated history. These new viewpoints add flavor to the storytelling.
The majority of the setting is established in FALLING, but in HEART Mayer doesn't set it aside in favor of plot advancement. We still get to see new and exciting inventions, learn more about what life was like in 1880s New York, and discover some fascinating things about Tom and the true genius of Dennis Darby, his inventor.
More self-contained than the first book, HEARTS ends without as big of a cliffhanger...comparably. Not that Mayer doesn't like to leave you at the edge of your seat. He promises more adventure, and has set up for a spectacular continuation.
Recommended Age: 14+
Language: Very little
Violence: People get stabbed or shot, some death, but not detailed enough to be gory
Sex: Innuendo—there was none at all in FALLING, but here there's the potential for a romantic relationship, and the prudish mores of New York's high society are addressed; there are also references to erotic art
(This review is from the ARC.)
July 23, 2014
As I will do the full FBC review next week and c/p it, I will limit myself to several points for now:
- the book builds on the first one and while it introduces some new characters, the focus remains on Sarah, Nathaniel and several villains so it's highly useful to read Falling Machine first
- same page turning qualities and all around fun that never descends into farce
- emotional moments, action galore and quite a lot of character growth, while the world building is still top notch
- another sort of cliffhanger ending, but this time the book feels more solid than the first installment which was a bit too short - maybe the fact that we are now in the midst of the action rather than having to introduce stuff helps, but I also thought the book was longer as pages go too
- and not least, lots of important things happen while many mysteries remain (or are introduced) so lots of promise for the next book too
An awesome cover to boot
Full FBC Rv:
INTRODUCTION: A steampunk adventure series set in the 1880's New York City with superheroes and super-villains that use "fortified steam" for their powers, The Society of Steam brings the same exuberant feel that we came to expect from this subgenre. The first novel, "The Falling Machine", was a fun ride which kept me turning the pages until the end though it had two related problems - it ended on a cliffhanger which usually would not bother me overmuch, but it also felt a little short as pages go.
I still enjoyed it quite a lot and was happy to recommend it, while luckily the second series novel Hearts of Smoke and Steam is now available to continue the adventure of Sarah Stanton aka The Adventuress , Nathaniel Winthrop aka The Turbine Man and their heartless enemies Lord Eschaton and his minions, whose dastardly plans are finally made clearer!
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: As it starts several weeks after the ending of The Falling Machine, while recounting the events in-between, Hearts of Smoke and Steam builds heavily on the first installment. The book introduces some new characters but the focus remains on Sarah, Nathaniel and several previously encountered villains so it's highly useful to read The Falling Machine first, while for the same reason I am recommending to stay away from its spoilerish blurb.
Hearts of Smoke and Steam has the same page turning qualities and all around fun that never descends into farce and it is really hard to put it down once you get into the flow of the action and start caring for the characters. The transition between the main thread that follows Sarah and her new quieter - to start with of course - life in the city and the story lines that continue from The Falling Machine and involve the remaining Paragons versus Lord Eschaton and his minions, is very smooth. And as expected things start converging soon, though not until mysterious Anubis and young Italian immigrant inventor and Paragon wannabe, Emilio, make their own splashy entrances.
The novel has a lot of emotional moments, action galore and quite a lot of character growth, while the world building is still top notch. As a slight negative, Hearts of Smoke and Steam ends on another sort of cliffhanger, but this time the book feels considerably more solid than the first installment - maybe the fact that we are now in the midst of the action rather than having to introduce stuff helps, but I also thought the book was longer as pages went too.
Not least, lots of important things happen while quite a few older mysteries remain and newer ones are introduced, so there is lots of promise for the next installment and to top it all, the novel has an awesome cover that attracts attention from a distance.
Overall, Hearts of Smoke and Steam (A+, highly recommended) fulfills the promise of The Falling Machine and more, while with its combination of action and superb characters, the series started growing quite a lot on me and I really want the next book asap!
- the book builds on the first one and while it introduces some new characters, the focus remains on Sarah, Nathaniel and several villains so it's highly useful to read Falling Machine first
- same page turning qualities and all around fun that never descends into farce
- emotional moments, action galore and quite a lot of character growth, while the world building is still top notch
- another sort of cliffhanger ending, but this time the book feels more solid than the first installment which was a bit too short - maybe the fact that we are now in the midst of the action rather than having to introduce stuff helps, but I also thought the book was longer as pages go too
- and not least, lots of important things happen while many mysteries remain (or are introduced) so lots of promise for the next book too
An awesome cover to boot
Full FBC Rv:
INTRODUCTION: A steampunk adventure series set in the 1880's New York City with superheroes and super-villains that use "fortified steam" for their powers, The Society of Steam brings the same exuberant feel that we came to expect from this subgenre. The first novel, "The Falling Machine", was a fun ride which kept me turning the pages until the end though it had two related problems - it ended on a cliffhanger which usually would not bother me overmuch, but it also felt a little short as pages go.
I still enjoyed it quite a lot and was happy to recommend it, while luckily the second series novel Hearts of Smoke and Steam is now available to continue the adventure of Sarah Stanton aka The Adventuress , Nathaniel Winthrop aka The Turbine Man and their heartless enemies Lord Eschaton and his minions, whose dastardly plans are finally made clearer!
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: As it starts several weeks after the ending of The Falling Machine, while recounting the events in-between, Hearts of Smoke and Steam builds heavily on the first installment. The book introduces some new characters but the focus remains on Sarah, Nathaniel and several previously encountered villains so it's highly useful to read The Falling Machine first, while for the same reason I am recommending to stay away from its spoilerish blurb.
Hearts of Smoke and Steam has the same page turning qualities and all around fun that never descends into farce and it is really hard to put it down once you get into the flow of the action and start caring for the characters. The transition between the main thread that follows Sarah and her new quieter - to start with of course - life in the city and the story lines that continue from The Falling Machine and involve the remaining Paragons versus Lord Eschaton and his minions, is very smooth. And as expected things start converging soon, though not until mysterious Anubis and young Italian immigrant inventor and Paragon wannabe, Emilio, make their own splashy entrances.
The novel has a lot of emotional moments, action galore and quite a lot of character growth, while the world building is still top notch. As a slight negative, Hearts of Smoke and Steam ends on another sort of cliffhanger, but this time the book feels considerably more solid than the first installment - maybe the fact that we are now in the midst of the action rather than having to introduce stuff helps, but I also thought the book was longer as pages went too.
Not least, lots of important things happen while quite a few older mysteries remain and newer ones are introduced, so there is lots of promise for the next installment and to top it all, the novel has an awesome cover that attracts attention from a distance.
Overall, Hearts of Smoke and Steam (A+, highly recommended) fulfills the promise of The Falling Machine and more, while with its combination of action and superb characters, the series started growing quite a lot on me and I really want the next book asap!
February 7, 2012
This book was very good, very brisk, and the definition of a page turner.
Storyline details (as spoiler free as I can manage, anyway): Sarah Stanton, our intrepid heroine who we last saw running from the scene of a battle that claimed the "life" of Tom the automaton, has discovered that being a hero is a dash of excitement, and a lot of boredom as she scrapes out a living working in a department store, rather than crawling back to her father. She waits for the right chance to put Tom back together, holding onto both The Alpha Element she recieved from the late genius Sir Darby, and the heart of the automaton. Problem is, the Children of Eschaton also want this heart for their own sinister purposes. But she finds new friends to help her along the way to replace her fallen comrades from the first book. Regardless, it won't be easy...
The author has a remarkable ability of really making the narrative and dialogue to really sound like a period piece. Of course, none of us reading this book can say for sure whether or not it's really accurate to the speech of the 1800s, but as an English major who's waded through many a piece of stuffy prose in my time, I can vouch that he mimics it very well, except for one small detail: it's fun. There are more superheroes, and supervillains with strange powers and gimmicks that hearken back to simpler ages of comic books, with a man dressed as Anubis and street thugs obsessed with using knives to the point of being comparable to Mr. Zsasz from Batman comics. And of course, no story like this is complete without a genocidal villain who is delightfully mad. There's little traces of subtlety to the writer's moral divisions in this book, but that can be forgiven, I think, given the style in which it's written. The back of the book's cover compares it to "Gangs of New York if it were written by Jules Verne instead of Scorcese", and I think that's a very crude, but accurate assessment of the writer's vision.
It's one of the most engaging steampunk styled stories I've read, and I've gone through quite a few. That being said, this book isn't perfect.
- One of my favorite parts of the original book was how it didn't get caught up too much of how clever some of the technology designs were. Unfortunately, due to the trappings of the plot of this middle book, there's no avoiding some of this technological exposition in this book. Just a pet peeve of mine, really. It's still not half as bad as some other books I've read in the same vein.
- Being a middle book means it's hit or miss. Sure, middle parts of stories have given us stuff like "The Empire Strikes Back" before, but at other times we can be stuck with a story that just sort of arbitrarily ends. The climax is quite good, but the book basically ends at a spot that feels more like the end of a chapter rather than the end of a book. Just kind of abrupt. If you're reading just for the journey, though, moreso than the end, don't sweat this so much.
All in all, a great sophomore effort, and I feel that Mayer is definitely one of the more underrated authors that deserves many many more readers. If you enjoyed the first book, you'll enjoy this one too.
Storyline details (as spoiler free as I can manage, anyway): Sarah Stanton, our intrepid heroine who we last saw running from the scene of a battle that claimed the "life" of Tom the automaton, has discovered that being a hero is a dash of excitement, and a lot of boredom as she scrapes out a living working in a department store, rather than crawling back to her father. She waits for the right chance to put Tom back together, holding onto both The Alpha Element she recieved from the late genius Sir Darby, and the heart of the automaton. Problem is, the Children of Eschaton also want this heart for their own sinister purposes. But she finds new friends to help her along the way to replace her fallen comrades from the first book. Regardless, it won't be easy...
The author has a remarkable ability of really making the narrative and dialogue to really sound like a period piece. Of course, none of us reading this book can say for sure whether or not it's really accurate to the speech of the 1800s, but as an English major who's waded through many a piece of stuffy prose in my time, I can vouch that he mimics it very well, except for one small detail: it's fun. There are more superheroes, and supervillains with strange powers and gimmicks that hearken back to simpler ages of comic books, with a man dressed as Anubis and street thugs obsessed with using knives to the point of being comparable to Mr. Zsasz from Batman comics. And of course, no story like this is complete without a genocidal villain who is delightfully mad. There's little traces of subtlety to the writer's moral divisions in this book, but that can be forgiven, I think, given the style in which it's written. The back of the book's cover compares it to "Gangs of New York if it were written by Jules Verne instead of Scorcese", and I think that's a very crude, but accurate assessment of the writer's vision.
It's one of the most engaging steampunk styled stories I've read, and I've gone through quite a few. That being said, this book isn't perfect.
- One of my favorite parts of the original book was how it didn't get caught up too much of how clever some of the technology designs were. Unfortunately, due to the trappings of the plot of this middle book, there's no avoiding some of this technological exposition in this book. Just a pet peeve of mine, really. It's still not half as bad as some other books I've read in the same vein.
- Being a middle book means it's hit or miss. Sure, middle parts of stories have given us stuff like "The Empire Strikes Back" before, but at other times we can be stuck with a story that just sort of arbitrarily ends. The climax is quite good, but the book basically ends at a spot that feels more like the end of a chapter rather than the end of a book. Just kind of abrupt. If you're reading just for the journey, though, moreso than the end, don't sweat this so much.
All in all, a great sophomore effort, and I feel that Mayer is definitely one of the more underrated authors that deserves many many more readers. If you enjoyed the first book, you'll enjoy this one too.
December 28, 2012
I’m glad I decided to read the second volume of this series. Although I was very disappointed in the first volume of this industrial age version of the Justice Society (actually known as the Paragons in the book), I felt like this volume raised the bar from its position near the literary floor. In Hearts of Smoke and Steam, we clearly discover that Andrew P. Mayer isn’t afraid to have body counts only slightly less than those on nightly newscasts during the Vietnam Era. Innocent bystanders, heroes and villains alike get their buckets kicked while some of the villains appear to have more lives than the average (resurrection-prone) comic book hero.
Still, this volume takes us slightly beyond the cardboard caricatures of the first installment where the only character that seemed to have any sanguinity (“The Sleuth”) appeared all too briefly for my taste. In Hearts of Smoke and Steam, we meet a supporting character than has even more fire than Sarah Stanton (the main protagonist of both books), a former aerialist who is afraid of heights, a reformed villain being extorted into cooperation with the ultimate bad guy, a hero or anti-hero in a no man’s land between the two competing factions, and a modicum of complexity with regard to one of the characters for which I had no empathy in the first volume (but still dislike immensely).
The events in this volume literally shake the foundations of the Society of Paragons. Those who read the first volume will likely concur that such a shake-up is necessary, but not necessarily agree on how it occurs. There is a certain poetic justice about the event, but it’s not exactly what I expected. There also is a “resurrection” of sorts that I was anticipating since the last volume, saw foreshadowed early on in this volume (well…sort of mid-way through this one), and am intrigued about carrying forward into the next volume in yet a different way. This part of the story is being handled extremely well.
My favorite line in the book is tied to a confrontation between Turbine and the “Ultimate Bad Guy” (Lord Eschaton). It sounds a lot like what Christians believe about Satan and sin. Lord Eschaton says, “You need to appreciate that there is nothing that I do to the men who serve me that they have not already done to themselves. I just bring it into the open and put it to work for my purposes.” To this, Turbine responds, “Are you trying to tell me that every man ultimately wishes for his own subjugation?” and the villain responds, “I’ll admit that it’s not the natural human condition. It’s simply the outcome that we brought upon ourselves from the endless arrogance that comes with assuming we are the children of the divine.” (pp. 203-4)
Another intriguing idea is found on page 217 when a foreigner decides that America is obsessed with sex but “…the expression of it in the New World seemed to be more about avoidance than discovery.”
In summary, I think this series is getting better and now, I plan to read the third volume when it comes out. Before, I wasn’t convinced.
Still, this volume takes us slightly beyond the cardboard caricatures of the first installment where the only character that seemed to have any sanguinity (“The Sleuth”) appeared all too briefly for my taste. In Hearts of Smoke and Steam, we meet a supporting character than has even more fire than Sarah Stanton (the main protagonist of both books), a former aerialist who is afraid of heights, a reformed villain being extorted into cooperation with the ultimate bad guy, a hero or anti-hero in a no man’s land between the two competing factions, and a modicum of complexity with regard to one of the characters for which I had no empathy in the first volume (but still dislike immensely).
The events in this volume literally shake the foundations of the Society of Paragons. Those who read the first volume will likely concur that such a shake-up is necessary, but not necessarily agree on how it occurs. There is a certain poetic justice about the event, but it’s not exactly what I expected. There also is a “resurrection” of sorts that I was anticipating since the last volume, saw foreshadowed early on in this volume (well…sort of mid-way through this one), and am intrigued about carrying forward into the next volume in yet a different way. This part of the story is being handled extremely well.
My favorite line in the book is tied to a confrontation between Turbine and the “Ultimate Bad Guy” (Lord Eschaton). It sounds a lot like what Christians believe about Satan and sin. Lord Eschaton says, “You need to appreciate that there is nothing that I do to the men who serve me that they have not already done to themselves. I just bring it into the open and put it to work for my purposes.” To this, Turbine responds, “Are you trying to tell me that every man ultimately wishes for his own subjugation?” and the villain responds, “I’ll admit that it’s not the natural human condition. It’s simply the outcome that we brought upon ourselves from the endless arrogance that comes with assuming we are the children of the divine.” (pp. 203-4)
Another intriguing idea is found on page 217 when a foreigner decides that America is obsessed with sex but “…the expression of it in the New World seemed to be more about avoidance than discovery.”
In summary, I think this series is getting better and now, I plan to read the third volume when it comes out. Before, I wasn’t convinced.
April 13, 2012
I didn't enjoy the second book as much as the first in the series. It felt a bit loosely plotted and weirdly paced. But it was fun and it sets up the rest of the series in a way that makes me excited for the next installment. Of steampunk book series, this is pretty much a must read, IMO.
January 3, 2018
This second book in the series was, just as the first, just okay. It had an amazing premise: Superheroes in a steampunk version of 19th century New York. Sadly the execution let a bit down.
First of all, this series revolves - for me at least - around the Automaton. However, we get to see our beloved Tom only very briefly in this book. Instead we follow some familiar and some new characters during their adventures. Of course Sarah plays another big part in the story, and she is very nice character to read about. She is generally likeable and strong, though also flawed. Between the end of the first book and the start of this one she has had to learn to stand on her own two feet as a working class woman. Early on in this second book she runs into the Italian Emilio and his sister, who try to help her in getting Tom back. Seeing the contrast between Sarah and the Italian lady is quite nice. The instalove between her and Emilio though is quite frankly horrible. It takes them maybe 10 minutes from seeing each other for the first time to get to some smooching action. I feel this romance could have been executed a lot more elegantly. Considering some of the other characters, we get to see a bit more of the villain. He isn't a very interesting character though. He is just evil and not complex whatsoever. He doesn't seem to have any reason to do the bad things he does, apart from standard villainy reasons (power etc.). However, we also get some chapters from the perspective of Anubis. Now he is a very interesting character and I am looking forward to seeing more from him in the next book.
Throughout the book the story switches perspective between these and several other characters. In doing so Mayer has chosen to also play around with the time-line, which ends up with the reading having to go through the same events several times but from different points of view. This works nicely in some cases, is boring in others, and in general is quite confusing.
Throughout the book I felt the hint of Mayer 'making fun' (in a good way) of the superhero genre. However, I am not sure if this was his goal or if that is just the way he writes. The dialogues for example felt very fake and simplified, almost to be similar to those in comic-books. This is also the case with the portrayal of some of the superheroes. It kinda seems to poke fun at the outfits and the names, but I just cannot say if this was the purpose of the author.
The ending of this second book was a Lot better than that of the first. Where the first book just stopped in the middle of the action (making the reader feel like they had forgotten to print the last few pages) this ending does wrap up the story somewhat, while still leaving the reader curious to the next book in the series.
So in general this was an okay read. It was fun and entertaining, but really nothing special. I will probably pick up the third book at some point, but really am not in a hurry to do so.
First of all, this series revolves - for me at least - around the Automaton. However, we get to see our beloved Tom only very briefly in this book. Instead we follow some familiar and some new characters during their adventures. Of course Sarah plays another big part in the story, and she is very nice character to read about. She is generally likeable and strong, though also flawed. Between the end of the first book and the start of this one she has had to learn to stand on her own two feet as a working class woman. Early on in this second book she runs into the Italian Emilio and his sister, who try to help her in getting Tom back. Seeing the contrast between Sarah and the Italian lady is quite nice. The instalove between her and Emilio though is quite frankly horrible. It takes them maybe 10 minutes from seeing each other for the first time to get to some smooching action. I feel this romance could have been executed a lot more elegantly. Considering some of the other characters, we get to see a bit more of the villain. He isn't a very interesting character though. He is just evil and not complex whatsoever. He doesn't seem to have any reason to do the bad things he does, apart from standard villainy reasons (power etc.). However, we also get some chapters from the perspective of Anubis. Now he is a very interesting character and I am looking forward to seeing more from him in the next book.
Throughout the book the story switches perspective between these and several other characters. In doing so Mayer has chosen to also play around with the time-line, which ends up with the reading having to go through the same events several times but from different points of view. This works nicely in some cases, is boring in others, and in general is quite confusing.
Throughout the book I felt the hint of Mayer 'making fun' (in a good way) of the superhero genre. However, I am not sure if this was his goal or if that is just the way he writes. The dialogues for example felt very fake and simplified, almost to be similar to those in comic-books. This is also the case with the portrayal of some of the superheroes. It kinda seems to poke fun at the outfits and the names, but I just cannot say if this was the purpose of the author.
The ending of this second book was a Lot better than that of the first. Where the first book just stopped in the middle of the action (making the reader feel like they had forgotten to print the last few pages) this ending does wrap up the story somewhat, while still leaving the reader curious to the next book in the series.
So in general this was an okay read. It was fun and entertaining, but really nothing special. I will probably pick up the third book at some point, but really am not in a hurry to do so.
July 8, 2018
Only thing I really wanted to know reading the entire thing: Where is Tom???
I don't know why, but I had a difficult time keeping focus on this book, maybe because it repeated scenes from different perspectives. Side note, I am truly not a fan of the romantic relationship in this book. It seemed needlessly forced.
I don't know why, but I had a difficult time keeping focus on this book, maybe because it repeated scenes from different perspectives. Side note, I am truly not a fan of the romantic relationship in this book. It seemed needlessly forced.
November 4, 2017
Published 2011. Stronger than #1 in the series I would say. Higher development on character and plot. I'm reading #3 right now and I would call this a transitional period for the author as 3 is even more developed and mature in contrast to the other two.
August 27, 2017
A decent read! Some of the plot was pretty easy to see far in advance, but the characters were very good.
July 5, 2018
It didn't capture my attention
December 9, 2011
After having reviewed Blackdog by K.V. Johansen, I was eager to check out a couple more books in Pyr's catalog. For (probably) obvious reasons, I am very interested in Wolfsangel by M.D. Lachlan. However, that title hasn't arrived in my mailbox yet, and I happened to have a copy of Hearts of Smoke and Steam at hand..
So on to the review.
Synopsis: Sir Dennis Darby has been murdered, the Automaton has been destroyed, and Sarah Stanton has turned her back on a life of privilege and comfort to try and find her way in the unforgiving streets of New York. But Lord Eschaton, the villain behind all these events, isn’t finished with her yet. His plans to bring his apocalyptic vision of the future to the world are moving forward, but to complete his scheme he needs the clockwork heart that Sarah still holds.
But she has her own plans for the Automaton’s clockwork heart—Sarah is trying to rebuild her mechanical friend, and when she is attacked by the Children of Eschaton, the man who comes to her rescue may be the one to make her dreams come true. Emelio Armando is a genius inventor who had hoped to leave his troubles behind when he and his sister left Italy for a life of anonymity in the New World. Now he finds himself falling in love with the fallen society girl, but he is rapidly discovering just how powerful the forces of villainy aligned against her are, and that fulfilling her desires means opening the door to a world of danger that could destroy everything he has built.
The Society of Steam takes place in a Victorian New York powered by the discovery of Fortified Steam, a substance that allows ordinary men to wield extraordinary abilities and grants powers that can corrupt gentlemen of great moral strength. The secret behind this amazing substance is something that wicked brutes will gladly kill for, and one that Sarah must try and protect, no matter what the cost.
Setting: Hearts of Smoke and Steam is set in New York City at the turn of the 20th century (if an exact date was given, I don't recall). The city has been redefined in a steampunk motif, and let me say, the outfit Mr. Mayer tailored for the big apple fits like a glove. It was very easy for me to slip into this alternate version of NYC, and see it through the steampunk goggles. The city itself is a very minor character and hasn't been given a complete makeover, but the principle settings rang true and I very much enjoyed this vision.
Plot: Mr. Mayer wrote Hearts of Smoke and Steam as a sequel to The Falling Machine. To my chagrin, and against my better judgement, I read Hearts without ever having read Machine. However, Hearts of Smoke and Steam easily envelopes even a new reader with an easy to understand plot. The Paragons, a group of steam powered superheroes, has been decimated and is in the process of rebuilding. One of the most powerful of the Paragons sole offspring is on her own and working towards having the heart of the Automaton, a clockwork man, rebuilt.
Characters: With any sequel, there is a likely assumption that you should all ready know the characters. This is a fair assumption. However, even with starting in the middle, Mr. Mayer's characters were easy to get to know. Some I liked, some I found annoying. However, the ones that were annoying, were crafted to be so. Mr. Mayer paints with a full palette and no two characters are remotely similar.
Odin's recommendation: There were many things I liked about Hearts of Smoke and Steam and a few I didn't.
The bad: Mr. Mayer has a tendency to repeat scenes from different characters point of view. Sometimes, entire scenes. I don't need this and actually found it a bit confusing at times.
Also, there is one character in the book that is Italian. He speaks Italian occasionally. That's a good thing. However, I wasn't able to decipher from context clues what he was saying. That made following those passages a bit difficult.
The good: In Hearts of Smoke and Steam Mr. Mayer has firmly captured my interest. I will immediately be purchasing the original story in the series and will also purchase book three as soon as it is published. Mr. Mayer, I suspect, has read a good amount of superhero fiction. That comes through in this book, but it is far from being a comic. Hearts of Smoke and Steam feels like a dream of a reality that should have existed. There is much adventure and treachery in these pages, and enough fortified steam to keep the pages blurring by.
So on to the review.
Synopsis: Sir Dennis Darby has been murdered, the Automaton has been destroyed, and Sarah Stanton has turned her back on a life of privilege and comfort to try and find her way in the unforgiving streets of New York. But Lord Eschaton, the villain behind all these events, isn’t finished with her yet. His plans to bring his apocalyptic vision of the future to the world are moving forward, but to complete his scheme he needs the clockwork heart that Sarah still holds.
But she has her own plans for the Automaton’s clockwork heart—Sarah is trying to rebuild her mechanical friend, and when she is attacked by the Children of Eschaton, the man who comes to her rescue may be the one to make her dreams come true. Emelio Armando is a genius inventor who had hoped to leave his troubles behind when he and his sister left Italy for a life of anonymity in the New World. Now he finds himself falling in love with the fallen society girl, but he is rapidly discovering just how powerful the forces of villainy aligned against her are, and that fulfilling her desires means opening the door to a world of danger that could destroy everything he has built.
The Society of Steam takes place in a Victorian New York powered by the discovery of Fortified Steam, a substance that allows ordinary men to wield extraordinary abilities and grants powers that can corrupt gentlemen of great moral strength. The secret behind this amazing substance is something that wicked brutes will gladly kill for, and one that Sarah must try and protect, no matter what the cost.
Setting: Hearts of Smoke and Steam is set in New York City at the turn of the 20th century (if an exact date was given, I don't recall). The city has been redefined in a steampunk motif, and let me say, the outfit Mr. Mayer tailored for the big apple fits like a glove. It was very easy for me to slip into this alternate version of NYC, and see it through the steampunk goggles. The city itself is a very minor character and hasn't been given a complete makeover, but the principle settings rang true and I very much enjoyed this vision.
Plot: Mr. Mayer wrote Hearts of Smoke and Steam as a sequel to The Falling Machine. To my chagrin, and against my better judgement, I read Hearts without ever having read Machine. However, Hearts of Smoke and Steam easily envelopes even a new reader with an easy to understand plot. The Paragons, a group of steam powered superheroes, has been decimated and is in the process of rebuilding. One of the most powerful of the Paragons sole offspring is on her own and working towards having the heart of the Automaton, a clockwork man, rebuilt.
Characters: With any sequel, there is a likely assumption that you should all ready know the characters. This is a fair assumption. However, even with starting in the middle, Mr. Mayer's characters were easy to get to know. Some I liked, some I found annoying. However, the ones that were annoying, were crafted to be so. Mr. Mayer paints with a full palette and no two characters are remotely similar.
Odin's recommendation: There were many things I liked about Hearts of Smoke and Steam and a few I didn't.
The bad: Mr. Mayer has a tendency to repeat scenes from different characters point of view. Sometimes, entire scenes. I don't need this and actually found it a bit confusing at times.
Also, there is one character in the book that is Italian. He speaks Italian occasionally. That's a good thing. However, I wasn't able to decipher from context clues what he was saying. That made following those passages a bit difficult.
The good: In Hearts of Smoke and Steam Mr. Mayer has firmly captured my interest. I will immediately be purchasing the original story in the series and will also purchase book three as soon as it is published. Mr. Mayer, I suspect, has read a good amount of superhero fiction. That comes through in this book, but it is far from being a comic. Hearts of Smoke and Steam feels like a dream of a reality that should have existed. There is much adventure and treachery in these pages, and enough fortified steam to keep the pages blurring by.
February 21, 2012
Review to follow in a day or two (thought I'd write it tonight but life sorta got in the way).
Finally, here's my thoughts:
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, THE FALLING MACHINE, which review can be found HERE. Thus, I had high expectations for the sequel, and Andrew Mayer didn't let me down. Middle books of trilogies often drag and feel incomplete on their own, but Mayer capably side-steps this issue for the most part. Yes, there's still a bit of a cliffhanger, but the main threads of the story are wrapped up nicely by the end -- perhaps even better than the threads of book one were wrapped up.
One way in which Mayer makes the book feel complete is by "restarting" the dramatic tension. Rather than picking up immediately after the end of the previous book, he's allowed several months in the characters' lives to pass, so that we are reintroduced to everyone at a less hectic pace. This gives the reader a chance to catch his breath and get a sense of where things stand before the action starts. Because once the action does start, it's pretty non-stop. There are battles galore, all well-written and well-paced and pulse-pounding.
As with the first book, Sarah Stanton is still at the center of this storyline, and Mayer continues to allow her character to grow and learn from mistakes. This is what makes Sarah such an interesting character: throughout these two books, she's grown and changed in response to what goes on. She's not a static character.
Mayer also changes the focus of the book. While THE FALLING MACHINE was largely a pair of mysteries, the author points out that this book is more an action-romance. There was a subtext of romance, or at least romantic longing, in the first book (Nathan's attraction to Sarah; Sarah's pining for Dennis Darby), but there's a full-blown romantic arc in this volume, including disapproving siblings and former nannies. The romance develops naturally throughout the book and feels "right."
It's also nice to see secondary characters introduced in book one get developed further in book two. In particular, the mystery-man Anubis comes closer to center stage and brings with him one of the mysteries I'm most interested in seeing resolved in book two. Who is this man and what secrets does that mask hide? As much as I loved and was intrigued by The Professor and The Sleuth in book one, so I am by Anubis in book two.
Strong character development, more intricate world-building, plot development galore. If you're not on-board with The Society of Steam yet, read the first two books now, before book three comes out.
Finally, here's my thoughts:
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, THE FALLING MACHINE, which review can be found HERE. Thus, I had high expectations for the sequel, and Andrew Mayer didn't let me down. Middle books of trilogies often drag and feel incomplete on their own, but Mayer capably side-steps this issue for the most part. Yes, there's still a bit of a cliffhanger, but the main threads of the story are wrapped up nicely by the end -- perhaps even better than the threads of book one were wrapped up.
One way in which Mayer makes the book feel complete is by "restarting" the dramatic tension. Rather than picking up immediately after the end of the previous book, he's allowed several months in the characters' lives to pass, so that we are reintroduced to everyone at a less hectic pace. This gives the reader a chance to catch his breath and get a sense of where things stand before the action starts. Because once the action does start, it's pretty non-stop. There are battles galore, all well-written and well-paced and pulse-pounding.
As with the first book, Sarah Stanton is still at the center of this storyline, and Mayer continues to allow her character to grow and learn from mistakes. This is what makes Sarah such an interesting character: throughout these two books, she's grown and changed in response to what goes on. She's not a static character.
Mayer also changes the focus of the book. While THE FALLING MACHINE was largely a pair of mysteries, the author points out that this book is more an action-romance. There was a subtext of romance, or at least romantic longing, in the first book (Nathan's attraction to Sarah; Sarah's pining for Dennis Darby), but there's a full-blown romantic arc in this volume, including disapproving siblings and former nannies. The romance develops naturally throughout the book and feels "right."
It's also nice to see secondary characters introduced in book one get developed further in book two. In particular, the mystery-man Anubis comes closer to center stage and brings with him one of the mysteries I'm most interested in seeing resolved in book two. Who is this man and what secrets does that mask hide? As much as I loved and was intrigued by The Professor and The Sleuth in book one, so I am by Anubis in book two.
Strong character development, more intricate world-building, plot development galore. If you're not on-board with The Society of Steam yet, read the first two books now, before book three comes out.
July 17, 2015
I had issues with The Falling Machine but I liked the concept enough and the cliff-hanger ending forced me to continue the series with Hearts of Smoke and Steam. But alas it wasn't to be.
This one is more action-packed but the dialogue is trite and cliched and too comic-book-like to be enjoyable for this lover of the written word. I could actually visualize the POW-ZING-BANG of the fist smashing into someone's head just like you'd see in a comic. I've never been interested in comics and find them slightly ridiculous and written (drawn?) for young boys. Characters are beaten to within an inch of their lives, and yet get up and continue fighting (and win). I found this unrealistic even for superheroes.
All in all I found this book confusing with the various points of view which I usually enjoy but here various scenes (pages and pages of scenes actually) were repeated word for word just hearing it again from someone else's perspective. I found myself constantly checking page numbers for publishing errors. It was confusing as some of the repeated scenes happened before the current action not in chronological order and changed time without warning. I kept thinking isn't he (wasn't he) oh this must have happened before such and such. I just found it too annoying to figure out what the hell was happening or even when it was happening. When it finally ended, I just couldn't be bothered to care so unfortunately, this is the end for me as I don't think I could handle anymore of this series.
I also didn't like the derogatory remarks about Jews, Italians and blacks but maybe that's just a product of the Victorian era when this book takes place but nonetheless, I found it offensive.
This one is more action-packed but the dialogue is trite and cliched and too comic-book-like to be enjoyable for this lover of the written word. I could actually visualize the POW-ZING-BANG of the fist smashing into someone's head just like you'd see in a comic. I've never been interested in comics and find them slightly ridiculous and written (drawn?) for young boys. Characters are beaten to within an inch of their lives, and yet get up and continue fighting (and win). I found this unrealistic even for superheroes.
All in all I found this book confusing with the various points of view which I usually enjoy but here various scenes (pages and pages of scenes actually) were repeated word for word just hearing it again from someone else's perspective. I found myself constantly checking page numbers for publishing errors. It was confusing as some of the repeated scenes happened before the current action not in chronological order and changed time without warning. I kept thinking isn't he (wasn't he) oh this must have happened before such and such. I just found it too annoying to figure out what the hell was happening or even when it was happening. When it finally ended, I just couldn't be bothered to care so unfortunately, this is the end for me as I don't think I could handle anymore of this series.
I also didn't like the derogatory remarks about Jews, Italians and blacks but maybe that's just a product of the Victorian era when this book takes place but nonetheless, I found it offensive.
March 16, 2012
This is Book Two of The Society of Steam series but is more like Part Two of the story started in Book One called The Falling Man. Great Steampunk Stories
Starting off where book one ended the story teller just carries on with what was started in Book One. There are no references back to Book One that would assist a new reader however saying that although the story arc of GOOD (The Paragons) versus evil (Lord Eschaton and his Children of Eschaton).
Sarah Stanton is one of the few remaining Paragons, whose mantra is to protect those who can not protect themselves, as they continue to fall pray to the all powerful Lord Eschaton. In fact during try outs for potential new Paragons Lord Eschaton has actually entered their main fortress and with the help of an insider gone bad, commences to destroy the place and anyone he finds inside it.
In the meantime Sarah has left the great hall and is trying to hide out elsewhere in New York but she has something that Lord Eschaton wants badly and he in fact has been following her trying to uncover it’s whereabouts. It is in fact the mechanical heart from the automaton called Tom who he destroyed in Book One.
Sarah runs into a mechanical genius called Emilio and is soon on a wild adventure with him as the boat they are on is attached by the black balloon that the Children of Eschaton use as their mobile death machine.
Emilio comes with his own baggage including the loss of his wife and his pain in the butt sister Viola who has nothing good to say to Sarah who she refers to as a Rich Girl.
Anubis who is one of the costumed good guys is in fact working for Lord Eschaton, or is he ??
Now it’s up to Sarah and whomever she can get to help her to stop Lord Eschaton’s evil plan.
Mayer embraces the technology of Steampunk, the mannerisms of Victorian Age and the good versus evil collisions. He does, however , only have these as a background to the human dynamics of the characters in the book and that is definitely his strength. Highly recommended.
Book Three continues the story
Starting off where book one ended the story teller just carries on with what was started in Book One. There are no references back to Book One that would assist a new reader however saying that although the story arc of GOOD (The Paragons) versus evil (Lord Eschaton and his Children of Eschaton).
Sarah Stanton is one of the few remaining Paragons, whose mantra is to protect those who can not protect themselves, as they continue to fall pray to the all powerful Lord Eschaton. In fact during try outs for potential new Paragons Lord Eschaton has actually entered their main fortress and with the help of an insider gone bad, commences to destroy the place and anyone he finds inside it.
In the meantime Sarah has left the great hall and is trying to hide out elsewhere in New York but she has something that Lord Eschaton wants badly and he in fact has been following her trying to uncover it’s whereabouts. It is in fact the mechanical heart from the automaton called Tom who he destroyed in Book One.
Sarah runs into a mechanical genius called Emilio and is soon on a wild adventure with him as the boat they are on is attached by the black balloon that the Children of Eschaton use as their mobile death machine.
Emilio comes with his own baggage including the loss of his wife and his pain in the butt sister Viola who has nothing good to say to Sarah who she refers to as a Rich Girl.
Anubis who is one of the costumed good guys is in fact working for Lord Eschaton, or is he ??
Now it’s up to Sarah and whomever she can get to help her to stop Lord Eschaton’s evil plan.
Mayer embraces the technology of Steampunk, the mannerisms of Victorian Age and the good versus evil collisions. He does, however , only have these as a background to the human dynamics of the characters in the book and that is definitely his strength. Highly recommended.
Book Three continues the story
November 26, 2011
I really liked it, I didn't think it was quite as good as the first book, it suffered from the typical 'second book in a trilogy' syndrome but it was still a very enjoyable read. I LOVE the idea of Steampunk superheroes, their costumes and personas are wonderfully inventive. Watching Sarah's growth and fulfillment of her dreams while trying to keep the evil Villains from completing their goals is an adventure. My biggest complaints are this, I don't feel like the villains get enough story time, yes they have these horrifying goals and megalomaniacal personalities but they seem like bogeyman than actual villains. I really hope the next book lets us see more of the costumed villains antics. My other complaint is I have no idea when the next book is coming out!! I always hate having to wait for next books in series to come out but when they end on cliffhangers or I feel nothing was resolved and only more questions are raised it seems doubly frustrating. There is a bit of both in this book's ending!
November 20, 2011
Fans of the first book in this series will not be disappointed as Mayer delivers more surprises with the fates of established characters, introduction of new characters, and big steampunk settings.
Perhaps my favorite part of these books is the characterization of the main villian-- he's coming from an interesting place that is a commentary on our current times. I hope that Mr. Mayer will continue to develop these ideas and provide a conclusion to the trilogy that is both transformative for the main characters as well as the world they live in, and for our world too :-)
possible but not really spoilers:
My two favorite parts are where Eschaton explains his choice to be ruthless, and the writing on the inside of Tom's heart <3
Next stop, volume 3!!!
Perhaps my favorite part of these books is the characterization of the main villian-- he's coming from an interesting place that is a commentary on our current times. I hope that Mr. Mayer will continue to develop these ideas and provide a conclusion to the trilogy that is both transformative for the main characters as well as the world they live in, and for our world too :-)
possible but not really spoilers:
My two favorite parts are where Eschaton explains his choice to be ruthless, and the writing on the inside of Tom's heart <3
Next stop, volume 3!!!
February 22, 2013
Andrew P. Mayer trumps himself in this second volume of his "Society of Steam" series. The action between the Children of Eschaton and the Paragons (and at least one of their children) ramps up creating exciting confrontations as they all vie for possession of the Heart of the automaton, Tom.
New characters are introduced providing depth to the storyline and color to the action. Some of the main characters find themselves rethinking their motives, adding depth to their journey, a journey that still has miles to go before it rests. Time to reach for Volume 3.
New characters are introduced providing depth to the storyline and color to the action. Some of the main characters find themselves rethinking their motives, adding depth to their journey, a journey that still has miles to go before it rests. Time to reach for Volume 3.
February 9, 2012
Based on the information I had this should be the second part of a duology.
If this is true then I would have given not more than two stars because too many opened questions left.
I'm grumpily today and that is not good when I comes to ratings.
Anyway Hearts of Smoke and Steam deserves four stars.
It is definitely steampunk punk with a hint of love story.
If this is true then I would have given not more than two stars because too many opened questions left.
I'm grumpily today and that is not good when I comes to ratings.
Anyway Hearts of Smoke and Steam deserves four stars.
It is definitely steampunk punk with a hint of love story.
October 25, 2015
Steampunk superhero team - not something I've read before - set in New York City. Kind of a fun Endeavour Award read. Had a weird stylistic thing that you'd see a scene from two different characters point of view, first one then the other - can't say I liked the trick but I rarely like stylistic stuff. This one was book#2, I don't think book#3 has been published yet.
December 24, 2011
Did not end as abrupt and odd as the first book but it still feels as if this could be a better story if it was condensed or collected in one omnibus rather then split into different books. That being said it is still quite the enjoyable read with an interesting take on super heroes in the Victorian era. I am definitely looking forward to the next installment.
April 9, 2012
A light read. Read book one probably a year ago. One device that I liked was that the author would go back in the time line in the next chapter in the perspective of a different character and then pass the latest revealed plot in time, so you end up reading about the same event in more than one character's perspective.
September 23, 2013
I think I'm now officially hooked on this series. There's something delightful about it. The bad guy is quite bad but he's got a careless way of going about it.
The heroes of the story are fairly straight-forwardly good. They do have their doubt's, etc.
Then the rest of the characters fall either into definitely bad or most decidedly gray...with good intentions but less-than-ideal moral bases.
The heroes of the story are fairly straight-forwardly good. They do have their doubt's, etc.
Then the rest of the characters fall either into definitely bad or most decidedly gray...with good intentions but less-than-ideal moral bases.
April 18, 2014
Book 2 of the story
I took a while getting to this in my TBR pile. Silly me--I should have gotten to it sooner.
What great fun!
Can she revitalized her automaton man? Should she?
Who are all these seemingly evil people messing about?
Is Sarah really the last of her line?
If you like steam punk, you will like this. A lot.
I took a while getting to this in my TBR pile. Silly me--I should have gotten to it sooner.
What great fun!
Can she revitalized her automaton man? Should she?
Who are all these seemingly evil people messing about?
Is Sarah really the last of her line?
If you like steam punk, you will like this. A lot.
January 21, 2020
Ok, so this one is definitely the middle one in the trilogy. It's got new characters, a resetting from the events of the first book, and lots of setup for the next. It's also kind of a mess, and more than a little meandering.
That said, there were some different things for the characters to do, and I am genuinely interested in what will happen next.
I hope there's a rousing finish!
That said, there were some different things for the characters to do, and I am genuinely interested in what will happen next.
I hope there's a rousing finish!
February 3, 2012
Hearts of Smoke and Steam is a great read. Good, fast-paced Victorian superhero adventure.
It's the middle of a trilogy, so you should definitely go back and read the first book if you're interested in the concept. These are really fun books.
It's the middle of a trilogy, so you should definitely go back and read the first book if you're interested in the concept. These are really fun books.
March 24, 2016
This book picks up where the first left off. The first paragraph has the story already in progress.
The Paragons are symptomatically murdered, at the same time, Sarah is attempting to adjust to life as an independent woman.
The plot has a budding romance and ends with a cliff hanger.
The Paragons are symptomatically murdered, at the same time, Sarah is attempting to adjust to life as an independent woman.
The plot has a budding romance and ends with a cliff hanger.
January 24, 2012
Another good read by Mr. Mayer. And once again dying to read the next book.
July 10, 2020
To paraphrase Anubis, the masked adventurer (and book critic): "I have judged you, Hearts of Smoke and Steam, and I have found you worthy!"
March 9, 2012
Also good.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews