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Driftmetal #1
Driftmetal
In a shattered world of airships and windborne cities, Captain Muller Jakes' crew betrays him when his plot to steal a fortune in gravstone goes awry. A lost city, a deadly sabotage, and a series of narrow escapes will force him to choose between his freedom and the lives of thousands. A high-flying adventure full of gadgetry, treachery and intrigue; a pleasing blend of steampunk and cyberpunk.
129 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 2, 2015
69 people are currently reading
267 people want to read
About the author
J.C. Staudt
23 books15 followersJ.C. Staudt was born in Oceanside, New York, and moved to Virginia at the age of four, where he has lived ever since. He is a graduate of George Mason University, with a B.A. in Integrative Multimedia Studies, and he works for an Engineering and Consulting firm as a New Media Designer. He lives with his beautiful wife in a house lacking pets and children in Manassas, Virginia.
Staudt has been an unrepentant nerd for three decades and counting. He spends his weekends playing D&D and theorizing about every possible plot twist and untimely death (and undeath) that might occur in the next Game of Thrones novel. He writes science-fiction and fantasy across three distinct universes:
The Aionach - A dying world whose sun is so hot and close it's turned the entire planet into a wasteland. For fans of the Fallout video games, the Mad Max movies, and Stephen King's Dark Tower novels.
Esperon - A planet shattered centuries ago after a cataclysmic event of unknown origin, which gave rise to super-human beings called techsouls and islands that float on an anti-gravitational element called driftmetal.
Orothwain - A realm of goblins, elves, and dragons, where everyone talks like they're fresh off the boat from middle-ages Europe. You know the place. Magic and nature exist in polar opposition to one another, so magic users battle nature users like a fantasy rendition of crips and bloods.
Find him on Twitter @JCStaudtWrites or on his website, jcstaudt.com
Staudt has been an unrepentant nerd for three decades and counting. He spends his weekends playing D&D and theorizing about every possible plot twist and untimely death (and undeath) that might occur in the next Game of Thrones novel. He writes science-fiction and fantasy across three distinct universes:
The Aionach - A dying world whose sun is so hot and close it's turned the entire planet into a wasteland. For fans of the Fallout video games, the Mad Max movies, and Stephen King's Dark Tower novels.
Esperon - A planet shattered centuries ago after a cataclysmic event of unknown origin, which gave rise to super-human beings called techsouls and islands that float on an anti-gravitational element called driftmetal.
Orothwain - A realm of goblins, elves, and dragons, where everyone talks like they're fresh off the boat from middle-ages Europe. You know the place. Magic and nature exist in polar opposition to one another, so magic users battle nature users like a fantasy rendition of crips and bloods.
Find him on Twitter @JCStaudtWrites or on his website, jcstaudt.com
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 21, 2019
While I thought that this book was well written and the main character’s development was done well, I wasn’t able to connect with the characters very much. This the 3 star rating.
Captain Muller Jake is a respected captain: however, his crew backstabbed him. The captain’s plan is to steal a fortune but he finds that is not easily done. He is strong of character and doesn’t let anything that has happened to him cause him to deviate from his focus. I do enjoy adventure and this book does have a lot of adventure and drama. I am not really a steampunk fan so perhaps that is another reason I wasn’t 100% taken by the book.
I do think that it has its redeeming qualities and that people who enjoy steampunk and stories of this nature would probably enjoy the book a lot better than I did. Therefore I think it is a book that I do recommend, mainly for those reasons .
Captain Muller Jake is a respected captain: however, his crew backstabbed him. The captain’s plan is to steal a fortune but he finds that is not easily done. He is strong of character and doesn’t let anything that has happened to him cause him to deviate from his focus. I do enjoy adventure and this book does have a lot of adventure and drama. I am not really a steampunk fan so perhaps that is another reason I wasn’t 100% taken by the book.
I do think that it has its redeeming qualities and that people who enjoy steampunk and stories of this nature would probably enjoy the book a lot better than I did. Therefore I think it is a book that I do recommend, mainly for those reasons .
April 24, 2015
Take a deep breath and follow this criminal mind through the rollercoaster of his life. Twists, turns, leaps of faith, descents into depths, betrayals and redeeming social values lend a refreshing view of what might be possible if...
Driftmetal is an antigravity metal that floats through the stormy sky of a devastated planet. Such metal is hard to come by, and there are many scavengers, pirates, and other miners searching for it on as many levels as one can imagine with whole cities flying around on chunks of it.
Lots of steampunk motifs, but really more of a science fiction story, I recommend this to anyone who likes fast-paced reading and adventure. While it is stand alone, it leads directly into the sequel.
Driftmetal
Driftmetal is an antigravity metal that floats through the stormy sky of a devastated planet. Such metal is hard to come by, and there are many scavengers, pirates, and other miners searching for it on as many levels as one can imagine with whole cities flying around on chunks of it.
Lots of steampunk motifs, but really more of a science fiction story, I recommend this to anyone who likes fast-paced reading and adventure. While it is stand alone, it leads directly into the sequel.
Driftmetal
August 19, 2015
Popcorn for the brain … buttered and salted.
A fun steampunk romp through a different world, where there is no “world” and there are two species of humans. That is the unmodified primitives and the “normal” enhanced folks. Muller Jake is one of the latter, as well as something of a rogue. Think Han Solo with R2D2 and 3CPO options.
An admitted “serial novel” this one pauses rather than ends, but Staudt gives the reader a better-than-average conclusion for this opening episode.
Nice cover.
A fun steampunk romp through a different world, where there is no “world” and there are two species of humans. That is the unmodified primitives and the “normal” enhanced folks. Muller Jake is one of the latter, as well as something of a rogue. Think Han Solo with R2D2 and 3CPO options.
An admitted “serial novel” this one pauses rather than ends, but Staudt gives the reader a better-than-average conclusion for this opening episode.
Nice cover.
March 2, 2015
Let me start by saying I’ve never read this genre before. Well, I have read some science fiction, and some steampunk, but this is something different. The only thing my mind could compare it to was Disney’s Treasure Planet. It was well-written and Muller Jakes was a cocky character. You might not like him much, but you can’t quite hate him, either. Though you do get to see a change in how he perceives things as he overcomes each obstacle in his way. I’ll admit I was disappointed in one thing. How short the book was. It was only 127 pages long and it seemed to end just as a major conflict happened with a real quick “resolution.” It felt like you were left hanging. There is a second book due out in April 2015, so it would be interesting to see where it goes after this. I’m sure lovers of science fiction/steampunk/cyberpunk style stories will enjoy this quite a bit. I personally am not that person. However, I can enjoy a well-crafted story and this definitely fell within that category.
April 11, 2015
Driftmetal by J.C. Staudt
Captain Muller Jake is betrayed by his crew. he has a plan to steal a fortune in grave stones. He comes across a lost city, sabotage and danger. soon he realizes he must make a crucial decision one that may cost him his freedom and the lives of many.
A well written story. I did like Captain Muller Jake, he is definitely original, strong willed and determined. Even when he is betrayed he is still determined to carry out his mission at any cost. The narrative prose is rich and detailed. You really get the feel of what is going on, a great mental picture,which easily brings you into the story.
There is action, adventure, drama, and danger all for the makings of a pulse racing read. I have not read much in the steampunk/cyberpunk genre, so I was not sure if I would be able to get into the story. But I really liked it. I feel those who like this genre will enjoy Driftmetal.
Captain Muller Jake is betrayed by his crew. he has a plan to steal a fortune in grave stones. He comes across a lost city, sabotage and danger. soon he realizes he must make a crucial decision one that may cost him his freedom and the lives of many.
A well written story. I did like Captain Muller Jake, he is definitely original, strong willed and determined. Even when he is betrayed he is still determined to carry out his mission at any cost. The narrative prose is rich and detailed. You really get the feel of what is going on, a great mental picture,which easily brings you into the story.
There is action, adventure, drama, and danger all for the makings of a pulse racing read. I have not read much in the steampunk/cyberpunk genre, so I was not sure if I would be able to get into the story. But I really liked it. I feel those who like this genre will enjoy Driftmetal.
September 1, 2015
An interesting steampunk/cyberpunk mashup set in a world of floating cities. Our protagonist is a thief, a buccaneer of sorts, that sails the stream between these cities on a ship of driftmetal. Imaginative and a well-plotted story, this book is worth a read. It reminds me a little of Disney's Treasure Planet.
July 3, 2016
Fun Ride Through Well-imagined World
Muller Jakes is a lovable rogue through whose eyes we see a world torn apart, where humans and technically augmented humans live, and no one is completely honest.
Not sure how much scrutiny the science would bear, but it doesn't matter. Drift metal is a marvelous, thrill-packed joy ride through a brilliantly imagined world.
Muller Jakes is a lovable rogue through whose eyes we see a world torn apart, where humans and technically augmented humans live, and no one is completely honest.
Not sure how much scrutiny the science would bear, but it doesn't matter. Drift metal is a marvelous, thrill-packed joy ride through a brilliantly imagined world.
June 29, 2015
Take a chance
Definitely a weird premise, but ultimately enjoyable. Reminded me of the Ketty Jay books and I flew through the story.
Definitely a weird premise, but ultimately enjoyable. Reminded me of the Ketty Jay books and I flew through the story.
July 10, 2015
Heist Goes Wrong
In this steam punk adventure when plans for a heist goes wrong the captain of an airship must battle his own crew.
In this steam punk adventure when plans for a heist goes wrong the captain of an airship must battle his own crew.
May 28, 2020
And now for something different...if not completely, different. It melts steampunk, cyberpunk, and regular science fiction into a story where the various elements work together instead of getting in each other's way. I just finish reading this and enjoyed doing so. More that 3 stars would indicate. For competence of writing and enjoyable story: 5 stars. A fast paced carry-you-along adventure with some interesting characters. I just didn't find them very likeable characters. The protagonist, Mueller Jakes, is not a hero or antihero. He's a criminal and a self-centered jerk who enjoys being a criminal and doesn't care about what he does to other people. I'll grant that by the end of the story he's starting to become a better person. Most of the other characters aren't much more likeable even when they're not criminals. In good part this is due to living in a very hardscrabble living is mostly just surviving environment. At the end we find out they're living in the remnants of a destroyed planet. The descriptions imply this throughout the story. I thought it would have been better if we were told this was a destroyed planet near the beginning--and how it got destroyed (as backstory). Also, how, and why, most humans became cyborgs. A few, mostly discriminated against "primitives", i.e., original unmodified humans, still exist, Essentially this is a heist and revenge story that has action/adventure/sf movie written all over it. (I think it could be made into a very enjoyable movie [if they can keep from screwing it up] where they'd have to soften the characters some to sell more tickets.) It is short for a novel and needs a sequel. Fortunately, it has one already written. I expect to read it and complete the story. After all that I've said, much of it negative, I still recommend reading this book. The enjoyment in reading it overcame it's negative aspects for me. A good story told by a good storyteller who's also a good writer is a combination that works for me.
October 19, 2022
Our anti-hero, Captain Muller, has and needs no friends. He just needs his boat and his crew. The only problem, not only his crew wants to be done with him, but so do his parents. So, what did they do? They turned into law-lovers and called the Civies on him and the Civil Regency Corps. Came for him in force. While this escape and a few others not only teach him but surprise him upon self-reflection.
The story, the cast, and all the action just did it for me. And the world-building, let’s just say my imagination created a world for me like none other seen before, at least by me. The main character learns a lot in a short period of time, so we have a sort of coming-of-age story while the rounds fly. This sort of redeems him in this reader’s view.
As this is my first Cyber/Steam crossover read, I enjoyed it well. However, I thought there was more of one than the other genre, but that did not matter one iota when it came to my enjoyment of this novella read. With airships and crews acting like pirates, there is a new ocean of discovery out there and I want to be along for the ride. I give this a five out of five stars.
The story, the cast, and all the action just did it for me. And the world-building, let’s just say my imagination created a world for me like none other seen before, at least by me. The main character learns a lot in a short period of time, so we have a sort of coming-of-age story while the rounds fly. This sort of redeems him in this reader’s view.
As this is my first Cyber/Steam crossover read, I enjoyed it well. However, I thought there was more of one than the other genre, but that did not matter one iota when it came to my enjoyment of this novella read. With airships and crews acting like pirates, there is a new ocean of discovery out there and I want to be along for the ride. I give this a five out of five stars.
September 20, 2017
Wonderful Steam Punk Adventure
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
J. C. Staudt has created a wonderful three-dimensional world of floating islands, crime and rehabilitation in this first section of what I sincerely hope will be a long, epic story. A young, self-absorbed criminal gets a chance, maybe, to do the right thing for once...will he take advantage of the opportunity? Is the opportunity real? Does he have the guts to change and help others? As this volume comes to a conclusion, the answers seem to be "maybe". I really look forward to reading the next installment!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
J. C. Staudt has created a wonderful three-dimensional world of floating islands, crime and rehabilitation in this first section of what I sincerely hope will be a long, epic story. A young, self-absorbed criminal gets a chance, maybe, to do the right thing for once...will he take advantage of the opportunity? Is the opportunity real? Does he have the guts to change and help others? As this volume comes to a conclusion, the answers seem to be "maybe". I really look forward to reading the next installment!
September 27, 2017
An intriguing concept, both in world and species. Imagine cities drifting, and imagine also techsouls, and I just know you are intrigued. This is well written and the tale is told from the view of a character possessing some dubious traits. Not your usual sci-fi read at all! Hugely enjoyable!
November 25, 2017
Pleasantly surprised
Found this book as a freebie, and I've been pleasantly surprised by both the quality of writing and the depth of the story. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Found this book as a freebie, and I've been pleasantly surprised by both the quality of writing and the depth of the story. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
May 4, 2018
Really couldn't get into this one. Can't see how it is steampunk (cyberpunk at best) and while an antihero MC is not a bad thing in itself, they have to have some endearing qualities. Giving up on a book (even a bad one) is rare for me. I see lots of good reviews on here, but I have to disagree.
November 20, 2017
Original concepts. Needs background /intro. Romance is a pure unexplained flop. Character inconstency worthy of Michael Behe.
May 4, 2019
I normally love this authors books but couldn't get on board with this one. Just a bit too far removed from what I like.
November 17, 2015
More fun when you know what's going on..
Drops you right in the middle of adventure, and that would be great, except you don't know the land, people, or customs.
It's a sci-fi, techno adventure, and once you sort of figure out the terminology it's fun. Then it ends kind of abruptly. I believe there are 3 more books in the series.
So, short, and you will need to buy a few chapters at a time.
Results: it's hard to get into, but if you have patience and continue it's pretty good. But it has the two words I hate most on the cover, 'book one'.
Drops you right in the middle of adventure, and that would be great, except you don't know the land, people, or customs.
It's a sci-fi, techno adventure, and once you sort of figure out the terminology it's fun. Then it ends kind of abruptly. I believe there are 3 more books in the series.
So, short, and you will need to buy a few chapters at a time.
Results: it's hard to get into, but if you have patience and continue it's pretty good. But it has the two words I hate most on the cover, 'book one'.
October 28, 2015
A surprisingly good read
When I first started reading the book, I wasn't sure what I thought of Muller and his world. The dialogue seemed odd, the world was strange, and the characters were quite different from any I've read before. As I continued reading, I found it was hard to put the book down. I enjoyed the story, I enjoyed the change in Muller's attitudes and actions, and I was surprised by the ending. Looking forward to reading the next book!
When I first started reading the book, I wasn't sure what I thought of Muller and his world. The dialogue seemed odd, the world was strange, and the characters were quite different from any I've read before. As I continued reading, I found it was hard to put the book down. I enjoyed the story, I enjoyed the change in Muller's attitudes and actions, and I was surprised by the ending. Looking forward to reading the next book!
October 12, 2015
I was skeptical about this book as I usually stay away from this type of fantasy. However I had gotten free on Kobo and decided to give it a try. Needless to say I was surprised and loved this book and will be buying the others that come after. Story was smooth and easily read.
April 22, 2016
A page turning, good start to the series
This is one of a number of steam punk stories I've read recently and one of the best. This story hold great promise for the rest of the series, I will definitely read them.
This is one of a number of steam punk stories I've read recently and one of the best. This story hold great promise for the rest of the series, I will definitely read them.
April 15, 2016
Loved the world and concept ships but the story felt rushed.
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July 21, 2016Interesting read
Dumps you into the action with no apologies and leaves you gasping wtf. Once you get the world rules sorted a rip roaring adventure in one steampunk universe.
Dumps you into the action with no apologies and leaves you gasping wtf. Once you get the world rules sorted a rip roaring adventure in one steampunk universe.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews