Dangerous Gifts

Babylon Steel #2

by Gaie Sebold

Babylon Steel, former avatar of the goddess of sex and war, currently owner of the Scarlet Lantern, the best brothel on Scalentine, city of portals, has been offered a job; as bodyguard to Enthemmerlee, the latest candidate for the Council of Incandress; and as spy for the Diplomatic Section, the barely-acknowledged government of Scalentine.

She doesn't want it. Incandress is on the verge of civil war. Enthemmerlee represents the hopes or fears of a large portion of its population and is a prime target for assassination. And on Scalentine racial tensions and economic stresses are boiling up, with Babylon's lover, Chief Bitternut, trying to keep the lid on.

But circumstances conspire to send her to Incandress. There, what with attempting to turn Enthemmerlee's useless household guard into a disciplined fighting force, dodging the Moral Statutes, the unwilling presence of a very annoyed member of the Diplomatic Section and the need to keep both herself and her client alive, things become rather too interesting. And that's before Babylon realises that the situation is far worse than she thought, and is driven to a choice that will have far-reaching consequences…

The stunning follow up to Babylon Steel.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fiction

296 pages, ebook

First published January 28, 2013

About the author

Gaie Sebold
Gaie’s debut novel Babylon Steel http://tinyurl.com/bwzcsbu was published by Solaris in January 2012 to enthusiastic reviews…
“…a pacey fantasy romp;” The Guardian
“Ingenious, gripping and full of pleasures on every level. Exceptional.” Mike Carey
“…an absolutely wonderful author who should be warmly welcomed alongside those authors pushing fantasy into new directions,” Fantasy Faction
… and was also shortlisted for the Compton Crook Award.
The sequel, Dangerous Gifts, came out in 2013 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dangerous-Gi... .
Shanghai Sparrow https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shanghai-Spa... - the first in the "Gears of Empire" steampunk series was published in 2014 and Sparrow Falling https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sparrow-Fall... in 2016.

Gaie is an accomplished short story writer and poet; her stories have appeared in a number of anthologies.
Gaie was born in the US, and lives in London. She has worked as a cleaner, secretary, till-monkey, stage-tour-manager, editor, and charity administrator. She now writes full time and runs occasional writing workshops. She is an obsessive reader, enthusiastic gardener, and has been known to run around in woods hitting people with latex swords and to declaim poetry in public, though not usually at the same time. She also has the standard cat apparently issued to most fantasy writers.

Reviews

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

“I think this is a fine time for me to hire someone who can rip off heads and spit down necks,” he said. “You want to start with these two?” “Now, Kittack, you know I don’t rip off heads. Generally. Fingers, perhaps. Even arms, if necessary. But no heads. And no spitting. Spitting is vulgar.”

There’s something to be said about girls with high standards and a firm moral code. Severing limbs? Certainly. With much pleasure and stuff. Ejecting saliva and other unsavory projectiles? How positively undignified and most indecorous indeed. My Extremely Very Yummy (EVY™) girlfriend Babylon Steel may be an ex-sellsword, an up-and-coming brothel owner, a gifted whore, and the awesome former spoiler spoiler spoiler of a spoiler spoiler spoiler of Sex and War (yes, she is a multifaceted sweetie pie of many hedonistic talents and multiple deadly skills), but she’s got her priorities straight and knows where to draw the line. Ergo, she is Perfectly Perfect Harem Material (PPHM™). A good thing I was clear-sighted enough to pre-emptively kidnap her half-way through book 1. Go me and stuff.



Okay, if you’ve never heard of this series ← I wish duology (and I’m guessing you haven’t, being the Mildly Ignorant Barnacled Bunch that you are), the first thing you need to know about it is: DO NOT JUDGE. Do not judge the covers that kinda sorta look like 80s B-movie posters. Do not judge the blurbs that make this sound like some gaudy piece of Trashier-than-PNR-Crap Crap (TtPNRCC™). (Oh, and DO NOT #3: do not, under any circumstance, read the blurb for this instalment, for it is spoilerish as fish. You are quite welcome.)

Not to rehash what I already said in my review for book 1 or anything (you know me, I’d never stoop so pathetically low), but Babylon Steel is, without a fishing doubt, one of the most refreshing, entertaining, fascinating, open-minded, socially progressive, stupendeliciously diverse, vivid piece of Luscious Fantasy Lusciousness (LFL™) I have read in the entirety of my entire life. Kidding you I am not. And what makes this world even more very delicious is that it all rings true and feels super extra natural and not bloody shrimping forced and stuff. All in all, you could say that this is exactly the type of book/series/duology/whatever that makes me feel kinda sorta like:



A vigorously restrained canine is indeed me.

Yes, it’s true, this instalment is not quite as wonderfully orgasmic as the first one. But it’s still pretty fishing amazing, especially compared to 99.99% of the crap not-so-very-good-stuff out there. The book is fun and fast-paced and surprising and original and packed with Harem-Worthy Characters (HWC™) I very logically kidnapped adopted (Super Hot Lizard Paramour from book 1 included) and hahaha and intriguing AND tackles serious themes such as repression, xenophobia, nationalism, cultural oppression, difference, nonconformity and acceptance, among many others. As in book 1, Sebold managed to write a supercalifragilisticexpialidociously entertaining story that is also thought-provoking as shrimp. And that, my Comely Arthropods, ain’t not no small feat and stuff.

Now, I don’t want to waste your oh-so-precious time this might be a slightly sarcastic comment. Maybe. Perhaps. and/or bore your little decapodic selves to deathly death, so I will (very generously, if I may say so myself) skip the detailed plot recap. (This has obviously naught to do with the fact that I’m feeling as apathetically lethargic as a hung-over barnacle today. Nope nope nope, absolutely not.) I shall therefore (most graciously, if I may say so myself) offer you this could-have-been-shorter-but-probably-won’t be-oh-well List of Random yet Scrumptious Babylon Steel Stuff (LoRySBSS™) instead:

① The Utterly Edible and Deliciously Diverse Body Parts Fest (UEaDDBPF™): the cranial crests of supposedly laidback lizards, all colors of scales/tongues/skin/hide/whatever you can and cannot possibly imagine, tails galore, fluttering mouth-fringes, furry muscles, sharp tusks, long floppy noses, mustaches as long as arms (oooh, sexey!), flea brains, muzzled faces, thick-furred muscular tails as propellers, snakelike appendages, triple eyelids, and last but quite certainly not least, four-armed four-breasted torsos. YUM.



Just felt like dancing all of a sudden. Don’t mind me and stuff. Sorry, what? I cannot believe you just asked me that. OF COURSE I’m the titillating chick on the right, not the decrepit dude on the left! *eyerolls so much she loses an eyeball*

② “All tastes, all species, all forms of currency.” Best business tag line ever, if you ask me. No wonder Babylon Steel’s brothel is the best in Scalentine.
③ Being a mental pickpocket is not all it’s cracked up to be. Just so you know.
④ The Gudain don’t like to talk about bouncy. Which is a damn shame, methinks.
⑤ Blushing bright green is hot as fish.
⑥ The healing power of etymology is most charming indeed. Then again maybe not.
⑦ “Creeping garrotte” is the coolest hairy thing vine in the history of hairy things vines.
⑧ I want to breed “boom beetles” when I grow up.
⑨ I’d keep going but the murderous crustaceans desperately need to feed so I’m off to sacrifice and then barbecue some puny humans for them, and therefore can no longer entertain you with my most fascinating musings and stuff. Please try not to be too heartbroken.

➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): this has to be one of the crappiest crappy non-review ever written most underrated Fantasy worlds ever *waves at Revanche Cycle* If I was Not Very Nice (NVN™) I’d probably say this might have something to do with the fact that Clueless Barnacles will be Clueless and that they insist on reading books wrong. But I’m not, so I won’t. Ha.



Don’t ask.

· Book 1: Babylon Steel ★★★★★



[Pre-review nonsense]

What you mean, this is the final instalment in this series?! What the bloody shrimping hell of the stinking fish do you mean, THIS IS THE LAST INSTALMENT IN THIS SERIES?! Gaie Sebold, we need to talk.



➽ Full review to come and stuff.

[Dawn Lawson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Babylon is an incredible character. Sebold is an incredible writer. That said, this particular book was disappointing.

The story finally became entertaining at the very end of the book. Most of the story takes place on another plane, or world. It seems the only part that really stuck with me was the description of the hideous, strangling clothes. Even the fast-pace conclusion seemed to go on forever.

The ship ride home was amusing. Once home, I realized why I liked the first book so much more than the second. In Sebold's words:

We walked back along the familiar streets, with their noise and their colour and their dozen different races and their smells and their sheer, furious life.

Sebold, Gaie. Dangerous Gifts: A Babylon Steel Novel . Solaris. Kindle Edition.

That furious life is what has got me hooked. Hopefully it comes back in the third book. Babylon is worth another shot.

[Ariel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sad to report that I was disappointed by this one. I adored the first Babylon Steel book for its pacing, humor, sexiness, and great characters. Unfortunately, I felt all three were less present in this book than the first Babylon Steel novel. Most of the book takes place on Incandress, so we don't get much time at all with Babylon's hometown crew. The book felt bogged down by all the politics (grain! caste systems! xenophobia!), and I say that as someone who loves the author's leanings. I was craving more humor, more sex (and the sex there was got cloaked in grief and exhaustion and was distinctly un-fun), and more of Babylon kicking ass. Instead, much of this book felt as heavy and dirge-like as a low-roofed moldering Gudain mansion.

[Very slight spoilers ahead.] Also, the final scene with the Hargur and Babylon at the end felt deeply contrived and out of character. "Wait, you thought *I* wanted to break up with *YOU*? But I thought YOU wanted to break up with ME!?" Part of what I love about Babylon Steel is that she is a WOMAN. This final scene felt way too "young adult fiction" for my tastes.

I'll read the next Babylon Steel book, but my fingers will be crossed that it gets back to the "romp" territory of the first, with awesome characters and sexy humor interspersed with the heavier topics (which I DO enjoy! They just got overwhelmed in this book).

[CJ - It's only a Paper Moon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.56

I like Babylon Steel. She's a bad-ass, she's neither self-conscious nor pretentious and she's vulnerable enough that you sympathize and root for her.

SO why didn't I love this installment like I did the first?

I don't really know. There's not one thing I can put my finger on. There's no particular moment in which I said to myself, Hmmm, why isn't this book as great as the first?

Maybe it's the confusion of portals and magic and Mokraine half-riddles (yes, that did confuse the hell out of me and it wasn't resolved well enough for me to not be confused)?

Maybe it was the lack of any interesting secondary characters. We had to travel to Incandress to help guard Enthermerlee. With Darisk Fain - the sexy shadowy Section agent and Rikkinet the Itunklish warrior from the first book I expected some sort of support from these two. I didn't expect Babylon to have to carry the book all by herself. Which is a hard task for any heroine, no matter how awesome they are. Even with the new characters, I couldn't find one that was support worthy. The best one was Lobik and he barely got any page time. In fact, most of the new characters I couldn't find interesting or sympathetic enough to give a crap about. I kept wishing Babylon was back on Scalentine with her crew and Hargur. I missed them nearly as much as she did.

Maybe it was the unfinished explanation as to what Babaska wants from her old Avatar? And the oh, so convenient way in which Babylon reached for her. I mean, if she had waited about three more minutes, Fain would've been there to negotiate her release and she didn't have to let in an Avatar with an agenda that surely won't benefit Babylon

Perhaps it was a combination of all. I couldn't care enough about Incandress to invest any emotions into Enthermerlee, her family, her predicament or her problems. Babylon's guts were screaming for her not to go on this trip from the first time she met with everyone.

Maybe it would have been a good idea to listen.

This hasn't stopped my love for Babylon Steel. Oh no, quite the contrary. I can't wait to see what else is in store for her and I'm holding her up to a higher standard next time around. Bring more of the banter and let's see some of the characters we love in situations we can care about.

[Nick Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

The follow up to the excellent Babylon Steel which was a refreshing entry into the world of fantasy and a very entertaining debut from the author.
This is the follow up and one I was very much looking forward to. The problem was always going to be that so many clever ideas had been packed into the first one, that a follow up was always going to be challenging. A warrior brothel owner, who is also a former avatar of a Goddess in a world that sits at the centre of many others....hard act to follow.

In this one Babylon steel is forced into taking a job as a bodyguard to Enthemmerlee (who we met in the first novel) as she takes her place on the council of Incandress, a 'world' on the brink of a racial civil war....

It's good stuff while not hitting the highs of the previous novel, partly because the story takes her away from her 'crew', but she is forced to ask for help that will probably have consequences in future books. But Babylon is a well written and strong female character and the author continues to be inventive, although there are some aspects of the book you need to be somewhat broad-minded for!

So a nice follow up and a series well worth catching up on. Probably best to read Babylon Steel first though...

[5t4n5 Dot Com · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book follows on perfectly from 'Babylon Steel', with all the usual characters we were introduced to in that book. And it's much the same kind of fantasy stuff that really isn't for children as there's a fair amount of sex and some quite graphic descriptions of interspecies relationships - Babylon is a whore house madam after all is said an done.

I have to say, Gaie has created a really interesting universe with The Planes and there's obviously a much bigger story going on in the background concerning the rifts between The Planes, which i seriously hope Gaie is going to slowly uncover in further books in this series.

Please, please, please, Gaie, get writing more about Babylon and Co'.

So if you're not offended by adult stuff mixed in with your fantasy stories the 'Babylon Steel' series is definitely a place to visit on your reading list. Enjoy!

[Lisa Lenox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not *quite* as engrossing as the first book, this one is still a winner. I love how matter of fact she is about sex, especially sex with aliens whose bodies are different than humans.
Gifts rounds out a story arc begun in Babylon Steel #1, and has its own arc for the book. Sebold relies on unpronounceable names for her aliens. I find this annoying, but at the same time atmospheric. They’re full of glottal stops and diphthongs that we just don’t usually use. But that’s a small quibble in a really good series, and not one I’ll fault her for too terribly much.

[Sam Goodings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this second outing of Babylon Steel. A little different in feel and pace to the first and plenty more world building. Mokrain and Fain stole the show for me, would be interested to see where Sebold is going to take the series as although the adventure wraps up neatly, many of the more interesting questions such as the nature of the portals, the Avatars, Fain's mysterious device and Mokrain's connection to the portals is all left wide open.

[Mark Isaak · Rating 4 out of 5]

The heroine, Babylon Steel, is a mercenary who runs a whorehouse. The concept sounds contrived for marketing, but Sebold handles both aspects of the character well. Other characters also have depth and complexity, although the warlock's addiction did not come across as realistic. I like the premise of multiple alien worlds linked by magic portals instead of FTL rockets. Magic gets used in other little ways but never takes over the story. The plot involves politics, culture change, and major crimes; it is woven together well into a unified consistency, but it takes about 70 pages to resolve all the different threads.

[Brit (Circus_of_Damed) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequal to Bad Gods, in the sense that you continue fallowing the characters directly after Bad Gods ends, but not directly the same storyline or plot. I loved Bad Gods and decided to pick this up directly after finishing Bad Gods. The book was really good, however some of the magic of Bad Gods was missing. I believe the reason for that is because the bulk of this book takes place off of Scalentine plan. And by extention the crew isn't present in this story. Those to elements of Bad Gods really made a large part of that story magic and I missed it in this story. That being said this was still a fun action pack mystery with emotional depth and humor.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second part better than the first

I will say ,read the first story before getting into this one,as you will already be set up on the inside "jokes" and who's who! this is a continuation of "Babylon Steel" with all the old characters and a few new ones. In this tale you get to see how this world works and learn a bit more about portals ! but the main story keeps the intreague up high with spys,lackies,and general nogooders.and keeps you riveted to the very end!!

[Chloë Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Babylon Steel is a cracker of a heroine and Gaie Sebold is one hell of a writer. Someone should snap her work up and put it on screen, big or small. Fearless, fun, and fantasy done right.

[Jerold Farver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stuff, casual references to sex and sexual bits.

There's a good read in store for the people that sex doesn't scare.
Strong characters and interesting plot. Hope there's more.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it even better than the first one; I hope there will be a third (the author certainly set it up for another.)

[Abby C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some major flaws including a "meh" middle part and a lack of polish (and omg dumb cover) but these characters and this world is so freaking well developed.
Fingers crossed for a third!

[Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable read and it was nice to follow Babylon in a different setting. I really hope there is a follow up to this!

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite lovely. I enjoy the mystery, the deduction, and the ending.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another thoroughly enjoyable installment in the Babylon Steel universe. Lots of fun to read, plenty of plot twists, and once the action winds up toward the midpoint, it is impossible to put down.

Gaie Sebold has a talent for memorable characters, and her descriptive scenes, settings, and cultures are brilliant. It's fascinating to read about a lot of social issues/situations that have enough in common with some of our own that we feel a sense of connection, yet different enough to be interesting, entertaining, and unique. I was intrigued by the culture of Incandress, the schism between the Gudain and the Ikinchli. If anything, the story could have done with even more, though that part certainly didn't feel lacking.

The fact that most of this story was set on a different plane was a bit of a change...the plane of Scalentine is such a character in and of itself in the first book that I felt almost like I was reading a different story altogether. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but the dynamic just felt different. Like these two books could very easily have been standalone novels in completely different fictional "universes" (at least at first).

There are a ton of really good characters to sink one's teeth into, and I'd be here all day if I went through them all, but one who stood out to me actually had a minor role: Chitherlee, who was Enthemmerlee's little niece. It was a breath of fresh air to me to have a young child character who was a little brat and who it was quite difficult not to hate; the whole "wise beyond their years", sympathetic child stereotype is much overdone, and this was exactly the opposite (and much more realistic, at that).

I'm not exactly sure how I feel about Enthemmerlee's character...at times I liked her, at times I didn't, but that's actually very realistic too and a stroke of genius on the author's part, in my opinion; especially Babylon's reflections with Fain after the climax of the story, about politics and people who end up in it. Lobik, while a sympathetic character, didn't quite get enough "screen time" for me to feel sufficiently heartbroken when he was killed; likewise, the plot with Enthemmerlee's intended's mother killing him by accident was just a trifle rushed and not really fully fleshed out...and the intended's suicide was really bemusing in that it sort of came out of left field and then was immediately forgotten, just a device to give the mother an excuse to try to kill Enthemmerlee and instead kill Lobik by accident. Likewise, Enthemmerlee's speech on the altar in front of the crowd was again just a little too "pat"...though I realize things like that take a LONG time to flesh out, and sometimes there just isn't that much time.

The casual treatment of sex is something to raise an eyebrow, yes (makes me feel a bit Gudain-like even saying that) but I'm still not really sure where I fall when it comes to that. Babylon loves Chief Bitternut and wants to be in a relationship with him, but she not only has lewd thoughts about half of the people she meets (and is unashamed of it...which makes me ask myself, since she's not ashamed, why should I be, on her behalf - right?) and actually bangs one ostensibly to "teach him the ropes" but also because she's grieving and wants to be comforted...I guess all that, again, is totally real, and it makes me think about why I feel the way I do about it all...but it is still a little disconcerting that Babylon is so in love with Bitternut yet still gets around, at the same time. Hmm.

Some new interesting concepts are introduced...as well as some more far-reaching plotlines that go beyond just the trajectory of this book, and it hints at a lot of things brewing for Babylon and her friends, and hopefully many more books to come. I'm intrigued, and enjoying the ride!

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can read the review here at The Qwillery http://qwillery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/0...

Dangerous Gifts is the second book in the Babylon Steel series which takes our plucky heroine far away from her home and friends to Incandress in order to guard the new counselor Enthemmerlee. Tensions are mounting at home as humans create discord and shifters are being killed. No matter how much she would like to Babylon, finds she is unable to refuse the job despite wanting to stay at home to protect her friends and be with her boyfriend 'The Chief'. Political intrigues, shoddy soldiers plus a ban on anything sexy are big challenges for the former avatar of a god and owner of the best brothel in town.

Babylon herself, is an interesting character as she has quite the colourful past and an even more colourful job as a part time body guard, prostitute and brothel owner. Her sexual proclivities are quite subtle and it’s almost as if Babylon pops into the office to type a few memos rather than going to ‘service’ a few clients. I liked this about Sebold’s writing style as the book could have veered towards erotica. Instead, sex was almost incidental to the story rather than the focus. I wasn't totally convinced with Sebold's portrayal of Babylon as a protector or body guard but like the sex in the story, action and violence played second fiddle to character interaction. Character development, especially of Babylon appeared to take priority for Sebold in this story although sometimes at the expense of the plot.

The plot was fairly typical with Babylon given the task of protecting Enthemmerlee and figuring out who would want to see her dead. I actually guessed who the ‘baddy’ was quite early on but still enjoyed seeing how the plot would play out. I didn't feel I was stretched either with the plot or with the characters as the story just seemed to glide along.

I hadn't read Babylon Steel, the aptly named first book of the series, when I started Dangerous Gifts. Normally, I always try to read all the books in the series. I however, made two incorrect assumptions: 1) that the Sebold would, as many authors do, recount large parts of the plot of the previous book in the subsequent one 2) by reading reviews I could adequately get a picture of who the main characters were. Instead I was too excited about having a new book with an interesting cover so I dug in and read it. Even though I thought I had quite a good grasp of ‘who was who’ I still was a bit surprised at how much the plot of the first book played a part in the second. In retrospect, I should have put Dangerous Gifts down and and started from the first book. For the first few chapters I felt I was always reading in catch-up mode. There are many different races and species in Babylon’s world. I often lost track who had scales or a tail or who sprouted fur every full moon. I would then go back and re-read a chapter or two in order to figure this out which meant that it took me slightly longer to read than it would have normally. Despite this, Dangerous Gifts was a pretty quick, easy read. I don't think I missed out that much about Babylon or the other main characters not having read book 1.

I liked Dangerous Gifts although I am not sure I liked it enough to continue the series. If you like a quirky character in a fantasy setting then I recommend starting at book 1 of the Babylon Steel series

[Jacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Gaie Sebold’s writing style. It grabs attention and has a good character voice. In this case the voice belongs to Babylon Steel, whorehouse owner in Scalentene, whore, part-time bodyguard and one-time avatar of the god of soldiers and sex. Now if that’s not a great resume, I don’t know what is. This is the second outing for Babylon. In the first one she rescued a young woman, designated as the Itnunnacklish, designed to bring together the Gudain and the Ikinchli – two races of Incandress where civil war is brewing. In this book Babylon is propositioned by Darask Fain of Scalentene’s Diplomatic Section, (spies etc) – no not in that way – she’d probably go for that. Fain wants her to go with the Itnunnacklish, Enthemmerlee, back to Incandress as her bodyguard, just until all the ceremonies are over. Babylon has severe misgivings. Her gut tells her not to go, but one of her girls, Lainey, has mortgaged the whorehouse to the hilt and unwisely invested the cash in a cargo of very expensive silk which has to make it through troubled Incandress without a hitch, or everything Babylon calls home is lost. Besides, she likes Enthemmerlee. Unfortunately she has to leave Chief Bitternut behind. He’s a werewolf in charge of policing Scalentine and Babylon is realising that he’s become more than just a customer. In addition to bodyguarding Fain also wants Babylon to do a bit of spying on the side and to smarten up Enthemmerlee’s own house guard. Not a tough job, then. Babylon is once more plunged into mayhem, but everything comes together finally, when a plot is revealed. Highly recommended.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty close to a 4, I think I enjoyed the first novel better

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this Babylon Steel novel even better than the first one. In this book, Babylon goes bodyguarding in Incandress. It was nice that this book was connected to the first one in that we get to see where the characters from the first book came from. This book felt a little more structured than the first one, there was a definite plot with only a couple of side plots going on.
The characters were mostly the same as the first book with a few additions. Of course, Babylon Steel is the best character in the book. Very tough and kick-ass but feminine as well. I especially like that they followed up with the romance that bloomed between her and the Chief of the militia. I am hoping there will be more books written so that we can see what happens between them.
Overall, 4 out of 5 stars, good characters, good plot and a fast paced and exciting story to keep you interested.

[Normalene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I so wanted to love this because the first one was so awesome. But Sebold uses Mokraine and Babylon's ties with the goddess to get over plot points she can't get past without a gimmick. I just closed my eyes, took a deep breath and let the nitpicking go. Once that was done, I liked the story but missed many of the characters from the first story because their parts were so small in this one. I'll still read the next one because I like the worldbuilding and the main characters. Maybe this was a fluke because her publisher wanted another one out really fast so she didn't have time to polish it like I hope she does the next one.

[Seawood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aaah, I thought this was great. I understand other reviews suggesting there isn't enough of Babylon's "crew" and missing the general feel of Scalentine, but I still loved it anyway. It's zippy and fun with just enough politics to be interesting without ladling it on. There is a little deus ex-ing going on but I think/hope that's just 2nd-book-itis and will become very much clearer in the next book. The subplot concerning the portals looks like it will take the lead and that's well worth looking forward to. Overall it's really nice to feel uplifted after a fantasy novel and Babylon will do that for me every time.

[Starfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this followup to Babylon Steele, albeit not quite as much as Book 1, and I'm not sure why.

It lacked the epic expansiveness of the first instalment, although that's not usually a major issue for me. Perhaps it's that there were SO MANY awesome new characters to meet and get to know in the first book, and most of them weren't in this one (although we did get to see more of Darask Fain, which I'll admit was fun). We got to meet new characters too, but I don't think they were quite as interesting and cool as the ones in Book 1.

None of which detracts from the fact that this is still an awesome read. It's just not *quite* as awesome, to my mind, as the first one was.

[John Cleland · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Gale Siebold's introduction to Babylon Steel (title and heroine) was a rollicking, fun to real tale full of interesting people living in a wondrous world, then Dangerous Gifts, the second in the series, takes all of those characters fills them out, deepens them and puts them into new adventure that is even more complex this time around.

If adventure, fantasy, complex characters and plot are what you're looking for. This is a series that will have you turning pages deep into the night. And it's not just because she and her crew at the Red Lantern brothel are hot.

[Saif Bagmar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was in love with Babylon steel, she is sexy, caring, kind, cruel and dangerous. Why I could not see much of her in the second sequel? I hope there will be third book where I will get my beloved girl again.... :-)
One thing is sure, Babylon steel understands men,,, with their strength and stupidity.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this second book in the series. Excellent use of previously introduced characters and a good deal of world-building. The characters continue to grow and despite the humorous tone, the story s serious and is engaging from beginning to end. Love it! Keep 'em coming!

[Maggie Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have preferred more world-building and character-building on Scalantine instead of introducing us to a cool world/cool people and then taking us elsewhere for the whole book, but I guess that's the problem I had with the first book, too. Maybe the next book will take place at home?

[Everard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bit more character development with this one building nicely on the first. Some of the plot points are well telegraphed and others a surprise, over all a pleasant and addictive read. I look forward to more