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The Star Clock Chronicles #1-5
The Star Clock Chronicles
In a world where sun and moon are myths and clocks are treason, the fight for truth and freedom has just begun.
The sun and stars are myths. Light is a gift from the faerie queen.
Only automatons can navigate. Mankind can only wander, hopelessly lost.
Time belongs to the Time King alone. To build a clock is treason.
So the people have been taught for all the centuries of the Time King’s too-long life. But when airship captain Marianna Bowditch finds proof of his lies—ancient books that tell of the heavens, of clocks and maps and how to navigate by them—everything begins to change.
The Star Clock Chronicles—Five exciting stories with lovable characters, daring adventure, and noble deeds set in a fascinating world of automatons and powerful faerie curses—not to mention airships and pirates. This collection of short stories is complete and is a clean adventure-romance series.
Dawn BringerAirship captain Marianna Bowditch and school teacher Betram Orren must escape an abandoned faerie court and ruthless Time Keepers to get the books they found on time, navigation, and clocks out to the world to topple the immortal Time King.
Star VeilAirship captain Davy Bowditch must earn the trust of one very unusual woman and one wily pirate with a very personal grudge against him if he hopes to build a Star Clock and help free mankind from the Time King’s control.
Sky KeeperWith the help of a mysterious stowaway, former pirate Colin O’Connor matches wits with pirates and Time Keeper anti-smuggling agents to gain the iron harpoons needed to destroy the faerie queen’s Star Veil.
Moon SongColin O’Connor needs the help of Vesper Vanon, a descendent of the Time King, to discover where the Star Veil is, but she’s watched closely by both the Time Keepers and her family. The stowaway who once stole his heart might be an invaluable informant or a trap.
Dusk CrierAirship captain Kingsley Bowditch is dead. So the world thinks. But perhaps a dead man is just what’s needed to kill the man who cannot die.
The sun and stars are myths. Light is a gift from the faerie queen.
Only automatons can navigate. Mankind can only wander, hopelessly lost.
Time belongs to the Time King alone. To build a clock is treason.
So the people have been taught for all the centuries of the Time King’s too-long life. But when airship captain Marianna Bowditch finds proof of his lies—ancient books that tell of the heavens, of clocks and maps and how to navigate by them—everything begins to change.
The Star Clock Chronicles—Five exciting stories with lovable characters, daring adventure, and noble deeds set in a fascinating world of automatons and powerful faerie curses—not to mention airships and pirates. This collection of short stories is complete and is a clean adventure-romance series.
Dawn BringerAirship captain Marianna Bowditch and school teacher Betram Orren must escape an abandoned faerie court and ruthless Time Keepers to get the books they found on time, navigation, and clocks out to the world to topple the immortal Time King.
Star VeilAirship captain Davy Bowditch must earn the trust of one very unusual woman and one wily pirate with a very personal grudge against him if he hopes to build a Star Clock and help free mankind from the Time King’s control.
Sky KeeperWith the help of a mysterious stowaway, former pirate Colin O’Connor matches wits with pirates and Time Keeper anti-smuggling agents to gain the iron harpoons needed to destroy the faerie queen’s Star Veil.
Moon SongColin O’Connor needs the help of Vesper Vanon, a descendent of the Time King, to discover where the Star Veil is, but she’s watched closely by both the Time Keepers and her family. The stowaway who once stole his heart might be an invaluable informant or a trap.
Dusk CrierAirship captain Kingsley Bowditch is dead. So the world thinks. But perhaps a dead man is just what’s needed to kill the man who cannot die.
492 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 1, 2023
9 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 23, 2023
A five-novella collection of connected tales in a world combining steampunk with faerie twists, these light reads are a delight! The characters are a blast, the premise of a world where navigating/clocks/sun/stars/moon are outlawed and considered a myth is fascinating, and the intertwining plots are so brilliant! I love the stories of Bertram and Marianna, Davy and Prism, Colin and Vesper, Kingsley and Caroline, and all the other characters, SO MUCH!!! My sister and teen brother and I all had a blast reading this collection aloud together. I can't express my love for this collection adequately right now, or explain quite how amazing it is, but I should try one of these days in a proper review. In the meantime, I wanted to say SOMETHING, so there we are. Just read it!
March 4, 2021
This was such a fun, epic steampunk adventure told over the course of five stories! I enjoyed getting to follow different main characters through the books and the relationships they had to each other. The premise of a world where the sun and stars are hidden beneath a veil, leaving people no way to navigate for themselves, was just so cool, and I loved the different ways it was explored throughout the series, including the connections to religion and our understanding of the Creator. Adventure, humor, romance, and cool world-building - I'd highly recommend this series for anyone looking for an exciting steampunk read!
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.*
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.*
December 30, 2021
I must say, I REALLY enjoyed E.J. Kitchens' Star Clock Chronicles collection! It's 5 novellas, so they read super quick (that's good for me this time of year!) I've never read steampunk fiction before because it didn't seem quite my thing, so I've been wonderfully surprised! Kitchens is always so talented at world-building and creating great characters (especially those beloved side characters), and, even though these books are short, they aren't lacking development in any way! I continue to be impressed at her unique storylines and fabulous action scenes. I'm so glad I picked these up!
June 4, 2022
A quick fun collection of stories
The title says it all. Each fantasy, romance stream punkish short, is fast paced, packed with action, and set in an interesting blend of worlds. I would love to read longer more flushed out versions of these, but am happy with the collection as a whole. I do think that had I read the individual stories separately, I may have been frustrated with the endings. But as an omnibus this works. Fun.
The title says it all. Each fantasy, romance stream punkish short, is fast paced, packed with action, and set in an interesting blend of worlds. I would love to read longer more flushed out versions of these, but am happy with the collection as a whole. I do think that had I read the individual stories separately, I may have been frustrated with the endings. But as an omnibus this works. Fun.
December 4, 2022
Loved it!
This was such a different world from anything that I have read recently that I couldn’t stop wanting more! Each set of characters from the different stories had their own personalities, strengths, weaknesses, etc. but I wanted to get to know every single one! Plus, see how they would all come together in the end. Keep in mind that this is a collection of novelettes and you won’t be disappointed because the overall story, characters, and world are fantastic!
This was such a different world from anything that I have read recently that I couldn’t stop wanting more! Each set of characters from the different stories had their own personalities, strengths, weaknesses, etc. but I wanted to get to know every single one! Plus, see how they would all come together in the end. Keep in mind that this is a collection of novelettes and you won’t be disappointed because the overall story, characters, and world are fantastic!
April 12, 2023
Should have read this sooner!
4.5 minimum, so rounding up.
The five novellas (and epilogue) really do flow together nicely into one read.
I loved the hints of other characters before/after their main story.
Five great focus couples, and the extras are good too.
4.5 minimum, so rounding up.
The five novellas (and epilogue) really do flow together nicely into one read.
I loved the hints of other characters before/after their main story.
Five great focus couples, and the extras are good too.
March 30, 2021
Would like to see as a movie
Interesting world building and Fun adventures but the nature of novellas means that they could have used more character development.
Interesting world building and Fun adventures but the nature of novellas means that they could have used more character development.
June 13, 2021
***Disclaimer: I know the author but was not paid to read the book or write this review.***
The Star Clock Chronicles is a series of steampunk short stories. A fairy queen in love with a mortal man casts a spell that removes all means of navigating or telling time from the world and sets up her lover as the king of this new world. He teaches that this is the way it has always been and keeps a tight rule over his people. However, some know the truth and seek to set the world right again.
The stories are wonderfully written. E. J. Kitchens has an excellent grasp of the English language, and the stories are laced with poetic and lyrical lines. Nay, the stories are woven from poetic and lyrical lines. And the kind of humor and wit that made The Rose and the Wand (The Beast's Enchantress) so enjoyable as well.
It is clear she devoted considerable effort to building this world, and it is well done. Her attention to the details of the fairy's curse--for example, how it applies to short distances, animals, or objects circling another object traveling in a straight line--pays off. It is a believable world with few--if any--inconsistencies.
One complaint I have is about length and characters. For a couple of the stories, just as I feel I am getting to know and like the characters, their story ends and the next one begins. To be clear, this is not a fault of E. J. Kitchens! Each story takes precisely as long as it needs to. It is simply me lamenting not having more time with the characters because they are all so enjoyable.
A second complaint I have is the lack of a map. I wish the stories were accompanied by a map so the reader could keep track of all the places. But then, in the world of the stories, such a map would not exist. So, why should the readers have one?
All in all, I highly recommend this collect to those who enjoy romance, adventure, and/or fantasy.
The Star Clock Chronicles is a series of steampunk short stories. A fairy queen in love with a mortal man casts a spell that removes all means of navigating or telling time from the world and sets up her lover as the king of this new world. He teaches that this is the way it has always been and keeps a tight rule over his people. However, some know the truth and seek to set the world right again.
The stories are wonderfully written. E. J. Kitchens has an excellent grasp of the English language, and the stories are laced with poetic and lyrical lines. Nay, the stories are woven from poetic and lyrical lines. And the kind of humor and wit that made The Rose and the Wand (The Beast's Enchantress) so enjoyable as well.
It is clear she devoted considerable effort to building this world, and it is well done. Her attention to the details of the fairy's curse--for example, how it applies to short distances, animals, or objects circling another object traveling in a straight line--pays off. It is a believable world with few--if any--inconsistencies.
One complaint I have is about length and characters. For a couple of the stories, just as I feel I am getting to know and like the characters, their story ends and the next one begins. To be clear, this is not a fault of E. J. Kitchens! Each story takes precisely as long as it needs to. It is simply me lamenting not having more time with the characters because they are all so enjoyable.
A second complaint I have is the lack of a map. I wish the stories were accompanied by a map so the reader could keep track of all the places. But then, in the world of the stories, such a map would not exist. So, why should the readers have one?
All in all, I highly recommend this collect to those who enjoy romance, adventure, and/or fantasy.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews