Clockwork Pandora

by Michael Rigg

An old retired Property lives alone in New Cali, a city left in ruin after the Great Quake. It has been abandoned for decades because no one is brave enough to cross the Disputed Territories to get to it. And no one wants to climb chains and ropes to enter a city that floats on the air high above the Pacific Ocean. Scribbler John is happy there. He has his books, music, and film reels to keep him company. He has a good life, minds his own business, and wants nothing more than to be left alone. The only thing keeping Scribbler's retirement from being idyllic is that he lives under the watchful shadow of an airship pirate and his vile crew. Still, it's nothing he can't manage. He keeps his head down, stays out of the way, and remains obedient to the young pirate captain. Everything is fine...until the pregnant witch appears on his doorstep.

Genres: Steampunk

281 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 11, 2018

Reviews

[voodoocactus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let’s start with honesty: I don’t remember much from the previous book. I checked my post on it, shrugged, and started to read. And…well. It was a read. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The blurb doesn’t really correspond with the actual book until the epilogue (no, I’m serious). The narrative bounces around between 1st person POV (an old scribe living under a pirate captain’s thumb) and 3rd person POV (Pandora and the Tarnish couple, all we met in the first book). I can’t say I was invested in any of the characters or what happened to them, the rapey was just plain uncomfortable and mostly unnecessary (I know I’m doing Rigg a massive disfavor comparing his work to Black Jewels but whateves), and it’s still very cringey to read about the Confederation being the good guys or something. I’m not sure. I wasn’t really paying that much attention. I’m not sure what the point of this was as the story doesn’t really do anything until the epilogue. (Rigg himself says in the afterword that he wrote this in fits and starts and didn’t know whether it was supposed to be a novella, a short story, or what. And it shows.) The best part–still–was the steampunk worldbuilding, just like in the first book.

Apparently this was supposed to be a full series but only two books are out. Considering it’s been almost 6 years since this one came out, I’d claim the series isn’t happening. I don’t think we’re missing out on much. The world lives on in Copperheart and that’s fine by me.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hope is All that Remains

This book begins where the first book ends although it follows side characters from the first book and cuts the main characters. Pandora takes over as the lead and a whole new cast is introduced. Be warned, this is a surprisingly brutal world and the characters face intense struggles and violent ordeals.

I didn’t like this sequel as much as the first book. The Heart of Bronze world is pretty fascinating though. I still don’t get how this storyline is possible given the ending of book one.