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The Adventures of the Valiant Captain Ramos and Her Crew #1
Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures
Captain Marta Ramos, the most notorious pirate in the Duchy of Denver, has her hands full between fascinating murder mysteries, the delectable and devious Deliah Nimowitz, Colonel Geoffrey Douglas (the Duke of Denver’s new head of security), a spot of airship engineering and her usual activities: piracy, banditry and burglary. Not to mention the horror of high society tea parties. In contrast, Simms, her second in command, longs only for a quiet life, filled with tasty sausages and fewer explosions. Or does he? Join Captain Ramos, Simms and their crew as they negotiate the perils of air, land and drawing room in a series of fast-paced adventures in a North America that never was.
Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures includes 4 novellas and a short story about piracy, banditry, burglary, jail-breaking, several brilliant bits of detective work and all manner of otherwise lawless hijinks performed by the valiant Captain Ramos and her crew.
Murder on the Titania: Colonel Geoffrey Douglas, the Duke of Denver’s new head of security, is drawn into a high society murder mystery on the Airship Titania. None of the passengers are quite what they seem, including the mysterious young woman who always turns up where she is least expected.
The Curious Case of Clementine Nimowitz (and Her Exceedingly Tiny Dog):
A simple burglary goes horribly awry when Captain Ramos and Simms stumble across a dead body, a small dog and the deceased’s heirs, the noisome Morris and the rather too interesting Deliah.
The Jade Tiger: a mysterious woman enlists Captain Ramos’s aid in getting her revenge on her former employer and Captain Ramos finds herself doing an unintentional good deed.
The Ugly Tin Orrery: Captain Ramos and her crew embark on what appears to be a perfectly ordinary train robbery, only to be drawn into the Duke of Denver’s political machinations via a strange metal artifact. Throw in a spot of jail breaking and an encounter with the lovely Deliah, and it’s all in a day’s work for Captain Ramos and Simms.
The Flying Turk: The Airship Titania is entering a new era and welcoming its first automaton pilot. Or, perhaps not. Captain Ramos and Simms are back aboard the Titania for a heady mix of murder, robbery, peeved scientists and oblivious peers, with a spot of engineering thrown in.
Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures includes 4 novellas and a short story about piracy, banditry, burglary, jail-breaking, several brilliant bits of detective work and all manner of otherwise lawless hijinks performed by the valiant Captain Ramos and her crew.
Murder on the Titania: Colonel Geoffrey Douglas, the Duke of Denver’s new head of security, is drawn into a high society murder mystery on the Airship Titania. None of the passengers are quite what they seem, including the mysterious young woman who always turns up where she is least expected.
The Curious Case of Clementine Nimowitz (and Her Exceedingly Tiny Dog):
A simple burglary goes horribly awry when Captain Ramos and Simms stumble across a dead body, a small dog and the deceased’s heirs, the noisome Morris and the rather too interesting Deliah.
The Jade Tiger: a mysterious woman enlists Captain Ramos’s aid in getting her revenge on her former employer and Captain Ramos finds herself doing an unintentional good deed.
The Ugly Tin Orrery: Captain Ramos and her crew embark on what appears to be a perfectly ordinary train robbery, only to be drawn into the Duke of Denver’s political machinations via a strange metal artifact. Throw in a spot of jail breaking and an encounter with the lovely Deliah, and it’s all in a day’s work for Captain Ramos and Simms.
The Flying Turk: The Airship Titania is entering a new era and welcoming its first automaton pilot. Or, perhaps not. Captain Ramos and Simms are back aboard the Titania for a heady mix of murder, robbery, peeved scientists and oblivious peers, with a spot of engineering thrown in.
286 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2018
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April 6, 2018Very enjoyable set of linked stories set in a steampunk US with a sky pirate and her long suffering sidekick solving crimes despite being the criminals. Rollicking good fun with a highly diverse cast and a great pair of leads. (Alex Acks is also Alex Wells of the incredible Hunger Makes the Wolf duo which you should read *right now*.)
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April 2, 2018I don't seek out steampunk, as most of the ones I read have too little sense of history, but every so often I come across one that takes me by surprise. This collection, loosely connected, is one of those. It earned added points because there are zombies, and I am allergic to zombies. But they are more of a disturbing element than a shambling, rotting presence, a reminder that this world isn't quite like the usual steampunk world.
So we meet one of our main characters aboard the airship Titania, as the Duke of Denver's new security chief, a respectable (and conservative) former military officer, is to guard the ship against robbery by the notorious pirate Captain Ramos.
The security chief is our main POV, and Acks manages to make this homophobic and order-loving guy sympathetic as he is dragged from his rest to investigate a murder of one of the passengers. He makes assumptions along gender lines that lead him in the wrong direction as to murderer, motive, and also prospective burglars, but he is not stupid. The story deftly paints in the world as well as some interesting characters, providing several nifty twists.
In the second story, we meet my favorite character in the entire book (and I liked them all), the long-suffering Meriwether Octavian Simms, or just Simms, who is second in command to Captain Marta Ramos, and reluctant partner in crime. A former alcoholic who is dry now that he's repatriated with his little daughter, he had a conscience, and a firm hatred of the upper classes, as well as disguises.
The narrative voice, always entertaining and often sharply witty, delighted me the most when it sank into Simms' character.
Another murder is encountered in the second adventure, while Ramos and Simms are committing a burglary. They feel obliged to solve it (or Simms does, as Ramos doesn't really care), and so end up meeting a delightful character or two along the way.
Each adventure adds to the world, and the cast, one giving a further glimpse of the world and ducal politics in this future North America, divided up into tiny polities a la Germany pre-Bismarck.
The last adventure brings us back to the airship Titania and yet another mystery and murder to be solved, leaving me hoping for more of this fun world with its sly gender-tweaking characters.
copy provided by publisher
So we meet one of our main characters aboard the airship Titania, as the Duke of Denver's new security chief, a respectable (and conservative) former military officer, is to guard the ship against robbery by the notorious pirate Captain Ramos.
The security chief is our main POV, and Acks manages to make this homophobic and order-loving guy sympathetic as he is dragged from his rest to investigate a murder of one of the passengers. He makes assumptions along gender lines that lead him in the wrong direction as to murderer, motive, and also prospective burglars, but he is not stupid. The story deftly paints in the world as well as some interesting characters, providing several nifty twists.
In the second story, we meet my favorite character in the entire book (and I liked them all), the long-suffering Meriwether Octavian Simms, or just Simms, who is second in command to Captain Marta Ramos, and reluctant partner in crime. A former alcoholic who is dry now that he's repatriated with his little daughter, he had a conscience, and a firm hatred of the upper classes, as well as disguises.
The narrative voice, always entertaining and often sharply witty, delighted me the most when it sank into Simms' character.
Another murder is encountered in the second adventure, while Ramos and Simms are committing a burglary. They feel obliged to solve it (or Simms does, as Ramos doesn't really care), and so end up meeting a delightful character or two along the way.
Each adventure adds to the world, and the cast, one giving a further glimpse of the world and ducal politics in this future North America, divided up into tiny polities a la Germany pre-Bismarck.
The last adventure brings us back to the airship Titania and yet another mystery and murder to be solved, leaving me hoping for more of this fun world with its sly gender-tweaking characters.
copy provided by publisher
June 28, 2018
his is a delightfully clever series of steampunk adventure/mystery stories featuring Captain Marta Ramos, a somewhat gender-queer bisexual tinkerer, swashbuckler, and outlaw leader. The flavor of the stories made me think oddly of a mash-up of Sherlock Holmes, Lord Peter Wimsey, with an overlay of Jules Verne, mostly in the sense of having a central solidly-anchored buddy relationship between the mercurial and brilliant Ramos and her stolid and long-suffering righthand man, Simms. Together they work their way through locked rooms, red herrings, and mysterious objects. The “delectable and devious Delilah Nimowitz” provides a romantic interest for Ramos in several of the stories in an enemies-to-flirtatious-rivals fashion. There isn’t anything resembling a romance arc, but there’s more than sufficient in-story evidence to make queer readers feel represented.
One of the things I loved about this series is how it played with genre tropes and rooted the steampunk elements solidly in an American setting--though one with unexpected twists. For example: you immediately see a reference to the Duke of Denver, that staple title of Regencies, and then are knocked off balance by realizing he’s the Duke of Denver, Colorado and suddenly all your expectations of the implied world-building shift sideways. The stories don’t waste time explaining these shifts but any reader familiar with genre fiction should be charmed by working out the setting on the fly. Another amusing feature (though one that required me to chuck my sense of disbelief off a cliff) was the use of railroads and trains in ways that felt more reminiscent of seagoing adventures than transport constrained by terrestrial linearity.
A great collection; highly recommended.
(I received a review copy of this book.)
One of the things I loved about this series is how it played with genre tropes and rooted the steampunk elements solidly in an American setting--though one with unexpected twists. For example: you immediately see a reference to the Duke of Denver, that staple title of Regencies, and then are knocked off balance by realizing he’s the Duke of Denver, Colorado and suddenly all your expectations of the implied world-building shift sideways. The stories don’t waste time explaining these shifts but any reader familiar with genre fiction should be charmed by working out the setting on the fly. Another amusing feature (though one that required me to chuck my sense of disbelief off a cliff) was the use of railroads and trains in ways that felt more reminiscent of seagoing adventures than transport constrained by terrestrial linearity.
A great collection; highly recommended.
(I received a review copy of this book.)
February 8, 2019
I've become quite fond of the linked short stories style of tale. There's just something extra lovely in the flow and it definitely worked here. I found this to be a delightful novel, as it was the mannerly, quirky, clever type of steampunk -- with a pirate! The mystery element was always present, if not always strong, since this seemed to be more about the characters and setting than the plot. That works perfectly fine for me, as I'm definitely a character reader.
For those who've read the Alex Wells books, the author's tone is very different here. In a way it reminded me of late 80s, early 90s in how it felt and sounded, though certainly with updates for the modern day.
Anywho, I definitely recommend it as an enjoyable adventure!
For those who've read the Alex Wells books, the author's tone is very different here. In a way it reminded me of late 80s, early 90s in how it felt and sounded, though certainly with updates for the modern day.
Anywho, I definitely recommend it as an enjoyable adventure!
April 30, 2018
Take Sherlock Holmes. Make him a Latina railcar pirate in a steampunk Denver where the dead are at risk of rising again and you have Murder on the Titania.
The work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie is often peppered with bigoted stereotypes. Murder on the Titania subverts those elements in a way that's delightful to read. This is probably most in evidence in the first (and titular) story of the collection. In this story, Colonel Geoffrey Douglas is charged with transporting some valuable jewellery from the Duchy of New York to home in the Duchy of Denver. A murder takes place while the airship is en route and the Colonel is called upon to investigate. It's a bit of an oblique introduction to Captain Ramos, but one that works through contrast. Geoff is by no means stupid--his intelligence was one of the things I enjoyed about the character. However, his biased assumptions blind him to investigative possibilities. The racism of Holmes is absent--indeed, PoC are present and an unremarked upon part of the world--but the characters share some similar biases regarding women and class.
Captain Ramos is more open-minded. On the surface, she doesn't have much in common with the famous detective. However, she does share a few of his other traits, such as a horror of boredom and an apparent disregard for personal safety. Much like Holmes, she remains a fairly enigmatic character; while we do get some scenes from her perspective, the third-person viewpoint keeps some distance. More of the story is told from the perspective of her Watson, a red-headed man from the working classes by the name of Simms. He plays the long-suffering sidekick who claims a desire for a quiet life, but not-so-secretly enjoys the thrill of an adventure.
The structure of the book works well. The first two novellas and the short story are each self-contained episodes about a discrete mystery. The third novella brings back a couple of characters and advances the worldbuilding in a way I found particularly satisfying. It's in this story that we get to see Ramos with her crew, an experience made all the more delightful by seeing them do what they do best--robbing trains. It would have been nice to see more of the team and I have hopes for future books. The last novella brings us full circle back to the airship Titania, making it a nice way to round out the collection.
I'm not much of a mystery reader, more for lack of time than lack of desire. So, I might not be the best judge in relation to the mystery elements of the story. However, I found some aspects a bit predictable. This didn't in any way detract from my enjoyment of the book, especially since it took place in such an interesting setting.
All in all, I found Murder on the Titania to be a fun read that does a wonderful job of paying homage to Sherlock Holmes while simultaneously subverting its problematic elements. I very much hope to see more in the future.
This review first appeared on Earl Grey Editing.
The work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie is often peppered with bigoted stereotypes. Murder on the Titania subverts those elements in a way that's delightful to read. This is probably most in evidence in the first (and titular) story of the collection. In this story, Colonel Geoffrey Douglas is charged with transporting some valuable jewellery from the Duchy of New York to home in the Duchy of Denver. A murder takes place while the airship is en route and the Colonel is called upon to investigate. It's a bit of an oblique introduction to Captain Ramos, but one that works through contrast. Geoff is by no means stupid--his intelligence was one of the things I enjoyed about the character. However, his biased assumptions blind him to investigative possibilities. The racism of Holmes is absent--indeed, PoC are present and an unremarked upon part of the world--but the characters share some similar biases regarding women and class.
Captain Ramos is more open-minded. On the surface, she doesn't have much in common with the famous detective. However, she does share a few of his other traits, such as a horror of boredom and an apparent disregard for personal safety. Much like Holmes, she remains a fairly enigmatic character; while we do get some scenes from her perspective, the third-person viewpoint keeps some distance. More of the story is told from the perspective of her Watson, a red-headed man from the working classes by the name of Simms. He plays the long-suffering sidekick who claims a desire for a quiet life, but not-so-secretly enjoys the thrill of an adventure.
The structure of the book works well. The first two novellas and the short story are each self-contained episodes about a discrete mystery. The third novella brings back a couple of characters and advances the worldbuilding in a way I found particularly satisfying. It's in this story that we get to see Ramos with her crew, an experience made all the more delightful by seeing them do what they do best--robbing trains. It would have been nice to see more of the team and I have hopes for future books. The last novella brings us full circle back to the airship Titania, making it a nice way to round out the collection.
I'm not much of a mystery reader, more for lack of time than lack of desire. So, I might not be the best judge in relation to the mystery elements of the story. However, I found some aspects a bit predictable. This didn't in any way detract from my enjoyment of the book, especially since it took place in such an interesting setting.
All in all, I found Murder on the Titania to be a fun read that does a wonderful job of paying homage to Sherlock Holmes while simultaneously subverting its problematic elements. I very much hope to see more in the future.
This review first appeared on Earl Grey Editing.
December 9, 2018
I had forgotten that this was a collection of related vignettes set in the same world, until I got around to reading it. The stories are all set on the same world, and follow the adventures of Captain Marta Ramos, pirate, and her long-suffering first mate, Simms. It's in a steampunk universe with zombies, where the zombies (here called "Infected") presumably explain why the U.S. is a series of independent duchies rather than a united nation, but mostly that back story is ignored. The stories are about the characters, not the world. The zombies only become important once (very briefly), and the steampunk setting is mostly so that there can be airships and private train tracks.
I'm still trying to decide if the captain was intended to be trans, or maybe nonbinary. She is described as taller and more muscular than most women, but is never mistaken for a man, even when dressed as one. I'm going to go with nonbinary, because of that. She also suffers from insatiable curiosity, so when presented with a murder that does not concern her or her crew, she will always investigate it (3 of the five stories feature a murder).
Murder on the Titania (4 stars) - A very good opener, with a mystery seeded with just enough clues that I'd almost figured it out before the reveal, and after the reveal, it all seemed so, so obvious.
The Curious Case of Clementine Nimowitz (and Her Exceedingly Tiny Dog) (4 stars) - Murder mystery dog caper, featuring eaten jewelry, family rivalry, and dangerous attractions.
The Jade Tiger (3 stars) - The shortest one so far, which made it feel a bit thin compared to the others, though still enjoyable. Two specific complaints: "almond shaped eyes" is viewed as an unfortunate description by most Asian people (as are most food comparisons; my recommendation: only use them if the POV character is a cannibal); chloroform is a lot more dangerous to work with than depicted here, and can easily kill the one being incapacitated by it (and even knock out the one using, it, too).
The Ugly Tin Orrery (4 stars) - Feels more like a "Part I" than a complete tale (presumably the next, and final, entry is "Part II"), but still enjoyable. A (deliberately?) mislabeled box acquired through a train heist leads the captain and her team into deeper waters than usual.
The Flying Turk (4 stars) - And we're back on the Titania for the end piece. Of course there's another murder. Also, a "difference engine" to fly the airship (predictably, something goes wrong with it: ). I like that the captain would not help the murderer escape not because of the murder, but because that person had endangered everyone on board. I did roll my eyes at the use of the Empire State building's spire as an airship moor; yes, it was designed for that, but that was before people understood how much wind there was around tall buildings.
I'm still trying to decide if the captain was intended to be trans, or maybe nonbinary. She is described as taller and more muscular than most women, but is never mistaken for a man, even when dressed as one. I'm going to go with nonbinary, because of that. She also suffers from insatiable curiosity, so when presented with a murder that does not concern her or her crew, she will always investigate it (3 of the five stories feature a murder).
Murder on the Titania (4 stars) - A very good opener, with a mystery seeded with just enough clues that I'd almost figured it out before the reveal, and after the reveal, it all seemed so, so obvious.
The Curious Case of Clementine Nimowitz (and Her Exceedingly Tiny Dog) (4 stars) - Murder mystery dog caper, featuring eaten jewelry, family rivalry, and dangerous attractions.
The Jade Tiger (3 stars) - The shortest one so far, which made it feel a bit thin compared to the others, though still enjoyable. Two specific complaints: "almond shaped eyes" is viewed as an unfortunate description by most Asian people (as are most food comparisons; my recommendation: only use them if the POV character is a cannibal); chloroform is a lot more dangerous to work with than depicted here, and can easily kill the one being incapacitated by it (and even knock out the one using, it, too).
The Ugly Tin Orrery (4 stars) - Feels more like a "Part I" than a complete tale (presumably the next, and final, entry is "Part II"), but still enjoyable. A (deliberately?) mislabeled box acquired through a train heist leads the captain and her team into deeper waters than usual.
The Flying Turk (4 stars) - And we're back on the Titania for the end piece. Of course there's another murder. Also, a "difference engine" to fly the airship (predictably, something goes wrong with it: ). I like that the captain would not help the murderer escape not because of the murder, but because that person had endangered everyone on board. I did roll my eyes at the use of the Empire State building's spire as an airship moor; yes, it was designed for that, but that was before people understood how much wind there was around tall buildings.
April 24, 2018
I loved this collection of stories. Lots of airships and a red-coated pirate heroine whose buckles swash with the best of them. My favorite was The Case of Miss Clementine Nimowitz and Her Exceedingly Tiny Dog.
Captain Marta Ramos has her sidekick a la Dr. Watson in Simms, her long suffering lieutenant, and her own version of The Woman, a chameleon named Daliah. All in all, ripping good fun. Highly recommended.
Captain Marta Ramos has her sidekick a la Dr. Watson in Simms, her long suffering lieutenant, and her own version of The Woman, a chameleon named Daliah. All in all, ripping good fun. Highly recommended.
May 11, 2018
I am completely biased about this collection, but that doesn't make it any less awesome. I was fortunate to discover these novellas during their first life, and am delighted to discover they're being collected, with new adventures. If you like stories that are just out to have a good time, this is the book for you. There is adventure and steam and humor and a very tiny dog, which...how can you go wrong? You can't.
April 10, 2018
Are you interested in a steampunk, gender-bent Sherlock Holms from the author of Hunger Makes the Wolf? Then this is the book for you!
All I knew going in was that this was by Alex Acks and that it was short stories. I’ve liked enough of their work to request the ARC based on their name alone. As it turns out, the stories in Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures are all related, mysteries with the same character at their center: Captain Marta Ramos, the most feared pirate in the Duchy of Denver.
A lot of steampunk has this problem where it values aesthetic over story and characters. Thankfully, none of these stories fall into that trap. The focus is squarely on the characters and the mysteries their unraveling. Acks never lets narrative get distracted by dwelling on world building, even though there’s plenty of fascinating world building to be had. For one, there’s zombies! But they actually play an incredibly minor role. Mostly it just means that murderers have to be careful to take out the brain, or else their victims will rise from the dead and begin slaughtering everything in sight. You never actually see a full on zombie, or at least not anything more than a corpse’s fingers starting to twitch before its disposed of.
This collection contains four novellas and one short story. The first story is the novella Murder on the Titania, which is the only story not squarely centered around Captain Ramos. Instead, it focuses on Colonel Geoffrey Douglas, the Duke of Denver’s new head of security, as he takes a flight on the luxurious airship Titania, escorting some valuable jewelry back to Denver. He’s heard rumors of the famous pirate Captain Ramos being active in the area, so he’s on full alert, when suddenly there’s a dead body! There’s less than forty-eight hours before the ship dock in Denver for Colonel Geoffrey to find the truth.
The Curious Case of Clementine Nimowitz (and Her Exceedingly Tiny Dog) gives a closer look at Captain Ramos, her crew, and how they operate. It follows Captain Ramos and her right hand man, Simms, as they break in to rob a house and find an dead body, along with two different wills naming two different heirs. Is it a suicide or a murder?
“The Jade Tiger” is the shortest piece in the collection. I don’t want to say too much on it, but a woman asks Captain Ramos to perform a robbery for her. The Captain suspects it’s a trap, but she can never resist a good mystery. It’s the only story in the collection that doesn’t involve a murder mystery. It also has some interesting hints at Captain Ramos’s backstory. I want more!
In The Ugly Tin Orrery, Captain Ramos has an interesting encounter during a train robbery with a man trying to defend his luggage. She takes it anyway, but a few days later, the man turns up dead. Obviously, she has to investigate!
The final novella in the collection, The Flying Turk, returns to the setting of the Titania, as it’s set to go off on its first clockwork-steered flight. Do they really have a working difference engine, or is it the claims of a fraud? Captain Ramos loves engineering, so she drags Simms along with her to investigate.
I really enjoyed that these stories all used the same world and characters. The linked format lets me get to know the characters and grow attached to them, which is something I can have trouble doing with shorter pieces. All in all, this collection was a ton of fun, and I would be happy to read more mysteries following Captain Ramos!
I received an ARC in exchange for a free and honest review.
Review originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
All I knew going in was that this was by Alex Acks and that it was short stories. I’ve liked enough of their work to request the ARC based on their name alone. As it turns out, the stories in Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures are all related, mysteries with the same character at their center: Captain Marta Ramos, the most feared pirate in the Duchy of Denver.
A lot of steampunk has this problem where it values aesthetic over story and characters. Thankfully, none of these stories fall into that trap. The focus is squarely on the characters and the mysteries their unraveling. Acks never lets narrative get distracted by dwelling on world building, even though there’s plenty of fascinating world building to be had. For one, there’s zombies! But they actually play an incredibly minor role. Mostly it just means that murderers have to be careful to take out the brain, or else their victims will rise from the dead and begin slaughtering everything in sight. You never actually see a full on zombie, or at least not anything more than a corpse’s fingers starting to twitch before its disposed of.
This collection contains four novellas and one short story. The first story is the novella Murder on the Titania, which is the only story not squarely centered around Captain Ramos. Instead, it focuses on Colonel Geoffrey Douglas, the Duke of Denver’s new head of security, as he takes a flight on the luxurious airship Titania, escorting some valuable jewelry back to Denver. He’s heard rumors of the famous pirate Captain Ramos being active in the area, so he’s on full alert, when suddenly there’s a dead body! There’s less than forty-eight hours before the ship dock in Denver for Colonel Geoffrey to find the truth.
The Curious Case of Clementine Nimowitz (and Her Exceedingly Tiny Dog) gives a closer look at Captain Ramos, her crew, and how they operate. It follows Captain Ramos and her right hand man, Simms, as they break in to rob a house and find an dead body, along with two different wills naming two different heirs. Is it a suicide or a murder?
“The Jade Tiger” is the shortest piece in the collection. I don’t want to say too much on it, but a woman asks Captain Ramos to perform a robbery for her. The Captain suspects it’s a trap, but she can never resist a good mystery. It’s the only story in the collection that doesn’t involve a murder mystery. It also has some interesting hints at Captain Ramos’s backstory. I want more!
In The Ugly Tin Orrery, Captain Ramos has an interesting encounter during a train robbery with a man trying to defend his luggage. She takes it anyway, but a few days later, the man turns up dead. Obviously, she has to investigate!
The final novella in the collection, The Flying Turk, returns to the setting of the Titania, as it’s set to go off on its first clockwork-steered flight. Do they really have a working difference engine, or is it the claims of a fraud? Captain Ramos loves engineering, so she drags Simms along with her to investigate.
I really enjoyed that these stories all used the same world and characters. The linked format lets me get to know the characters and grow attached to them, which is something I can have trouble doing with shorter pieces. All in all, this collection was a ton of fun, and I would be happy to read more mysteries following Captain Ramos!
I received an ARC in exchange for a free and honest review.
Review originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
July 11, 2018
Fantastic set of five mysteries starring a Pirate Captain who mixes grand theft with an urge to solve a puzzle. She is rather hard not to fully cheer on!
full review - Murder on the Titania and Other Steam Powered Adventures by Alex Acks https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
full review - Murder on the Titania and Other Steam Powered Adventures by Alex Acks https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
September 29, 2021
This was great fun. Four novellas and a short story set in a fictional steampunk version of North America, which is divided up into, for example, the Duchy of New York, the Duchy of Charlotte, the Duchy of Topeka and the Duchy of Denver. The last of those is the home of Captain Marta Ramos, the most notorious pirate of the Duchy.
Marta is brilliant, curious and inquisitive, an inventor of electrical and mechanical mechanisms, and a master at lockpicking and disguise. In addition to piracy and heists - with the prize as often as not including plans and treatises from rival scientists/engineers, in addition to more mundane valuables - she often seems to stumble onto mysteries. Corpses, for example. Her keen intellect is more than a match for untangling them.
Aided by her sidekick, Meriwether Octavian Simms - or simply "Simms", as he much prefers to go by - and her crew, Marta takes on all manner of heists on airships, on land, and on trains, bumping heads, on occasion, with Colonel Geoffrey Douglas (the Duke of Denver's new head of security) as well as Deliah Nimowitz, a beautiful and flirtatious rival. (Yes, it is Deliah, rather than Delilah, as the blurb above (and most reviews) seem to spell it. There is no romance, but there is obvious mutual interest:
"Well, now I've seen everything."
"Oh, I hardly think that, Simms. I've gotten the impression there's quite a bit more to it." Marta sank back down to her own chair, carefully licking her lips. A thoughtful smile turned up the corners of her mouth as the considered the jewelry, the opportunities, the chance to work both with and against someone of that caliber - someone of that caliber with such gorgeous eyes and clever lips. "I'm certainly looking forward to finding out."
This is a charming and enjoyable book.
Clever and creative steampunk in an unconventional setting, even for that genre (did I mention there are zombies?), engaging characters, swashbuckling, crime and detection. What's not to enjoy? And I am pleased that there is another book of linked novellas with the same cast of characters.
Marta is brilliant, curious and inquisitive, an inventor of electrical and mechanical mechanisms, and a master at lockpicking and disguise. In addition to piracy and heists - with the prize as often as not including plans and treatises from rival scientists/engineers, in addition to more mundane valuables - she often seems to stumble onto mysteries. Corpses, for example. Her keen intellect is more than a match for untangling them.
Aided by her sidekick, Meriwether Octavian Simms - or simply "Simms", as he much prefers to go by - and her crew, Marta takes on all manner of heists on airships, on land, and on trains, bumping heads, on occasion, with Colonel Geoffrey Douglas (the Duke of Denver's new head of security) as well as Deliah Nimowitz, a beautiful and flirtatious rival. (Yes, it is Deliah, rather than Delilah, as the blurb above (and most reviews) seem to spell it. There is no romance, but there is obvious mutual interest:
"Well, now I've seen everything."
"Oh, I hardly think that, Simms. I've gotten the impression there's quite a bit more to it." Marta sank back down to her own chair, carefully licking her lips. A thoughtful smile turned up the corners of her mouth as the considered the jewelry, the opportunities, the chance to work both with and against someone of that caliber - someone of that caliber with such gorgeous eyes and clever lips. "I'm certainly looking forward to finding out."
This is a charming and enjoyable book.
Clever and creative steampunk in an unconventional setting, even for that genre (did I mention there are zombies?), engaging characters, swashbuckling, crime and detection. What's not to enjoy? And I am pleased that there is another book of linked novellas with the same cast of characters.
June 18, 2021
Queer steampunk murder mysteries, in alternative America. Also, there are zombies. These are either... very short novella or very long short story range. The long-form chapters were the best ones, and I'd love to see an actual full-length novel chartering the adventures of Captain Ramos.
August 12, 2019
(This review originally appeared at Mad Scientist Journal.)
Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures by Alex Acks is a collection of four steampunk/alternate history mystery novellas and one short story featuring Captain Marta Ramos and her second in command, Simms, as they navigate and plunder the Duchy of Denver and nearby locales. Ramos and Simms are piratical sorts, primarily using a steam-powered train for their heists, but occasionally resorting to whatever transport is available to them.
Of the novellas and short story, my favorite of the bunch was “The Curious Case of Clementine Nimowitz (and Her Exceedingly Tiny Dog)”. Full of twists and turns and a delightful reoccurring character, the story gives readers a good taste of the characters of Ramos and Simms and their interactions. I also enjoyed “The Ugly Tin Orrery,” which is slightly more political intrigue than the other stories, but still with a level of mystery that keeps readers guessing at every turn.
If the collection has a weak point, it’s likely to be found in the short story, “The Jade Tiger,” which seemed far too abbreviated to really let the mystery have room to breathe. But even this story has phenomenal writing and characterization.
If you’re a fan of steampunk, alternate history, and mystery, the novellas and short story in this collection are sure to delight you!
Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures by Alex Acks is a collection of four steampunk/alternate history mystery novellas and one short story featuring Captain Marta Ramos and her second in command, Simms, as they navigate and plunder the Duchy of Denver and nearby locales. Ramos and Simms are piratical sorts, primarily using a steam-powered train for their heists, but occasionally resorting to whatever transport is available to them.
Of the novellas and short story, my favorite of the bunch was “The Curious Case of Clementine Nimowitz (and Her Exceedingly Tiny Dog)”. Full of twists and turns and a delightful reoccurring character, the story gives readers a good taste of the characters of Ramos and Simms and their interactions. I also enjoyed “The Ugly Tin Orrery,” which is slightly more political intrigue than the other stories, but still with a level of mystery that keeps readers guessing at every turn.
If the collection has a weak point, it’s likely to be found in the short story, “The Jade Tiger,” which seemed far too abbreviated to really let the mystery have room to breathe. But even this story has phenomenal writing and characterization.
If you’re a fan of steampunk, alternate history, and mystery, the novellas and short story in this collection are sure to delight you!
July 4, 2018
What fun this book has been! Captain Marta Ramos, pirate, tinkerer and inventor, is quite the character, but poor Simms was priceless. Light reading for steampunk lovers, RPG aficionados and adventure loving people in general. Being a collection of short works, I just missed more background information about the infected wars and the shape and society in non-north america countries. One can only hope for a second book. BTW, for a robot engineer, the Flying Turk is a deadaway, but the reference is a delight.
October 12, 2018
I haven’t enjoyed most of the steam punk that I’ve read and I’m not usually that into short stories. But this collection of short stories made for a fun read. Captain Marta Ramos is the most notorious pirate in the Duchy of Denver. These stories feature the adventures of Ramos and her First Lieutenant Simms. Ramos is a fun character. Being intelligent and curious, she can’t help delving into mysteries she encounters in her adventures. With fun characters and lively writing, these stories make for a fun, yet thoughtful, escape.
March 30, 2019
This collection of novellas (and one short story) is a lot of fun. Captain Ramos, our lady-pirate heroine in Victorian-era-ish steampunk America, is delightful. She's badass, funny, and a wee bit soft. She'll rob anyone, but she thinks outright murder is tacky. Her sidekick Simms is ever-faithful if slightly exasperated. They make a great partners in crime. Each of these stories is a mystery, and they are difficult to figure out. I didn't know the solution on page one of each story because they are well-crafted. I'm excited to see what Captain Ramos gets up to next.
June 25, 2018
Captain Ramos was a fun character to follow on adventures and mysteries! I enjoyed the worldbuilding, especially the hints at a continual battle against zomies. This reimagined steampunk North America is split into duchies, lending to the industrial revolution London feel. I haven't read many steampunk stories, so I am unsure if this is part of a subgenre. It was an entertaining and humorous read and I look forward to reading more of Captain Ramos' adventures.
October 10, 2024
While I expected to enjoy this book, I had no idea how deeply I would fall in love with the world, the characters, and the writing. Not only are there some delightful plot twists, but Acks also turns a number of the common tropes of steampunk completely on their head. With some pinches of interesting steampunk technology and a marvelous cast of characters, this quickly became one of my favourite reads of 2020.
December 27, 2018
This is a series of connected short stories, sorta like a Sherlock Holmes collection. It’s set in a sort of steampunk U.S. with a hint of zombies in the background. The descriptions of the characters and what they’re doing are very funny. We're mainly following a pirate captain who goes around doing piratey things and also solving mysteries. I desperately want to read more stories about her.
February 26, 2019
Excellent stories. Lots of steampunk technology, lots of implications at global apocalypse/pandemic that aren't "as you know Bob" explained, good mysteries. The Captain picks up the end of a thread and just can't help tugging on it to see where it goes! Looking forward to more steam powered swash buckling in this universe.
September 13, 2018
Swashbuckling steampunk with a bad ass heroine set in a really well thought-out world. Queer romances and flings written casually, fun characters that have limitations, and enjoyable, humourous writing.
March 11, 2019
Really enjoyable steampunk adventure from the Midwest's most exciting new publisher. The characters are fun, the setting unusual, the threat of zombie attack minimal . . . can't wait for the next book coming out soon.
May 17, 2018
Full review here: http://overtheeffingrainbow.co.uk/201...
December 24, 2018
An utterly delightful set of novellas (plus one short story). I loved the narration, the period steampunk-y feel, and the snark - more please!
April 7, 2019
Colonel Geoffrey Douglas is experiencing a lot of stress recently. He’s just gotten a new job as chief of security for the Grand Duke of Denver, and his first task is to ensure that the jewelry made for the Grand Duke’s daughter’s wedding gets safely from New York to Denver. He’s not in command of his own transport, but must travel on the luxury airship Titania. There are rumors that the notorious sky pirate Captain Ramos is in the area. There’s the constant threat of the exanimate. Oh, and then there’s a murder which may or may not be related to anything else.
The actual star of this set of steampunk stories is Captain Marta Ramos, sky and rail pirate. With the aid of her long-suffering lieutenant Simms, and a band of quirky rogues, Captain Ramos steals from the rich…and might give some of it to the poor, if there’s extra.
“Murder on the Titania” is the first of five stories, and the cover story. Captain Ramos helps Colonel Douglas solve the murder while planning her escape with the jewels.
“The Curious Case of Miss Clementine Nimowitz (And Her Exceedingly Tiny Dog)” opens with Captain Ramos discovering that her latest robbery victim has already been dead for some time–murdered! The only living witness is a small yappy lapdog, which appears to have swallowed some of the loot. Some potty humor in this one.
“The Jade Tiger” has our protagonist informed of a shipment of calcite lenses being transported by a certain lord. The informant is seeking revenge because the lord stole something precious from her. Of course, that’s not the entire truth.
“The Ugly Tin Orrery” is loot from the gang’s latest train robbery. It’s cheaply built, inaccurate as to the planets’ orbits, and doesn’t even seem to have sentimental value. And yet, someone is willing to kill to get it back.
“The Flying Turk” has Ramos and Simms back aboard an airship, this one being piloted by an experimental robot. There’s another murder that needs to be solved. The major twist should be obvious to anyone who’s familiar with the history of robotics.
As is common with steampunk, this series is set in an alternate late Nineteenth Century, with anachronistic bits of technology. LGBT+ individuals exist, but their relationships are illegal, so they have to hide them. Naturally, our heroes are more accepting of these folks. There are also undead, though they are more of a background element, used to explain why the heads of murder victims are always destroyed.
I was most reminded of the 80s syndicated fantasy adventures TV series, and could see these done as highish-budget television episodes. I didn’t fall in love with any of the characters, but would be willing to spend more pleasant time with them.
Recommended for steampunk fans.
The actual star of this set of steampunk stories is Captain Marta Ramos, sky and rail pirate. With the aid of her long-suffering lieutenant Simms, and a band of quirky rogues, Captain Ramos steals from the rich…and might give some of it to the poor, if there’s extra.
“Murder on the Titania” is the first of five stories, and the cover story. Captain Ramos helps Colonel Douglas solve the murder while planning her escape with the jewels.
“The Curious Case of Miss Clementine Nimowitz (And Her Exceedingly Tiny Dog)” opens with Captain Ramos discovering that her latest robbery victim has already been dead for some time–murdered! The only living witness is a small yappy lapdog, which appears to have swallowed some of the loot. Some potty humor in this one.
“The Jade Tiger” has our protagonist informed of a shipment of calcite lenses being transported by a certain lord. The informant is seeking revenge because the lord stole something precious from her. Of course, that’s not the entire truth.
“The Ugly Tin Orrery” is loot from the gang’s latest train robbery. It’s cheaply built, inaccurate as to the planets’ orbits, and doesn’t even seem to have sentimental value. And yet, someone is willing to kill to get it back.
“The Flying Turk” has Ramos and Simms back aboard an airship, this one being piloted by an experimental robot. There’s another murder that needs to be solved. The major twist should be obvious to anyone who’s familiar with the history of robotics.
As is common with steampunk, this series is set in an alternate late Nineteenth Century, with anachronistic bits of technology. LGBT+ individuals exist, but their relationships are illegal, so they have to hide them. Naturally, our heroes are more accepting of these folks. There are also undead, though they are more of a background element, used to explain why the heads of murder victims are always destroyed.
I was most reminded of the 80s syndicated fantasy adventures TV series, and could see these done as highish-budget television episodes. I didn’t fall in love with any of the characters, but would be willing to spend more pleasant time with them.
Recommended for steampunk fans.
March 12, 2020
Well, I am disappointed
I quite liked the first story and was looking forward to the rest, but with each story my excitement died down a little. The picture being painted little by little of the Captain and her crew turned out less and less appealing to me, for reasons of cockiness and callousness and self-satisfaction and perfection on her part, and lack of any info about, and thus reader involvement in, her crew. Everyone and everything end up one-dimensional as the book tries hard to be a clever fun romp only to actually head toward being a condescending simplistic trudge.
I was also expecting actual gender exploration for some reason, which never materializes. Also, I expected sky pirates, not train robbers.
I quite liked the first story and was looking forward to the rest, but with each story my excitement died down a little. The picture being painted little by little of the Captain and her crew turned out less and less appealing to me, for reasons of cockiness and callousness and self-satisfaction and perfection on her part, and lack of any info about, and thus reader involvement in, her crew. Everyone and everything end up one-dimensional as the book tries hard to be a clever fun romp only to actually head toward being a condescending simplistic trudge.
I was also expecting actual gender exploration for some reason, which never materializes. Also, I expected sky pirates, not train robbers.
October 3, 2021
I had the pleasure of meeting the publisher for this book and she had great things to say about the author and their steampunk stories. It had a lot of Sherlock Holmes vibes if Sherlock were a steampunk pirate living in a world with zombie-like infections. It has great mysteries, heroes, and antiheroes and regularly takes jabs at social norms. With multiple stand-alone stories (although I'd recommend reading them in order as new characters are introduced) filled with derring-do and harrowing adventures, it was a fun pre-Halloween read.
June 23, 2020
I haven't read a lot of steampunk but this book was a blast! Acks is really good at character development and I immediately felt a part of this world. Captain Marta Ramos is someone I'd follow into any fight. Simms seems like a great drinking buddy and someone who would reluctantly accept an occasional hug. I can't wait to read Wireless now that I've picked this one up!
July 19, 2021
I really enjoy the world these stories take place in. It’s a collection is short stories that are connected because they are about the same people in the same universe. But it’s not a novel with one over-arching story, which is what I enjoy.
March 22, 2018
Terrific series of linked steampunk mystery stories with highly memorable cast of characters.
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