Science Fiction and fantasy has exploded into a multi -dimensional universe with offerings as vast, deep and varied as any star system. I love all the different genres and sub genres as long as they tell a good, well, written story. Reading is my Passion and my Prozac. It keeps me sane; it is a cleansing catharsis; a crucible from with I emerge a better person. I love quirky and different and creative blending of styles. So when I discovered Quincy Allen’s Chemical Burn and actually had the privilege to meet the author at Dragon Con, I was in awe! Then I was invited to pre-read Blood Ties, the first book in his Steam Punk/Alternative History /Western, The Blood War Chronicles series. I was mesmerized (see review on Amazon and Goodreads for Blood Ties). If you enjoy a cast of interesting, well developed, quirky characters, fast pace non-stop action, new lands that offer hope (Roswell , New Mexico )evil villains worthy of annihilation, heroes slightly flawed,
anti-heroes with a noble purpose, airships, gadgets and magic (did I mention dragons and alternating worlds?) The Blood War Chronicles will keep you up late reading. The Second Book of the series, Blood Curse, starts with a full throttle graphic flashback to when Jake is in the army hospital waking up to consciousness to confront his horrific injuries that led to him becoming antiquity’s steam driven version of the “six million dollar man”. .. “Jake turned his face toward the ceiling clamped his eye shut and let the tears flow. He could feel them running down the right side of his face as he let reality soak in. He’d believed that fate stood behind all men, waiting to inflict herself upon them. It was just his turn to feel her wrath”… (The vivid imagery is a grindhouse of blood, gore and horror). The steam driven surgical machines are efficient but brutal. "Then he remembered the steel blades…the crunching bone…the sound of his leg hitting the floor like the piece of meat it had become…” After confronting his injuries Jake makes peace with his maker and asks for a second chance, but first he must confront Colonel Forsythe who he silently accuses. “He wanted to curse at the man, dress him down for playing politics and kowtowing to Cromwell” … The interaction between Jake and Forsythe in the opening flashback is a nice touch that gives important background information that deepens the reader’s understanding of Jake and Forsythe who appears later in the novel in a most interesting circumstance. It also reveals how Jake became the Wild West’s version of the steam driven, gear crunching, rune protected “Punisher” of Evil…and this is just the first chapter! The story then returns to the airship the Jezebel , under the command of Captain Wordsworth’s and his air crew headed for Denver where the first book left Jake and his crew which now includes Ghiss. Ghiss had informed Jake that, “They’re not just after what is in the reliquary—although I use that term loosely. Szilagyi is keenly interested in taking possession of the woman herself, and for reasons that a man of your upbringing would find uncomfortable, perhaps even unbelievable”. When Jake wakes up from his nightmare, which contained the opening chapter’s flashback, he opens the note handed to him by Emperor Norton, which reveals intriguing information regarding Jake’s past of which he must decide the validity of the new information. Catch your breath; because, the action accelerates from this point onward like a Tsunami. Blindsiding plot twists, creative adaptation of mysterious places, ongoing character development for Skeeter , intriguing vessels like the Pandora Celtica, characters out of myth given new twists, Roswell like you never imagined and destiny and romance for Jake which might prove a deadly combo! My prediction is just like Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files (all hail to the mighty god of urban fantasy…Butcher is one of the best!!!) The Blood War Chronicles will continue to get better, deeper and more complex as the series develops and continues until you do not want it to end because it’s like losing a part of yourself!
The world, characters and magic system that Allen has developed is ripe with potential and possibility. The first two books are an adrenaline fueled ride that lay the ground work for a great new series.