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Space: 1889 & Beyond: Season 2 #3
Leviathans in the Clouds
It all seemed so straightforward at first...
Quantity surveying in the rain drenched swamps of Venus. How hard could it be? Endure a bit of rain, dig about where directed and Bob’s your uncle. To be sure, there were the local carnivorous lizards the size of houses, occasionally hostile natives and the local German colony, which had never proved particularly reasonable when it came to servants of the Crown digging about in what they clearly felt was their back garden. But by now, that sort of thing was barely more troublesome than setting out an afternoon tea for the good crew of the Esmeralda II.
True, some might call a plan a touch problematic if it requires bailing out of an airship in a single-seat experimental glider while a Venusian storm rages. If said plan also involves landing in German-controlled territory in order to meet a marginally sane geologist named Jungle Ned, one might even call the whole affair tricky.
But things go from tricky to worse when they arrive at Ned’s hideout and find it ransacked and covered with indecipherable symbols. Of Ned there is no sign other than a single hidden The gods brought themselves down. Before they discover its meaning, our heroes will find there is more to Venus than just peat bogs and hungry fauna. Forgotten secrets linger in the mists. And sometimes what is forgotten is still very much alive…
Quantity surveying in the rain drenched swamps of Venus. How hard could it be? Endure a bit of rain, dig about where directed and Bob’s your uncle. To be sure, there were the local carnivorous lizards the size of houses, occasionally hostile natives and the local German colony, which had never proved particularly reasonable when it came to servants of the Crown digging about in what they clearly felt was their back garden. But by now, that sort of thing was barely more troublesome than setting out an afternoon tea for the good crew of the Esmeralda II.
True, some might call a plan a touch problematic if it requires bailing out of an airship in a single-seat experimental glider while a Venusian storm rages. If said plan also involves landing in German-controlled territory in order to meet a marginally sane geologist named Jungle Ned, one might even call the whole affair tricky.
But things go from tricky to worse when they arrive at Ned’s hideout and find it ransacked and covered with indecipherable symbols. Of Ned there is no sign other than a single hidden The gods brought themselves down. Before they discover its meaning, our heroes will find there is more to Venus than just peat bogs and hungry fauna. Forgotten secrets linger in the mists. And sometimes what is forgotten is still very much alive…
- GenresSteampunk
90 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 27, 2013
2 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 17, 2017
Nice SiFi series. Very good combining of steampunk and Golden Age SiFi storytelling. Enjoyable read. Recommended.
June 10, 2013
Leviathans in the Clouds starts with a little jewel: Adonis Station. I love this place. It is the seedy space bar every space (or æther) pirate wants to visit, only it is not a bar or hideout at all. It is an official outpost of Her Majesty’s Navy. And it fit so well with the atmosphere on the Esmeralda with emotions running high: A half-crazy French scientist, Arnaud, Nathanial and Annabelle continuously teasing one another with Nathanial still unsure about his feelings and what he wants and Folkard caught between his future wife and his (I think grudging) friendship with Nathanial.
After a short stop on Adonis Station the adventure begins: Annabelle, Arnaud, Nathanial and the Lizard-man Thymon set out on an expedition in search of a geologist who may have gone native and who is a bit bizarre.
The whole trip from the descent into the clouds by glider to the trek through the jungles of Venus to the characterisation of the lizard-men is gripping and fascinating. Especially the glimpses on lizard-men culture we get via the conversations between Thymon and Annabelle are most enlightening, and Thymon also gets the best line in the novel:
“And humans looks likes the egg eaters to us. Is no problem. Just no eat eggs of
Skreelan, oh kay?”
That one made me laugh.
Leviathans in the Clouds is not all fun and laughs, though. Far from it. For one, the trek through the jungle distinctly feels like something from Heart of Darkness. Further, our protagonists stumble upon an ancient secret and uncover a monstrous secret which almost gets them killed and another one hinting at things in Venus’ distant past. I cannot say more for fear of spoilers.
I am also happy to say one thing: Thymon survives the novel. I feared he would be relegated “token native” and become a convenient sacrifice. Maybe we see him again later in the series.
Also, I was pleasantly surprised about the non-hostile treatment and portrayal of Germans in the novel. Sure, due to the rivalry between them and the British some nasty comments from our friends are expected but they are shown as humans who do not cross certain lines even when faced with starvation (you will see what I mean).
A vbery enjoyable installment of Space: 1889&Beyond in deed!
After a short stop on Adonis Station the adventure begins: Annabelle, Arnaud, Nathanial and the Lizard-man Thymon set out on an expedition in search of a geologist who may have gone native and who is a bit bizarre.
The whole trip from the descent into the clouds by glider to the trek through the jungles of Venus to the characterisation of the lizard-men is gripping and fascinating. Especially the glimpses on lizard-men culture we get via the conversations between Thymon and Annabelle are most enlightening, and Thymon also gets the best line in the novel:
“And humans looks likes the egg eaters to us. Is no problem. Just no eat eggs of
Skreelan, oh kay?”
That one made me laugh.
Leviathans in the Clouds is not all fun and laughs, though. Far from it. For one, the trek through the jungle distinctly feels like something from Heart of Darkness. Further, our protagonists stumble upon an ancient secret and uncover a monstrous secret which almost gets them killed and another one hinting at things in Venus’ distant past. I cannot say more for fear of spoilers.
I am also happy to say one thing: Thymon survives the novel. I feared he would be relegated “token native” and become a convenient sacrifice. Maybe we see him again later in the series.
Also, I was pleasantly surprised about the non-hostile treatment and portrayal of Germans in the novel. Sure, due to the rivalry between them and the British some nasty comments from our friends are expected but they are shown as humans who do not cross certain lines even when faced with starvation (you will see what I mean).
A vbery enjoyable installment of Space: 1889&Beyond in deed!
August 13, 2013
http://openbooksociety.com/article/le...
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Sammy
I really enjoyed this story. It is the third book in this series and by now there is a strong connection to the great characters. The authors continues to give us insights into each ongoing character only making them more likable and complex at the same time.
The sci-fi aspect of this story is incredible. The shrimp? Yikes! I think it will be awhile before I have any of those for lunch. The wildlife on this planet was interesting and how they came to be fascinatingly inventive.
The only reason this didn’t get a 5 star rating is because, there are so many references that haven’t been explored in this particular series. Annabelle having flash backs to something that happened from when her parents died. Was it just a thought or was that part of the story written in earlier books? Also, K’chuk and Haitian rebellion??? again wasn’t sure what that was about. I think the authors were referencing back to the beginning of this series but am unsure, since I have not read last season’s books. Even with that bit of confusion, I loved the vocabulary the author uses! The writing style is wonderful and the flow of this story hit all the right marks. The way the characters figure out things was not only well written but also, done in an interesting way, that made it feel a bit like CSI, on another planet, with people that had common sense.
This story can be read as a stand alone, for just the exciting adventure and wonderful ideas, but for me I think it would help to understand the characters and story line better to read the other stories in this series along with this great, fun, thought provoking read. I really enjoyed this story.
I highly recommend this book to young adults and adults that enjoy, well thought out Sci-fi, fantasy, steampunk and character driven stories.
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Sammy
I really enjoyed this story. It is the third book in this series and by now there is a strong connection to the great characters. The authors continues to give us insights into each ongoing character only making them more likable and complex at the same time.
The sci-fi aspect of this story is incredible. The shrimp? Yikes! I think it will be awhile before I have any of those for lunch. The wildlife on this planet was interesting and how they came to be fascinatingly inventive.
The only reason this didn’t get a 5 star rating is because, there are so many references that haven’t been explored in this particular series. Annabelle having flash backs to something that happened from when her parents died. Was it just a thought or was that part of the story written in earlier books? Also, K’chuk and Haitian rebellion??? again wasn’t sure what that was about. I think the authors were referencing back to the beginning of this series but am unsure, since I have not read last season’s books. Even with that bit of confusion, I loved the vocabulary the author uses! The writing style is wonderful and the flow of this story hit all the right marks. The way the characters figure out things was not only well written but also, done in an interesting way, that made it feel a bit like CSI, on another planet, with people that had common sense.
This story can be read as a stand alone, for just the exciting adventure and wonderful ideas, but for me I think it would help to understand the characters and story line better to read the other stories in this series along with this great, fun, thought provoking read. I really enjoyed this story.
I highly recommend this book to young adults and adults that enjoy, well thought out Sci-fi, fantasy, steampunk and character driven stories.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews