What do you think?
Rate this book
The Bastion: A Novel
The Bastion is a high-octane steampunk thriller—equal parts prison break, political conspiracy, and survival story. Perfect for fans of The Lies of Locke Lamora, Shawshank Redemption, and Dishonored.
Gasmere is a city drowning in smoke and secrets. Its streets run rampant with crime, its factories grind down the poor, and its governing Foundry cling to power with iron fists. Above it all looms The Bastion—a floating prison fortress built from and powered by Aetherium, the mysterious material that drives the city itself. It fuels the prison’s walls, lights the streets, powers carriages and factories, and even flows through medicine that keeps the sick alive. It’s intoxicating, addictive, and deadly in equal measure, an enigma science struggles to understand.
Beris is a professional prison breaker—a smuggler who slips through walls others can’t and gives the falsely accused the freedom they deserve. He doesn’t fight wars or chase glory; he gets people out of impossible places.
But when he’s hired to break into the Bastion itself to free the most infamous terrorist in Gasmere’s history, Beris discovers his lifelong partner has been imprisoned there too—turning the job into a choice between the mission and the only person he’s ever trusted.
What begins as a job for gold becomes a deadly wager of betrayal and survival, where every choice cuts deeper and escape comes at a price.
There is no chosen one.
No magic to undo what’s been broken.
Only a man, a prison, and a system built to kill.
Gasmere is a city drowning in smoke and secrets. Its streets run rampant with crime, its factories grind down the poor, and its governing Foundry cling to power with iron fists. Above it all looms The Bastion—a floating prison fortress built from and powered by Aetherium, the mysterious material that drives the city itself. It fuels the prison’s walls, lights the streets, powers carriages and factories, and even flows through medicine that keeps the sick alive. It’s intoxicating, addictive, and deadly in equal measure, an enigma science struggles to understand.
Beris is a professional prison breaker—a smuggler who slips through walls others can’t and gives the falsely accused the freedom they deserve. He doesn’t fight wars or chase glory; he gets people out of impossible places.
But when he’s hired to break into the Bastion itself to free the most infamous terrorist in Gasmere’s history, Beris discovers his lifelong partner has been imprisoned there too—turning the job into a choice between the mission and the only person he’s ever trusted.
What begins as a job for gold becomes a deadly wager of betrayal and survival, where every choice cuts deeper and escape comes at a price.
There is no chosen one.
No magic to undo what’s been broken.
Only a man, a prison, and a system built to kill.
329 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 1, 2026
4 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 10, 2026
For fans of Escape Plan, Lockout, and Alcatraz, The Bastion by G.S. Creech is an absolute must read! Though it’s labeled as a steampunk thriller, I found it to be much more of a dystopian, high stakes adventure. The story follows Beris as she embarks on a dangerous mission to break out the city’s most notorious terrorist, and what unfolds is a gripping, heart pounding escape that keeps you glued to the pages.While the beginning starts off a bit slow, it quickly accelerates into a non-stop rush of tension and excitement. The world building is both unique and unsettling. a city literally powered by a drug that has created a pandemic level addiction. It’s a concept I’ve never encountered before, and Creech executes it brilliantly.Packed with action, inventive twists, and an ending that leaves you genuinely uplifted, The Bastion is a fast paced adventure that delivers on every level. I can’t recommend it highly enough!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received an ARC and chose to leave an honest review.
To me, it started off slightly slow and at first I felt as though I lost a little what was happening. However, once the story got going, it was amazing! It got to the point where I didn't want to put it down! It was definitely outside of the normal of what I usually read, but I am definitely glad I stuck it out and gave this book a chance.
To me, it started off slightly slow and at first I felt as though I lost a little what was happening. However, once the story got going, it was amazing! It got to the point where I didn't want to put it down! It was definitely outside of the normal of what I usually read, but I am definitely glad I stuck it out and gave this book a chance.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This was a good book. I won't say that it's the best book I've ever read, but I had so much fun the whole way through. The world was vibrant and realistic, it reminded me of a steampunk 1800s London, with the slums crumbling and the rich acting like nothing was wrong, and the scene of a massive floating prison is too cool to ignore.
The books plot is very reminiscent of a steampunk prison break like the TV show. It follows Beris, a professional jail breaker who needs to break out his only true friend in the world after a prison break hoes wrong. During that time, he learns that there is more to the cast of characters and the prison itself than he could imagine.
Beris and Kelvin, the two protagonists are flawed but very real characters, the interludes that show their past explain why they are the way they are which is ultimately both unstandable and heartbreaking.
The Warden is such a cool character, a man of poise and control. He does nothing quickly and is simply a force of nature. Like Thanos, he is inevitable.
There are a great deal of interesting and varied side characters that feel real. They all have their own motivations for their actions and act accordingly.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good heist or prison break book or just enjoys a good old steampunk adventure.
The books plot is very reminiscent of a steampunk prison break like the TV show. It follows Beris, a professional jail breaker who needs to break out his only true friend in the world after a prison break hoes wrong. During that time, he learns that there is more to the cast of characters and the prison itself than he could imagine.
Beris and Kelvin, the two protagonists are flawed but very real characters, the interludes that show their past explain why they are the way they are which is ultimately both unstandable and heartbreaking.
The Warden is such a cool character, a man of poise and control. He does nothing quickly and is simply a force of nature. Like Thanos, he is inevitable.
There are a great deal of interesting and varied side characters that feel real. They all have their own motivations for their actions and act accordingly.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good heist or prison break book or just enjoys a good old steampunk adventure.
Review of advance copy received from Author
G.S. Creech’s The Bastion is a debut with a lot of heart that, above all else, excels in its worldbuilding. Striking the balance between establishing a setting that will draw in readers, feeding them enough information to keep them interested, without infodumping and bloating the book, is difficult, especially for newer authors, and I thought that Creech walked this fine line perfectly. I found the characters to be a mixed bag, but with more positives than negatives overall. I particularly enjoyed some of the side characters and the antagonist. The relationship between the two main characters never felt super fleshed out to me, though there was some effective backstory told through some interludes, and knowing that the book is setting up for a sequel will allow more time to see that relationship develop.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I rate it a 3.75/5, and I would recommend it to fantasy readers, especially if you like a heist-type story and a dark, moody atmosphere.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I rate it a 3.75/5, and I would recommend it to fantasy readers, especially if you like a heist-type story and a dark, moody atmosphere.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Be an island. A Bastion the sky. A fortress. No one in. No one out. The safest place to be.
The Bastion is a strong novel debut with thrilling action, crazed religious conspiracies, and equal parts grit and heart. It’s a story with a simple premise—an escape artist breaks into floating Alcatraz to save his partner in crime—yet one that explores the muddled world of interpersonal relationships and the ties that bind us.
It’s a debut novel. Naturally, it has its issues. And yet, The Bastion is a novel that comes alive with every page… nearly as much as the floating prison itself.
If you’re looking for grit, thrill, and action, give The Bastion a read. You will not regret it.
Congrats, Gabe. I can’t wait to read what you cook up next.
The Bastion is a strong novel debut with thrilling action, crazed religious conspiracies, and equal parts grit and heart. It’s a story with a simple premise—an escape artist breaks into floating Alcatraz to save his partner in crime—yet one that explores the muddled world of interpersonal relationships and the ties that bind us.
It’s a debut novel. Naturally, it has its issues. And yet, The Bastion is a novel that comes alive with every page… nearly as much as the floating prison itself.
If you’re looking for grit, thrill, and action, give The Bastion a read. You will not regret it.
Congrats, Gabe. I can’t wait to read what you cook up next.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received this copy as an ARC read from the author.
Fantasy Thriller with a Heist theme, what more can you ask for.
we have crazy religious antics walking around preaching the word of the end of times, two beggars from the streets who come together through various life events to break someone out of prison and pay for their way through life, and found family in the most unexpected places.
This book is super fast paced and things are always happening throughout the book including my favorite type of writing where it goes back in the past to tell us the story of the characters and how they got to here.
Would recommend!
Fantasy Thriller with a Heist theme, what more can you ask for.
we have crazy religious antics walking around preaching the word of the end of times, two beggars from the streets who come together through various life events to break someone out of prison and pay for their way through life, and found family in the most unexpected places.
This book is super fast paced and things are always happening throughout the book including my favorite type of writing where it goes back in the past to tell us the story of the characters and how they got to here.
Would recommend!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received an ARC of this title from the author (who is lovely!!).
Super strong opening and a really fun premise that had me staying up late on night one of reading this. I really loved the first 60% and then it started to slow down for me a bit (I also was busy and stressed about PhD so possibly just unlucky timing). There is a lot going on here (heist, insane prison setting, flashbacks, dual POV, conspiracies, etc), but it somehow works and comes together quite nicely. I absolutely LOVED the interludes giving us a glimpse at our main characters in the past. I had a pretty good time with this overall.
Needs another round of light copyedits.
3.5/5
Super strong opening and a really fun premise that had me staying up late on night one of reading this. I really loved the first 60% and then it started to slow down for me a bit (I also was busy and stressed about PhD so possibly just unlucky timing). There is a lot going on here (heist, insane prison setting, flashbacks, dual POV, conspiracies, etc), but it somehow works and comes together quite nicely. I absolutely LOVED the interludes giving us a glimpse at our main characters in the past. I had a pretty good time with this overall.
Needs another round of light copyedits.
3.5/5
Review of advance copy received from Author
The Bastion is more than a simple prison break story. The pacing an unexpected turns make The Bastion a great read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews