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Spirit of the Century™ Presents
Sally Slick and the Steel Syndicate
Every hero has a story. This one starts with a girl and a racing tractor. Sally Slick knows she's meant to be more than a Midwestern farm girl. What she wants more than anything is to be an inventor when she grows up-and she has the custom-built racing tractor to prove it. But good girls in 1914 don't go off to the city in search of adventure. Everything changes when Sally's big brother comes back from Chicago with a robot in hand and mobsters on his heels. With the help of her friend, wannabe hero Jet Black, Sally will risk everything to protect the people she loves. Those big-city bad guys are about to get a giant wrench thrown right into their plans.
200 pages, Paperback
First published December 3, 2013
5 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
Carrie Harris
66 books346 followersCarrie Harris is a geek-of-all-trades and proud of it. Brains are her specialty; she used to work at a lab where they were delivered daily via FedEx. After that, it seemed only natural to write a zombie book. Now she lives in Utah with her ninja-doctor husband and three zombie-obsessed children.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 4, 2014
Sally Slick & the Steel Syndicate is a story set in Evil Hat Productions Spirit of the Century Universe. It is a Young Adult Fiction story set in the years before the SotC Role Playing Game and follows a young Sally Slick on her first adventure. This story was a Stretch Goal for the hugely successful Fate Core Kickstarter Campaign. This is the third story I have read that takes place in the SotC universe and with every story I fall more in love with this Pulp world.
Sally Slick is only 14 years old and she is already a great mechanic and inventor. Her pride and joy is her racing tractor Calamity that she built from salvaged parts and custom modifications that she designed. After a run in at the racing track with a local bully Sally is surprised by the return of her brother from the big city. He has come home with a secret that will draw Sally and her best friend Jet Black into a secret world of organized crime, mechanical robots, crime fighting martial artist, and the deadly Steel Syndicate.
This was a great story, especially for a younger crowd. Full of action and adventure but it still comes in at a family friendly PG rating. The only other YA fiction I have read recently was the first book of the Hunger Games series and I think there are some very distinct differences that make this book a much better choice for young readers. In the Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen is a victim of the story. The first important choice she makes in the entire book is to take her sisters place. From that point on she is just along for the ride, and doing whatever is necessary, dictated by the situation she is in, until she and Peeta make the choice at the end of the games to try and force the Capitol's hand. Katniss is so one dimensional as a character that we know nothing about her other than what is relevant to the story. Sally Slick is the exact opposite. For the most part the story is happening because of the choices she makes. The choice to stand up to a local bully, the choice to help out her brother, and the choice to stand up to the Steel Syndicate all drive what happens to Sally and Jet. Even when her choices have consequences Sally is never crippled with hopelessness, she rises to the challenge to save the day. Also even though she is only fourteen years old we know about her hopes for the future, her love of adventure and firm belief of what is right and wrong. In every way Sally Slick is the character I would want my daughter to emulate. I would also encourage my 13yo niece to read this book because by showing her what good YA Fiction is I can forever steer her away from the dark path that is the Twilight Series.
Sally Slick is only 14 years old and she is already a great mechanic and inventor. Her pride and joy is her racing tractor Calamity that she built from salvaged parts and custom modifications that she designed. After a run in at the racing track with a local bully Sally is surprised by the return of her brother from the big city. He has come home with a secret that will draw Sally and her best friend Jet Black into a secret world of organized crime, mechanical robots, crime fighting martial artist, and the deadly Steel Syndicate.
This was a great story, especially for a younger crowd. Full of action and adventure but it still comes in at a family friendly PG rating. The only other YA fiction I have read recently was the first book of the Hunger Games series and I think there are some very distinct differences that make this book a much better choice for young readers. In the Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen is a victim of the story. The first important choice she makes in the entire book is to take her sisters place. From that point on she is just along for the ride, and doing whatever is necessary, dictated by the situation she is in, until she and Peeta make the choice at the end of the games to try and force the Capitol's hand. Katniss is so one dimensional as a character that we know nothing about her other than what is relevant to the story. Sally Slick is the exact opposite. For the most part the story is happening because of the choices she makes. The choice to stand up to a local bully, the choice to help out her brother, and the choice to stand up to the Steel Syndicate all drive what happens to Sally and Jet. Even when her choices have consequences Sally is never crippled with hopelessness, she rises to the challenge to save the day. Also even though she is only fourteen years old we know about her hopes for the future, her love of adventure and firm belief of what is right and wrong. In every way Sally Slick is the character I would want my daughter to emulate. I would also encourage my 13yo niece to read this book because by showing her what good YA Fiction is I can forever steer her away from the dark path that is the Twilight Series.
December 9, 2013
Sally Slick & the Steel Syndicate is a pulp young adult book. What it means to be an example of pulp fiction is that the principle characters are competent in their world. And in this case the main character is Sally Slick, a teenage midwestern farm girl who is a tinkerer at heart. What you have is a character who has limitations when dealing with a world of the big city and adults who are just as capable with the resources that adults have, but overcomes the challenges along with her friends and family, and some help along the way.
Pulp has two qualities that makes it move. First is that the protagonists are capable, even when the situations are exotic and beyond their experience. And that makes for a different type of book than most books where the principle character is a teenage girl. Second, it is optimistic. Even though the opposition is more capable and has more resources than her, Sally is always looking for the opening and thinking of how to create opportunities. Even when help comes in the form of other adults, Sally does not have the attitude of being a girl in need of rescue, rather she is always depicted as being an integral part of correcting the situation. And she is in control of her future. Events and people come into her life well beyond her capabilities and she does not either passively accept events or even opportunities, but she is a capable moral agent, able to make choices that have consequences as opposed to a helpless character who is pushed around by the events around her.
I have gotten to enjoy the pulp genre through the efforts of this publisher (Evil Hat). The idea that the characters, even teenage girls, are capable and competent is a refreshing change from a society that expects us to wait on help and actively discourages us from taking on risks and being able to do things in the physical world. And it even worse with girls. I've been criticized for treating women in their 20s as competent outside of intellectual and artistic areas. This book is an example of young characters whose are not out of this world, not a world where they passively receive what they get, but a world that they take on and take advantage of opportunities to shape their futures, and welcome the fact that their choices have consequences. And that is a good world to be in. I want more of it
Pulp has two qualities that makes it move. First is that the protagonists are capable, even when the situations are exotic and beyond their experience. And that makes for a different type of book than most books where the principle character is a teenage girl. Second, it is optimistic. Even though the opposition is more capable and has more resources than her, Sally is always looking for the opening and thinking of how to create opportunities. Even when help comes in the form of other adults, Sally does not have the attitude of being a girl in need of rescue, rather she is always depicted as being an integral part of correcting the situation. And she is in control of her future. Events and people come into her life well beyond her capabilities and she does not either passively accept events or even opportunities, but she is a capable moral agent, able to make choices that have consequences as opposed to a helpless character who is pushed around by the events around her.
I have gotten to enjoy the pulp genre through the efforts of this publisher (Evil Hat). The idea that the characters, even teenage girls, are capable and competent is a refreshing change from a society that expects us to wait on help and actively discourages us from taking on risks and being able to do things in the physical world. And it even worse with girls. I've been criticized for treating women in their 20s as competent outside of intellectual and artistic areas. This book is an example of young characters whose are not out of this world, not a world where they passively receive what they get, but a world that they take on and take advantage of opportunities to shape their futures, and welcome the fact that their choices have consequences. And that is a good world to be in. I want more of it
July 31, 2017
Oh, I liked this one. Solidly aimed at young adults and with teen protagonists, but without making them act like adults. I'm looking forward to the rest of the Young Centurion novels. This is the kind of adventure story I grew up on ... only better.
====Update
Sally Slick and the Steel Syndicate visits a 14-year-old Sally Slick in the years before she grows into her role as a Spirit Centurion. It introduces us to Sally's fellow Centurion Jet Black and a host of supporting characters, both villainous and otherwise. The novel sets the stage for the Young Centurions RPG, from 1910-1916. The first time I read this book I was charmed and very impressed; the second time I was still charmed but more aware of the story's flaws. It's a good book, the content aimed solidly at a teen and pre-teen audience with high-school reading skills.
The story: The title promises a story centered around Sally's conflict with the Steel Syndicate, but I think a more accurate title would be “Sally Slick and Her Marvelous Racing Tractor”. Sally's older brother has gotten involved with the organized crime ring known as the Steel Syndicate, and when he falls into their clutches it's up to Sally to rescue him. It's the kind of adventure that every kid dreams of having, the one where you become invaluable to the people you look up to the most and they begin to see you in new ways.
The charm: The story evokes the feel of the classic Tom Swift novels, in which the teenage heroes are the only ones in the right place at the right time with the right technology to defeat the villains. Sally hasn't really discovered romance, a boyfriend is someone who makes you feel funny when you hold his hand. The stakes of the adventure are serious, and Sally takes them on in a manner appropriate to both her age and her time period. It compares very well to The 39 Clues, another series about extraordinary young people. It's the kind of book I consumed voraciously as a kid.
The writing: I blew through this book in an evening; it's not really meant for adults. The writing is aimed at elementary and middle-school kids with a high-school reading level. The story construction is straightforward, moving from plot point to plot point with direction and clarity. Author Carrie Harris keeps things moving at a good pace, not skimping on the action but still giving the reader an opportunity to catch his breath. Kids with good reading skills will enjoy this book and kids with lower-level reading skills will find it both challenging and engaging.
The content: When I read this the first time, I was really impressed by the content of the book. The characters deal with situations in a manner appropriate to their youth and to the time-period of the setting. The violence has not been sugar-coated, but neither is it graphic. The language is mostly inoffensive, with one or two curses you won't find on a kid's TV show; I'd still be willing to read it out loud to my mother's grandkids. Harris avoids any kind of awkward preteen romance, opting instead for a very naturally awkward interaction when Sally suddenly realizes her best friend is a boy! This is an adventure story, accept no substitutes.
Upon reflection: I spent a little more time on my second reading and still came away favorably impressed with the story despite a few flaws. The story lacks the agency of the Tom Swift novels. Sally spends most of the novel reacting to her circumstances instead of reaching out and changing things. It leaves the reader with the impression that this character is someone to whom things happen rather than someone who makes things happen. If the Tom Swift novels predicate action on the improbable, “Steel Syndicate” is built around the implausible. It's easier to suspend disbelief in the Swift Repellatron than to believe an organized crime syndicate led by the ego-maniacal Steel Don would first pursue their quarry to the Slick farm over a grudge and then abandon their assault without suffering a single casualty.
The story also lacks the educational value of The 39 Clues. With the story so tightly focused on Sally and her problems, it leaves the reader no time to explore the world before the advent of the Great War. The world of 1910s America was radically different from what we know today. Kids had a great deal more freedom to come and go, but going long distances was much harder. Social attitudes varied dramatically according to geography, with huge differences between urban and rural areas. The close of the previous century and advent of the new one has seen an explosion of immigration to all parts of the United States, with a corresponding culture shock for Americans both new and old. The lack of modern refrigeration, widespread electricity, or portable communication presents challenges to modern thinking that were a part of daily life at the time. There is a missed opportunity here to challenge young readers with unfamiliar ideas and situations.
The verdict: This story structure has Sally rushing from encounter to encounter, only taking time between action scenes to gear up. It feels very familiar... it feels like a role-playing game session, which I suppose is intentional. RPGs are Evil Hat's primary product and the Young Centurions RPG in particular has a very counter-intuitive play structure. This book actually describes the structure of a Young Centurions game blow-by-blow, even to the point where the villains “concede the scene” in the climax of the final showdown. New players and Game Masters could do much worse than emulating this story for their own sessions. It makes for a fantastic adventure game for any age group, but doesn't really hold together as a story meant for adult examination; the less critically demanding young readership ought to be extremely satisfied.
I got my copy of Sally Slick and the Steel Syndicate from the original Fate Core Kickstarter, but when Evil Hat's Magic 8-Ball selected me to review upcoming products, they also provided me with a digital version. I've already reviewed the Young Centurions RPG; the next Sally Slick novel, Sally Slick and the Miniature Menace, is next on my list. I've really enjoyed Carrie Harris' writing, and I'm looking forward to Sally and Jet's next adventure. See you then!
====Update
Sally Slick and the Steel Syndicate visits a 14-year-old Sally Slick in the years before she grows into her role as a Spirit Centurion. It introduces us to Sally's fellow Centurion Jet Black and a host of supporting characters, both villainous and otherwise. The novel sets the stage for the Young Centurions RPG, from 1910-1916. The first time I read this book I was charmed and very impressed; the second time I was still charmed but more aware of the story's flaws. It's a good book, the content aimed solidly at a teen and pre-teen audience with high-school reading skills.
The story: The title promises a story centered around Sally's conflict with the Steel Syndicate, but I think a more accurate title would be “Sally Slick and Her Marvelous Racing Tractor”. Sally's older brother has gotten involved with the organized crime ring known as the Steel Syndicate, and when he falls into their clutches it's up to Sally to rescue him. It's the kind of adventure that every kid dreams of having, the one where you become invaluable to the people you look up to the most and they begin to see you in new ways.
The charm: The story evokes the feel of the classic Tom Swift novels, in which the teenage heroes are the only ones in the right place at the right time with the right technology to defeat the villains. Sally hasn't really discovered romance, a boyfriend is someone who makes you feel funny when you hold his hand. The stakes of the adventure are serious, and Sally takes them on in a manner appropriate to both her age and her time period. It compares very well to The 39 Clues, another series about extraordinary young people. It's the kind of book I consumed voraciously as a kid.
The writing: I blew through this book in an evening; it's not really meant for adults. The writing is aimed at elementary and middle-school kids with a high-school reading level. The story construction is straightforward, moving from plot point to plot point with direction and clarity. Author Carrie Harris keeps things moving at a good pace, not skimping on the action but still giving the reader an opportunity to catch his breath. Kids with good reading skills will enjoy this book and kids with lower-level reading skills will find it both challenging and engaging.
The content: When I read this the first time, I was really impressed by the content of the book. The characters deal with situations in a manner appropriate to their youth and to the time-period of the setting. The violence has not been sugar-coated, but neither is it graphic. The language is mostly inoffensive, with one or two curses you won't find on a kid's TV show; I'd still be willing to read it out loud to my mother's grandkids. Harris avoids any kind of awkward preteen romance, opting instead for a very naturally awkward interaction when Sally suddenly realizes her best friend is a boy! This is an adventure story, accept no substitutes.
Upon reflection: I spent a little more time on my second reading and still came away favorably impressed with the story despite a few flaws. The story lacks the agency of the Tom Swift novels. Sally spends most of the novel reacting to her circumstances instead of reaching out and changing things. It leaves the reader with the impression that this character is someone to whom things happen rather than someone who makes things happen. If the Tom Swift novels predicate action on the improbable, “Steel Syndicate” is built around the implausible. It's easier to suspend disbelief in the Swift Repellatron than to believe an organized crime syndicate led by the ego-maniacal Steel Don would first pursue their quarry to the Slick farm over a grudge and then abandon their assault without suffering a single casualty.
The story also lacks the educational value of The 39 Clues. With the story so tightly focused on Sally and her problems, it leaves the reader no time to explore the world before the advent of the Great War. The world of 1910s America was radically different from what we know today. Kids had a great deal more freedom to come and go, but going long distances was much harder. Social attitudes varied dramatically according to geography, with huge differences between urban and rural areas. The close of the previous century and advent of the new one has seen an explosion of immigration to all parts of the United States, with a corresponding culture shock for Americans both new and old. The lack of modern refrigeration, widespread electricity, or portable communication presents challenges to modern thinking that were a part of daily life at the time. There is a missed opportunity here to challenge young readers with unfamiliar ideas and situations.
The verdict: This story structure has Sally rushing from encounter to encounter, only taking time between action scenes to gear up. It feels very familiar... it feels like a role-playing game session, which I suppose is intentional. RPGs are Evil Hat's primary product and the Young Centurions RPG in particular has a very counter-intuitive play structure. This book actually describes the structure of a Young Centurions game blow-by-blow, even to the point where the villains “concede the scene” in the climax of the final showdown. New players and Game Masters could do much worse than emulating this story for their own sessions. It makes for a fantastic adventure game for any age group, but doesn't really hold together as a story meant for adult examination; the less critically demanding young readership ought to be extremely satisfied.
I got my copy of Sally Slick and the Steel Syndicate from the original Fate Core Kickstarter, but when Evil Hat's Magic 8-Ball selected me to review upcoming products, they also provided me with a digital version. I've already reviewed the Young Centurions RPG; the next Sally Slick novel, Sally Slick and the Miniature Menace, is next on my list. I've really enjoyed Carrie Harris' writing, and I'm looking forward to Sally and Jet's next adventure. See you then!
August 22, 2020
Cute, YA Pulp novel with a strong female lead. Looking forward to putting this into my girl's hands.
September 21, 2016
NOTE: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review
I like this story a lot. A strong female lead, solid action sequences, and a unique setting make this a book that I would recommend. This lays the groundwork to what appears to be a pretty exciting series. The one minor complaint I have is with the ghost - He is a little too good to be true. I am excited to see where this series goes. 4 stars out of 5
I like this story a lot. A strong female lead, solid action sequences, and a unique setting make this a book that I would recommend. This lays the groundwork to what appears to be a pretty exciting series. The one minor complaint I have is with the ghost - He is a little too good to be true. I am excited to see where this series goes. 4 stars out of 5
October 1, 2013
4.5 stars
If I were to get stranded on a desert island and allowed to pick just one person for company, Carrie Harris would be at the top of my list. Perhaps we’d starve in a matter of weeks (FINE, days!), but we’d at least go down laughing.
Carrie’s foray into Middle Grade fiction couldn’t have been more successful if she tried, and I get the distinct feeling that this lady doesn’t need to try very hard. That’s the real beauty of her prose – her sense of humor, utterly ridiculous as it may be, seems effortless and smooth, never the least bit forced. She did, admittedly, keep it a bit in check, this being an MG novel and all, but her lovely nature still shines from every page.
Middle Grade fiction or not, Sally Slick is Harris’s most mature work to date. A more careful reader will be rewarded by the strong feminist undertones that permeate every page. Sally refuses to live by the social norms, even though she lives in rural America in 1914 and she’s only 14-years old. She wants to be an inventor, not a housewife, and she wants to race tractors with her brothers instead of spending time in the kitchen with her mother.
In Sally Slick and the Steel Syndicate, Sally and her best friend Jet take on bullies, mobsters, the Steel Syndicate, and, worst of all, older brothers. They are resourceful and smart and they always stand up for themselves. Sally is unflinchingly loyal and she relentlessly defends those she loves.
But of course, Sally is not the only shining star of this book. There is also her best friend Jet, a clumsy, awkward, geeky kid, a follower by nature, but one with a lion’s heart. It is virtually impossible not to fall in love with this kid and wish to adopt him. Geeky and awkward or not, he has a spectacular future ahead of him.
Read this book. Share it with your daughters, nieces, and really, women of any age. When you’re done, share it with the boys as well, they have a lot to learn from it. And while you’re at it, read it out loud to your family pets. Every living creature in this world should meet Sally and Jet.
If I were to get stranded on a desert island and allowed to pick just one person for company, Carrie Harris would be at the top of my list. Perhaps we’d starve in a matter of weeks (FINE, days!), but we’d at least go down laughing.
Carrie’s foray into Middle Grade fiction couldn’t have been more successful if she tried, and I get the distinct feeling that this lady doesn’t need to try very hard. That’s the real beauty of her prose – her sense of humor, utterly ridiculous as it may be, seems effortless and smooth, never the least bit forced. She did, admittedly, keep it a bit in check, this being an MG novel and all, but her lovely nature still shines from every page.
Middle Grade fiction or not, Sally Slick is Harris’s most mature work to date. A more careful reader will be rewarded by the strong feminist undertones that permeate every page. Sally refuses to live by the social norms, even though she lives in rural America in 1914 and she’s only 14-years old. She wants to be an inventor, not a housewife, and she wants to race tractors with her brothers instead of spending time in the kitchen with her mother.
In Sally Slick and the Steel Syndicate, Sally and her best friend Jet take on bullies, mobsters, the Steel Syndicate, and, worst of all, older brothers. They are resourceful and smart and they always stand up for themselves. Sally is unflinchingly loyal and she relentlessly defends those she loves.
But of course, Sally is not the only shining star of this book. There is also her best friend Jet, a clumsy, awkward, geeky kid, a follower by nature, but one with a lion’s heart. It is virtually impossible not to fall in love with this kid and wish to adopt him. Geeky and awkward or not, he has a spectacular future ahead of him.
Read this book. Share it with your daughters, nieces, and really, women of any age. When you’re done, share it with the boys as well, they have a lot to learn from it. And while you’re at it, read it out loud to your family pets. Every living creature in this world should meet Sally and Jet.
September 6, 2016
I backed this in the Kickstarter and put it on the shelf for a while. I needed a fiction book for my bedtime reading and decided to put this on my Kindle. Damn glad I did too.
The book is targeted for young adult but as I am adult, not necessarily young, I thought it might be beneath me. Turns out, I didn't realize what young adult novel meant. It was more of the idea that the main characters are in their teens.
This is a story based on the IP of Evil Hat's roleplaying game Spirit of the Century, specifically Sally Slick and Jet Black along with one of their main bad guys from the game. It was written from Sally's perspective. She is a strong willed and determined girl who solves problems with her mind. The novel starts out with her dealing with normal kid problems and gradually moves to bigger fishes as it were.
I enjoy pulp and woman protagonists and this book has both. Sally is a great character that is learning to grow up along with her best friend Jet, who is the comic relief at times. I highly recommend this book to those that are looking for a fun read.
The book is targeted for young adult but as I am adult, not necessarily young, I thought it might be beneath me. Turns out, I didn't realize what young adult novel meant. It was more of the idea that the main characters are in their teens.
This is a story based on the IP of Evil Hat's roleplaying game Spirit of the Century, specifically Sally Slick and Jet Black along with one of their main bad guys from the game. It was written from Sally's perspective. She is a strong willed and determined girl who solves problems with her mind. The novel starts out with her dealing with normal kid problems and gradually moves to bigger fishes as it were.
I enjoy pulp and woman protagonists and this book has both. Sally is a great character that is learning to grow up along with her best friend Jet, who is the comic relief at times. I highly recommend this book to those that are looking for a fun read.
February 27, 2014
I liked this book; it was fun. There are kids having adventures, and Science!, and the importance of family and friendship and standing up to bullies, and a small town girl making it big, and lots of things that will be important later in Sally's story. My only regret is that I didn't love this book. It felt a little 'paint by numbers'--all your favorite tropes are there, right where you expect to find them. Except for the situation with her elder brother and the Doctor, which was an interesting surprise. (That should be vague enough to avoid spoilers.)
January 2, 2014
This book is great fun! Harris brings Sally and Jet to life in a thrilling and satisfying origin story. I want to give this book to every kid I know.
This book is not high literature, of course. And it's not what you want to pick up if you're in the mood for unpredictable plots or profound observations. It is pulp, in the grandest tradition, minus the sexism, racism and other crappy parts. This is a fun, light read and I'm very much looking forward to the sequel.
This book is not high literature, of course. And it's not what you want to pick up if you're in the mood for unpredictable plots or profound observations. It is pulp, in the grandest tradition, minus the sexism, racism and other crappy parts. This is a fun, light read and I'm very much looking forward to the sequel.
November 18, 2013
I wrote this! I also watched a lot of Indiana Jones while I wrote it. I'm not sure if the five stars are because I'm proud of the book or because I give five stars to any excuse to watch Indiana Jones. Either way, it was tremendous fun, and I hope you like it!
January 29, 2014
This was a very solid pulp adventure story, with a young woman becoming an action-heroine, rogue inventor. Sally, and her partner Jet, are great characters. The story is not perfect, but it is good, and captures a certain style very well. I look forward to more with these characters.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews