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Steam and Aether #3
Solomon's Compass
The Austro-Hungarian crown has lost a jewel . . .
The Templars found Solomon’s Compass during excavations in the Middle East and brought it to Europe. After centuries in possession of the Holy Roman Empire, Austria loaned it to Bavaria as a wartime reward.
Now the emperor wants the mysterious gem back, and his agent hires Rip’s team to retrieve it. There’s only one problem. Bavaria is no longer part of Austria. It recently aligned with the newly formed and militantly aggressive German Empire. And the Prussians do not want Rip anywhere near their border.
From the heights of a floating city to the depths of an ancient fortress, Rip and his team will seek to solve the puzzle of a centuries-old mystery, and uncover several more surprises along the way . . .
Don't miss the third book in this stunning steampunk gamelit adventure! Veteran science fiction and military fantasy author, two-time Kindle Scout winner Jaxon Reed presents an exciting series set in a fantastic gaslamp universe! Featuring fistfights, machineguns, gang warfare, dungeon crawls and sci-fi adventure, Steam and Aether garnered tens of thousands of reads on Royal Road and was a 2022 Writathon winner!
The Templars found Solomon’s Compass during excavations in the Middle East and brought it to Europe. After centuries in possession of the Holy Roman Empire, Austria loaned it to Bavaria as a wartime reward.
Now the emperor wants the mysterious gem back, and his agent hires Rip’s team to retrieve it. There’s only one problem. Bavaria is no longer part of Austria. It recently aligned with the newly formed and militantly aggressive German Empire. And the Prussians do not want Rip anywhere near their border.
From the heights of a floating city to the depths of an ancient fortress, Rip and his team will seek to solve the puzzle of a centuries-old mystery, and uncover several more surprises along the way . . .
Don't miss the third book in this stunning steampunk gamelit adventure! Veteran science fiction and military fantasy author, two-time Kindle Scout winner Jaxon Reed presents an exciting series set in a fantastic gaslamp universe! Featuring fistfights, machineguns, gang warfare, dungeon crawls and sci-fi adventure, Steam and Aether garnered tens of thousands of reads on Royal Road and was a 2022 Writathon winner!
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 8, 2023
27 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Jaxon Reed
96 books170 followersJaxon Reed is a speculative fiction author and two-time winner of Amazon's Kindle Scout program.
Jaxon is an Aggie, living in Texas on a ranch with his wife and boys, several cats, and one pound dog.
Sign up for new release alerts, sales and freebies at https://jaxonreed.substack.com
Jaxon is an Aggie, living in Texas on a ranch with his wife and boys, several cats, and one pound dog.
Sign up for new release alerts, sales and freebies at https://jaxonreed.substack.com
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 12, 2023
I adore this steampunk series and this latest addition is just so good! Rip and his team are back so let the action, the mayhem and the chaos ensue. It’s well written, captivating and highly entertaining as we follow these adventurers on their extraordinary journey to retrieve Solomon’s Compass and return it to its rightful owner. Exciting, thrilling and fun to read with some twists and turns to keep you glued to the pages, this was a fantastic read and I look forward to reading more!
June 12, 2023
Jaxon Reed has done it again with Book 3 in his Steam and Aether series. I am a fan of steampunk, either reading it or dressing up as if I were living it. Throw in some well-thought-out interdimensional travel, a savvy soldier, interesting fantasy- and non-fantasy-based characters, and action-filled stories and I'm hooked, and you will be, as well.
With a strong plot, well-rounded characters, and authentic dialog, the book grabs your interest in the first chapter and doesn't let go until the last page.
The book is well thought out, expertly edited, and a fun read.
With a strong plot, well-rounded characters, and authentic dialog, the book grabs your interest in the first chapter and doesn't let go until the last page.
The book is well thought out, expertly edited, and a fun read.
June 7, 2023
Rip and his team are back and on another adventure, this time in another country which causes all kinds of trouble and mayhem opportunities. And Rip and his team deliver a great story with lots of action and fighting and insanity they are best at. Easy to read and I could not put it down. And a bit of a twist add to it all. I laughed and groaned and was entertained as I read it in one sitting. Lots of hilarious quips and scenes to enjoy as always.
September 10, 2023
More good fun
So more adventure and more invention. This fun series is enjoyable and the play with history is unique. This time an artifact from Solomon is involved but expect more on that in later books. The is a bit more foreshadow as to who else from our earth will joining Rip in some capacity. This should be fun. As far as characters in the series Most are fun however I find Blair to be kind of flat. Unfortunately that's the way it is, not sure what we can do about that. Especially with the child on the way. I look forward to the next book in the series.
So more adventure and more invention. This fun series is enjoyable and the play with history is unique. This time an artifact from Solomon is involved but expect more on that in later books. The is a bit more foreshadow as to who else from our earth will joining Rip in some capacity. This should be fun. As far as characters in the series Most are fun however I find Blair to be kind of flat. Unfortunately that's the way it is, not sure what we can do about that. Especially with the child on the way. I look forward to the next book in the series.
December 13, 2023
A great addition to the series.
The characters are fantastic and quirky. The plot is twisty and convoluted. The world building is superb. I can't wait to read the next book!
The characters are fantastic and quirky. The plot is twisty and convoluted. The world building is superb. I can't wait to read the next book!
June 10, 2023
Our hero's latest task requires him to retrieve an object once owned by his client, but the current owners have become rather attached to it. This is not going to be an easy task, but then our hero likes a challenge.
This is book three of the series. It does okay as a standalone, but will be much more enjoyable if read in order.
This is a science fiction action story with a steampunk setting. The story is well written and easy to read with a fast paced action plot that starts fast and builds. Steampunk settings are always fun to explore with little surprises around every corner and this one is no exception. The characters are also very well done, particularly our hero. The journey has lots of twists and turns to it that kept me turning pages to see what was coming next. Overall, a highly enjoyable story and I look forward to the next book in the series.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes.
This is book three of the series. It does okay as a standalone, but will be much more enjoyable if read in order.
This is a science fiction action story with a steampunk setting. The story is well written and easy to read with a fast paced action plot that starts fast and builds. Steampunk settings are always fun to explore with little surprises around every corner and this one is no exception. The characters are also very well done, particularly our hero. The journey has lots of twists and turns to it that kept me turning pages to see what was coming next. Overall, a highly enjoyable story and I look forward to the next book in the series.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes.
October 11, 2025
Interesting and engaging
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews