Steamsworn

Steamborn #3

by Eric R. Asher

The world dies in war only to be reborn. It is the way of things, and always will be.

Forged in the Deadlands crucible, and armed with the knowledge of their true enemy, Jacob, Alice, and their allies bring the fight back to Ancora. They'll liberate their homeland, or die trying.

The wounds cut deep in their darkest hour, but in the end, vengeance will light their path.

Genres: Steampunk, Fantasy, Young Adult, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Fiction, Collections

ebook

First published April 5, 2016

About the author

Eric R. Asher is the author of over 30 titles, including the Vesik urban fantasy series and the YA steampunk series, Steamborn. Look for his upcoming cozy fantasy, The Theme Park at the End of the World, in 2024. He is currently living in St. Louis, Missouri, where the local folklore often finds its way into his Mason Dixon: Monster Hunter rural fantasy series.

Reviews

[Cori · Rating 2 out of 5]

*dramatic groan*

*inhales*

*another dramatic groan*


I can't do steampunk. That has to be it. I WANT to do steampunk, but other than one series, nothing has sucked me in yet. Please give me recommendations if you have them! As the great Steven Crowder would say, change my mind.

I wanted SO badly to like this series a lot. I really, really did. I stuck with all three books. I really, really did. I tried to pay attention. I really, really did.

But...gah! I recognize I am in the extreme minority here. As a matter of fact, none of the written reviews on this book (thus far) fall beneath a four star rating. So if it helps appease anyone, hack it up to me having bad taste. Go on. I can take it.

This review feels like a lot of regurgitation of my first two reviews for the series. Basically because this book felt like a regurgitation of the first two. Big, man-eating bugs. Patina. Rivets. Steam. Rust. Stuff we see every day, but steam-punkified. And a lot of running hither and fro and talking about stuff...some doing stuff. But mostly talking about doing stuff. And the doing stuff was a lot of the same stuff that was already done.

Where did it go wrong? Well, in a war against the butcher, we never really SEE the butcher, much less interact with the butcher. Rather, we're chasing this faceless "monster" that really doesn't matter to us yet and spending a lot of time getting side-tracked to pointless places. And not cool side-quests where we find a rusty steam-powered iron dragon that prunes everyone to death with his steam breath, you know? Just...places. That I can't really recall. We spend ample amounts of time fighting large bugs which is cool if you're Flik from A Bug's Life or an entomologist. The ending was a steaming pile of anticlimactic poo that a man-sized dung beetle probably would enjoy. I, on the other hand, did not. As a matter of fact, aboit the time I thought, "Okay! Here we go. This could get good!" it ended. Just...boop. Done. Did. Over.
A couple more nit-picky points, and I'll shut up:
1) They was bay-bays! Seriously now, at one point the narrator (I listened to the trilogy on Audible) said fourteen. Later she said fifteen- I might have missed a birthday in there somewhere, but seriously. Infants! Street youths! Ragamuffins! Why are they kissing!? It was uncomfortable. Uncomfortable, I tell you. Also, the night in the hotel (again, nothing really happened) was supposed to be so sweet and tender and BLECH! I didn't "ship" it, as the street youths say.
Addendum to that- the whole "we're not children! We're adults! We're mature! We've seen too much!" mantra was a bit redundant. While that may have been true, it was very "telling" instead of "showing."

Maybe it was written with it. Maybe it was Maybelline...err...Audible. I just wasn't drawn in, entertained, or able to focus on this one. It wasn't for me. But don't take my word for it! An awful lot of reviews say differently.

I appreciated the narrator, the mature battle/violence approach (the body count was shockingly high- almost to the point I stopped caring, even). I wanted to like it! It has to be me...

I'd rate this book a PG-13 for violence, gore, some cursing, and an awfully high body count.

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steamsworn by Eric Asher

Steamborn series book 3. A steampunk young adult fantasy based on the ages of a couple of the main characters. Given the level of deaths, gore and basic overall violence, I wouldn’t say it’s appropriate for young teens.

War rages on in this conclusion. Friendships deepen and fighting continues. Sadly they lose many friends and colleagues in the course of their travels.

An epic adventure. Lots of “steam” powered travel, gizmos and bugs.

[Jonathan Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the triology as a whole. Good, not great.
Positives:
Excellent characters that flowed easily together yet weren't carbon-copies of each other. They weren't paragons of virtue, which made them more real yet you couldn't help rooting for the protagonists.
Brilliant relationship building and chemistry among the characters.
The action was well-paced, well placed, and proved proper amounts of suspense. Definitely kept me engaged.
Intriguing concept with the bugs. Creatively and thoroughly done.
Negatives:
The villain was poorly constructed and never fleshed out. While he was supposed to be portrayed as this evil mastermind, I was never intimidated by him and he was always too remote to factor in. Also, his motivations were never well-explained.
Similarly, the geopolitics are never well explained, which would be fine except they play a crucial role in the story. Who is doing what and why is barely alluded to.
The geography and travel time seemed random and confusing.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review (of the whole trilogy - spoiler free) is here, on my blog.

Steamsworn, was a fantastic conclusion to this trilogy. My god, this book got me in the feels pretty hard once or twice and I was absolutely not expecting that to happen. Unexpected and legitimately feel-inducing things happen in this one on the regular. This was absolutely my favorite of the series, and I think that listening to the audiobook made this even more immersive for me, because Saskia Maarleveld absolutely nailed this one. Nailed it.

(I was given a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review).

[RobynRiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jacob had no idea how different life would be outside the walls of Ancora until after The Fall. He's since learned of the Steamsworn. The Dead Scourge. The Berserkers.
He's not a kid anymore.
This book is third in the Steamborn Trilogy, and is not at all your typical YA, steampunk sci-fi series!
Jacob and Alice are impressively resourceful and tenacious kids, but they are not alone to fend for themselves, nor are they tagalongs on an adventure with their elders. With them are Samuel, the loyal and sarcastic Spider Knight, and Charles, a tinker and inventor with a secret past. Charles may be a mentor to Jacob, who is precocious with machinations, but the old man views his protégée as a friend and equal. Alice has uncompromising principles and an unwillingness to accept any less than the truth which quickly gains her respect and loyalty. These four share all secrets, worries and plans, a scrappy family of sorts.
The elaborate world Asher has developed includes gigantic, insect-like creatures which add interest - and danger - to the story! But an even greater suspense arises from negotiations between turbulent nations. A century's peace will fall away and the enemy's bloodlust is legendary. Can Jacob, Alice, Samuel and Charles, along with newfound allies, map out a devious plan? Are they prepared to enter into a war?

- What do I love most about this book? That the unlikely heroes prove their strength against both violence and horrifying prejudice!
- What makes it special? The skillful use of steampunk in world building, which is a continual theme. We encounter fascinating, intricate designs for transportation and weapons!
- What surprises me most? The jewels of wisdom shared between friends and allies, gleaned from war, trials, loss and sacrifice.

"Look at the world with an unbiased eye, and its secrets will fall away." - Steamsworn

If you enjoy the Philip Pullman's intricate world building and Rick Riordan's writing style, or are intrigued by sci-fi and adventure novels, I highly recommend this series!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is basically my review of the whole trilogy. To that end, I'm glad that I had all three to just bust through as the breaks between books feel vaguely arbitrary. It feels like that whole thing was written and then at about the 1/3 and 2/3 spot Asher hunted for a good break point. It's not really a critique, more a warning, if you like book one, you won't want to wait to acquire the next two.

As for story, I always want to like steam-punk, but so often the stories are that joke "just stick some gears on it" and they ignore things like plot or characters. This trilogy is not that. The plot feels like a slice of a realistic world that could exist. The characters are all layered and interesting and full of intrigue and depth.

I like how it ended without everything being entirely resolved. It makes it feel real in that way that war leaves scars and just because the fighting is done doesn't mean the rest is over. I do recommend this series.

[David Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fitting end? To a very good trilogy.

I just knew after my review for book one that this would be so much better than I first indicated!

Continuing on from book 2, this initially slows down a little, as the strategic aspects come into play for the final showdown - and then all hell breaks loose..

The gore and violence factor is into overdrive in this 3rd book, but not for gratification as such, it is well placed and is justified. The relationships between characters really come into play, bridging gaps for past hatreds and bringing people together for the cause of a greater good. Although Steampunk takes a backseat, the action is flawless and the story really gets under your skin. Eric Asher has created a set of characters that you will really care about here.

This was a really great trilogy that I had trouble putting down and will appeal to fans of Steampunk, as well as people who like touches of fantasy / sci-fi and a riveting story.

Looking forward to reading more by this author and maybe seeing a book 4?

[Amber Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been over a year since I read book two and I'm still surprised with how vividly the world Eric R. Asher built comes right back to me. The world building is vast yet so well done! Steamsworn had even more action then the previous books and the danger felt even more intense, which is saying something. I liked the way the story switched back in forth between what Jacob was doing vs. what Alice was up to. The audiobook is amazing and really brings the story to life.

[Terry · Rating 2 out of 5]

At no point did this trilogy make me want to keep going. Would love a setting book

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is more action, more creatures in caves, an underground train, destruction and blood. Another action packed story that moves quickly. It switches back and forth with storylines that ultimately came together in the end. There was sadness in this book and some relief as well. I will be listening to book 4 soon!

[Bill Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really conclusion to a great 3 book series. What finally happens to Jacob and Alice is heart stopping. This is a must read for all steampunk fans.

[Ashley Yungbluth · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Steamsworn" by Eric R. Asher is the third book in his "Steamborn" series. This book had my emotions all over the place. There were a few scenes where I was shocked and wasn't sure what to think. I like how the relationship between Jacob and Alice is shifting. I know I will definitely be moving on to book four real quick because I want to know what is going to happen. Eric is an author who writes so well that you feel like you are right there with the characters.

[Zoltán · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finally got to the end of this trilogy, and not in a good way, I'm afraid.

Things just keep going south.

Story: We have a war now. All nations unite against the ultimate evil, and through hardships, relentlessly advance to the unavoidable victory.

Hope you caught the sarcasm there...

The story and the characters became so bland and one-dimensional, that halfway through the book I started to wish I'd just put it down. (Damn my tendency to finish almost all books at all costs.)

It was a repetition of a few items all over:
- Go somewhere.
- Do some meaningless tinkering along the way.
- Our heroes are all pissed off and ready to exterminate the foe.
- The foe is made up of a faceless lot of Star Wars style Imperial Troopers.
- Heroes face some obvious difficulty that they overcome.
- Start all over.

The enemy is so damn stupid, that it physically hurts reading about it. But it's needed, otherwise the heroes would not last a day. (I will drop a few examples below in spoiler blocks.) Apart from some totally irrelevant and meaningless tinkering, all steampunk-ness has left the story, and what technology remained, has lost even more reality. Where are the technical ways of solving problems? People become terminators running around with huge guns to decimate the foe.

The world that the author started to built, also lays in ruins. We had the foreshadowing of some global holocaust. Most probably a nuclear war, given the extend of destruction and the mutation of insects. But the world does not make any sense:
- People have records that it happened thousands of years earlier.
- Yet, some buildings still stand.
- Sometime in between, society was probably at a higher level (see train network for example).
- In thousands of years technology has ony reached steam age. I repeat. In thousands of years! Despite knowledge transfer, humanity made less progress in thousands of years, than it did since Ancient Babylon. And they are supposed to be the genius tinkers...
- Miraculously, they have radios. Electricity, radio circuits. They can even radio control the insects. Yet, they play with crossbows and airguns.
- Entire military powers rose, builting armies, concuering nations. And lack the most basic view of tactics. They have flying forteresses, and don't know that airspace is three-dimensional.
- And physics is dug deeper into the mud by further orders of magnitude. No consistency at all.

What I didn't like (just cherry picking...):
- Inconsistent world.
- Predictable story.
- Primitive characters on both sides.
- Simple black&white world view.
- Everyone is damn stupid.
- Boring.

Things I liked:
0

A few picks with spoilers:


A whole armada of flying fortresses progressing in formation. No air cover by smaller ones. It comes as a surprise to them that airspace is three-dimensional and someone can just fly above them and drop bombs.

Energy requirements go off by further orders of magnitude. The first books had probably, on average, three zeroes off. Now we are often in the magnitude of 6-9 zeroes.

[Zachary · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the final book in the trilogy, this was a solid conclusion. The pace was pretty driven from front to back, moving along at a nice clip. In my reviews of the first two books I noted that this series, so far was largely appropriate for younger readers. Though that mostly holds true, violence is a little more prevalent throughout this one, and Asher doesn't really draw back from it. Though his descriptions aren't too explicit in the damage caused by the various weapons and creatures throughout, he doesn't just ignore them either.

Asher touches on the moral/ethical quandary of the violence and killing that goes on with war, though he largely justifies it based on the atrocities of the "bad guys." I'm not saying that's wrong, just be aware of the philosophy undergirding how he approaches violence in this book (and I say again, this one is more violent than the other two).

Also, if you are considering this for your children (ages 12 and under) to read a few other things to note. There is minor cursing (probably PG-13 level), though the F-word is alluded to once or twice and may have actually been used in one or two places (my memory is a little fuzzy on that). There is also a homosexual relationship between a (kind of main) character and a periphery character. Though the relationship is made obvious, nothing explicit is covered. It mere is there and is presented as acceptable in the context of the narrative. Great opportunity for discussion with your children (wherever you stand on homosexuality), just be aware it is there. Throughout the trilogy there is a blossoming romance (slow-burn style) between two of the main characters. Again nothing explicit, but might provide context for good conversations with younger children.

All in all, I found this particular book a fun read. The stuff mentioned above is handled in such a way that it would most likely be fine for teenagers to read (and mature tweens). The steampunk element is there but not in an overwhelimg way. With the inclusion of giant spiders and bugs, the book almost feels more like a fantasy than a sci-fi book (though steampunk is arguably more the latter).

[Newton Nitro]

Steamforged – Eric R. Asher | 300 ps, Kindle 2016 | Lido de 15.07.19 a 20.07.19 | Nota 4 em 5 | NITROLEITURAS | #steampunk #postapocalipse

51G9Sh6wjeL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

SINOPSE
O mundo morre em guerra apenas para renascer. É o caminho das coisas e sempre será.

Forjados no cadinho de Deadlands, e armados com o conhecimento de seu verdadeiro inimigo, Jacob, Alice e seus aliados trazem a luta de volta para Ancora. As feridas cortam profundamente em sua hora mais escura, mas no final, a vingança irá iluminar seu caminho.

RESENHA

Um final muito épico para a trilogia, com os protagonistas em uma busca desesperada para derrubar o tirano de Ancora e evitar uma guerra avassaladora.

O final é de tirar o fôlego, com várias reviravoltas além de finalmente conhecermos as motivações do vilão.

O intrincado jogo político dos diversos poderes em jogo é bem trabalhado, e dá possibilidades para tramas futuras.

E os Spider Nights, cavaleiros que usam aranhas gigantes como montaria, são bem legais, me deu até a ideia de usar em uma partida de RPG!

Fica a recomendação da trilogia, muito divertida!

[Harley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Steamborn because I could order the ebook for free on Amazon and because of the fact that it was from the science fiction genre of steampunk. I thought I would read the first book of the three to see if I wanted to read the others. I did not expect to buy the other two, but I did.

The first book hooked me with the main character, a sixteen year old tinker, named Jacob. I was also intrigued by the world where insects were very large creatures who could attack and kill humans. I like the book enough to try the second book, Steamforged. I did not like the second book as much as the first but decided to read the third book, Steamsworn, as well. Unfortunately, I was disappointed in the third book because it was about war, destruction and revenge. By the end of the series, I no longer liked any the characters. Jacob and Alice, who had so much promise in the beginning, had become killers in the war against the evil Butcher, and they sometimes appeared to enjoy killing.

[DJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review is for the whole series.

3 out of 10 stars.

I really tried to get into this series. I gave it a try, but I ended up not caring about any of the characters or their motivations and gave up reading 3/4 of the way through the 3rd book.

The writing really annoyed me. Every scene there is someone ignorant of their surroundings, and miraculously there is a character there to explain the situation. Cut to the next scene and repeat, and repeat and repeat...

I feel like these books were originally intended for young adults, but at the last minute some editor came in and said, "Let's not make a young adult fantasy, add in a lot of swearing and violence and we'll market it for everyone." Which I don't have a damn problem with when not feeling contrived.

This book checks off all the things I wanted in book, but didn't do any of it well.

[Carrie O’Leary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explosive conclusion to the trilogy. I didn’t enjoy this title quite as much as book two. It did get me in the feels with some hard losses along the way. I think my niggles are that Jacob and Alice feel a lot older than fifteen—I know they’ve been thrown in at the deep end, but they seem to have a competence and confidence far beyond their years. It’s a little difficult grasping the passage of time, but I don’t think that many months have elapsed since the events of book one. Also, and perhaps more importantly, the battles, on which there is a great emphasis, felt too disconnected from the villain who never seemed to move from Ancorra or actually do anything evil-mastermindish (sorry had to invent a new word).

On the whole I enjoyed the trilogy and am off to read the next title, Skyborn, in the series now.

[Ginelle Blanch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was, simply, a fantastic series! Imaginative, vivid, and unique. Full of surprises!

The fantastic friendships in these books are what make them so excellent. Characters full of courage, drive, passion, compassion, and the backbone to do what is right, not necessarily easy.

Absolutely engaging and a pleasure to listen to. The words are brought to vivid clarity by this narrator, take an awesome series and make it five times more enjoyable with just one voice!

Emotional and heartwarming, heartbreaking and action packed. You get so totally vested in these character's adventures that seeing the danger they face make your breath catch and your stomach tie in knots.

Wonderful, wonderful series for people of almost any age!

[Donald Firesmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book continues the series with the 15-year-old main characters deeply involved in an all out war. There is plenty of gore and killing, so I would think twice before recommending it to the adolescent audience for which book one appeared to be written. Part of me thinks that the book would have made more sense had the main characters been 17 or 18, but in the book's world, it is clear that children needed to grow up early to survive. The amount of death and gore continues to increase. There is also considerably more politics involved. With that caveat, I must admit that I continued to binge listen to the book, and I will immediately buy the next two books in the series.

[Tom Loock · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying end to the trilogy - though I really hope and believe there will be sequels. There are enough hints in the final two chapters after all.

This one is all action all the time, inevitable from the plot, but I missed the steampunk elements and descriptions of fantastic places that made the first two books so enjoyable. It is also what sets the series apart from Philip Reeve's outstanding 'Mortal Engines'-quartet (or septet).

Very much recommended - especially if you like a lot of action.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so it took me to the third book to actually care about the characters, which was the first flaw in this trilogy. Lots of action and adventure happening in this book, but the closer I got to the end, the more I started to think "there's not enough book left for a resolution", and unfortunately, I was right. There were too many threads left hanging at the end of the trilogy to make for a satisfying conclusion. Now that I finally care what happens, I'd, you know, kind of like to KNOW what happens. The ending leaves you feeling that there should be another book to follow.

[Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trying To Save The Day


This series must be read in order. The first book is "Steamborn". The second book is "Steamforged". This is the third book. I can't wait to read more!



Jacob is in a race against time to stop the destruction of his world. He is on his way to their sister city of Dauschen to destroy the army of Fel and hopefully prompt a retreat. He doesn't know how to prepare for war but he is doing his best. He misses Alice more than he thought possible. Will they make it in time? Can they rout the army? Will they be able to unite all the lands against Fel? Or are they doomed?

[Diane Dewing · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first foray into the steampunk genre. Overall this trilogy was an enjoyable read even though suspension of disbelief is essential. I may seek out the next book at my local library but that is a big 'maybe'.

Book Three sees Jacob deeply wounded by the death of his mentor, accepting of the mechanical leg that saved his life and growing up fast to become the warrior needed to save all the lands from "The Butcher". Happily, friendship and love ground the story and save it from being bleak.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This series started out with potential but it’s not my cup of tea. I read steampunk for the absurd and positive vibes to the stories but this series had way too many war crimes and passing brutality. The absurdity was in all the wrong places and as much thought and effort that clearly went into creating this series I wanted to enjoy it but it was unfortunately not to be. I think the author has potential for some excellent storytelling in their future and hope they continue to hone their craft into better books than this series.

[Jonathan Pettit · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great finale to the Steamborn trilogy! Jacob and Alice continue their fight, along with their new allies against the Butcher and his. There's more great action as they fight to save their hometown of Ancora. The series was very entertaining, a fast read, and would be a great family read (I think it's classified as YA). I'll definitely keep Eric R. Asher on my reading lists. Excellent narration for the audible version by Saskia Maaleveld.

[Sheila Barbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steamsworn

An exciting finale, full I surprises,to The Steamborn Trilogy. An alliance is developed through the friendship of diverse people who release their prejudices of one another to fight for the cause of freedom. Jacob, Alice, Gladys, Samuel, Charles and others come together to prevent a takeover by the Butcher. I am left hoping that there will be future editions follow these characters as they move into the rebuilding phase of the countries suffering loss.

[Crystal P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic third book in the series! I sincerely hope it isn’t the last as I have questions and want to know so much. Alice and Jacob are adorable, and I love the subtle way their relationship has built throughout the first two books. I don’t want to write spoilers, but I will simply state that there were a few tears in this book. I enjoyed this trilogy immensely and am interested in reading more by this author.

[Josiah Fruge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This final book in the trilogy had all of the things that the first two did not. The first two books felt like a good outline but lacked any true weight. I felt like this book finally allowed me to attach to characters and lose myself in this world. I really liked some of the concepts that Asher presented here and I'm glad that some of those were actually fleshed out here. I almost stopped after book one but I will say that I enjoyed the trilogy overall.

[Elsa]

I thoroughly enjoyed this series. If you enjoy "coming of age" books, this is a series for you. It gave me everything I need from a book. A cast of likable people whose action and thought process can make you laugh and worry about them; and an adventure that provide the wide range of emotions that keep you reading the next page. This is the first series I have read by this author....I will definitely read more of his books.