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Dawnhawk Trilogy #1
Chasing the Lantern
Life was rough for Lina Stone. A career as a sky pirate under swashbuckling Captain Fengel seemed like a step up. Instead she finds that her new skipper has lost his airship and is dangerously in debt to a powerful criminal cartel.
Lina's only hope at fending off Fengel's creditors is a wrecked frigate bearing a priceless gemstone. There are just two problems: an ancient curse on the gemstone, and a vindictive rival pirate crew.
Lina's only hope at fending off Fengel's creditors is a wrecked frigate bearing a priceless gemstone. There are just two problems: an ancient curse on the gemstone, and a vindictive rival pirate crew.
275 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
21 people are currently reading
316 people want to read
About the author
Jonathon Burgess
10 books23 followersI haunt the Pacific Northwest. You can find me drinking too much coffee and arguing over the best settings for the deployment of THAC0 tables (Ravenloft. It's Ravenloft). I'm the author of the Dawnhawk Trilogy and the Blackscale Thief duology. Learn more about my work at www.jonathonburgess.com.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 23, 2017
Deep in debt and having just lost his airship, pirate captain Fengel and his crew, including new addition Lina Stone, find themselves in a bit of trouble. The only way for Fengel to get his creditors off his back lies in a wrecked frigate containing a priceless gemstone and a bunch of other treasure. Of course, the lack of a ship is a bit of a problem, so Fengel's crew promptly steals one from Fengel's estranged wife Natasha, which predictably enough quickly has Natasha's vindictive crew pursuing them to steal back their ship.
Steampunk meets pirate adventure in an actionpacked and immensely entertaining read. While occasionally a bit over the top, the story is fun all the way through and never gets boring.
Steampunk meets pirate adventure in an actionpacked and immensely entertaining read. While occasionally a bit over the top, the story is fun all the way through and never gets boring.
August 14, 2016
Chasing the Lantern is a steampunk fantasy with ruthless pirates, a cursed gemstone, and a lost world of reptilian creatures. The world Jonathon Burgess has created is richly imagined. I loved the detail in the descriptions of the Dawnhawk (the sky ship depicted on the gorgeous cover of this book) and the dark and mysterious magic of the Aetherite navigators is a wonderful contrast to the steampunk Mechanists keeping the ships in the air. This mix of magic and machinery makes for a fantastic adventure with thrilling battle scenes.
My favorite character is Lina Stone. After working in a brothel, her new career as a sky pirate is a perilous step up. She has to carve out a place for herself among a crew of cutthroats, one of whom is a disgusting and sexist oaf who continually belittles her and threatens to assault her until she gains the upper hand by cleverly putting him in his place. She continues to earn the respect of her captain and shipmates as she uses her intellect to save their necks time after time.
As far as pirates go, Captain Fengel is fairly honorable in the sense that he actually cares for his crew. Even though he selfishly leads them into risky situations, he’d rather surrender than see a loyal crew member needlessly slaughtered by a sociopath. He’s a flawed character, but that makes him interesting. At times he is arrogant and petty, especially where his rival Natasha is concerned. Whereas Fengel commands respect by appearing unruffled at all times, she is a beautiful but narcissistic pirate princess who rules her ship through fear. The relationship between these two characters is terribly dysfunctional, but it’s a highly entertaining shipwreck as they trade barbs and vie for control of the Dawnhawk.
My favorite character is Lina Stone. After working in a brothel, her new career as a sky pirate is a perilous step up. She has to carve out a place for herself among a crew of cutthroats, one of whom is a disgusting and sexist oaf who continually belittles her and threatens to assault her until she gains the upper hand by cleverly putting him in his place. She continues to earn the respect of her captain and shipmates as she uses her intellect to save their necks time after time.
As far as pirates go, Captain Fengel is fairly honorable in the sense that he actually cares for his crew. Even though he selfishly leads them into risky situations, he’d rather surrender than see a loyal crew member needlessly slaughtered by a sociopath. He’s a flawed character, but that makes him interesting. At times he is arrogant and petty, especially where his rival Natasha is concerned. Whereas Fengel commands respect by appearing unruffled at all times, she is a beautiful but narcissistic pirate princess who rules her ship through fear. The relationship between these two characters is terribly dysfunctional, but it’s a highly entertaining shipwreck as they trade barbs and vie for control of the Dawnhawk.
January 22, 2013
You take Pirates of the Caribbean, inject it with a large dose steampunk, then soak it thoroughly in fantasy and what comes out is this great book filled with unique characters and locales. I thought it was a wonderful read from start to finish. I'm usually wary of stories with multiple POV characters but this book pulls it off flawlessly. I didn't find myself ever wishing I'd go back to a certain character and was always happy as I jumped to each perspective throughout the tale. I particularly liked getting Fengel's internal monologue vs. how the other characters perceived him.
I'd definitely recommend this for a fun read.
I'd definitely recommend this for a fun read.
March 24, 2022
Dawnhawk One
Meet the crew of the pirate sky ship Dawnhawk and it's gentlemanly Captain as they embark on an adventure to steal a cursed treasure before someone else does.
This is an incredibly fun steampunk fantasy that checks all the boxes! To make it even better, this is only the beginning of the series.
Meet the crew of the pirate sky ship Dawnhawk and it's gentlemanly Captain as they embark on an adventure to steal a cursed treasure before someone else does.
This is an incredibly fun steampunk fantasy that checks all the boxes! To make it even better, this is only the beginning of the series.
October 7, 2012
This was book was a gamble, of sorts.
Why? Because I invested in the Kickstarter. The theme caught my attention, the short snippet from the book itself further entrenched my interest, but at the end of the day, Jonathon Burgess remained a beginning writer self-publishing his first book.
But the gamble paid off. This was a truly enjoyable ride, and I'm well and truly interested in more. Thank you, Mr. Burgess, for a very enjoyable ride in a somewhat Steampunk-ish, very much pirate-ish, and thoroughly interesting story.
Why? Because I invested in the Kickstarter. The theme caught my attention, the short snippet from the book itself further entrenched my interest, but at the end of the day, Jonathon Burgess remained a beginning writer self-publishing his first book.
But the gamble paid off. This was a truly enjoyable ride, and I'm well and truly interested in more. Thank you, Mr. Burgess, for a very enjoyable ride in a somewhat Steampunk-ish, very much pirate-ish, and thoroughly interesting story.
September 11, 2012
This was a great action filled romp through a fantasy world populated by flying lizards and mad magic users. I loved following two pirate crews as they circled and chased each other in search of treasure and adventure. I highly recommend this book to any one who enjoys fantasy, adventure, and steampunk. The pacing is perfect and keeps pulling you forward on this mad-cap adventure.
September 28, 2012
'Ere flies a tale of pirates cast into the aether-strewn skies of the Atlean Sea! High adventure awaits in a world most beautiful, bewitching and treacherous. You'll not soon forget the exploits and misadventures of Jonothan Burgess' sky-borne salts and vicious cut-throats. Chasing the Lantern is a gem no self respecting treasure hunter can afford to pass up.
Yo-ho!
Yo-ho!
January 8, 2015
I'm not super into steampunk, but this was a fun read. The characters were interesting, the steampunk elements were pretty much limited to the airships and the captain's monocle, and I enjoyed the characters.
December 29, 2015
An Intriguing World
A rousing tale full of action. An interesting world that will fascinating to explore further. reminds me of a steampunkish version of the adventures of the Ketty Jay.
A rousing tale full of action. An interesting world that will fascinating to explore further. reminds me of a steampunkish version of the adventures of the Ketty Jay.
November 19, 2012
Backed this on kickstarter & glad I did. Really enjoyed it. Almost missed my stop reading it a couple of times. Looking forward to the next book from this author
September 11, 2013
A thoroughly enjoyable read, can't wait to read the sequel....
July 31, 2013
I found this book thoroughly entertaining & engaging. A fun read that kept me hooked until the end. A combination of steampunk, pirates, & magic. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
September 11, 2016
2.5 stars.
July 27, 2015
A wonderfully fun romp, both clever and funny.
August 16, 2016
A series of adventure in the sky!
Jonathan Burgess has written a great start to an exciting series. Pirates, airship's and laughter make this first book worth reading!
Jonathan Burgess has written a great start to an exciting series. Pirates, airship's and laughter make this first book worth reading!
December 11, 2016
I wanted to like this book, but with one of the main characters being a dork, I just couldn't do it. Every time the monocle was mentioned I wanted to toss it on the floor and stomp on it.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews