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Nimbus #1
Nimbus: A Steampunk Novel
Jude Finley is a new recruit aboard the Gangly Dirigible, an airship that extracts water from rainclouds. Having only lived above the Skyline for a year, Jude is still getting used to the way things work in the world above the clouds. While working aboard the airship, Jude and his friends uncover a secret which may or may not help them against a growing uprising that could spell doom for everyone on the planet.
Meanwhile, Demetrius Rucca, wheelchair-bound son of a prominent religious leader, begins recruiting followers for his own subversive cause. As allegiances are sworn to him and his followers grow, he begins to discover the new powers that lie within him. This power could be the salvation Demetrius is looking for–or it could be the destruction of the known world.
Meanwhile, Demetrius Rucca, wheelchair-bound son of a prominent religious leader, begins recruiting followers for his own subversive cause. As allegiances are sworn to him and his followers grow, he begins to discover the new powers that lie within him. This power could be the salvation Demetrius is looking for–or it could be the destruction of the known world.
110 pages, ebook
First published April 28, 2012
1 person is currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
B.J. Keeton
14 books49 followersB.J. is a geek, gamer, podcaster, and runner. He has been the co-host of the Geek to Geek podcast since 2016, and he helped start the Geek to Geek Media Network. His biggest pet peeve is when someone spells Wookiee with only one E. One time, he told his friends he liked vegetables maybe more than he did Star Wars, and they made him put a dollar in the jar. That should tell you everything you need to know about him. Find him on Twitter as @professorbeej or on Discord as @professorbeej#1337.
He is the author of THE TECHNOMAGE ARCHIVE and NIMBUS: A STEAMPUNK NOVEL
He is the author of THE TECHNOMAGE ARCHIVE and NIMBUS: A STEAMPUNK NOVEL
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 17, 2019
Nimbus: A Steampunk Novel (Part One) by Austin King & B.J.Keeton
This a clever little novel or novella depending on how you look at it. I really enjoyed reading it and it peaked my interest enough to get me to purchase the remainder of the four. This part contains two stories in the same world that do not connect and yet they somehow tell two stories that are complete and have the promise of sometime later intersecting. I'll find that out when I read the rest, if it proves to be true.
Steam-punk seems to still be in a stage where there are quite a number of novels, which fall under the heading, that have quite divergent theme structure and landscape. So there are air ships in this one and possibly floating sky cities or stations.
One of the stories takes place on cloud nine a community where the ruling class live that has three tiers that lay out three class of peoples.Cornelius Rucca is the God-king whose son is dying. There is a supernatural way to save him and Cornelius has access because one of his ancestors was an auger. It might appear that Cornelius is making a deal with the devil and allowing it to cohabit his son in order to save his sons life.
The other story is aboard the airship Gangly Dirigible Jude has only been aboard around a year, young and ambitious he finds that life on the airship as a Hoser can be dangerous and rough with few other rewards than the fresh water he can send to his family. The Gangly Dirigible uses the Hosers to extract water from the clouds that run above the evil fog, which can eat flesh. His friend Fritz has once fallen victim to the fog and it is slowly eating his flesh away day by day.
Dimetrius Rucca, the son of Cornelius lives a somewhat sheltered life but he is cripple. Although his life was spared he has lost the use of his legs. His one dream is to an air ship captain but his father, Cornelius makes a point of denying him that one dream. Through a sequence of fortunate or unfortunate events Dimetrius gains a following from the lowest class and they eventually are spurred to steal an airship for him initially much to his chagrin.
Through greed and a series of unfortunate events connected with that greed; Jude and the son of the owner of the airship and the captain and a few crew discover an old sky platform that might contain riches or might contain pure evil. I'm fairly certain these two stories mean to collide somewhere down the road- or up in the air as it is.
These are both well paced and exciting stories and although the whole story is not complete the two stories resolve out enough to serve as two well told tales that stand on their own.
It will be interesting to finish the other three parts to see where it's going.
Great read for lovers of SSF and steam-punk. Possibly even for Mark Twain Riverboat fans.
J.L. Dobias
This a clever little novel or novella depending on how you look at it. I really enjoyed reading it and it peaked my interest enough to get me to purchase the remainder of the four. This part contains two stories in the same world that do not connect and yet they somehow tell two stories that are complete and have the promise of sometime later intersecting. I'll find that out when I read the rest, if it proves to be true.
Steam-punk seems to still be in a stage where there are quite a number of novels, which fall under the heading, that have quite divergent theme structure and landscape. So there are air ships in this one and possibly floating sky cities or stations.
One of the stories takes place on cloud nine a community where the ruling class live that has three tiers that lay out three class of peoples.Cornelius Rucca is the God-king whose son is dying. There is a supernatural way to save him and Cornelius has access because one of his ancestors was an auger. It might appear that Cornelius is making a deal with the devil and allowing it to cohabit his son in order to save his sons life.
The other story is aboard the airship Gangly Dirigible Jude has only been aboard around a year, young and ambitious he finds that life on the airship as a Hoser can be dangerous and rough with few other rewards than the fresh water he can send to his family. The Gangly Dirigible uses the Hosers to extract water from the clouds that run above the evil fog, which can eat flesh. His friend Fritz has once fallen victim to the fog and it is slowly eating his flesh away day by day.
Dimetrius Rucca, the son of Cornelius lives a somewhat sheltered life but he is cripple. Although his life was spared he has lost the use of his legs. His one dream is to an air ship captain but his father, Cornelius makes a point of denying him that one dream. Through a sequence of fortunate or unfortunate events Dimetrius gains a following from the lowest class and they eventually are spurred to steal an airship for him initially much to his chagrin.
Through greed and a series of unfortunate events connected with that greed; Jude and the son of the owner of the airship and the captain and a few crew discover an old sky platform that might contain riches or might contain pure evil. I'm fairly certain these two stories mean to collide somewhere down the road- or up in the air as it is.
These are both well paced and exciting stories and although the whole story is not complete the two stories resolve out enough to serve as two well told tales that stand on their own.
It will be interesting to finish the other three parts to see where it's going.
Great read for lovers of SSF and steam-punk. Possibly even for Mark Twain Riverboat fans.
J.L. Dobias
January 4, 2019
"Nimbus: a Steampunk Novel (Part 1) is a good read for steampunk enthusiasts and those new to the genre.
On a quest to save a child, a ritual must be enacted from a mysterious book.
"Cornelius always remembered that day for a number of reasons, but mostly because that was when he realized that everything was going to change."
A pirates tale in an airship, this adventure story progresses with impending questions, mystery, and speed.
A boy, physically disabled and emotionally abused, must face his own fight. He battles prejudice, an unsupportive family, and a society that refuses to accept him for who he is. Demetrius struggles within his mind and body.
An engaging and raucous tale with sci-fi highlights and humanistic reliability, "Nimbus" will draw you in to adventure and deliver an epic discovery of mind over matter.
On a quest to save a child, a ritual must be enacted from a mysterious book.
"Cornelius always remembered that day for a number of reasons, but mostly because that was when he realized that everything was going to change."
A pirates tale in an airship, this adventure story progresses with impending questions, mystery, and speed.
A boy, physically disabled and emotionally abused, must face his own fight. He battles prejudice, an unsupportive family, and a society that refuses to accept him for who he is. Demetrius struggles within his mind and body.
An engaging and raucous tale with sci-fi highlights and humanistic reliability, "Nimbus" will draw you in to adventure and deliver an epic discovery of mind over matter.
December 14, 2018
Not a bad steampunk story but ends with a cliffhanger
May 4, 2012
I’ve never read anything which could even be remotely classed as being, ‘Steampunk’ before. I know some people go crazy for the aesthetic and idea of the whole thing, but it was never really for me.
I don’t mean to say I hated the genre, I just wasn’t in any particular rush to go try it out. Ditto for anything indie or self-published for that matter. I didn’t have any first hand experience upon which to carry anything quite so heavy as hatred, again, just not in any particular rush to test the waters myself.
Several stars came into alignment to make Nimbus my first read within both realms, Steampunk and self-publishing. For one thing, this is a Steampunk and Fantasy cross-over genre-mashing thinger. And that sounded far too intriguing to pass up. Secondly, each part of Nimbus is roughly novella length. I needed something novella length to see me with sanity intact through the span of time between Mistborn Group Read sections.
Finally — and in the interests of full disclosure — B.J. Keeton (aka @professorbeej) is someone I have followed for a while and interacted with in the past. We’ve never met in real life, and I wouldn’t constitute us as bestest of buds or anything of the kind, but nonetheless an acquaintance I have great respect for. It was his advice which finally tipped me toward buying a Kindle instead of any of my other eReader options!
So I offered to review his (and Austin King’s) work after seeing it published on Amazon. It didn’t even occur to me at first that I mightn’t like it and thus put myself in an awkward situation. That worry came later. Then I started to wonder if I’d need to create a new online identity, because man, drama.
When I started reading, I discovered I needn’t have worried.
It’s important to note that Nimbus is being serialised into 4 parts, which will ultimately constitute a full novel length work. Keeton and King’s backgrounds in TV culture seem to shine through, as by the end of Part 1 I felt like I had just done the reading equivalent of watching to the end of a pilot episode.
It introduced the critical elements to the story early and slowly revealed more through the course of the ‘show’, bringing in more elements of intrigue, answers questions which in turn simply reveal yet more questions. To end, it caps off on a high note leaving you really hankering after the next episode.
That is essentially what the experience of reading Nimbus (Part One) was like!
I teeter back and forth between thinking the first sections dragged a wee bit in terms of pacing. On the one hand, despite there being interesting elements introduced early — such as Hosing and the fog that consumes flesh below the Skyline — it wasn’t until nearer the midway point that I saw any edge-of-my-seat content. On the other, as a proportion of the whole story? This is actually slightly less than one quarter. And there was edge-of-my-seat stuff already.
The quality of copy-editing in Nimbus (Part One) is also most excellent. I had heard some absolute horror stories of other self-published works mistaking their/there/they’re, getting the wrong homophone, being riddled with typos… None of that here, I was never once jolted out for reasons a good ol’ copy-editing session could fix.
However, there is the very rare occasion where a turn of phrase seems to break its ankle rather than dance. “Fritz talked with the wide-eyed enthusiasm of an elderly man in a borderline coma,” particularly stood out to me. What is this saying? It seems a bit contradictory even.
Rare issues like that aside, I enjoyed my time with Nimbus and eagerly await the release of the next parts. I really need to find out how Jude and Rucca fair after happenings so far, and see the almost inevitable moment that their paths collide! This part really did feel like a pilot episode to me, replete with not-quite-but-almost-sort-of-cliff-hanger ending.
Ultimately, Nimbus worked for me. The fantastic elements of the story fit like a glove into the steampunk aesthetics. The world constructed is interesting and certainly no run of the mill Victorian-era Earth. I want Part Two, I want to be able to continue this story.
You can pick-up Nimbus (Part One) yourself from Amazon provided you have a Kindle, although B.J. and Austin hope to have the story available on the Nook store and perhaps others in the near future. Or! You can read Part One for free on B.J. Keeton’s Blog, as they’re releasing it chapter by chapter each week!
Be on the look out for the interview I’ll be posting with B.J. Keeton and Austin King shortly! There will be a giveaway! :)
-- Originally posted at http://onceuponatime.jaedia.net/
I don’t mean to say I hated the genre, I just wasn’t in any particular rush to go try it out. Ditto for anything indie or self-published for that matter. I didn’t have any first hand experience upon which to carry anything quite so heavy as hatred, again, just not in any particular rush to test the waters myself.
Several stars came into alignment to make Nimbus my first read within both realms, Steampunk and self-publishing. For one thing, this is a Steampunk and Fantasy cross-over genre-mashing thinger. And that sounded far too intriguing to pass up. Secondly, each part of Nimbus is roughly novella length. I needed something novella length to see me with sanity intact through the span of time between Mistborn Group Read sections.
Finally — and in the interests of full disclosure — B.J. Keeton (aka @professorbeej) is someone I have followed for a while and interacted with in the past. We’ve never met in real life, and I wouldn’t constitute us as bestest of buds or anything of the kind, but nonetheless an acquaintance I have great respect for. It was his advice which finally tipped me toward buying a Kindle instead of any of my other eReader options!
So I offered to review his (and Austin King’s) work after seeing it published on Amazon. It didn’t even occur to me at first that I mightn’t like it and thus put myself in an awkward situation. That worry came later. Then I started to wonder if I’d need to create a new online identity, because man, drama.
When I started reading, I discovered I needn’t have worried.
It’s important to note that Nimbus is being serialised into 4 parts, which will ultimately constitute a full novel length work. Keeton and King’s backgrounds in TV culture seem to shine through, as by the end of Part 1 I felt like I had just done the reading equivalent of watching to the end of a pilot episode.
It introduced the critical elements to the story early and slowly revealed more through the course of the ‘show’, bringing in more elements of intrigue, answers questions which in turn simply reveal yet more questions. To end, it caps off on a high note leaving you really hankering after the next episode.
That is essentially what the experience of reading Nimbus (Part One) was like!
I teeter back and forth between thinking the first sections dragged a wee bit in terms of pacing. On the one hand, despite there being interesting elements introduced early — such as Hosing and the fog that consumes flesh below the Skyline — it wasn’t until nearer the midway point that I saw any edge-of-my-seat content. On the other, as a proportion of the whole story? This is actually slightly less than one quarter. And there was edge-of-my-seat stuff already.
The quality of copy-editing in Nimbus (Part One) is also most excellent. I had heard some absolute horror stories of other self-published works mistaking their/there/they’re, getting the wrong homophone, being riddled with typos… None of that here, I was never once jolted out for reasons a good ol’ copy-editing session could fix.
However, there is the very rare occasion where a turn of phrase seems to break its ankle rather than dance. “Fritz talked with the wide-eyed enthusiasm of an elderly man in a borderline coma,” particularly stood out to me. What is this saying? It seems a bit contradictory even.
Rare issues like that aside, I enjoyed my time with Nimbus and eagerly await the release of the next parts. I really need to find out how Jude and Rucca fair after happenings so far, and see the almost inevitable moment that their paths collide! This part really did feel like a pilot episode to me, replete with not-quite-but-almost-sort-of-cliff-hanger ending.
Ultimately, Nimbus worked for me. The fantastic elements of the story fit like a glove into the steampunk aesthetics. The world constructed is interesting and certainly no run of the mill Victorian-era Earth. I want Part Two, I want to be able to continue this story.
You can pick-up Nimbus (Part One) yourself from Amazon provided you have a Kindle, although B.J. and Austin hope to have the story available on the Nook store and perhaps others in the near future. Or! You can read Part One for free on B.J. Keeton’s Blog, as they’re releasing it chapter by chapter each week!
Be on the look out for the interview I’ll be posting with B.J. Keeton and Austin King shortly! There will be a giveaway! :)
-- Originally posted at http://onceuponatime.jaedia.net/
May 18, 2012
I recently had a Twitter conversation with author B. J. Keeton (@professorbeej on twitter. . .you should follow him if you don't) and expressed how hard it is for me to write a review of anything because I feel like I can be a little too critical at times. I also told him that this is the reason why I hadn't already written a review of his and Austin King's Nimbus: A Steampunk Novel (Part One), and honestly, this is true. I have started and stopped writing my review several times, and each time, I have thought that I might be being a bit too hypercritical. However, as I have let the thoughts sit, I know that I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading it, and although the first part isn't perfect, I really enjoyed it. Now, I'm going to tell you why as briefly, succinctly, and honestly as possible
The Good
The characters- Both Jude Finley and Demetrius Rucca are fully fleshed out characters that I find to be completely believable. While both characters are interesting in their own right, Jude takes up the mantle of our main hero as he manages his life aboard the Gangly Dirigible and is confronted by increasingly difficult situations up until his cliffhanger. Rucca (as he is referred to throughout the novel) lives the life of a highborn crippled man, and it becomes obvious quickly that this has affected him as he literally takes to the skies to rid himself of his existence. Moreover, each has another hidden layer that surfaces as the story continues. . .
The story- It's original and unlike anything I've ever read before, but moreover, it puts a new spin on the steampunk genre, which can be dry for me at times. From the beginning, the readers are shown the importance of water and how difficult it is to gather in turn through Jude's story. With Rucca, we are brought into the problems of someone stuck in his own skin, feeling the limitations and hoping to be able to bypass them somehow. And. . .AND it has demon possession which will serve as a huge plot device within the remaining parts. . .I find this to be really awesome.
The Concept of Serialization-They're releasing the novel in four parts on Amazon, but they're also releasing it chapter by chapter on Keeton's blog professorbeej.com. I've oftentimes thought of how interesting it would be to read something serially, like the Victorians once did (and others... I know that too). This indulges my fancy and allows me to see how it would function. Also, I think that this is a brilliant way to build suspense, especially with the overall strength of the writing. It makes the overall premise great.
The Not so Good
Imbalance with alternating plots early on- While the writing and the story were really, really strong overall, I found myself at times feeling like the alternating chapters between Jude and Rucca's points of view were a bit uneven in terms of their overall pacing and interest level. This occurs mainly toward the beginning and slowly begins to work itself out as both plot lines amp up in terms of action. Give it the first few chapters, and I assure you that you will be drawn in (that's why I make this point).
Awkward phrasing at points- Although this doesn't happen that often, there were a few times in this section of the novel that I was left scratching my head at the connection of ideas in a sentence or at just the structure of a sentence. For example, at one point there is discussion about a character that has been damaged by the fog: "His fingers, hands, and arms were also damaged. Muscle tissue and, like the spot on his right hand, even bone showed through." I understand what was meant to be said here within the context of the larger scene; however, it took me reading this passage a few times to get the exact meaning. These types of issues occurred very infrequently, which shows you that the copy editing / proofreading was done with great care and attention to detail.
Overall- 4 of 5 Stars
I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars because it is provocative, the concept is interesting, and the characters, especially the main ones, are well written. I enjoyed it thoroughly and anxiously await the second part to know what happened to both our hero and the budding villain. Honestly, it is pretty fantastic for only 2.99 at the Amazon Kindle Store. Go buy it today!!
The Good
The characters- Both Jude Finley and Demetrius Rucca are fully fleshed out characters that I find to be completely believable. While both characters are interesting in their own right, Jude takes up the mantle of our main hero as he manages his life aboard the Gangly Dirigible and is confronted by increasingly difficult situations up until his cliffhanger. Rucca (as he is referred to throughout the novel) lives the life of a highborn crippled man, and it becomes obvious quickly that this has affected him as he literally takes to the skies to rid himself of his existence. Moreover, each has another hidden layer that surfaces as the story continues. . .
The story- It's original and unlike anything I've ever read before, but moreover, it puts a new spin on the steampunk genre, which can be dry for me at times. From the beginning, the readers are shown the importance of water and how difficult it is to gather in turn through Jude's story. With Rucca, we are brought into the problems of someone stuck in his own skin, feeling the limitations and hoping to be able to bypass them somehow. And. . .AND it has demon possession which will serve as a huge plot device within the remaining parts. . .I find this to be really awesome.
The Concept of Serialization-They're releasing the novel in four parts on Amazon, but they're also releasing it chapter by chapter on Keeton's blog professorbeej.com. I've oftentimes thought of how interesting it would be to read something serially, like the Victorians once did (and others... I know that too). This indulges my fancy and allows me to see how it would function. Also, I think that this is a brilliant way to build suspense, especially with the overall strength of the writing. It makes the overall premise great.
The Not so Good
Imbalance with alternating plots early on- While the writing and the story were really, really strong overall, I found myself at times feeling like the alternating chapters between Jude and Rucca's points of view were a bit uneven in terms of their overall pacing and interest level. This occurs mainly toward the beginning and slowly begins to work itself out as both plot lines amp up in terms of action. Give it the first few chapters, and I assure you that you will be drawn in (that's why I make this point).
Awkward phrasing at points- Although this doesn't happen that often, there were a few times in this section of the novel that I was left scratching my head at the connection of ideas in a sentence or at just the structure of a sentence. For example, at one point there is discussion about a character that has been damaged by the fog: "His fingers, hands, and arms were also damaged. Muscle tissue and, like the spot on his right hand, even bone showed through." I understand what was meant to be said here within the context of the larger scene; however, it took me reading this passage a few times to get the exact meaning. These types of issues occurred very infrequently, which shows you that the copy editing / proofreading was done with great care and attention to detail.
Overall- 4 of 5 Stars
I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars because it is provocative, the concept is interesting, and the characters, especially the main ones, are well written. I enjoyed it thoroughly and anxiously await the second part to know what happened to both our hero and the budding villain. Honestly, it is pretty fantastic for only 2.99 at the Amazon Kindle Store. Go buy it today!!
May 5, 2013
I've never read Steampunk before, but I've followed B.J. Keeton on Twitter for a few years so was excited to read his first book.
In many ways, Nimbus is a fantasy novel -- any "sci-fi" is very vague or outright glossed over, and even the steampunk isn't too technical. For me, not being a huge fan of steampunk, that worked out great with the exception of some descriptions being perhaps too vague at times. For example, I still don't have a clear picture in my mind what any of these airships should actually look like.
The characters are both believable and enjoyable, and after I got past the first few chapters, I quickly got into the story and this became one of those hard-to-put-down ebooks. The more common side characters touch upon some of our own social commentary, as do the two main characters. One of the things I really appreciated was showing the reader why the antagonist behaved the way he did, but he was never a one-dimensional "bad guy," he showed compassion quite often towards Gully in particular, then later Samsam but he could be quite ruthless towards anyone he so much as thought had slighted him.
My primary negative comment will be a technical one. One of the first couple chapters where Jude is on the airship and they begin the "raking" process I think it was, there's mention of being at thirty-five thousand feet. I don't know if that was an exaggeration or if the airship was actually at 35,000 ft. Shortly thereafter they encounter a storm. I'm an airline pilot by trade so I really had to struggle with suspension of disbelief because 35,0000 ft is where I work every day. Diminished air pressure pushing oxygen to the lungs gives a Time of Useful Consciousness (TUC) of roughly 30 seconds at that altitude, not to mention a standard temperature of -55 Celcius which would instantly freeze skin. Even though there was no descriptions alluding to this, I decided to just say "it's magic" and get through it. All the descriptions of that plus the storm would have been more appropriate for say 3,500 ft. Just like techies cringe when they see Hollywood-style "hacking" in movies (Jurassic Park, anyone?), pilots cringe at this type of thing but to anyone else, I doubt they even noticed it or gave it a second thought.
Overall, Nimbas was a great fantasy / steampunk-lite adventure romp and I look forward to the next installment!
In many ways, Nimbus is a fantasy novel -- any "sci-fi" is very vague or outright glossed over, and even the steampunk isn't too technical. For me, not being a huge fan of steampunk, that worked out great with the exception of some descriptions being perhaps too vague at times. For example, I still don't have a clear picture in my mind what any of these airships should actually look like.
The characters are both believable and enjoyable, and after I got past the first few chapters, I quickly got into the story and this became one of those hard-to-put-down ebooks. The more common side characters touch upon some of our own social commentary, as do the two main characters. One of the things I really appreciated was showing the reader why the antagonist behaved the way he did, but he was never a one-dimensional "bad guy," he showed compassion quite often towards Gully in particular, then later Samsam but he could be quite ruthless towards anyone he so much as thought had slighted him.
My primary negative comment will be a technical one. One of the first couple chapters where Jude is on the airship and they begin the "raking" process I think it was, there's mention of being at thirty-five thousand feet. I don't know if that was an exaggeration or if the airship was actually at 35,000 ft. Shortly thereafter they encounter a storm. I'm an airline pilot by trade so I really had to struggle with suspension of disbelief because 35,0000 ft is where I work every day. Diminished air pressure pushing oxygen to the lungs gives a Time of Useful Consciousness (TUC) of roughly 30 seconds at that altitude, not to mention a standard temperature of -55 Celcius which would instantly freeze skin. Even though there was no descriptions alluding to this, I decided to just say "it's magic" and get through it. All the descriptions of that plus the storm would have been more appropriate for say 3,500 ft. Just like techies cringe when they see Hollywood-style "hacking" in movies (Jurassic Park, anyone?), pilots cringe at this type of thing but to anyone else, I doubt they even noticed it or gave it a second thought.
Overall, Nimbas was a great fantasy / steampunk-lite adventure romp and I look forward to the next installment!
September 26, 2013
This was an exciting start to a serial story. There is no sitting around or unnecessary descriptions here, the action starts quick and continues straight through the whole book. Since it is a serial, it has a non-ending, instead, simply stopping in a cliffhanger fashion.
The story starts with two different threads, having only the world in common. I’m sure the plots will come together later in the story, but for now, they are quite distinct. It is easy to tell them apart, and easy to follow each of them.
The world building was quite intricate, however not a lot of details are shared in this first part. The general layout is revealed, however much of the history and details are absent. It’s good that there was no info dumping of information, however a little more history would be beneficial since the world is so different.
Overall, this is a good start to a story, but since it’s a serial, it’s not a complete story at all. I like the action focus, and the feeling that the world is quite intricate, but a bit more detail would help flesh it out a bit. The story was originally described to me as “steampunk for people who don’t know they like steampunk” and it seems accurate as I enjoyed the story, and I normally don’t read much steampunk.
The story starts with two different threads, having only the world in common. I’m sure the plots will come together later in the story, but for now, they are quite distinct. It is easy to tell them apart, and easy to follow each of them.
The world building was quite intricate, however not a lot of details are shared in this first part. The general layout is revealed, however much of the history and details are absent. It’s good that there was no info dumping of information, however a little more history would be beneficial since the world is so different.
Overall, this is a good start to a story, but since it’s a serial, it’s not a complete story at all. I like the action focus, and the feeling that the world is quite intricate, but a bit more detail would help flesh it out a bit. The story was originally described to me as “steampunk for people who don’t know they like steampunk” and it seems accurate as I enjoyed the story, and I normally don’t read much steampunk.
August 13, 2013
Having read a number of free ebook type works, I came in with low expectations that were slowly, but surely surpassed. The characterization is smart and more three-dimensional than readers can usually expect to get in classic steampunk novels. While many of the concepts are trope to the genre (poisonous air and water, airships, etc.), the author introduces elements like a religious healing turned dark and a kind of scavenger hunt turned monstrous for a unique and enjoyable light read. Topics of censorship and lost learning promise plot twists to come. The writing and description is lucid, clear, and vivid, at times uncomfortably so. Copy editing was mercifully good compared to almost any self-published works I've encountered. The main character is pleasing and easy to side with, and the budding antagonist is also fascinatingly relatable when he isn't being very bad indeed. Recommended for steampunk enthusiasts and those looking to sample the genre.
July 27, 2013
Steampunk is so hit or miss these days, due to so many people taking a jump into it. However, these authors pulled it off perfectly and this story has so much favor that I just couldn't put it down. I love both main characters and how they deal with the everyday issues. I don't want to write a full review until I read the entire book, so I will stop here; but I will say this is a must for all steampunk fans!!! There is a lot that happens on the airships that I find fun and refreshing, I even like the when they hose for clean water. Again, this is a must read for all steampunk fans!!!
June 21, 2015
This was cool, it was a pretty quick read which i love, and i like the story enough that i want to read the rest of the series. I just hope they are around the same length. As much as i enjoyed it, a lot of that was because it was not a long book. I believe i have two more to go, maybe three. If you like steampunk and short quick novellas then i recommend this one.
August 25, 2013
Steampunk is hard to get right, but when it is, it's very cool. Great word building, memorable characters, and mysterious secrets from a distant past. And there's airships. Awesome!
April 3, 2014
So gonna buy the omnibus now! Awesome story, officially a steampunk fan as of now!!!
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