Deep Blue

The Wonder #2

by James Devo

See the trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5ASo...

In some Worlds, Society depends on Technology to expand its horizons. In the Victorian world of the Wonder, Magic is the leading light. It powers an Empire through an Industrial Revolution towards boundless possibilities, including the invasion and colonisation of any neighbours who may have reserves of Magic themselves.
In the follow-up to Blood Red, heroes and villains are forced together to defend their world against a smoke belching threat believed extinct for centuries. Despite the use of ancient magic and unlikely allies, a far-flung colony is forced to its knees as betrayal and treachery spread like a virus on both sides of an old war.
See review here - http://scifiward.com/the-wonder-by-ja...

Genres: Fantasy

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 19, 2015

About the author

James Devo was born and raised in South London, from whence he escaped using a mixture of science fiction and fantasy in any medium he could grasp.

Over the last few shameful decades, he accidentally became a hardened TV professional and award-winning scriptwriter, developing a grubby sitcom for an American network, shorts shown in dingy English pubs and glittering international film festivals and full-length features with geek favourites attached.

James decided to create the world of The Wonder as a novel when he discovered the reader's imagination had both the cheapest and richest effects budget.

He is still trapped in South London, but his daily existence is vastly improved by the existence of his patient and ever-loving wife, his over-critical children, some cats that bring out his allergies and two pointless tortoises. He suspects the tortoises are plotting against him.

Reviews

[Stjepan Cobets · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you enter a world that is imagined by James Devo, you have to stay impressed the world created by his imagination. The influence of Victorian England is obviously the creation of his world. The industrial revolution with the help of "The Wonder" is in full swing and in all this is woven magic (blue, red and green). Every detail of clothing, weapons and the place where the action is happening is perfectly woven into the great story that lures you to read. If you like fantasy books, with pleasure will immerse yourself in this world still revolves around the "Wonder". Descriptions of the main characters and their stories are perfectly integrated into the story in the second book. Writer impressed me with the story in the first book, but here you can expect the unexpected. I look forward to the continuation of the book because the story has just begun to discover. Welcome to world of “Grand Quillia” and enjoy reading these great books.
"Copy provided courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review."

[E.P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Deep Blue" continues the story of the picaresque characters introduced in "Blood Red." Alliances are broken and reformed as our (anti) heroes have to face an army of undead and mechnological horrors...

The book is action-packed, with multiple storylines running at once. This is something I tend to find a little difficult to follow (I like more explanation than is generally provided here), but it also adds to the variety and the sense of excitement in the story. We find out more about the history of the world in which it is set and the Grand Quillian Empire, as well as the backstories of several of the characters. There are some great world-building touches, my favorite being the slideways, ice "railroads" on which high-speed ice yachts transport passengers. In a nod to the tradition of Westerns, some of our heroes jump/climb aboard one of the ice yachts, only to find themselves face-to-face with their antagonists, and, well...you'll have to read the book to find out the rest! This is one of the most fun aspects of the book, as various tropes from 19th-century adventure stories are reused and retold from an unexpected and frequently delightful angle: e.g., the gruff sniper/soldier of fortune who is a lesbian and has conceived a passion for the elegant-but-tough lady adventurer. This is steampunk with a tough and witty edge.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Laurence Parkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wonder: Deep Blue continues the swashbuckling adventure set in motion in Devo's debut. It's a fast paced, rollercoaster ride over the world Devo has created. All the much-loved characters are here, each driving their own hapless journeys through the narrative. Many of the mysterious elements of the first book are finally explained and it all concludes in a very satisfyingly manner. I personally devoured it in a weekend. I imagine you will do the same.

[Eric Tanafon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some time after reading Deep Blue, I still hadn't managed to find the time to put together a review. In the meantime I contented myself with rating it, and then after a while, I decided there were too many other tasks piling up, and got rid of my notes.

But the story stayed with me, nagging at the back of my mind, and finally I was compelled to tackle this review after all (sans notes). That in itself is a testimony to the quality of Devo's writing.

Some spoilers ahead.

I'd been very enthusiastic about The Wonder: Blood Red. My feelings about Deep Blue were more mixed. The book started out very well--using Teddy's letter to his mum to get the reader up to speed was brilliant. The ice yachts are an interesting invention, and having the opposing characters all wind up on the same one was a great piece of comic and dramatic setup.

After that, for a while, things flagged for me. There were bits of exposition that almost sounded like excerpts from history books. I didn't feel quite as engaged with the characters as in the first story. I was dubious about the idea of elves being magically evolved humans. Together with the appearance of 'mechnologically'-minded human descendants, I was worried we were veering towards some sort of Eloi-Morlock dichotomy. And although the revelations about the secretive country 'The Ditch' made sense, I was, somewhat irrationally, disappointed that the mysterious country from which no one had ever returned turned out to be populated by a mixture of elves and (less-evolved) humans and didn't introduce anything really new to the story.

I've been mulling over that last point, and I realize it's pretty much inevitable that as a story goes on, loose ends are tied up; things narrow down, so to speak, and there isn't quite the same sense of mystery you had at the beginning. And there is a lot of tying up that goes on in this book. So really that's more in the nature of a generic objection than a particular criticism. The perfect story has yet to be told (though there are certainly a lot of us trying).

Deep Blue has many good points as well: the ice yachts and their slideways, the 'murders' of crows used for communication in lieu of carrier pigeons, the depiction of fairies living in slummy industrial-town nests like Dickensian "rookeries", the new (Isabella) and expanded (Talisker) characters. The flashback to Isabella's and Talisker's combat with a spidery automaton in the Mobilus Pass also stands out, though it doesn't quite approach the wonderful account of the Battle of Maisy in Blood Red.

And lastly, Deep Blue's strong finish helps it hold a four-star rating. There is a long, well-sustained battle scene told from multiple viewpoints...and then, just at the end when everything seems taken care of and all that's left is a little tidying up, followed by as close an approximation to 'happy-ever-after' as this gritty steampunk world can offer, the reader suddenly learns that ancient magic is still afoot, the account of certain entities' deaths was exaggerated, and the story will, most definitely, go on. This was an excellent, and atypical, ending for a 'middle' book and makes me look forward to the next in the series.