By Fire Above

Signal Airship #2

by Robyn Bennis

"All's fair in love and war," according to airship captain Josette Dupre, until her hometown becomes occupied by the enemy and her mother a prisoner of war. Then it becomes, "Nothing's fair except bombing those Vins to high hell."

Before she can rescue her town, however, Josette must maneuver her way through the nest of overstuffed vipers that make up the nation's military and royal leaders in order to drum up support. The foppish and mostly tolerated crew member Lord Bernat steps in to advise her, along with his very attractive older brother.

Between noble scheming, under-trained recruits, and supply shortages, Josette and the crew of the Mistral figure out a way to return to Durum―only to discover that when the homefront turns into the frontlines, things are more dangerous than they seem.

Genres: Steampunk, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Military Fiction, Adventure, Audiobook

368 pages, Hardcover

First published May 15, 2018

About the author

Growing up, while her friends went to the beach and learned vital social skills, Robyn had her nose in a book or her eyes on a PBS special. After all, what kind of wrong-headed dolt would want to waste their time partying, when Marty Stouffer is about to talk about water shrews? When Ai and Estraven are braving the frozen wastes of Gethen? When Alex and his droogs are… You know, that time she probably should have gone to the beach.

Now she spends her days working in biotech and her nights thinking up new curse words to adequately describe how horrible people are. Having met with limited success in either endeavor, she vents her frustrations through crime, yelling at clouds, and writing.

Reviews

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

I confess I can never remember which is starboard, aft, or port on a ship or airship, and thankfully it's not critical for enjoying this second book which picks up shortly after the end of book one. Josette Dupre must spend weeks in pointless meetings with various aristocrats stroking their egos in an effort to get her ship repaired and resupplied, and to get the approval to retake Durham. Josette has Bernat and his older brother Roland to help her not flub up these meetings. And Josette gets to have some fun with Roland.
Once Josette finally gets the approval to move out, the story moves into almost non-stop action, with Josette and Bernat attempting to liberate Durham and Kember and the rest of Mistral's crew providing air support. One hitch on Mistral; Josette was assigned a new first officer who appears to have a less than stellar reputation, based on his multiple failures to secure a promotion. How the action plays out on the ground and in the air provides plenty of tension; as well, the sarcastic, dry banter between Josette and pompous Bernat continues, with both gaining from the friendship.
I love Josette and Kember and how they cope with the restrictions placed on them by the brass, while still doing outstanding work. In fact, the brass, and the aristocracy as a whole come off looking pretty bad, unsurprisingly, as the author uses them to comment on abuses of power.
The women of Durham are great, too, as they form the core and the driving force for Durham's response to the Vinjalia takeover.
I also like Josette's inability to fully understand the people around her. She makes mistakes constantly when dealing with people face-to-face, while brilliantly analyzing enemy movements. Bernat's response to Josette's plain speaking during a critical meeting is pretty funny. I would gladly spend more time with Josette and Bernat arguing over the merits of clothing, and really, anything else.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a world where technological advancements could mean life or death, strong woman and analytical thinkers prevale. War, political machinations and greed are prevalent so inventions, and not the magical sort, are what makes this world turn. This is not your typical magically enhanced steampunk but mechanical and scientific in nature.

Bennis is extremely descriptive and imaginative in naming and describing specific pieces of the Airship, making it a very slow start. But, this one of those stories best described as a snow balls rolling down the hill picking up size and velocity as it goes.

I received this ARC copy of By Fire Above from Macmillan-Tor/Forge - Tor Books. This is my honest and voluntary review. By Fire Above is set for publication May 15, 2018.

[Beth Cato · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in Bennis's Signal Airship series is even stronger than the first book, beginning at a fast clip that continues all the way through. What I love about these books is that they approach steampunk from a military standpoint; even with some fantastical elements, the airships feel realistic and the technological advantages and disadvantages of the vessels play a major role throughout.

By Fire Above isn't all about battle, though. Courtly political machinations also play a vital part--as does a brother of the foppish, delightfully obnoxious Lord Bernat. The romantic element is mild, and the banter is fantastic with a dry, British feel. I especially appreciated the difficulties the airship crew has in acquiring supplies for necessary repairs. That's an incredibly realistic element that I've become aware of in my own period historical research.

I highly recommend this book for readers who love steampunk, but I also hope flintlock fantasy readers of authors like Brian McClellan and Django Wexler will take a look. I know I'm already eager for the next book.

[Marta Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow start but a cracking finish as the author catches up with Josette and Bernat. I won’t lie I find Josette cold and lacking in emotion at times but as a woman making huge strides in what has been traditionally a male environment I do understand just why she might be cautious. This book sees her struggling to ‘save’ her mother and captured home town but there are political hoops to jump through first.
Betnat is a character that is still evolving and in this story his somewhat foppish, dandy like ways take quite a bashing. I won’t say too much but he’s possibly my favourite character but then again I do have a soft spot for brave Kember who makes such an impact in this book. Plus we see Roland , Bernats brother trying to court Josette but is he really man enough for her ?
Yes admittedly there are a lot of long descriptive passages as the author tries to bring the technology in this story to life but I found myself less bothered by that as I continued to read. I picked this because I enjoy steampunk but to my mind it’s really less steampunk and more just an alternative history. Don’t expect magic or miraculous inventions because that’s not what this world is about. It’s about war, greed, those with power who abuse it and then ultimately those mere plebs, the little people who can rise up and make such a difference. The initial third or so didn’t really capture my interest if I’m brutal but as it hurtled towards the end I was completely riveted to the page. It’s not a romance but I can’t help but want Josette to see Bernat in a different light and no I don’t care who he or she has previously slept with.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

[Allen Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was there supposed to be a 3rd book in this series? If so, what happened to it? Because it certainly seems like there was meant to be one.

After LOVING (I cannot say this enough) THE GUNS BELOW, this one, frankly, missed with me. It's still flintlock in a Napoleonic war-type setting, but it does take us out of the air for the most part and, after a while, I missed the airship. I also think that the dialogue between Bernat and Josie suffers in this one and doesn't recapture the magic of the first book. It's still a brutal depiction of war and loss and collaboration, but it is much more middle of the road, lacking--for me, at least--the spark that kept me riveted book 1.

Please let there be a book 3 someday.

[Marta Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow start but an amazing finish.

[wishforagiraffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who enjoyed The Guns Above, the first in the Signal Airship series, will enjoy this second installment. The wit and, though neither of them would ever admit it, affection between Josette and Bernat continues, the escapades both military and civilian are all there, plus airships, obviously. Josette and Bernat both get some great character development. Josette deals with how love makes people act, Bernat's polish and annoying noble habits fade the more he's exposed to the citizenry. Ensign Kember grapples with the meaning of responsibility. All of them are relatable people trying their best.

The mechanics of airship flight are suitably explained but still somewhat obscure, such that decisions made by characters all make sense (or don't), but there's no way I could actually tell you how the airships work. And I'm perfectly ok with that level of verisimilitude.

The war hasn't progressed much, but I'm reasonably sure that's actually a theme of the book rather than a lack of plot initiative. I'm sorta hoping that eventually our protagonists will incite rebellion on both sides of the war against the nobility, I think it would fit in fairly well with some groundwork that's been laid already.

I'd recommend this book for folks who are looking for quick dialogue, fast paced plot, anyone who likes steampunk, and fans of ensemble casts.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published at Reading Reality

By Fire Above is the direct sequel to last year’s absolutely awesome The Guns Above. If you enjoy your SF with a hint of steampunk, really snappy dialog and fantastic kick-ass heroines, The Guns Above might just be your jam. It certainly was mine.

That this is a direct sequel to the first book is a zeppelin-sized hint that this book makes no sense whatsoever without having read the first book first. Not only is that where the situation is setup, but it’s also the foundation of all of the important relationships that power this particular series.

By that I mean the all-important frenemy relationship between Captain Josette Dupre and the foppish spy/supernumerary Lord Bernat Hinkal. If you don’t know how they began, you can’t really understand what happens between them here.

In this world where airships are not merely blimps but actual weapons of war not dissimilar to naval ships, Josette Dupre is an anomaly. Women are barely tolerated in the Garnian Signal Corps. She’s not supposed to be a “real” officer, and she’s certainly not supposed to command either ships or men. That she has turned out to be the best captain in the Signal Corps provides no end of embarrassment, consternation, annoyance and downright obstructionism at every turn.

Josette has no idea how the game is played, and she’s no good at playing it. She just wants her ship back in the air and back in the fight. But most of the first half of By Fire Above is tangled up in all the ways that the powers that be try to prevent that from happening.

So Josette spends the first half of the story on the ground playing politics badly and dealing with personal relationships she has no clue about. What makes this part of the situation so incredibly messy is that her hometown of Durum was captured by the enemy Vinz at the end of The Guns Above, with her mother trapped inside. She is desperate to persuade someone, anyone, that Durum can and should be retaken.

To make matters more confusing, Lord Bernat, usually called Bernie, seems to be in love with her mother. While on the ground, Bernie’s older brother Roland begins courting Josette. The relationship between Bernie and Josette was messy enough before their romantic lives became so weirdly intertwined.

The part of this story that focuses on the neverending war between the Garnians and the Vinz is way more compelling, and once the ship lifts, the story moves into high gear. And then it really flies, headlong into danger, trying to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, and keeps pouring on more power until the absolutely wild conclusion.

And we’ll be back, and that’s the best thing of all.

Escape Rating A-: I absolutely adored The Guns Above. It was my first A+ review of 2017, and definitely made my Hugo ballot for the year – even if it wasn’t nominated.

So I had high hopes for By Fire Above. And those hopes turn out to have been a bit higher than the Mistral can actually fly. Which does not mean that I did not enjoy By Fire Above, or that it is not a good book and a great continuation to a marvelous story.

It just didn’t quite live up to its predecessor.

This story flies highest when the ship is off the ground, even when Josette isn’t actually aboard her. The first part of By Fire Above is all on the ground. The Mistral is in tatters, Josette has to battle the quartermaster to scrounge parts, and she has to spend a lot of time biting her tongue.

Her side is losing the war. It is obvious to all of those fighting it, but to none of the aristocrats and fops back in the capital. It is axiomatic that generals fight the last war, not the current one. Garnia has not lost a war in over 3 centuries. None of the ruling class are able to wrap their tiny minds around the idea that just because it hasn’t happened before does not mean it can’t happen now – especially if that reputation is not backed up by well-trained boots on the ground and strong ships and crews in both the air and the sea. Garnia has been resting on its laurels for far too long, while the Vinz have lost too many times and are determined to win this time – and have the trained soldiers and top-notch equipment to make it not just possible, but downright likely.

A lot of what makes this book interesting is the relationship between Bernie and Josette, and so far at least, that relationship is not a romance and is not veering into “will they, won’t they” territory. Bernie is in love with Josette’s mother, and Josette is falling for Bernie’s brother. Whether those relationships are at least partially about dealing with their feelings for people they can’t have is anyone’s guess.

But Josette’s romantic life is certainly a distraction from her true calling as an airship captain, and her continuing battles against the bureaucracy to retain her rank, ship and crew. I found those battles in The Guns Above much more riveting than any digressions into Josette’s love life in By Fire Above.

However, Bernie’s character arc continues to fascinate. He began as a self-absorbed and self-confessed spy for the government, determined to bring Josette down by fair means or foul. But by the end of this book, he has both changed and not changed. He is still a fop, and he is still self-absorbed, although it feels like some of that is an act. He has also discovered that he has found a place where he belongs, whether because or in spite of the violence it requires. Underneath that overdressed exterior lurks the heart of a warrior, and Bernie is just as surprised as anyone to discover it.

One of the things that ties Josette and Bernie together, particularly in By Fire Above, is the way that both of their identities are shaken, and in completely different directions. On the one hand, Josette discovers that everything she knows about herself has been a lie. Whether those revelations will shake her in the present or the future are yet to be determined.

On the other hand, Bernie has spent his life, at least until he first boarded the Mistral, as an example of the dangers of being a second son. He had no purpose, no ambition, and nothing to spend his time on except wasteful frivolity. He was in danger of dying of boredom. Now he isn’t certain of who he is or what he is becoming, not to mention whether he’ll live to see the next morning – but he’s alive for every second of it. It may be the making of him. We’ll see.

The twists and turns of the battle to retake Durum kept me on the edge of my seat. It wasn’t just about war and fighting – so much of that story had a surprising amount of depth and resonance, and definitely set the stage for book 3. This series is clearly not over.

Amazingly, By Fire Above ends on both a bang and a whimper – even if that whimper is coming from the reader. I can’t wait for the next chapter in this saga, hopefully this time next year!

[Janet Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific adventure fantasy--no magic, just a world in which technology is still locked in steam powered airships, muskets, and hand to hand combat. Great female protagonist, politics, hints of romance and lots of action. A terrific read

[Barb in Maryland · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
The blurb is a good one--check it out.
Our poor airship captain, Josette Dupre, is such a fish out of water when it comes to court politics and etiquette. All she really wants to do is get back to her airship Mistral and her crew and then fight the Vins. Court does have one compensation, however, in the person of Lord Bernat's older brother Roland. A good bit of humor develops as Bernie keeps trying to warn Josette away from Roland, to no avail.
Captain Dupre finally gets her wish--orders to help liberate her hometown of Durum from the Vins.
Once again, the old adage of being careful what you wish for comes into play. Absolutely nothing goes right with the military plans. There's also a tense subplot involving a new officer, Lt Hannon, and Ensign Kember. It seems the new LT, who is in command while Josette is away from the airship, had visions of glory and no desire to listen to A Mere Girl (Ensign Kember) when his actions place the Mistral and the mission in danger.
This second book is the polar opposite of the first. Whereas 'By Guns Above' is almost all action, with just a bit of character depth, 'By Fire Above' is mostly character driven, with a few thrilling action bits. I would have preferred a little more air action, though the ground fighting inside Durum is definitely tense and exciting. However, the air duel during the climax was worth the wait.
By book's end both Josette and Bernie have each learned some hard truths about themselves. I can hardly wait to see where Bennis next takes them.

Bring on the next book!

[Chris Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in Robyn Bennis' Signal Airship series "By Fire Above" is every bit as good as the first.

As a note, I'd HIGHLY recommend starting with that book before reading "By Fire Above" The book was thoroughly enjoyable as a stand-alone novel, but there were numerous scenes in which prior events are referenced and for the full enjoyment of it, one should be aware of that chronology.

I loved this book for the same reasons I enjoyed the first.
- unique worldbuilding
- excellent research and "ideation" of the world "rules"
- vivid and magnetic characters
- many fascinating conflicts, both internal and external
- fast-pace with genuine peril for main characters
- "BIG" choices with proportionate fallout
- a number of subtle commentaries via the STORY not preaching, about matters of equality
- surprising revelations and complications
- some great examples of the "Yes, But..." and "No, and furthermore..." methods of conflict resolution during the narrative.

But to me, the highlights of the second book were these TWO aspects:

1. The dialogue just KILLS every time.
2. The consequences of a character's actions when based on their own traits / drivers.

There were one or two scenes in this book which were either too long or perhaps, unnecessary. But did little to lessen my enthusiasm for this series.

Readers who enjoy:
- steampunk
- Honor Harrington
- "Master & Commander"

will likely enjoy this series.

[Margaret Fisk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

I enjoyed the first novel in this steampunk series, and By Fire Above offers an interesting follow. While it does not repeat the situations of the first, it is both true to the feel and holds similar themes. The characters retain their personalities, even Bernie who continues to be an amusing idiot at times but an endearing one. It’s rife with dangerous battles and perilous escapades. In fact, you’re tossed into the thick of it from the start with the Mistral limping to port heavily damaged after a battle.

The original cast has some replacements due to the costs of war, and others, like Kemper, step into a larger role. Kemper’s mettle is tested in ways no ensign should have to endure. Both her gender and the biased first officer assigned to the Mistral set her in positions where no decision is a good one. She’s only one example of a crew member stepping up, if the main one, and it’s nice to see the possibilities expanding. This is especially true because of how Kemper makes independent decisions, knowing what Dupre would do, but sometimes choosing her own way.

Don’t mistake my appreciation for Kemper’s story as a sign Captain Dupre has been pushed to the side, however. She and Bernie remain the main stage for a story that begins with the illogical nature of court and politics, and ends up with betrayal in the wind. There is trouble no matter where Dupre sets her feet.

Take a moment to imagine Captain Dupre at court. Yes, it is every bit as problematic and amusing as you think. It is taken one step further by the rivalry between Bernie and his brother, who is the heir by order of birth, not value…at least according to Bernie. Interestingly, Dupre and Bernie are not set up as a potential couple, though they’re mired in each other’s love life. They have a strong bond in any case. Otherwise, Dupre would not have been able to tolerate him at all, especially as he tries to educate her on negotiating the contrary loyalties and personalities found in politics.

Bernie is true to his nature. He’s still full of himself, lacking a true sense of ship-life, and bewildered by the crew’s treatment of him. At the same time, he’s loyal to a fault and willing to take risks no one of his station should be. Despite his character flaws, I can’t help but like him.

The novel has a good number of startling twists, all of which are grounded in what we know. This is even true for the last twist, one which caused me a little annoyance, not because it wasn’t true to the characters, but because I disagreed with the captain’s choice. I was involved with the characters and engaged by the tale all the way through. This is not an airbrushed version of war, maintaining the foot soldier viewpoint. This meant there were a good number of hard spots to manage, but I appreciate the realism over a prettified version where no one is ever hurt or makes the wrong call.

Ultimately, By Fire Above is a solid sequel to the first, offering a look at prejudice and bias from several perspectives, and not always the ones you’d expect, either. The story is strong, the underlying themes are incorporated well, and the characters are delightful and annoying in turn, just as they should be.

P.S. I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Scott Marlowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating



Review

*** This review originally appeared on Out of this World Reviews. ***

Sometimes you want a book to deliver on all fronts: strong characters, engaging story, gripping action, and a world that is both fantastic but also almost believable. I’m happy to say that By Fire Above, the second book in the Signal Airships series by Robyn Bennis, is all of these things. Taking place soon after events in the first novel, The Guns Above, we find our hard as nails airship captain and her crew taking some forced but much needed shore leave as they await the delivery of parts and luftgas for their ship, the Mistral. This sets up an opportunity for the author to have her character engage in a bout of character building that, to be honest, I found lacking in the first book. Not only do we learn more about Bernat via his brother, Roland, but we even get to see Captain Josette Dupre letting her guard down for a short time as she becomes involved with said brother. In the interests of full disclosure, I received a free copy of By Fire Above from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

By Fire Above captures much of the gritty realism of the first book in the series, but in smaller doses, and even then not really until the climatic finish. This isn’t a bad thing, though, because it allows the characters to take a respite from battle. This calm before the storm that is the latter part of the book is needed to inject a sense of normalcy into the characters’ lives and to ground them; no one can operate in the grisly theater of war without a break of some sort. Which is all well and fine, but that’s not why I started reading this book. Fortunately, Bennis moves on in the right amount of time, I felt. The next part of the book gets things moving again, right back into the war and back to Durum, the town Dupree once called home but which was taken by the enemy in The Guns Above.

This book really doesn’t miss a beat from the first one. It’s got more of the same gritty realism, the same bloody fight scenes, and the same tough as all get-out characters kicking ass. We also get to delve more into the mother/daughter relationship between Josette and her mother, as well as the toll the war has begun to take on Lord Bernat, who remains a dainty to some extent but who also bears the mental scars of many battles now. The Mistral remains an amazing yet deadly (to her enemies, but to her crew as well) machine of war and the crew are as resolute and daring as ever.

The only question I have about this series at this time is when is the next book coming out?

I’m giving By Fire Above a solid four rockets. The only reason it fell short of five is because of a storyline involving a certain first officer that, in my mind, didn’t play out especially well. I think the author could have spent more time developing the plot there. Instead it comes across as a way to keep certain other characters busy while events unfold in Durum. I’m intentionally being vague on this, but you’ll see what I mean when you read the book for yourself.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

This is shaping up to be one heck of a great series. Author Bennis has merged the horrors of the Napoleonic war with steampunk to create a grounded, brutal, but wonderfully readable story. At its heart, it's the witty bon mots constantly thrown about by leads Josette and Bernat that make this so appealing. But there are great side characters as well - from Lieutenant Kember to Bernat's brother Roland - who add so much appeal to this story. Add in the action and humanity and you have some very good writing here.

Story: The Vins have seiged Josette's home town and Josette fears for her mother's safety. But getting the aristocrats to recognize and help is another matter. Yet Josette is one determined captain.

To give any more of the story would be to give too many spoilers. But for the most part, the first part of the books is Josette back in port after damage to her ship and trying to drum up help from the military to retake her home town. The second part of the book is the actual retaking - and it is very surprising where that takes the story.

As always, I love the maturity of the characters as well as the grounded realism. Anyone who has read about England and French military in the 18th and 19th century will recognize a lot of what Josette has to deal with from the aristocracy and military incompetence. People die brutally, however, and Bennis does not spare the horrors of war. But I have to appreciate how practical people can be when faced with daunting situations. Or how many are able to rationalize/justify/accept poor decisions.

I listened to the Audible version and the narrator did a good job of giving the characters personalities (almost too good a job - I almost hate Bernat most of the time!).

[H. P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bennis wrote one of my favorite books last year with The Guns Above. By Fire Above may not quite reach those same lofty heights, but it is one h*ck of a sequel. As before, By Fire Above is one equal part terrific action set pieces, pure hilarity, and deep military SF that is no more leery of meditating on duty and honor than it is of a little blood and thunder.

Fresh off the explosive events of the first book, Josette has a newfound fame as an airship captain and a very badly damaged airship. Rather than send her straight back to the front, the powers that be decide she would better serve the war effort doing flyovers to impress the nobility.

This leads to a slow first half. The Guns Above started slowly as well, but the care in setting up the fragility of an airship paid off when things heated up in the second half. The slow start here is neither as necessary nor as effective. And, frankly, Bennis is better at skewering the military than the aristocracy. Which is not to say that Bennis doesn’t get some good shots in.

“‘Then it seems to me,’ Josette said, once she was reasonably convinced that the animal was under control, ‘that the dogs are doing all the work. Why are we here at all? Do the Duke’s hounds not know the way home?’
‘You’re missing a critical component,’ Roland said, laughing. ‘After the hounds have done all the work, we take the carcass away, before they can eat it.’
She wrinkled her nose. ‘This is truly the perfect sport for the aristocracy.’”

By Fire above is still dang funny. Once again, this is Josette and Bernat’s show, although, as the cover suggests, Bernat arguably leaps to the forefront. Bernat has to come to grips with a brother who might take his title and his airship captain (“No, he will be Marquis because of an accident of birth. As a commoner, you couldn’t possibly understand how frustrating that is.”). He also has to come to grips with his new life as a man of violence and with the toll the war is taking on his wardrobe (“How many suits must this damnable war take from me before it’s finally sated?”). Josette has to come to grips with a new nickname—the Shark—and a growing legend:
“The stories say you’re ten feet tall.”
“As usual, the stories are just about half right.”
And she has to come to grips with her fraught relationship with her mother.

The narrative once again returns to Josette’s hometown of Durum, this time with the goal of liberating it from the Vins. After the big pitched battle that ended The Guns Above, Bennis shifts focus to an insurgency. A bloody, bloody insurgency, the sort that results in 70 soldiers poisoned to death and a couple hundred townspeople killed in retribution. “But for every one the Vins hang, another three rise up. Seems to be a certain . . . ornery streak to people from Durum, if you don’t mind me saying so, sir.”

With Josette and Bernat on the ground working to liberate Durum, it’s a more grounded story (I got puns!). Which is something new, and well done, but it’s the airship battles that really make the Signal Airship series great. Josette does wind up doing “the exact [dang] opposite of her job,” after all. We get some airship battles, but not enough, and not nearly enough with Josette at the helm (Ensign Kember steps into a more prominent role here, and a new, incompetent first officer is added.)

These are really, really good military SF books. Blood and thunder is getting as rare these days as serious consideration of duty and honor. Bennis is shy of neither, but keeps the wry tongue and black humor proper to military science.

“It’s amazing what the fear of being thought afraid will do to an ambitious company captain.”

“The morality of inflicting pain and death was one thing, but having the captain mad at you was another entirely.”

“They behaved rudely, got drunk as fast as they could, made inappropriate advances, and invented all sorts of improbable stories that exaggerated their own personal heroism. In other words, they had at last become proper Garnian soldiers.”

By Fire Above is another kickbutt “hard steampunky” yarn. It is only the aforementioned slow start and one decision at the end—that I can’t talk about without getting way into spoiler territory—that keep it from the 5-star rating The Guns Above earned.

Disclosure: I received a copy of By Fire Above from the publisher.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

This is shaping up to be one heck of a great series. Author Bennis has merged the horrors of the Napoleonic war with steampunk to create a grounded, brutal, but wonderfully readable story. At its heart, it’s the witty bon mots constantly thrown about by leads Josette and Bernat that make this so appealing. But there are great side characters as well – from Lieutenant Kember to Bernat’s brother Roland – who add so much appeal to this story. Add in the action and humanity and you have some very good writing here.

Story: The Vins have seiged Josette’s home town and Josette fears for her mother’s safety. But getting the aristocrats to recognize and help is another matter. Yet Josette is one determined captain.

To give any more of the story would be to give too many spoilers. But for the most part, the first part of the books is Josette back in port after damage to her ship and trying to drum up help from the military to retake her home town. The second part of the book is the actual retaking – and it is very surprising where that takes the story.

As always, I love the maturity of the characters as well as the grounded realism. Anyone who has read about England and French military in the 18th and 19th century will recognize a lot of what Josette has to deal with from the aristocracy and military incompetence. People die brutally, however, and Bennis does not spare the horrors of war. But I have to appreciate how practical people can be when faced with daunting situations. Or how many are able to rationalize/justify/accept poor decisions.

I listened to the Audible version and the narrator did a good job of giving the characters personalities (almost too good a job – I almost hate Bernat most of the time!).

[Nick Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A return to a great cast of characters and entertaining adventure. I was a big fan of the first book and was delighted to see the next one had finally landed before an eager readership. You need to read the first one first to fully enjoy this, but in essence to countries are at war and our focus is on an airship, it’s crew and rather feisty female captain. After a slightly slow start with a tad too much relationship, we move to the politics of a rather amusingly formal and detached aristocracy who think the war happens “over there” and don’t really want details. Eventually our crew are sent back to the scene of their llast adventure to support some raw troops in what “should” be an easy battle to retake our brave captain’s home town.
And the action, characters and witty dialogue kick right in and the pages are very hard not to keep turning.
This is high adventure and really good fun. Have we really got to wait a year for another one?

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Josette and crew head to the capital for some much needed rest and refitting, but they find that both are in short supply. Between hoarding quartermasters, skyrocketing supply prices and oblivious nobles, Josette has her work cut out for her if she wants to push the army towards retaking Durum.

While I loved the first book's steampunk nature and its go-go-go plot, this installation in the signal airship series took a while to find its rhythm. The crew spends an eternity in Kuchin gallivanting with the nobility, and there's a lot of will-they-won't-they between Josette and Bernat's older brother Roland. Ensign Kember's POV, while climatic in the final third of the book, bogs down the first half when we see her. Happily, when it picks up into the last 30%, it's a nonstop predicament of terror and deadly situations, where Murphy's law is in full effect with every decision that is made.

The final twists aren't terribly shocking or surprising, but overall this was an enjoyable read. There were a lot of lovely parallels between Josette's war and the ones fought in real Earth, particularly about loyalty to own's country, the reasons wars are fought and who benefits from those wars.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

[Anitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I didn't like this as much as the first one. Character dynamics and dialogues were as good as the first one but plot was everywhere. We were introduced to more characters and the world was expanded in the first half but they didn't add much to the story. It was clear more books were planned in the series but they haven't happened. Second half got much better with action scenes but I wanted more.

[Deborah Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this sequel to The Guns Above, Robyn Bemis continues the steampunk adventures of a woman airship captain. Once again, Josette Dupree, captain of His Majesty’s Signal Airship Mistral, along with her intrepid crew and not-so-intrepid supercargo, aristocrat Lord Bernat Hinkal, have been given an impossible mission: with glamorous but woefully inadequate repairs to the airship, she is to play a largely ceremonial role at the capital city. None of the real damage the airship sustained in the last batter has been repaired, including the “steamjack” engines. The bags are filled not with expensive, inert luftgas but explosive “flammable air,” a very bad combination with an engine apt to throw off sparks. Needless to say, Josette is unprepared for the courtly intrigues into which she is suddenly propelled (and with which Bernat, who grew up in such a milieu, is happy to reverse roles and become her guide). In the air, conducting a battle in three dimensions, Josette is as cunning as she is courageous. But thrown into the viper’s nest of courtiers or forced to face her own romantic feelings for Bernat’s brother, she finds herself all too fallible.

Josette has no intention of becoming a trophy hero and soon maneuvers to lead a mission to free the border state where her estranged mother (and Bernat’s lover) lives. From there, one mishap after another balloons (excuse the pun) into disaster.

As in the first adventure, I was impressed by the detailed construction of the airships, as well as the scientific (hooray for physics and chemistry!), mathematical, and engineering principles involved, as well as the strategies when battles are fought in three dimensions (up/down as well as side/side and forward/backward). The action sequences were breathtaking. My reservation, as before, pertains to the creation of a political geography so akin to Western Europe that it made no sense to not use the actual nationalities and thereby avoid reader confusion with made-up names and cultures. That reservation aside, I heartily recommend the series and hope to see more Josette’s unfolding stories (and I expect to see her, like Horatio Hornblower, become admiral one day).

The usual disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book but no one bribed me to praise it.

[Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying this alt-military fantasy series, even though I tend to be a bit lukewarm about steampunk in general. Josette's voice carries the narrative for me, she's funny and sarcastic, but true to herself (and dedicated to her ship!). Also loving the secondary characters.

Fingers crossed there's a sequel!

[Christina D.Z.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.dzamarie.com/blog/by-fire...

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Josette is just as bad-ass and Bernat is still snarky but is developing actual depths.

[Charmaine Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

She leaned over and said, “We might die in a minute, Bernie. Anything left to say?”

He spent a few moments staring contemplatively into the lightning-lit clouds. Finally, he said, “I’m not the slightest bit sorry I slept with your mother.”

- from the uncorrected proof of By Fire Above

You can see my full review (with gifs!) here.

So Robyn Bennis’s debut The Guns Above was one of the most fun books I’d read in a while - nothing but nonstop steampunk airship battles punctuated by witty banter from lovable characters. I got lazy and didn’t read my ARC of The Guns Above until well after its publication because of, well, laziness and graduate school. Anyway, when Netgalley posted an ARC of the sequel, By Fire Above, I leapt at the chance to read it so fast I nearly got whiplash.

If you haven’t read The Guns Above, but you’re a fan of Steampunk Military Sci-Fi/Fantasy featuring mid-19th century tech and badass female heroes, then you should read it. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Ok, so let’s recap.The stars of the Signal Airship series consist of Josette Dupre, badass airship captain extraordinaire. And her onetime enemy turned friend, Lord Bernat Manatio Jebrit Aoue Hinkal, aka Bernie - Garnia’s #1 upperclass twit of the year for at least a decade, with zero military experience yet hangs around the airship anyway, and also has a penchant for gambling, booze and older women, including Elsie, Josette’s mom. Which isn’t awkward at all.

Yup. Bernie in a nutshell. He’s the lovable twit to Josette’s level-headed awesomeness.
By Fire Above picks up exactly where The Guns Above left off - Durum, Josette’s hometown, has been taken by the enemy nation of Vinzhalia. Elsie is stuck as a POW in Durum, much to Bernat’s distress, less so for Josette, who has some pretty mixed feelings about her mom. Anyway, the airship, the Mistral, has been left severely damaged, and after barely making it back to the city of Arle, Josette and her crew await their next set of orders. Will they be sent north, into the Meatgrinder (Which is not a rock formation, as Bernat would like to think)? Nope, their orders are to go to the city of Kuchin to take part in a goddamn publicity tour.

Yay?

Not yay. Josette is way better at navigating a damaged airship than she is at interacting with the upper echelons of society. Among Garnia’s Lords and Ladies, Josette is pretty much hopeless. Enter Bernat’s surprisingly charming and handsome older brother, Roland. Roland seems, much to Bernie’s horror, pretty taken with Josette, and it’s not as if Josette is eager to get back at Bernie for, you know, sleeping with her mom… Basically, Roland and Josette get along swimmingly and Bernie hates it.

It’s hard not to read this series, and all of Josette and Bernie’s banter and spend the whole time being like: KISS, GODDAMN IT!

I ship Bernie and Josette so hard. Even though Bernie has that thing with Josette’s mom and Josette maybe/maybe not has a thing for Roland. I just want them to get together so bad and banter at each other day-in day-out, all the time always. Like an airship with a malfunctioning steamjack, I will go down with this ship.

The best thing about By Fire Above is that it improves on one of the aspects that was lacking in The Guns Below - moments for the characters to breathe. The Guns Above was a ton of fun, but it was also nonstop action, action, action, technical specs, action, more tech, action, action…In By Fire Above we get to see our characters off the battlefield, doing something other than trying desperately to not die all the time. As much as I love tons and tons of action, a little downtime for the characters can be great as well.

There’s still tons of action, steampunk tech and the main characters doing their best to not die, though.

Also, I would love a whole book that is just Bernie trying to teach Josette the proper way to address the king. I’d read it and then ship Bernie/Josette even harder. So what if he slept with her mom?
One thing I also wish we had: a map of the world of Garnia and Vinzhalia and where everything is located in relation to everything else. The ARCs I read didn’t have any maps in them, and I like maps. Maps are fun.

Anyway! I must now resign myself to the long wait between now and whenever book 3 comes out. I will have even longer to wait now that I actually got the point of an “advanced review” and reviewed the ARC before publication. Ugghhh but that means I’ll probably have to wait until next year…waiting is the worst.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Steampunk fans, fans of military sci-fi/fantasy, fans of steampunk tech, anyone looking for a badass female protagonist with her upperclass twit of the year sidekick.

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR: People who like realistic fiction, people uncomfortable with women in positions of authority, people who dislike steampunk or sci-fi/fantasy, people who dislike fun.

IMPATIENCE LEVEL FOR NEXT BOOK: Mt. Kangchenjunga

RELEASE DATE: May 15, 2018

[Stevie Carroll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Previously reviewed on The Good, The Bad, and The Unread:

One aspect of the first book in this series that I really appreciated was the way in which the two main characters were able to alternately work together and be at odds with each other without any suggestion of unrequited sexual tension on either of their parts. Bernat has his affairs – usually with older women – while Josette is mostly too busy with her new command to take much romantic interest in anyone, even if she does object to one of Bernat’s conquests for reasons other than jealously. All that changes in the second book, when, from the outset, the crew observe them as bickering like an old married couple. Not that there’s any definite romance between them – and this time it’s Josette whose choice of dance partner puts Bernat’s nose out of joint for non-romantic reasons – but the implication is there, and annoyingly so.

Having settled most of their other differences, however, Josette and Bernat – along with the crew of the Mistral – are on a mission to relieve the besieged Durum, Josette’s birthplace and the town where her mother still lives. The gang have a new adversary within their ranks as well – a junior officer who is greatly opposed to the idea of female captains and whose desire for glory is exceeded only by his overall incompetence. Sadly, he is the kind of chauvinist who won’t take advice from women, even when it’s obvious that their knowledge in a particular specialty is far greater than his purely by dint of experience in the area. While Josette and Bernat attempt to help the town’s resistance from within, the main part of their crew is tasked with waiting outside – leading to separate adventures for the two groups and giving Josette’s fellow auxiliary officers plenty of chances to shine.

In spite of some diverting scenes during the execution of both plots, I felt overall that this was a weaker book than the first in the series, mainly due to the added tension between Josette and Bernat – and the foregrounding of the two separate relationships contributing to that tension.

Overall, this is a highly innovative series that I’d like to read more of – provided that the upcoming plotlines follow more closely to military adventure tropes than to romance cliches.

[Shane Jardine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t even know where to start with this review, I loved The Guns Above last year so I was pretty excited to receive this book in the mail a few weeks ago and was honestly a little surprised by how much it exceeded my expectations. By Fire Above by Robyn Bennis was a fast-paced adventure full of nearly nonstop action and adventure that I was unable to put down once I had started reading. I’m normally not a huge fan of military fiction but this is the second piece of military fiction by Robyn Bennis that I’ve really enjoyed reading.

There was a lot to enjoy in this book but I think the one thing that surpised and pleased me the most was how much the characters have matured and grown in such a short period of time. Josette has really grown into her role as the captain and it’s obvious why the crew of the Mistral trusts here so much and why she was named the first female airship captain in the history of the Air Signal Corp. I think the one character whose growth surprised me the most was Lord Bernat. While he will probably always be a bit foppish and ridiculous, I found him to be a much more likable character this time around and feel like he actually proves his worth in this book.

My favorite book of the The Guns Above was the amazingly detailed airship battles we got and I think I would once again say that that is my favorite part of this book as well. Robyn Bennis does a fantastic job describing these chaotic and brutal battles with great detail without slowing down the pace of the story at all. I honestly felt like I was sittign on the edge of my seat all night long reading as the story jumped from action to action.

This is definitely a book I would recommend to just about anyone looking for something to read, though I would strongly suggest that everyone reads The Guns Above before reading By Fire Above — it will save everyone a lot of confusion! I already can’t wait for the next book in the series to come out and I can only hope that Robyn Bennis is around for a long time to give us plenty more amazing books to read in the future.

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

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, action-filled adventure with airships, undercover missions and snark.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved The Guns Above and was excited when By Fire Above came out. While I enjoyed the book I felt it was not up to the standard set by book one. This time Josette Dupre spends more time on the ground than in the air. First it is politics, something that she fails at in spite of the help Lord Bernat and his older brother give her. All of this was rather slow and while interesting I just kept wanting Josette back in the air. The real action did not start until the very last part of the book. There once again the story took off and was hard to put down. Josette and Bernat are both interesting characters and it is fun to see more of their backstory and history. Bernat is changing and becoming a much nicer character. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next Signal Airship book.

[hesione · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah yeah, I know, I never finish the books I shelve as currently-reading. But anyways.
This was much more to my liking than the first one, chiefly because slightly more emotions and drama got involved ;). Not that the first one was bad at all - it just seemed more traditional in the sense of a military fiction series - i.e. battle-focused. This one, welp, things got interesting real quick.