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Steam Whistle Alley: An Adventure in Augmented Reality
"If you like Steampunk, you’ll love this LitRPG story." - Ramon Mejia, LitRPG Podcast
”More like a cat call whistle than a steam one! I look forward to the next book.” - Ray Johnson, LitRPG Audiobook Podcast
Jacob needs a change. Sure, spending his days chained to a VR rig testing full immersion games sounds like a dream job, but it gets old.
So when Jacob sees the odd, goggle-wearing man swinging an invisible sword through the streets of downtown Seattle, he follows him.
Now, Jacob finds himself playing in the real world, turned breathtakingly steampunk by the wonders of augmented reality. Accompanied by his biosyntetic monkey Banjo and a colorful team of characters, Jacob must push the limits of the technology and his body in an effort to recover the items that will award him a prize beyond imagination - the deed to Steam Whistle Alley.
Will he succeed? Or will he succumb to the forces who aren’t playing games, and want to pull the game down around him? Read Joshua Mason’s Steam Whistle Alley today and find out.
”Great imagination and world building can't wait for the next one!”
“There are only a handful of gamelit stories that make me wish I could play too, but this is one of the best I’ve read in a while.”
"I picked this story up on a recommendation from a friend and oh am I glad that I did. This has been a very fun and extremely engaging read. I wasn't able to put the story down until I finished."
”More like a cat call whistle than a steam one! I look forward to the next book.” - Ray Johnson, LitRPG Audiobook Podcast
Jacob needs a change. Sure, spending his days chained to a VR rig testing full immersion games sounds like a dream job, but it gets old.
So when Jacob sees the odd, goggle-wearing man swinging an invisible sword through the streets of downtown Seattle, he follows him.
Now, Jacob finds himself playing in the real world, turned breathtakingly steampunk by the wonders of augmented reality. Accompanied by his biosyntetic monkey Banjo and a colorful team of characters, Jacob must push the limits of the technology and his body in an effort to recover the items that will award him a prize beyond imagination - the deed to Steam Whistle Alley.
Will he succeed? Or will he succumb to the forces who aren’t playing games, and want to pull the game down around him? Read Joshua Mason’s Steam Whistle Alley today and find out.
”Great imagination and world building can't wait for the next one!”
“There are only a handful of gamelit stories that make me wish I could play too, but this is one of the best I’ve read in a while.”
"I picked this story up on a recommendation from a friend and oh am I glad that I did. This has been a very fun and extremely engaging read. I wasn't able to put the story down until I finished."
- GenresLitrpg
470 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 7, 2018
One amazing start for a great series.
I picked this story up on a recommendation from a friend and oh am I glad that I did. This has been a very fun and extremely engaging read. I wasnt able to put the story down until I finished.
This is a awesome take on A.R. I love the way how the stats are presented in the story. No i wont tell you cause it's a spoiled but ohh is it a awesome way. It's not a super crunchy stat wise but they are in the story and tastefully done.
The take on steampunk was so much fun and awesome. I couldnt believe all of the originality of the story. It's a refreshing take on the gamelit genre and I cant wait for the second book.
I will gladly recommend this to anyone that wants a fun and amazing book to read and everyone needs to read it.
I picked this story up on a recommendation from a friend and oh am I glad that I did. This has been a very fun and extremely engaging read. I wasnt able to put the story down until I finished.
This is a awesome take on A.R. I love the way how the stats are presented in the story. No i wont tell you cause it's a spoiled but ohh is it a awesome way. It's not a super crunchy stat wise but they are in the story and tastefully done.
The take on steampunk was so much fun and awesome. I couldnt believe all of the originality of the story. It's a refreshing take on the gamelit genre and I cant wait for the second book.
I will gladly recommend this to anyone that wants a fun and amazing book to read and everyone needs to read it.
July 5, 2018
Jacob was a gamer through and through. Over the years he had made a name for himself in testing and bug finding in new VR games, so when he saw someone dancing down the street, thrusting and parrying he recognised the moves. But what he didn't know was why someone was doing them in the middle of town, instead of being secured in their rig. He'd heard of over indulgence causing difficulty separating in mind to real life, but something told him there was more to this. Boy was he right. The man had been bait, luring Jacob to exactly where the new Augmented reality game developers wanted him, their door. Alpha testing is in session, and with a prize for the winner beyond their wildest dreams, prancing around the streets looking a fool is the least of his concerns. Then again, when he first donned his goggles, he had no idea what he should have been fearful of. But he was about to find out, everyone is playing to win, but for some their prize is something completely different. Jacob must keep his wits about him, if he hopes to survive in tact.
Steam Whistle Alley is an excellent example of both Litrpg and steampunk writing. The AR is a fully immersive and interactive steampunk style overlay on a futuristic setting. I have to admit, this book had me hooked from the start. Action, adventure, danger and peril all presented in a tight story written with great imagination and flair. Beautiful descriptions will leave you in awe, while the futuristic technologies are to a degree that will sate a sci-fi lover, yet not overwhelm someone who doesn't follow that genre. I loved how Jacob was a retro gamer, many of the things referenced are in my own collection. It is clear Joshua Mason has a passion for both gaming and writing, and it is one clearly evident in their work. A gripping fun adventure, and a brilliant start to what looks to be a promising series.
Steam Whistle Alley is an excellent example of both Litrpg and steampunk writing. The AR is a fully immersive and interactive steampunk style overlay on a futuristic setting. I have to admit, this book had me hooked from the start. Action, adventure, danger and peril all presented in a tight story written with great imagination and flair. Beautiful descriptions will leave you in awe, while the futuristic technologies are to a degree that will sate a sci-fi lover, yet not overwhelm someone who doesn't follow that genre. I loved how Jacob was a retro gamer, many of the things referenced are in my own collection. It is clear Joshua Mason has a passion for both gaming and writing, and it is one clearly evident in their work. A gripping fun adventure, and a brilliant start to what looks to be a promising series.
July 13, 2018
It started a bit slow but once the pace picked up it never slowed down. Some great twists and I can't wait to read the next book.
Well what can I say other than "I want more!" I can't wait to see what happens in the next book.
Well what can I say other than "I want more!" I can't wait to see what happens in the next book.
August 14, 2018
Augmented reality meets steampunk in the future
This is a near future story, which I always enjoy because it's fun to see somebody else's take on what the future will bring. This one was refreshing because it wasn't the usual distopia. In fact, sometimes it felt almost too much the other way, especially for a geek like me.
Set in a Seattle in the near future, the air is cleaned up and electricity is free, delivered wirelessly by Tesla devices. Named after Nikola Tesla not the company, one trusts!
The protagonist is Jacob Tutor, whose VR rig gets a respectable 3.3 petabyte per second downstream speed. I would like to see a future like this.
Jacob is invited to be an alpha tester of an augmented reality game, Panmachina - a steampunk adventure overlaid on Seattle by AR goggles.
The subsequent adventures made me think of Piers Anthony, either because of the mundane place made magical theme or because the name Mintaka popped up and Melody of Mintaka is a major character in another Anthony series.
Anyway, a fun, fast paced story that I thoroughly enjoyed, with a cliffhanger that will have me waiting for the next episode!
I would like to see a movie of this.
This is a near future story, which I always enjoy because it's fun to see somebody else's take on what the future will bring. This one was refreshing because it wasn't the usual distopia. In fact, sometimes it felt almost too much the other way, especially for a geek like me.
Set in a Seattle in the near future, the air is cleaned up and electricity is free, delivered wirelessly by Tesla devices. Named after Nikola Tesla not the company, one trusts!
The protagonist is Jacob Tutor, whose VR rig gets a respectable 3.3 petabyte per second downstream speed. I would like to see a future like this.
Jacob is invited to be an alpha tester of an augmented reality game, Panmachina - a steampunk adventure overlaid on Seattle by AR goggles.
The subsequent adventures made me think of Piers Anthony, either because of the mundane place made magical theme or because the name Mintaka popped up and Melody of Mintaka is a major character in another Anthony series.
Anyway, a fun, fast paced story that I thoroughly enjoyed, with a cliffhanger that will have me waiting for the next episode!
I would like to see a movie of this.
April 29, 2019
Wow, just wow
So, I don't typically talk about the guys of working in the reviews I leave unless they are really well done or just do bad that they have to be mentioned. This one is a winner. The expedition was all done in conversation that felt natural or in brief narration and then further expounded upon in dialogue.
The world within a world concept is very unique to the genre and while there were a few hardcore steampunk elements sprinkled in, I didn't feel it was as steampunk as it was advertised because it was counterbalanced by the pseudo cyberpunk futuristic elements.
So, I don't typically talk about the guys of working in the reviews I leave unless they are really well done or just do bad that they have to be mentioned. This one is a winner. The expedition was all done in conversation that felt natural or in brief narration and then further expounded upon in dialogue.
The world within a world concept is very unique to the genre and while there were a few hardcore steampunk elements sprinkled in, I didn't feel it was as steampunk as it was advertised because it was counterbalanced by the pseudo cyberpunk futuristic elements.
November 21, 2018
Want Book 2 NOW!
Love this steampunk world,bring on the brass! Josh has a wonderful descriptive quality to his world building, it was so easy to see it.
I also loved the different classes players in the world could choose.
Can't leave this review without mentioning Banjo!! He's adorable and snarky, and my new fave familiar.
I need Book 2, stat!
Love this steampunk world,bring on the brass! Josh has a wonderful descriptive quality to his world building, it was so easy to see it.
I also loved the different classes players in the world could choose.
Can't leave this review without mentioning Banjo!! He's adorable and snarky, and my new fave familiar.
I need Book 2, stat!
October 22, 2018
If you're a fan of steampunk, read this!
Loved this book. It's great to find a good steampunk story to get your teeth into. Add litrpg and away you go. Really well thought out and love the setting and storyline.
Loved this book. It's great to find a good steampunk story to get your teeth into. Add litrpg and away you go. Really well thought out and love the setting and storyline.
June 3, 2022
What a fun ride! Mason has crafted a lushly detailed, near-future alternate Seattle. Predominantly in the game, which is the focus of the book, but plenty of fun details about the world outside of the game too. It feels like a place I could go and explore. It is definitely the star of the show here. The characters are good but nothing stands out to me as being great. (Except maybe the villain. You will hate that bastard.) The story is engaging and there were some effective twists along the way. But the world is the reason to read the book. Flying above Seattle in a hoverbus, seeing the world transformed into steampunk spires and tesla coils. Exploring a cave filled with clockwork spiders. The alley the book is named after. Which I won't spoil, but leaps off the page as the author's imagination takes center stage. If you're looking for a fantastic new world to explore, you could do a lot worse than Steam Whistle Alley.
The LitRPG stuff is a little light, but the author focuses on the stats that matter. You won't have trouble tracking player vs enemy health in battle, for instance. It didn't hurt the experience at all, still a sense of player progression throughout the book.
The LitRPG stuff is a little light, but the author focuses on the stats that matter. You won't have trouble tracking player vs enemy health in battle, for instance. It didn't hurt the experience at all, still a sense of player progression throughout the book.
January 7, 2019
That was so cool
I'm a big steampunk fan. Great descriptions. A wonderful Ready Player One sort of adventure. A great job getting across what can be done with AR. Altogether enjoyable experience.
I'm a big steampunk fan. Great descriptions. A wonderful Ready Player One sort of adventure. A great job getting across what can be done with AR. Altogether enjoyable experience.
March 13, 2020
If you're looking for a quick romp through cyberspace with a dose of reality thrown in, then this book is the one you're looking for. Very cool premise, and I look forward to more in the series. It's kind of like pokeymon crossed with LitRPG concepts, and it's done very well. I suspect most LitRPG fans will enjoy this one.
September 29, 2019
Great read
I loved this book never read an augmented reality story before so wasn't sure what to expect really good fun can't wait for the next one
I loved this book never read an augmented reality story before so wasn't sure what to expect really good fun can't wait for the next one
January 15, 2025
This caught my eye so I started reading it. Glad I did. This is very fun. Good characters. Fun steampunk world creation. Good story.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews