Maledictus Aether

by Sydney Alykxander Walker

From birth, Kennedy has been seen as different. His father's death shortly before his birth has haunted him throughout it all, and he has immersed himself in his father's work to understand and know more about the man he never met. When he can, he joins the Royal British Armed Forces, in the Flight division, and it is there things begin falling apart.
After an accident that almost leaves him dead, he is sent aboard an airship to oversee the engineers working aboard; there, he is shown to the truth.
Left with the option to fight for the army that has been the cause of his father's death, he decides to figure out for himself what truly happened to his father, and to take on that legacy.
Hunting for a lost treasure, an airborne battleship and the clues his father has left behind for him, Kennedy comes across things that will forever change his life.
With his crew and his friend faithfully at his side, they embark on a journey that will mark the world for ages to come, and in which will grant him the title of the most notorious Sky Pirate who ever lived.

Genres: Fantasy

189 pages, ebook

First published December 17, 2013

About the author

Sydney Alyk Walker is a freelance writer who occasionally slips into poetry, as well as a mythologist and all-around ancient history fanatic. Sydney has published over six eBooks and written countless different manuscripts whom the author suspects will be rewritten one day; but for the moment they collect dust. Under a pen name, the author prefers to keep their identity undisclosed.

Reviews

[Spring Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I have to say that there is nothing I don't love about this book. As a fellow writer I will point out a couple of obligatory things to get them out of the way. It took a few pages (just a few!) to really get into the swing of things. It felt almost as if the author was getting his bearings, but once he did, it turned into an amazing book. The comma use could have been toned down a bit and sentences split up more. This was a very minor distraction, though, that I am guilty of myself.

Now, to the good stuff, which was everything about the book really. It was a very well thought out steampunk novel; true to the genre without being confusing for someone who isn't use to it. There was adventure, mystery and a good deal of surprise. The main character Kennedy, with his brass prosthetic parts, was unique and easy to identify with. The mechanicals, especially those of the ships and Skylands, were brilliantly created and well described. I loved the idea of self-sustaining ships. There was great attention to detail; for instance, the soreness of Kennedy's skin where the prosthetics were connected. These details were written into the story in a way though that they did not become tedious.

The only thing that confused me was that I found this book when I was searching through gay fiction. For a long time I wondered why it was listed there. But then...then I realized why and it became one of my favorite things about this novel. Without giving too much away, I'll just say that the way it was written into this book; slowly and naturally, was just wonderful. I can't wait for the next book in this series to come out and I'm really hoping that there is even more of this aspect in the next one. I have no idea where this story might go. The possibilities are endless and I love that.