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Flux Catastrophe #2
Blazing Flux
Three months have passed since Revance was destroyed in a devastating mutiny. Ryza and the surviving conscripts work tirelessly to clear vast pools of molten flux from the walking fortress’ wreckage, draining it into the sands and trying not to think about where it’s ending up.
But the situation is getting desperate. Supplies are dwindling. Conscripts are deserting in droves to join the looters. Worst of all, the flux is behaving in ways that Ryza’s sure it shouldn’t.
The resurrected autominds of the battle’s dead won’t stop staring at him, familiar faces have been appearing in the surface of the molten flux itself, and it still hasn’t shown a hint of turning to blazing flux, the volatile gas that should occur when concentrated in more than a bucketful.
When Ryza discovers what’s truly controlling molten flux, he realises nothing’s as it’s meant to be.
Including himself.
Releasing on the 2nd of April, 2024, BLAZING FLUX is the second book of The Flux Catastrophe Series and sequel to Molten Flux. Drawing inspiration from both Mad Fury Road and HBO’s Chernobyl mini-series, readers of fantasy and science fiction alike will find thrilling action and brutal battles in a world of sandstorms and scrap metal.
But the situation is getting desperate. Supplies are dwindling. Conscripts are deserting in droves to join the looters. Worst of all, the flux is behaving in ways that Ryza’s sure it shouldn’t.
The resurrected autominds of the battle’s dead won’t stop staring at him, familiar faces have been appearing in the surface of the molten flux itself, and it still hasn’t shown a hint of turning to blazing flux, the volatile gas that should occur when concentrated in more than a bucketful.
When Ryza discovers what’s truly controlling molten flux, he realises nothing’s as it’s meant to be.
Including himself.
Releasing on the 2nd of April, 2024, BLAZING FLUX is the second book of The Flux Catastrophe Series and sequel to Molten Flux. Drawing inspiration from both Mad Fury Road and HBO’s Chernobyl mini-series, readers of fantasy and science fiction alike will find thrilling action and brutal battles in a world of sandstorms and scrap metal.
610 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 2, 2024
5 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Weiss
6 books34 followersJonathan Weiss is an Australian Fantasy & Science Fiction author of the upcoming FLUX CATASTROPHE and HYTHARO series. He has a background in Journalism and commercial cloud sales and lives with his wife and three budgies in the Illawarra region of New South Wales.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 31, 2024
This review was originally posted on SFFINSIDERS.COM
“To help us is to hurl themselves close to yet another death. I can’t imagine a more terrifying fate than certainty.”
Where once sat a reluctant hero now stands a man on the brink of an existential crisis of epic proportions. Everything in sight is in ruins and on the brink of flux setting itself ablaze while Ryza is doing everything he can to keep himself together. But the pieces of his former self were left in the explosion of Revance, and now, while he spends fruitless days clearing molten flux from the surface, he discovers something he never expected within himself. He’s questioning his own existence (Is he real? Is he not real? ‘If it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, is it really a duck’ sort of questions) while all around him his reality sits on very shaky ground.
“I needed it...I needed someone to just tell me something so I would know what to be.”
Flux is central to this whole story: what is it, how does it act, and why does it act the ways it does? And it’s in this sequel that the flux comes to life on the pages as more than just a silver, volatile liquid pulsing across the world and corrupting people. I do however wish the runics were explored a *touch* more, because the lore around them is interesting.
“What happens when a Reythurist dies away from the sky?”
A slower start explodes into action and intrigue as these characters discover what it truly means to be alive.
Breakdown
Characters (9/10)
As a sequel this really builds on the relationships from the previous book. I actually like Holm this time around. She’s still a bit of a wildcard, and proves to be a handful (pun intended) later on but she really helped shape Ryza’s character a bit more. I also liked the villains yet again. They are conniving and propel the story.
Atmosphere (13/14)
* Setting (9/10)
While the characters don’t go too far away from Iroka, they do go deep. A very dusty, dystopian science fiction was brought more to life under the surface.
* Mood (4/4)
Scenes between Ryza and Holm tugged at me the most. As someone who only started liking Holm in the sequel, I could really understand her this time. On the other hand, the action scenes were short, but impactful and made for a great read!
Writing Style (16/18)
* Storytelling (8/10)
Jonathan has an ease at which he weaves his stories that make them enjoyable, and overall it flowed at a nice pace.
* Grammar (4/4)
* Format (4/4)
Plot (9/10)
I will admit that when I first began this sequel I was worried it was going to be a bit slower, but I am happily proven wrong. The pace is in the middle range leaning closer to fast with how the plot progressed. What at first seems like “not a lot going on” since the characters stay pretty centrally located albeit on and under the surface, ends up being an exploration of the self, the impressions we make on others, and how that image can shape our perception.
Intrigue (11/14)
* Overall (8/10)
This book took me out of a five month reading slump and I absolutely want to read more in this series! It simply has that “middle of a series” feel, where the reader is given more information but the story is still reaching for that overall climax.
* Readability (3/4)
Logic (13/14)
* Plot Logic (9/10)
Ryza navigating his existence in a dying world made for a great subplot, but the overarching story of what molten flux is and learning how it works (while reminiscent of a fever dream) fits the tone.
* Character Logic (4/4)
While I still don’t see what Ryza sees in Holm, their relationship wasn’t actually the one that gave me pause. I was pleasantly surprised by Ditric, and the way she grounded Ryza when he needed it most.
Excitement (10/10)
Is there a fan club? Because I could head it! Overall I’m hyped about this book and this series as a whole and I cannot wait to see what comes next. Weiss has a way of ending his books on a huge bang and now I’m practically flinging myself off a cliff to find out what happens.
DEFINITELY RECOMMEND.
Final Scores
CAWPILE Rating: 81/90
April 4, 2024
Here is my review for Blazing Flux by Jonathan Weiss
I really enjoyed this follow up to Molten Flux where we follow Ryza and a few of the other conscripts off the craft, revance. The book is a great read and I really enjoyed it. I got into it straight away and it certainly helped having a little refresher of what happened in book one, Molten Flux at the beginning. It had certainly lost none of the action, we were thrown in pretty much straight away. The plotting is great, the writing is superb and the descriptive text is outstanding making the explanation really easy to follow. It’s an easy book to follow and it’s intriguing to read so you stay interested. You want to know what happened next. You get invested in the book and want to finish it at all costs.
Blurb :
Three months have passed since Revance was destroyed in a devastating mutiny. Ryza and the surviving conscripts work tirelessly to clear vast pools of molten flux from the walking fortress’ wreckage, draining it into the sands and trying not to think about where it’s ending up.
But the situation is getting desperate. Supplies are dwindling. Conscripts are deserting in droves to join the looters. Worst of all, the flux is behaving in ways that Ryza’s sure it shouldn’t.
The resurrected autominds of the battle’s dead won’t stop staring at him, familiar faces have been appearing in the surface of the molten flux itself, and it still hasn’t shown a hint of turning to blazing flux, the volatile gas that should occur when concentrated in more than a bucketful.
When Ryza discovers what’s truly controlling molten flux, he realises nothing’s as it’s meant to be.
Including himself.
I really enjoyed this follow up to Molten Flux where we follow Ryza and a few of the other conscripts off the craft, revance. The book is a great read and I really enjoyed it. I got into it straight away and it certainly helped having a little refresher of what happened in book one, Molten Flux at the beginning. It had certainly lost none of the action, we were thrown in pretty much straight away. The plotting is great, the writing is superb and the descriptive text is outstanding making the explanation really easy to follow. It’s an easy book to follow and it’s intriguing to read so you stay interested. You want to know what happened next. You get invested in the book and want to finish it at all costs.
Blurb :
Three months have passed since Revance was destroyed in a devastating mutiny. Ryza and the surviving conscripts work tirelessly to clear vast pools of molten flux from the walking fortress’ wreckage, draining it into the sands and trying not to think about where it’s ending up.
But the situation is getting desperate. Supplies are dwindling. Conscripts are deserting in droves to join the looters. Worst of all, the flux is behaving in ways that Ryza’s sure it shouldn’t.
The resurrected autominds of the battle’s dead won’t stop staring at him, familiar faces have been appearing in the surface of the molten flux itself, and it still hasn’t shown a hint of turning to blazing flux, the volatile gas that should occur when concentrated in more than a bucketful.
When Ryza discovers what’s truly controlling molten flux, he realises nothing’s as it’s meant to be.
Including himself.
April 10, 2024
Blazing flux by Jonathan Weiss.
Book Two of The Flux Catastrophe.
Three months have passed since Revance was destroyed in a devastating mutiny. Ryza and the surviving conscripts work tirelessly to clear vast pools of molten flux from the walking fortress’ wreckage, draining it into the sands and trying not to think about where it’s ending up. But the situation is getting desperate. Supplies are dwindling. Conscripts are deserting in droves to join the looters. Worst of all, the flux is behaving in ways that Ryza’s sure it shouldn’t. The resurrected autominds of the battle’s dead won’t stop staring at him, familiar faces have been appearing in the surface of the molten flux itself, and it still hasn’t shown a hint of turning to blazing flux, the volatile gas that should occur when concentrated in more than a bucketful. When Ryza discovers what’s truly controlling molten flux, he realises nothing’s as it’s meant to be.
I really did enjoy this book. I was glad for the refresher at the start of the book. I am enjoying this series. I liked the style of writing. The story kept me interested and I couldn't put it down. I did like Ryza. The main character. Jonathan certainly has a way with getting you into the story. It pulled me in until I reached the last page. That did surprise me. I do hope there is more to come. 4*.
Book Two of The Flux Catastrophe.
Three months have passed since Revance was destroyed in a devastating mutiny. Ryza and the surviving conscripts work tirelessly to clear vast pools of molten flux from the walking fortress’ wreckage, draining it into the sands and trying not to think about where it’s ending up. But the situation is getting desperate. Supplies are dwindling. Conscripts are deserting in droves to join the looters. Worst of all, the flux is behaving in ways that Ryza’s sure it shouldn’t. The resurrected autominds of the battle’s dead won’t stop staring at him, familiar faces have been appearing in the surface of the molten flux itself, and it still hasn’t shown a hint of turning to blazing flux, the volatile gas that should occur when concentrated in more than a bucketful. When Ryza discovers what’s truly controlling molten flux, he realises nothing’s as it’s meant to be.
I really did enjoy this book. I was glad for the refresher at the start of the book. I am enjoying this series. I liked the style of writing. The story kept me interested and I couldn't put it down. I did like Ryza. The main character. Jonathan certainly has a way with getting you into the story. It pulled me in until I reached the last page. That did surprise me. I do hope there is more to come. 4*.
April 5, 2024
This is Book 2 of The Flux Catastrophe Series, which is set in the vast Droughtlands.
Ryza is back with the reminants of the Conscripts, 3 months after the Book 1 finished.
Things have gone a bit weird, with Molten Flux not behaving like it should and the autominds... well, they are acting a bit strange.
Ryza, as always, is a brilliant character. He is inquisitive and seems to be a natural leader without really realising it. His overall character is quite loveable, really even though he is ever changing, with all the negative things happening to him.
It was also good to check in with Holm as well - they made a good duo.
As always, the books Jonathan writes are detailed as he develops a fantastical world in your head. It feels almost like I'm gaming sometimes as I read - in fact, this series woild make a cracking game!
His covers are always very dramatic and really pull you in, as does the Blurb.
This next story in The Flux Catastraphe once again takes on a twisty story with surprises that hook you, and I cannot wait until Book 3 is released.
Once again, it's a brilliant book, and I highly recommend it!
Ryza is back with the reminants of the Conscripts, 3 months after the Book 1 finished.
Things have gone a bit weird, with Molten Flux not behaving like it should and the autominds... well, they are acting a bit strange.
Ryza, as always, is a brilliant character. He is inquisitive and seems to be a natural leader without really realising it. His overall character is quite loveable, really even though he is ever changing, with all the negative things happening to him.
It was also good to check in with Holm as well - they made a good duo.
As always, the books Jonathan writes are detailed as he develops a fantastical world in your head. It feels almost like I'm gaming sometimes as I read - in fact, this series woild make a cracking game!
His covers are always very dramatic and really pull you in, as does the Blurb.
This next story in The Flux Catastraphe once again takes on a twisty story with surprises that hook you, and I cannot wait until Book 3 is released.
Once again, it's a brilliant book, and I highly recommend it!
April 5, 2024
Blazing Flux is the second in ‘The Flux Catastrophe’ series by Jonathan Weiss, after reading and thoroughly enjoying the first book Molten Flux I couldn’t wait to dive back into the fantastic steampunk world that Jonathan has created.
I love that this book started with a quick recap of the previous book. It provided a nice memory refresher and helped set the scene back up in my mind.
We join Ryza and a few fellow conscripts that survived the destruction of Revance as they try to rebuild and rid Iroka of the flux that has devastated the place.
These early chapters were interesting as Ryza and co have to figure out how to survive and rebuild weapons as ammo for their rifles run out of ammo, resulting in the creation of the ‘R-Threes’…those things sound absolutely brutal!!
I don’t want to give too much away but I throughly enjoyed the introduction of the Scythes and the overall story build up and the ending 🤩 I really hope there is more to come from this series!
I love that this book started with a quick recap of the previous book. It provided a nice memory refresher and helped set the scene back up in my mind.
We join Ryza and a few fellow conscripts that survived the destruction of Revance as they try to rebuild and rid Iroka of the flux that has devastated the place.
These early chapters were interesting as Ryza and co have to figure out how to survive and rebuild weapons as ammo for their rifles run out of ammo, resulting in the creation of the ‘R-Threes’…those things sound absolutely brutal!!
I don’t want to give too much away but I throughly enjoyed the introduction of the Scythes and the overall story build up and the ending 🤩 I really hope there is more to come from this series!
March 2, 2025
It’s been a while now since I’ve finished this book and that feeling that came with reading it just doesn’t leave you - the experience is unmatched. I’ve said my fair share about this series and author, to the extent that it’s likely getting repetitive 😅 but, if nothing else, *that* fact should convince you to read these books!
‘Blazing Flux’ continues Ryza’s story as he traverses the Droughtlands in the fight against the flux and all that tries to control it. Flux being the liquid (but not only liquid?) metal substance that, when injected (but not only injected?), turns a person into a mindless vessel (aka automind) to be used for someone else’s benefit and control.
I genuinely don’t know how to explain my experience with this book - it’s something that simply cannot be succinctly written, only felt.
I just love the characters, the world they’re in, their complex relationships, the mechanics of the flux that I still can’t seem to full grasp, the intermixing plot lines, the logistics of what’s real and what’s not that I also can’t seem to fully grasp, and last but not least, tiny Origin. Ryza remaining so real and relatable throughout all of this is the cherry on top.
As always, the last 50-ish pages were the absolute best. On the one hand I had no idea what was going on, and on the other hand I was so into it, it felt like I was there. I cannot imagine what it felt like to develop a world so complex. That play between real and not real especially must have been a mind game in itself. That said, the ‘villians’ in this book are some of the most complex and mind-blowing that I’ve seen in a while.
Truly cannot wait for book 3 to reveal some of the long-awaited secrets and riddles.
‘Blazing Flux’ continues Ryza’s story as he traverses the Droughtlands in the fight against the flux and all that tries to control it. Flux being the liquid (but not only liquid?) metal substance that, when injected (but not only injected?), turns a person into a mindless vessel (aka automind) to be used for someone else’s benefit and control.
I genuinely don’t know how to explain my experience with this book - it’s something that simply cannot be succinctly written, only felt.
I just love the characters, the world they’re in, their complex relationships, the mechanics of the flux that I still can’t seem to full grasp, the intermixing plot lines, the logistics of what’s real and what’s not that I also can’t seem to fully grasp, and last but not least, tiny Origin. Ryza remaining so real and relatable throughout all of this is the cherry on top.
As always, the last 50-ish pages were the absolute best. On the one hand I had no idea what was going on, and on the other hand I was so into it, it felt like I was there. I cannot imagine what it felt like to develop a world so complex. That play between real and not real especially must have been a mind game in itself. That said, the ‘villians’ in this book are some of the most complex and mind-blowing that I’ve seen in a while.
Truly cannot wait for book 3 to reveal some of the long-awaited secrets and riddles.
October 4, 2025
A sequel that I devoured just as quickly as its predecessor. Blazing Flux is just as fast-paced, brutally (and somewhat poetically) violent, and downright addictive. The Flux Catastrophe series is full of characters that I realised quickly I love to hate, and hate to love. This makes for a thrill of a read and also makes me unbelievably glad this is a series of works, because these characters have hooked themselves into my soul a little bit.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews