Steeple

Kenstibec #2

by Jon Wallace

Another high action SF dystopia perfect for fans of Richard Morgan and Alfred Bester alike. The follow-up to the acclaimed Barricade this another short, sharp and kinetic SF thriller.

Kenstibec is a Ficial - a genetically engineered artificial life form; tough, skilled, hard to kill. Or at least he was. He's lost the nanotech that constantly repaired him. Life just got real. Just like it is for the few remaining humans in this blighted world - the Reals; locked in a fight over a ruined world with the Ficials they created to make Utopia.

And now Kestibec must take a trip to the pinnicle of our failed civilisation. The Steeple is a one thousand storey tower that looms over the wreckage of London. It is worshipped, feared and haunted by attack droids and cannibals. And the location of a secret that just might save Kenstibec's life. The only way is up.

Genres: Science Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2015

About the author

Jon Wallace is an author living in London.

The Kenstibec trilogy is out now from Gollancz - Barricade, Steeple and Rig. He has also had numerous stories published in magazines and collections like Interzone, Jupiter Science Fiction and Best British Fantasy 2013 and is the SciFi columnist for The Engineer Magazine.

His hobbies include watching the cricket and listening to his wife sing her way around the house.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Barricade and Steeple is even better! The lethal, enormous tower scenario works very well indeed. As before, wonderful writing.

[Shane Kiely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follow up to the quite enjoyable post apocalyptic subtly Mad Maxian Barricade. This story manages to maintain the humour and action of the original while treading new ground in terms of plot and engaging in some interestingly expansive world building. The alternating present/past nature of the chapters doesn't always work and the writing get's a little bogged down in describing the environment occasionally but for the most part it's an engaging fast paced journey (despite the location actually staying more static this time around).

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sci-fi adventure of Kenstibec continues, with Jon Wallace writing another novel full of sharp dialogue, breath-taking action and a decent helping of philosophical musings too. Interspersed with flashbacks, the story has a good narrative flow and leads you almost breathlessly to its conclusion. If you enjoyed the predecessor "Barricade", then you'll definitely like "Steeple"!

[Berta Kleiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, maybe it's only 4.5 or so, but I want the rating to go up.

[Gavin Wask · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastic story by Jon Wallace starring our fiscal/real anti-hero - Kentisbec. The story always moves at a fast pace, the characters are not only funny but well-formed and even if they aren't you're typical heroes and would probably sell you for a bottle of water just as save you from a falling building, you can't help but like them. I'm going straight to the third story in the series now as I didn't want to finish this one.

[Kwaku Osei-Afrifa · Rating 4 out of 5]

If only Ken was that building for a bit longer! Concisely written, tightly plotted, and lots of fun. How I like my books!

[Stuart Haining · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good new characters and great descriptions of a potential utopia living in a 3km high tower, but lacked the humour of the original, still a good read though and hard to put down.

[Neil Webb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tropey and set-piecey, but engagingly and enjoyably so. I may check out the rest of this series

[Besucher · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great, fast paced and interesting! Even greater adventure than the first Kenstibec book. I really liked it, can't wait to read the third book!

[Louise Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was well written and funny in parts but it was light on thought - like a TV show it was all surface.

[Lieke · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I picked this book up, entirely randomly, I had no idea it was a sequel. The present time made sense, but a lot of the past chapters did not, especially the last one seemed to have no bearing or sense to the plot. Now I know why (maybe)! Wish it had been more clearly explained. Overall a good book though, I especially liked Bridget, and Pistol of course. Appropriate ending.

[Tom Loock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable second novel featuring the both 'real' (= human) and 'ficial' (= artificial/android) as well as likeable Kerstebec. Officially a sequel, Kerstebec and the dystopian South of England are the only connecting elements, meaning Steeple can be read on its own, though the first novel in this trilogy- Barricade - is different but just as good.

You even get two books for the price of one, as Wallace alternates chapters separated by an undefined number of years with the current storyline and keeps both running forward in a straight line. Other readers have criticized this technique, but providing us with the back story does enrich the understanding and enjoyment. Setting the majority of this novel in one location must have been a challenge, but it works well.

I'm curious to learn about the final (?) part of the story and will read Rig as soon as the price comes down to my [pauper's] level.

[Meg]

That was good - but was it good enough to read on in the series? For fans of Fallout and Guy Haley's novellas (somebody please give that man money to publish more books in that series)