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The First Tale
A vaguely steampunk adventure, set in the fictional city of Vertigo. The Resistance is pitted against the shadowy Weimar Corporation that runs the City. Their stalemate is broken by the death of a suspected infiltrator, setting Resistance Commander Liss Hunt and her bewildered companion Philip Wiseman on a journey into the depths of both organisations to discover the truth behind who - or what - is really running the City. Featuring automatons, mad scientists, chases, a gun-toting heroine and even the Living Dead, The First Tale is a short novella that proves people are not always what they seem.
ebook
First published September 13, 2010
11 people want to read
About the author
Icy Sedgwick
40 books127 followersFantasy with a Folklore Twist
Icy Sedgwick is a writer based in the north east of England. She writes Gothic-tinged not-quite-YA fantasy novels and Gothic short stories. Icy is also working on a series of experiments in historical fiction with Australian composer AJ Moon, combining spoken word stories with originally composed music. When she's not writing fiction, she's blogging about folklore and the supernatural.
Elsewhere, she's working on a PhD in Film Studies, looking at the use of set design in contemporary supernatural films. She also knits up a storm, enjoys poking around old buildings, and takes more photographs than she probably should.
Icy Sedgwick is a writer based in the north east of England. She writes Gothic-tinged not-quite-YA fantasy novels and Gothic short stories. Icy is also working on a series of experiments in historical fiction with Australian composer AJ Moon, combining spoken word stories with originally composed music. When she's not writing fiction, she's blogging about folklore and the supernatural.
Elsewhere, she's working on a PhD in Film Studies, looking at the use of set design in contemporary supernatural films. She also knits up a storm, enjoys poking around old buildings, and takes more photographs than she probably should.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 29, 2011
Very good steampunk adventure set in a place called Vertigo City. Full of automatons, from the feisty Four, to the puppyish Two...and the frightening Transformer-like Five, each with their own behaviors, as impossible as that sounds, they are a help (or a hindrance) in assisting Liss Hunt and the Resistance take on the evil Weimar Corporation bent on total domination...but things are often not what they appear to be in this story. Delightful to read, full of humor, and a very strong female character; something I wish there was more of in fiction. Liss Hunt could kick Chuck Norris' ass, I believe.
October 20, 2010
The First Tale is the first eBook released by friend, fellow blogger and fellow Chinese Whisperings writer, Icy Sedgwick. Icy’s from the north of England, has a real cool accent and has an ability to create awesome worlds with cool gadgets, which suits steampunk.
This was my first major thing I’ve read on my Sony Reader so it was nice that it was this real fun, quick and easy read that never made me work too hard.
The First Tale is a steampunk adventure set in Vertigo City where the Weimar rule and the Resistance, well, resist. In the Resistance, there’s the strong and not to be messed with Melissa Hunt, better known as Liss and I liked how she knocked all these men into line and saved the day.
The plot starts when they find a man dead with a Weimar arm band and a Resistance card. They set off to work out who this guy is only to uncover much more. The plot moves quickly from one situation to the other, which makes sense given it was first written as a serial posted on Icy’s blog.
The strongest element of Icy’s writing is Liss’s character and her dialogue. I thought it was good to have a strong woman at the head of it all. It’s a character I’d love to get to know better. My only criticism would be that the writing falls into telling rather than showing in places and so it left me craving for more detail.
Overall, it was a fun read and definitely worth reading. It’s available on Smashwords as an eBook and you can also read more of Icy’s writing at her blog, Icy’s Blunt Pencil.
This was my first major thing I’ve read on my Sony Reader so it was nice that it was this real fun, quick and easy read that never made me work too hard.
The First Tale is a steampunk adventure set in Vertigo City where the Weimar rule and the Resistance, well, resist. In the Resistance, there’s the strong and not to be messed with Melissa Hunt, better known as Liss and I liked how she knocked all these men into line and saved the day.
The plot starts when they find a man dead with a Weimar arm band and a Resistance card. They set off to work out who this guy is only to uncover much more. The plot moves quickly from one situation to the other, which makes sense given it was first written as a serial posted on Icy’s blog.
The strongest element of Icy’s writing is Liss’s character and her dialogue. I thought it was good to have a strong woman at the head of it all. It’s a character I’d love to get to know better. My only criticism would be that the writing falls into telling rather than showing in places and so it left me craving for more detail.
Overall, it was a fun read and definitely worth reading. It’s available on Smashwords as an eBook and you can also read more of Icy’s writing at her blog, Icy’s Blunt Pencil.
April 19, 2011
In the First Tale, we follow Phillip Wiseman, newcomer to Vertigo City’s resistance—an organization bent on toppling the tyrannous Weimar Corporation. We discover, through Phillip this shady underworld he’s entered filled with secret agents, corrupt police, wise-cracking automatons and the alluring mysterious Liss Hunt.
Sedgwick paints a glorious world that’s as fully immersive as any seedy backstreet featured in a Sherlock Holmes mystery. The characters sparkle with clever dialogue, thrilling action sequences, and a plot full of twists and turns. It ultimately left me eagerly awaiting the Second Tale and any that might follow. Stamp my ticket, I’m ready to go back to Vertigo City
Sedgwick paints a glorious world that’s as fully immersive as any seedy backstreet featured in a Sherlock Holmes mystery. The characters sparkle with clever dialogue, thrilling action sequences, and a plot full of twists and turns. It ultimately left me eagerly awaiting the Second Tale and any that might follow. Stamp my ticket, I’m ready to go back to Vertigo City
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews