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Pimp My Airship: A Naptown by Airship Novel
All the poet called Sleepy wants to do is spit his verses, smoke chiba, and stay off the COP’s radar—all of which becomes impossible once he encounters a professional protestor known as (120 Degrees of) Knowledge Allah. They soon find themselves on the wrong side of local authorities and have to elude the powers that be. When young heiress Sophine Jefferson’s father is murdered, the careful life she’d been constructing for herself tumbles around her. She’s quickly drawn into a web of intrigue, politics and airships, joining with Sleepy and Knowledge Allah in a fight for their freedom. Chased from one end of a retro-fitted Indianapolis to the other, they encounter outlaws, the occasional circus, possibly a medium, and more outlaws. They find themselves in a battle much larger than they a battle for control of the country and the soul of their people.
322 pages, Paperback
Published April 20, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
October 8, 2024
Pimp My Airship is a bizarre and delightful steampunk novel with an interesting cast of characters, most of whom are Black. He tackles such issues as racism, manipulated news, corporate greed, sexist attitudes, etc., and makes intelligently reasoned points without becoming dogmatic or allowing his ideas to interfere with the task of telling a good story. There are a few things that could have been tweaked to improve the book; the title is cool but a little misleading since airships don't figure too prominently until the end, the murder mystery is resolved with a somewhat hoary old trope (Spoilery spoiler warning!!!..-- the evil stepmother gambit...really?!), and all of the characters seem to have a variety of awkward names that makes it difficult to follow at times. Finally, the story is the culmination of (and so fits in with the continuity of) several other stories and novellas he lists in the afterword, most which I was unfamiliar with, so a more detailed synopsis of the characters' history and prior interactions would have been beneficial. My last nit to pick is the back-cover blurb, which is way, way too spoilery and I urge anyone to skip it before reading the book if at all possible. It mentions the death of one of the characters (thereby lessening the surprise of the event when you get to it on page 109), and the eventual team-up of some others (which spoils the action for you on page 226). There's some very good poetry included, and one of the side-characters, Alejandra, was so cool that I wished she had more of a starring role. It's a richly detailed alternate world, with a delightful steampunk air, and despite the difficulty of feeling sympathetic for some of the main characters you can't help but share their pain and frustration at the prejudices they face. Good stuff for sure!
June 19, 2020
What a ride! As entertaining as it is incisive, Maurice Broaddus has crafted something wholly original here. It's crammed with awesome character work, immersive storytelling, and powerful thematic resonance. It's also set an hour south of me, which only made this more enjoyable. I can't wait to read more Broaddus!
August 7, 2022
3.5 stars for this dystopian steampunk novel with an all-Black cast! At times the narrative felt slow and a little encumbered by the dizzying proliferation of worldbuilding detail, but still, very solid stuff.
And I loved the romance between Sophine and [NAME REDACTED]. Subtle, unobtrusive, but entirely complementary. We applaud.
Gotta love that title, Pimp My Airship, am I right? I'll never forget standing in the vendor hall with a fellow Realm Makers attendee, both of us goggling at the shiny, stacked copies of this book, "two minds with but a single thought," as P.G. Wodehouse would say--that single thought being, "THERE'S NO WAY WE'RE NOT BUYING THIS BOOK."
Because if you can't go to a Christian speculative fiction conference and come away the proud owner of a novel called Pimp My Airship, then what IS the point of it all, Jeeves?
And I loved the romance between Sophine and [NAME REDACTED]. Subtle, unobtrusive, but entirely complementary. We applaud.
Gotta love that title, Pimp My Airship, am I right? I'll never forget standing in the vendor hall with a fellow Realm Makers attendee, both of us goggling at the shiny, stacked copies of this book, "two minds with but a single thought," as P.G. Wodehouse would say--that single thought being, "THERE'S NO WAY WE'RE NOT BUYING THIS BOOK."
Because if you can't go to a Christian speculative fiction conference and come away the proud owner of a novel called Pimp My Airship, then what IS the point of it all, Jeeves?
April 3, 2020
There's probably a good story under there somewhere.
But Sleepy is too inconsistent, Knowledge Allah's too weird (60s caricature), and that whole side of the story didn't work for me. I liked WHAT they were doing, but how they did it was just too loose.
Sophine was pretty good, and her rarely-onstage assistant better. But then, and maybe my edition skipped a chapter or something, Sophine turned into Deaconess Blue, who for all practical purposes was a different character.
Then, the distractions, the things that break the flow of the story. There were SO many. Was this book edited at all?
Broaddus spins some great paragraphs, but then drops one that seems to have been written by a kid who failed grade 6. Danglers everywhere, words missing letters, and specific WTFs:
A guard's uniform has epilates (epaulettes?)
A monkey is called a marsupial.
In the first half, the author can't decide whether a single robot is an automaton or an automata. At one point he used both in one paragraph for the same robot.
We have some Victorian stuff, and airships, but near the end Deaconess casually whips out a backpack ornithopter. You're not gonna tell me that sucker is steam or clockwork, are you?
And how did Yeager know at the end that Sophrine was Deaconess Blue when as far as we know they had never met with her in that role?
And the title. I'm taking off nearly a whole star for that. There is one (1) airship. It appears on page 268 of 306, and lasts until page 278. On page 268 "this one did not bristle with armaments" but on the next page "They ... loaded it wth armaments. Turned it into a warship."
Sloppy, sloppy work, and I am NOT blaming the author. This is on the Apex Book Company.
But Sleepy is too inconsistent, Knowledge Allah's too weird (60s caricature), and that whole side of the story didn't work for me. I liked WHAT they were doing, but how they did it was just too loose.
Sophine was pretty good, and her rarely-onstage assistant better. But then, and maybe my edition skipped a chapter or something, Sophine turned into Deaconess Blue, who for all practical purposes was a different character.
Then, the distractions, the things that break the flow of the story. There were SO many. Was this book edited at all?
Broaddus spins some great paragraphs, but then drops one that seems to have been written by a kid who failed grade 6. Danglers everywhere, words missing letters, and specific WTFs:
A guard's uniform has epilates (epaulettes?)
A monkey is called a marsupial.
In the first half, the author can't decide whether a single robot is an automaton or an automata. At one point he used both in one paragraph for the same robot.
We have some Victorian stuff, and airships, but near the end Deaconess casually whips out a backpack ornithopter. You're not gonna tell me that sucker is steam or clockwork, are you?
And how did Yeager know at the end that Sophrine was Deaconess Blue when as far as we know they had never met with her in that role?
And the title. I'm taking off nearly a whole star for that. There is one (1) airship. It appears on page 268 of 306, and lasts until page 278. On page 268 "this one did not bristle with armaments" but on the next page "They ... loaded it wth armaments. Turned it into a warship."
Sloppy, sloppy work, and I am NOT blaming the author. This is on the Apex Book Company.
November 7, 2025
A finales del verano llegué a un acuerdo con el sello estadounidense Apex Books para haceros llegar algunas de sus obras, por si domináis el inglés y os motiva leer en ese idioma. Es evidente que la lectura de estas novelas no va a ser tan ágil como en español y es por ello que irán llegando poco a poco, pero estábadmo deseando abrir una puerta hacia el mercado internacional ya que supone un interés para muchos de vosotros y así estamos trabajando para ello. La primera de las obras de las que os vamos a intentar transmitir nuestras impresiones en PIMP MY AIRSHIP de Maurice Broaddus, que fue publicada originalmente en 2019 y supone una deliciosa para los que disfrutéis de obras inmersas en el género steampunk, y que le añade algunas capas políticas, emocionales y culturales.
En esta obra el autor no solamente juega con los códigos tradicionales de los dirigibles, la maquinaria de vapor y el estilo victoriano; sino que también los vuelve a concebir desde un punto de vista afroamericano, generando un mundo alternativo en el que la historia estadounidense se reescribe bajo el control de "Albion", una ciudad imperial que jamás dejó atrás sus colonias. Se trata de una novela vibrante, sarcástica y ferozmente clara que entrelaza en igual medida la poesía, el humor y la crítica social.
El argumento se centra en tres personajes cuyas vidas, que en apariencia son distantes, terminan por entrelazarse debido al azar y su resistencia. Tenemos a Sleepy, un poeta e ingeniero joven que solo desea fumar su chiba y recitar sus versos en clubes ocultos. También está Knowledge Allah, un activista carismático y provocador. Y por último se encuentra Sophine Jefferson, una científica mestiza que fue criada entre los privilegios del poder y cuya existencia cambia drásticamente después de la muerte violenta de su padre. Todos conjuntamente, y en ocasiones en conflicto, representan las diferentes maneras de rebelarse contra un sistema opresor que combina control mediático, vigilancia del estado y segregación racial.
La acción tiene lugar en una Indianápolis alternativa, definido en un entorno magníficamente edificado que fusiona el dinamismo de las ciudades industriales del siglo XIX con la decadencia tecnológica de un futuro distópico. El autor otorga a esta ciudad vida propia, que puede observarse a través de su clases sociales que están representadas de manera literal en su estructura vertical, con una "Overcity" de ricos flotando en el cielo y un inframundo donde los obreros viven bajo tierra rodeados de humo, óxido y metralla. No es simplemente un fondo decorativo ya que la propia ciudad respira, siente presión y sueña al mismo tiempo que los personajes protagonistas.
Disfruta de la reseña completa en nuestra web:
https://distopolis.com/resena-de-pimp...
En esta obra el autor no solamente juega con los códigos tradicionales de los dirigibles, la maquinaria de vapor y el estilo victoriano; sino que también los vuelve a concebir desde un punto de vista afroamericano, generando un mundo alternativo en el que la historia estadounidense se reescribe bajo el control de "Albion", una ciudad imperial que jamás dejó atrás sus colonias. Se trata de una novela vibrante, sarcástica y ferozmente clara que entrelaza en igual medida la poesía, el humor y la crítica social.
El argumento se centra en tres personajes cuyas vidas, que en apariencia son distantes, terminan por entrelazarse debido al azar y su resistencia. Tenemos a Sleepy, un poeta e ingeniero joven que solo desea fumar su chiba y recitar sus versos en clubes ocultos. También está Knowledge Allah, un activista carismático y provocador. Y por último se encuentra Sophine Jefferson, una científica mestiza que fue criada entre los privilegios del poder y cuya existencia cambia drásticamente después de la muerte violenta de su padre. Todos conjuntamente, y en ocasiones en conflicto, representan las diferentes maneras de rebelarse contra un sistema opresor que combina control mediático, vigilancia del estado y segregación racial.
La acción tiene lugar en una Indianápolis alternativa, definido en un entorno magníficamente edificado que fusiona el dinamismo de las ciudades industriales del siglo XIX con la decadencia tecnológica de un futuro distópico. El autor otorga a esta ciudad vida propia, que puede observarse a través de su clases sociales que están representadas de manera literal en su estructura vertical, con una "Overcity" de ricos flotando en el cielo y un inframundo donde los obreros viven bajo tierra rodeados de humo, óxido y metralla. No es simplemente un fondo decorativo ya que la propia ciudad respira, siente presión y sueña al mismo tiempo que los personajes protagonistas.
Disfruta de la reseña completa en nuestra web:
https://distopolis.com/resena-de-pimp...
May 28, 2019
Read the original review here.
Apex was wonderful with allowing me to receive a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Aside from a stellar title, where can one start with Maurice Broaddus’ PIMP MY AIRSHIP? Well, let’s start with a synopsis:
Enter Sleepy, who wants nothing more than to remain in his (relatively) comfy apartment, keep a low profile, smoke chiba, and spit fast rhymes at the local club. Yet, when the rascal, protester Knowledge Allah stumbles on him, they soon find themselves at odds with the law and running for their lives.
Meanwhile, Sophine Jefferson lives a peaceful life of privilege as an heiress, but it all turns upside down when her father is murdered and she looks for justice, which soon finds her. All three of them soon become wrapped up in a far larger web of intrigue any bargained for, and one with long reaching consequences, not only for the city of Indianapolis, but the entire country.
Not only has Broaddus managed to create an intricate steampunk-esque alternate United States, but he has translated all of the current cultural and societal problems as well. In some ways, this may appear saddening since even in an alternate US, our problems seem inherent, but these issues are instead dealt with head on and with unflinching, courageous freedom fighters and orators who will not be denied. The cops are resisted and critiqued on their methods and corruption. Racism is challenged for being the status quo. No issue is left untouched or ignored by Broaddus.
This is only talking about the themes and issues though, we havn’t even begun to talk about the actual story. With magnificent flair, Sleepy, Allah, and Sophine are all vibrant characters whose banter left me laughing more than once and continue to push and pull against one another throughout the story. Having an all POC cast, is a refreshing change and perfect for the story that was being told, considering it puts them all in direct conflict of the oppressive forces and systems that rise to stop them.
The world building of this steampunk United States is amazing and clearly Broaddus has spent more than a little time building it and hanging out in Indianapolis of Albion. The dialogue is snappy and street smart as one would expect, which keeps the book light on its feet, despite the heavy issues that threaten to weigh it down. The alternate history of this United States is fascinating and hearing familiar names like Lincoln and James Baldwin and others only increases the appreciation for such small details.
Broaddus has managed to create what could be considered a steampunk classic in the years to come. The contemporary relevance, prose, and characterization make this a book that cannot be missed.
Apex was wonderful with allowing me to receive a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Aside from a stellar title, where can one start with Maurice Broaddus’ PIMP MY AIRSHIP? Well, let’s start with a synopsis:
Enter Sleepy, who wants nothing more than to remain in his (relatively) comfy apartment, keep a low profile, smoke chiba, and spit fast rhymes at the local club. Yet, when the rascal, protester Knowledge Allah stumbles on him, they soon find themselves at odds with the law and running for their lives.
Meanwhile, Sophine Jefferson lives a peaceful life of privilege as an heiress, but it all turns upside down when her father is murdered and she looks for justice, which soon finds her. All three of them soon become wrapped up in a far larger web of intrigue any bargained for, and one with long reaching consequences, not only for the city of Indianapolis, but the entire country.
Not only has Broaddus managed to create an intricate steampunk-esque alternate United States, but he has translated all of the current cultural and societal problems as well. In some ways, this may appear saddening since even in an alternate US, our problems seem inherent, but these issues are instead dealt with head on and with unflinching, courageous freedom fighters and orators who will not be denied. The cops are resisted and critiqued on their methods and corruption. Racism is challenged for being the status quo. No issue is left untouched or ignored by Broaddus.
This is only talking about the themes and issues though, we havn’t even begun to talk about the actual story. With magnificent flair, Sleepy, Allah, and Sophine are all vibrant characters whose banter left me laughing more than once and continue to push and pull against one another throughout the story. Having an all POC cast, is a refreshing change and perfect for the story that was being told, considering it puts them all in direct conflict of the oppressive forces and systems that rise to stop them.
The world building of this steampunk United States is amazing and clearly Broaddus has spent more than a little time building it and hanging out in Indianapolis of Albion. The dialogue is snappy and street smart as one would expect, which keeps the book light on its feet, despite the heavy issues that threaten to weigh it down. The alternate history of this United States is fascinating and hearing familiar names like Lincoln and James Baldwin and others only increases the appreciation for such small details.
Broaddus has managed to create what could be considered a steampunk classic in the years to come. The contemporary relevance, prose, and characterization make this a book that cannot be missed.
May 21, 2019
Pimp My Airship throws the contemporary themes of racism, news media, corporate greed, incarceration, and more… into a tale of rich invention. Although I did not always fully grasp the world building, I had a good idea of the vision Broaddus was putting together. A steampunky Indianapolis that is ready to blow. An underworld of graft and protectionism that is in league with the unwritten rules of the elite. The characters are well-rounded and realistic in that they move about the moral spectrum as any person would. From Sleepy’s realization to Sophine’s drive to demand a voice, these characters are fun to follow. Another thing I liked was Broaddus’s use of symbolism in regards to the character’s names. Sleepy, Knowledge Allah, and Sophine all evolve at different points, either during the course of the narrative or before and have changed his or her name to match that evolution.
A very good character-driven steampunk novel filled with gangsters, greed, and all means of gluttony. Pimp My Airship adds depth and complexity to any already imaginative genre.
For my full review: https://paulspicks.blog/2019/05/21/pi...
For all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog
A very good character-driven steampunk novel filled with gangsters, greed, and all means of gluttony. Pimp My Airship adds depth and complexity to any already imaginative genre.
For my full review: https://paulspicks.blog/2019/05/21/pi...
For all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog
August 31, 2020
This story has good bones, interesting characters, great world-building, and a handful of interesting quotations. However, overall I found it too full of errors and issues for me to enjoy it as fully as I’d hope.
(I have published a longer review on my website.)
(Edit: Also, Goodreads says I somehow read/rated the Kindle edition, which I did not.)
February 8, 2023
Pimp My Airship: A Naptown by Airship Novel by Maurice Broaddus was a lot of fun and I loved all the details that went into the world-building of the story. It also might be the first time I've read about Indianapolis in fiction before. I'll definitely have to read more from Maurice Broaddus in the future. If you're looking for a cool steampunk tale, this definitely needs to be on your radar.
July 7, 2019
Thanks to the publisher
Apex Book Company
, for allowing me a PDF version for an early review of this book. It spiced this months reading. Very grateful to the author, Maurice Broaddus, horror writer, steampunk stories and consultant of Watch Dogs 2, a game I loved.
Pimp My Airship is a steampunk novel featuring the lives of a low status man called Sleepy, a lover of fine appearances while living a free life; and a high status lady called Sophine Jefferson, who frowns upon the lies and schemes of the rich while searching for her own freedom.
Despite being an incredibly easy read, it was a bit hard to keep me consistently interested for two simple reasons: the first is I’m not American, so not fully aware of the African-American culture and how they feel about their place in certain areas of the country; the second is I’m not fond at all of the “woke” culture being exported, so when I read right in the beginning “Stay Woke”, I knew I was going in for a little ride on more than Airships. However, steampunk themes involve real history and we’re talking about an alternate reality of the US, mainly Indianapolis, meaning all the taboos and social issues from back then have to be present, and what better way for that than bringing some «punk» into it? We had it in games like Dishonored and Bioshock and they are both highly acclaimed. Pimp My Airship is more than about race and women fighting hierarchies, it’s also a portrayal of the rich and the poor, where they get together and where they differ. No matter the origin of the ideas for this book, putting in the steampunk theme was kind of brilliant. The author can criticize society without actually sounding “woke”. Found to be very interesting when we on the low status point of view we see base terms like “white man” and “negro”, but when we go to the upper class, we see more detailed descriptions of the characters. Being a book where the characters are “negro” its normal to have that point of view of the world be more intrinsic.
Guess I’m open to listen the other side at least.
Bottom line, it was totally new for me. I read science fiction series where I see descriptions like “Samoan”, “darker skin”, “Indo-chinese features”, but reading such crude terms differentiating the races like Maurice does, always ticks the question “Is this book political? Or a simple message?” Yeah, one part wants to be reasonable the other is fully aware of what is happening in the world right now, hence the scepticism. After all, race and class are the consistent themes of the book.
The Good
I loved Sophine story and the way it is written. The rich lady wanting to be free from the establishment isn’t new, but I enjoyed it here. The dynamic with her father was a great start and set the things up pretty well for her side of things. She’s also the “airship” to the Victorian Era architecture and etiquette, which I have a literal crush on. I surely wouldn’t survive it in real life. Her dalliances lead to some body horror of sorts, which brought some awaited mystery to the most science fiction part of the book.
The way the author sets the scenario is also decent. I had clear idea of the dirty and low income parts of the story and when it begged for something more expensive. I personally like the little things like when someone drops something during a conversation or notices the way something or someone acts. It brings much more immersion to the dialogue and I consider it was done just right. Might be one of those things coming from an history of horror, where detail is necessary. For a book that is not long, the worldbuilding is done enough, but at parts it begs for so much more, specially some characters, it’s a shame there was no more time spent on them.
The Bad
I could not relate to Sleepy one bit. Also his “sidekick” Knowledge Allah, although a character with an interesting past and reminding me of a couple of bottom feeding “spiritual leaders” I met, didn’t help sleepy be interesting enough. The characters he meets are way more interesting and we don’t get enough of them.
”The question hovered between them as unresolved smoke”
This style of writing reminds me of the noir, unfortunately the bad one, where everything is so metaphoric and comparative it becomes the whole story. After 100 pages it was turned down a notch, but before that, these kinds of quotes felt very unnecessary. Didn’t bring any more tension or awe.
When I was reading Sophine’s POV I had full attention but when on Sleepy’s, I just couldn’t keep up. The somewhat forced hero complex narrative into him didn’t help, because it felt undeserving but what better man of the people if not one from the lower class that dresses and acts like the best of them?
By the last act, the POV’s are all over the place, with full blown omniscient narrator on all the characters, and it was felt. Broke a pace that was pretty well established and the conclusion to the story felt incredibly rushed. It was like those sudden shifts between sociological storytelling and psychological storytelling.
The Curious
”Various social justice crusaders seek to address inequality in science, technology, engineering and mathematics[…]. Their new system aims to develop consistency among technology students by most likely placing enrolment caps seeking to keep men, specially non-minority women, out of math and science classes. To these radical elements, gender disparities are only troublesome when they disfavour women and so called minorities. These reverse equality measurements will only lead to subpar education and produce subpar practitioners. They must be rooted out before they organize, become political, and actually gain footholds in the societal discourse.”
This one is pure XXI century gold.
Conclusion
Its well written and I’m not pseudo about that trait. Enjoyed some key parts I never tasted before. Can’t say it was very good because it had lots of problems affecting my last judgement. Story was all over the place, and of 300 something pages, I only felt some steam picking up at 200 and with not enough to go about. I speak mainly of Sleepy’s storyline. Sophine’s though, was so entertaining and I wished the book was just about her. Also, not enough airships.
I’m pretty sure if you’re hungry for some Steampunk, (like I was), are fully aware and on the side of the “social cause”, and specially, if you’re African American, you’ll find this book a delight. I don’t feel this one is exactly a read for everyone. Felt written for a niche, about a niche on a niche subgenre.
By the end, it totally feels like a Call to Arms against “the system”. Whether its good thing or not, you be the judge.
Pimp My Airship is a steampunk novel featuring the lives of a low status man called Sleepy, a lover of fine appearances while living a free life; and a high status lady called Sophine Jefferson, who frowns upon the lies and schemes of the rich while searching for her own freedom.
Despite being an incredibly easy read, it was a bit hard to keep me consistently interested for two simple reasons: the first is I’m not American, so not fully aware of the African-American culture and how they feel about their place in certain areas of the country; the second is I’m not fond at all of the “woke” culture being exported, so when I read right in the beginning “Stay Woke”, I knew I was going in for a little ride on more than Airships. However, steampunk themes involve real history and we’re talking about an alternate reality of the US, mainly Indianapolis, meaning all the taboos and social issues from back then have to be present, and what better way for that than bringing some «punk» into it? We had it in games like Dishonored and Bioshock and they are both highly acclaimed. Pimp My Airship is more than about race and women fighting hierarchies, it’s also a portrayal of the rich and the poor, where they get together and where they differ. No matter the origin of the ideas for this book, putting in the steampunk theme was kind of brilliant. The author can criticize society without actually sounding “woke”. Found to be very interesting when we on the low status point of view we see base terms like “white man” and “negro”, but when we go to the upper class, we see more detailed descriptions of the characters. Being a book where the characters are “negro” its normal to have that point of view of the world be more intrinsic.
Guess I’m open to listen the other side at least.
Bottom line, it was totally new for me. I read science fiction series where I see descriptions like “Samoan”, “darker skin”, “Indo-chinese features”, but reading such crude terms differentiating the races like Maurice does, always ticks the question “Is this book political? Or a simple message?” Yeah, one part wants to be reasonable the other is fully aware of what is happening in the world right now, hence the scepticism. After all, race and class are the consistent themes of the book.
The Good
I loved Sophine story and the way it is written. The rich lady wanting to be free from the establishment isn’t new, but I enjoyed it here. The dynamic with her father was a great start and set the things up pretty well for her side of things. She’s also the “airship” to the Victorian Era architecture and etiquette, which I have a literal crush on. I surely wouldn’t survive it in real life. Her dalliances lead to some body horror of sorts, which brought some awaited mystery to the most science fiction part of the book.
The way the author sets the scenario is also decent. I had clear idea of the dirty and low income parts of the story and when it begged for something more expensive. I personally like the little things like when someone drops something during a conversation or notices the way something or someone acts. It brings much more immersion to the dialogue and I consider it was done just right. Might be one of those things coming from an history of horror, where detail is necessary. For a book that is not long, the worldbuilding is done enough, but at parts it begs for so much more, specially some characters, it’s a shame there was no more time spent on them.
The Bad
I could not relate to Sleepy one bit. Also his “sidekick” Knowledge Allah, although a character with an interesting past and reminding me of a couple of bottom feeding “spiritual leaders” I met, didn’t help sleepy be interesting enough. The characters he meets are way more interesting and we don’t get enough of them.
”The question hovered between them as unresolved smoke”
This style of writing reminds me of the noir, unfortunately the bad one, where everything is so metaphoric and comparative it becomes the whole story. After 100 pages it was turned down a notch, but before that, these kinds of quotes felt very unnecessary. Didn’t bring any more tension or awe.
When I was reading Sophine’s POV I had full attention but when on Sleepy’s, I just couldn’t keep up. The somewhat forced hero complex narrative into him didn’t help, because it felt undeserving but what better man of the people if not one from the lower class that dresses and acts like the best of them?
By the last act, the POV’s are all over the place, with full blown omniscient narrator on all the characters, and it was felt. Broke a pace that was pretty well established and the conclusion to the story felt incredibly rushed. It was like those sudden shifts between sociological storytelling and psychological storytelling.
The Curious
”Various social justice crusaders seek to address inequality in science, technology, engineering and mathematics[…]. Their new system aims to develop consistency among technology students by most likely placing enrolment caps seeking to keep men, specially non-minority women, out of math and science classes. To these radical elements, gender disparities are only troublesome when they disfavour women and so called minorities. These reverse equality measurements will only lead to subpar education and produce subpar practitioners. They must be rooted out before they organize, become political, and actually gain footholds in the societal discourse.”
This one is pure XXI century gold.
Conclusion
Its well written and I’m not pseudo about that trait. Enjoyed some key parts I never tasted before. Can’t say it was very good because it had lots of problems affecting my last judgement. Story was all over the place, and of 300 something pages, I only felt some steam picking up at 200 and with not enough to go about. I speak mainly of Sleepy’s storyline. Sophine’s though, was so entertaining and I wished the book was just about her. Also, not enough airships.
I’m pretty sure if you’re hungry for some Steampunk, (like I was), are fully aware and on the side of the “social cause”, and specially, if you’re African American, you’ll find this book a delight. I don’t feel this one is exactly a read for everyone. Felt written for a niche, about a niche on a niche subgenre.
By the end, it totally feels like a Call to Arms against “the system”. Whether its good thing or not, you be the judge.
August 1, 2020
I enjoyed this "steam-funk" book for three main reasons:
1. The themes - This story's atmosphere contains the fashion and technology of the Victorian era, the music of the 1970's, and the political struggles of the 21st century. I can't think of any author who could pull this combination off, but Broaddus does it well. Not bad for a book that started off as a joke on Twitter.
2. The science - I can tell Broaddus let his imagination run wild here. The steampunk inventions in this story range from the charming to the uncanny. Modern events are also given a steampunk twist i.e. the Indianapolis 500 races airships, not cars.
3. The humor - Multiple lines in this book cracked me up. For example, when Sophine tries to show remorse for an unorthodox experiment, she realizes, "no face imaginable [can] demonstrate proper contrition for reanimating the corpse of a former roommate." Later, another character describes the results of a protest gone off the rails: "Last time, we 'resisted' a bakery to the ground and 'rebelled' the windows out of a laundromat."
As a bonus, the story is set in Indianapolis, so it's nice to read a book and go, "Hey! I know where that is!"
1. The themes - This story's atmosphere contains the fashion and technology of the Victorian era, the music of the 1970's, and the political struggles of the 21st century. I can't think of any author who could pull this combination off, but Broaddus does it well. Not bad for a book that started off as a joke on Twitter.
2. The science - I can tell Broaddus let his imagination run wild here. The steampunk inventions in this story range from the charming to the uncanny. Modern events are also given a steampunk twist i.e. the Indianapolis 500 races airships, not cars.
3. The humor - Multiple lines in this book cracked me up. For example, when Sophine tries to show remorse for an unorthodox experiment, she realizes, "no face imaginable [can] demonstrate proper contrition for reanimating the corpse of a former roommate." Later, another character describes the results of a protest gone off the rails: "Last time, we 'resisted' a bakery to the ground and 'rebelled' the windows out of a laundromat."
As a bonus, the story is set in Indianapolis, so it's nice to read a book and go, "Hey! I know where that is!"
August 19, 2019
Okay, let's get this out of the way. If you like the title, don't buy this book.
This book is the warriors, meets steampunk meets Martin Luther King but then someone blew up all the airships.
This story isn't about airships, rather it's about oppression, rebellion and how we overcome these things while discovering who we are and what our role is.
I am not well versed in the above topics, so I'll sum up my thoughts on the novel. It's power-fantasy. If any of the above topics are your jam, you can relate, then you'll eat this up.
Otherwise, you are going to notice a few things. The weird worldbuilding moments where we have hints of AI, but it goes nowhere. The glacial pace of the story. How Sleepy is a bit unlikeable (Think Jyn Erso) and how the other characters around Sleepy are more interesting than him. How when Sophine's father is killed, it kind of comes and goes and is only used for motivation?
I struggled with this book near the middle, but was glad to see it through (Finally airships).
This book is the warriors, meets steampunk meets Martin Luther King but then someone blew up all the airships.
This story isn't about airships, rather it's about oppression, rebellion and how we overcome these things while discovering who we are and what our role is.
I am not well versed in the above topics, so I'll sum up my thoughts on the novel. It's power-fantasy. If any of the above topics are your jam, you can relate, then you'll eat this up.
Otherwise, you are going to notice a few things. The weird worldbuilding moments where we have hints of AI, but it goes nowhere. The glacial pace of the story. How Sleepy is a bit unlikeable (Think Jyn Erso) and how the other characters around Sleepy are more interesting than him. How when Sophine's father is killed, it kind of comes and goes and is only used for motivation?
I struggled with this book near the middle, but was glad to see it through (Finally airships).
January 27, 2020
I didn't love this (really outside my normal genre) but we read it at work as part of our commitment to read more Indiana authors and really enjoyed our discussion.
May 28, 2019
Apex Books has been kind enough to let me have a digital ARC of Pimp My Airship by Maurice Broaddus. I hadn’t previously had the opportunity to read his work, but steampunk is one of the genres I tend to watch for as I like the feel of them. After reading this book, you can bet I will be looking for more of this author’s writing whenever I get the chance, because I really loved this book.
Now, what makes me love this book so much? Everything about it. It has an amazing world, compelling characters, and a great story. I felt more connection to Sophine than to Sleepy at first, but once I got more into the book and got to understand Sleepy better, he grew on me. I loved his attitude about his weight and his words. He isn’t someone who rushes into things, but does what he has to do.
The world is a bit different than the steampunk I’ve read before. It’s an alternate history that goes further back in time before deviating from the actual time and it’s set in what is central US in our world. Figuring out how the world was the same and how it was different was a fun layer of the piece, as it is never spelled out blatantly (a good thing, since doing so would have been a dreadful narrator background dump).
Now where this book really excels for me is the layers beneath the surface story. In the upper layer, we have interesting characters in a fictional world: Sleepy is thrust into an unexpected adventure by accident and Sophine is trying to deal with a tense family situation and make her own way in the world.
Although the world is fictional and it’s an alternate history, so much is still similar to our own. And this is what makes my heart and my brain break. I grew up white middle class. I wish race didn’t matter. But this book helps me understand how much even today my attitude is a privilege that so many people of color don’t have. I feel like I have more insight into how people can end up protesting in more extreme fashions no matter how peacefully they wish they could do so. And this reality is, to me, far more heartbreaking than the individual stories of Sophine and Sleepy and Knowledge Allah.
I’m not the type to hand out 5 star reviews like your favorite neighbor gives out Halloween candy. I’m more like the stingy old lady on the next block who turns the lights off and pretends not to be home. But this book–this book makes me want to hand out my best 80% dark European chocolate.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants a great Steampunk-esque story and to anyone who wants to stretch their brain a bit. This story is such a great example of how quality speculative fiction can help people understand each other a little better. So regardless of your race or background, if you enjoy this kind of story–and especially if you like to have your world expanded–try this book.
Thank you, Apex, for allowing me to review it, and thank you Maurice Broaddus for having written such a compelling book.
Now, what makes me love this book so much? Everything about it. It has an amazing world, compelling characters, and a great story. I felt more connection to Sophine than to Sleepy at first, but once I got more into the book and got to understand Sleepy better, he grew on me. I loved his attitude about his weight and his words. He isn’t someone who rushes into things, but does what he has to do.
The world is a bit different than the steampunk I’ve read before. It’s an alternate history that goes further back in time before deviating from the actual time and it’s set in what is central US in our world. Figuring out how the world was the same and how it was different was a fun layer of the piece, as it is never spelled out blatantly (a good thing, since doing so would have been a dreadful narrator background dump).
Now where this book really excels for me is the layers beneath the surface story. In the upper layer, we have interesting characters in a fictional world: Sleepy is thrust into an unexpected adventure by accident and Sophine is trying to deal with a tense family situation and make her own way in the world.
Although the world is fictional and it’s an alternate history, so much is still similar to our own. And this is what makes my heart and my brain break. I grew up white middle class. I wish race didn’t matter. But this book helps me understand how much even today my attitude is a privilege that so many people of color don’t have. I feel like I have more insight into how people can end up protesting in more extreme fashions no matter how peacefully they wish they could do so. And this reality is, to me, far more heartbreaking than the individual stories of Sophine and Sleepy and Knowledge Allah.
I’m not the type to hand out 5 star reviews like your favorite neighbor gives out Halloween candy. I’m more like the stingy old lady on the next block who turns the lights off and pretends not to be home. But this book–this book makes me want to hand out my best 80% dark European chocolate.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants a great Steampunk-esque story and to anyone who wants to stretch their brain a bit. This story is such a great example of how quality speculative fiction can help people understand each other a little better. So regardless of your race or background, if you enjoy this kind of story–and especially if you like to have your world expanded–try this book.
Thank you, Apex, for allowing me to review it, and thank you Maurice Broaddus for having written such a compelling book.
April 13, 2020
Pimp. My. Airship. What a title. As someone with very little steampunk reading hours under my belt this was a book I was super excited to read, especially after how much I loved some of the other books put out by Apex, like SNOW OVER UTOPIA, COIL and ROSEWATER (originally published by small press Apex before being picked up by Orbit – lil piece of trivia for ya there). I didn’t fully know what to expect from PIMP MY AIRSHIP, but I was definitely along for the ride.
It tells the story of a chiba-smoking spoken word poet called Sleepy, who inadvertently becomes the face of a revolution when his performance theatre is raided by the authoritarian Indianapolis cops. Taken under the wing of a professional revolutionary known as (120 Degrees of) Knowledge Allah, the two of them soon find themselves on the run from one end of a retro-fitted Indianapolis to the other, in a desperate attempt to elude the powers that be. Meanwhile, young heiress Sophine Jefferson becomes embroiled in the shady world of corrupt politicians and racist businessmen who run the city, putting her on a collision course with the path of Sleepy, Knowledge Allah and the fomenting revolution.
I’ll start with the good stuff, ’cause there’s a bunch of stuff I thought was *chef’s kiss* about this book. Pimp My Airship really excels on the macro level – themes and world building. It’s a book that brazenly goes to town on the status quo, shining a bright light on the cockroaches of systemic racism, police brutality and the exploitative nature inherent in industrial capitalism. Broaddus does a great job at weaving these themes into the story and showing how all these things are part of a broader and interconnected web of systemic oppression; in Broaddus’ book the primary function of the state is to protect the interests of the wealthy and protect private property, while the City Ordained Pinkertons (COPs) exists as a supposedly neutral force that in reality acts as the violent enforcers of capital and privatised prisons exploit their overwhelmingly black inmate population for free labour. Sound familiar? Yeah.
The broad world building is cool too. Each chapter is introduced with snippets of reports from the corporate press outlets ironically called Vox Populi and Vox Dei, which give us some background context to the kind of world Sleepy, Knowledge Allah and Sophine exist in. They’re propaganda outlets which go out of their way to perform the kind of mental gymnastics often displayed in our own corporate media institutions that variously boost the voices of the powerful, justify police violence and attempt to paint white people as the ‘real victims’ of racism. One of my favourite parts of the book is the section about The Knights of the White Camelia, a real life organisation of mainly upper class white men who occupied powerful positions in government and business in the 19th century. Even though they’re the ones getting rich exploiting people in the fields and factories, sentencing people in the courthouses and pulling the levers of power in government, they see themselves as the real victims of working class and black exploitation when the oppressed make any attempt to resist. After all, when you’re blind to your own privilege, any attempt to level the playing field feels like oppression. This is handled very well in the book, showing how the powerful view the status quo as the natural order of things and any attempt to level the scales as dangerous radicalism.
Unfortunately this method of world building at times felt much too info dumpy for my tastes. These little media snippets are interesting in and of themselves and do give us as readers some wider context about the world, but too often they weren’t directly relevant to the story being told. This stuff always feels more natural and relevant to me when it’s weaved into the narrative, if the characters see it in action or speak to someone who talks about it. I’d rather not be simply told something is the case, but see it crop up as part of the story.
This is where the book is weaker in my opinion – at the micro level of character. This is very much a plot-driven story and for the first three quarters of the book the characters have very little agency. Instead they’re helplessly carried along on a wave of events happening to them and I struggled to identify any goals or motivations they were working towards, beyond simply escaping the bad things being done to them. Even then, they never seem to have any plan to get themselves out of danger, and instead are reliant on the unexpected actions of others to get them out of a tight spot. I mean obviously YMMV on this, but I’m more engaged by characters who do stuff, and it’s their actions that create drama and tension and drive the story forward by their consequences. So even though lots of stuff was happening and danger was never far away, I didn’t get a great sense of narrative tension because Sleepy and Knowledge Allah didn’t really have any goals for most of the book. Sophine was more interesting. She has plans for her life that go very awry and she makes decisions that drastically alter the course of her life; I felt like she had much more agency and a direct effect on the world around her than Sleepy and Knowledge Allah ever did, so this was a plus point in the story.
So yeah, PIMP MY AIRSHIP was a bit of a mixed bag for me; great at the broad strokes stuff, a bit weaker when you zoom in and a method of storytelling I personally just don’t have a taste for. Overall I was a bit disappointed it didn’t reach the potential it clearly has, but there are definitely things to love about it and I still think it’s definitely worth a read for those aspects.
It tells the story of a chiba-smoking spoken word poet called Sleepy, who inadvertently becomes the face of a revolution when his performance theatre is raided by the authoritarian Indianapolis cops. Taken under the wing of a professional revolutionary known as (120 Degrees of) Knowledge Allah, the two of them soon find themselves on the run from one end of a retro-fitted Indianapolis to the other, in a desperate attempt to elude the powers that be. Meanwhile, young heiress Sophine Jefferson becomes embroiled in the shady world of corrupt politicians and racist businessmen who run the city, putting her on a collision course with the path of Sleepy, Knowledge Allah and the fomenting revolution.
I’ll start with the good stuff, ’cause there’s a bunch of stuff I thought was *chef’s kiss* about this book. Pimp My Airship really excels on the macro level – themes and world building. It’s a book that brazenly goes to town on the status quo, shining a bright light on the cockroaches of systemic racism, police brutality and the exploitative nature inherent in industrial capitalism. Broaddus does a great job at weaving these themes into the story and showing how all these things are part of a broader and interconnected web of systemic oppression; in Broaddus’ book the primary function of the state is to protect the interests of the wealthy and protect private property, while the City Ordained Pinkertons (COPs) exists as a supposedly neutral force that in reality acts as the violent enforcers of capital and privatised prisons exploit their overwhelmingly black inmate population for free labour. Sound familiar? Yeah.
The broad world building is cool too. Each chapter is introduced with snippets of reports from the corporate press outlets ironically called Vox Populi and Vox Dei, which give us some background context to the kind of world Sleepy, Knowledge Allah and Sophine exist in. They’re propaganda outlets which go out of their way to perform the kind of mental gymnastics often displayed in our own corporate media institutions that variously boost the voices of the powerful, justify police violence and attempt to paint white people as the ‘real victims’ of racism. One of my favourite parts of the book is the section about The Knights of the White Camelia, a real life organisation of mainly upper class white men who occupied powerful positions in government and business in the 19th century. Even though they’re the ones getting rich exploiting people in the fields and factories, sentencing people in the courthouses and pulling the levers of power in government, they see themselves as the real victims of working class and black exploitation when the oppressed make any attempt to resist. After all, when you’re blind to your own privilege, any attempt to level the playing field feels like oppression. This is handled very well in the book, showing how the powerful view the status quo as the natural order of things and any attempt to level the scales as dangerous radicalism.
Unfortunately this method of world building at times felt much too info dumpy for my tastes. These little media snippets are interesting in and of themselves and do give us as readers some wider context about the world, but too often they weren’t directly relevant to the story being told. This stuff always feels more natural and relevant to me when it’s weaved into the narrative, if the characters see it in action or speak to someone who talks about it. I’d rather not be simply told something is the case, but see it crop up as part of the story.
This is where the book is weaker in my opinion – at the micro level of character. This is very much a plot-driven story and for the first three quarters of the book the characters have very little agency. Instead they’re helplessly carried along on a wave of events happening to them and I struggled to identify any goals or motivations they were working towards, beyond simply escaping the bad things being done to them. Even then, they never seem to have any plan to get themselves out of danger, and instead are reliant on the unexpected actions of others to get them out of a tight spot. I mean obviously YMMV on this, but I’m more engaged by characters who do stuff, and it’s their actions that create drama and tension and drive the story forward by their consequences. So even though lots of stuff was happening and danger was never far away, I didn’t get a great sense of narrative tension because Sleepy and Knowledge Allah didn’t really have any goals for most of the book. Sophine was more interesting. She has plans for her life that go very awry and she makes decisions that drastically alter the course of her life; I felt like she had much more agency and a direct effect on the world around her than Sleepy and Knowledge Allah ever did, so this was a plus point in the story.
So yeah, PIMP MY AIRSHIP was a bit of a mixed bag for me; great at the broad strokes stuff, a bit weaker when you zoom in and a method of storytelling I personally just don’t have a taste for. Overall I was a bit disappointed it didn’t reach the potential it clearly has, but there are definitely things to love about it and I still think it’s definitely worth a read for those aspects.
June 19, 2019
The publisher gave me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I hope they don't regret it.
This book has a lot going for it - excellent writing, compelling characterization, and nice pacing. Unfortunately, for me, some of the flaws got in the way of enjoying its finer qualities.
Pimp My Airship: A Naptown by Airship Novel takes place in a version of Indianapolis in an America that lost the revolutionary war. The setting is steam powered and gas-lit. Two very different protagonists, one from privilege and one from poverty, have their worlds broken open, laying bare the lies and self-delusion supporting a repressive social order. The social commentary is all over the story, sometimes subtle, sometimes not at all subtle, but consistently compelling.
The plot, however, isn't always consistent. For one, given the title, I expected more time in and around airships.
Naptown is mentioned once in the text, in a throwaway comment. If any airships went there, I missed them. Steampunk doesn't require airships, but they really should be there if they're mentioned in the title and in the subtitle.
Thinking of throwaway comments... One of the protagonists brought someone back from the dead while at University. It is never again addressed after being mentioned once. I would have thought it would be a kinda big deal.
Self-plagiarism is a pet peeve of mine. In this book there's more than one instance of repeating, word for word, descriptions from one part of the book to another. For instance, two different private vehicles were described as, "Twin brass tubes formed the body of the car, curving down on both ends stitched together by copper rivets." It's not a egregious as some authors' self plagiarism, but drives me bananas none the less.
Other readers may very well love this book, and feel that the thing's I've mentioned aren't even flaws. I'm not a huge steampunk reader, so my expectations may be off for the genre. I would certainly read more from this author.
This book has a lot going for it - excellent writing, compelling characterization, and nice pacing. Unfortunately, for me, some of the flaws got in the way of enjoying its finer qualities.
Pimp My Airship: A Naptown by Airship Novel takes place in a version of Indianapolis in an America that lost the revolutionary war. The setting is steam powered and gas-lit. Two very different protagonists, one from privilege and one from poverty, have their worlds broken open, laying bare the lies and self-delusion supporting a repressive social order. The social commentary is all over the story, sometimes subtle, sometimes not at all subtle, but consistently compelling.
The plot, however, isn't always consistent. For one, given the title, I expected more time in and around airships.
Naptown is mentioned once in the text, in a throwaway comment. If any airships went there, I missed them. Steampunk doesn't require airships, but they really should be there if they're mentioned in the title and in the subtitle.
Thinking of throwaway comments... One of the protagonists brought someone back from the dead while at University. It is never again addressed after being mentioned once. I would have thought it would be a kinda big deal.
Self-plagiarism is a pet peeve of mine. In this book there's more than one instance of repeating, word for word, descriptions from one part of the book to another. For instance, two different private vehicles were described as, "Twin brass tubes formed the body of the car, curving down on both ends stitched together by copper rivets." It's not a egregious as some authors' self plagiarism, but drives me bananas none the less.
Other readers may very well love this book, and feel that the thing's I've mentioned aren't even flaws. I'm not a huge steampunk reader, so my expectations may be off for the genre. I would certainly read more from this author.
July 26, 2019
For a novel that started out, according to the Acknowledgments, as a joke Maurice Broaddus mentioned on Twitter, saying ‘I’m going to write a steampunk story with an all-black cast and call it Pimp My Airship, this has turned out to be one of the best novels of 2019 for me. Sleepy is one of the most memorable protagonists in recent years I’ve encountered. He has one of the most unique and engaging introductions I’ve ever read, and the worldbuilding in this novel hooked me right from the start. The novel also alternates between very formal tones then switches effectively between more modern speech, which I thought lent the work a nice sense of immediacy. For those who love their steampunk, this book will not disappoint. I hope this novel gets a film or screen adaptation one day as it would make for a phenomenal film, and possesses a wonderful filmic quality.
Sleepy transitions from city worker to performer with great aplomb. He soon encounters another character known as Knowledge Allah. Knowledge wants to recruit Sleepy to a movement known as the Cause, which is working to combat the forces of Albion “in its American colony.”
One of my favourite lines was after Knowledge delivered an explanation about how the Cause operates using cells and Sleepy’s response was: “I don’t know which of us is supposed to be high right now.” Broaddus definitely includes an ample measure of humour in this piece, which I thought was executed very well.
Although an invented/fantasy setting runs through as the undercurrent of this novel, it includes salient portrayals of racism and how people of colour are treated in contrast to white people.
Sophine is one of the other major characters in this novel, and she comes from the complete opposite world of Sleepy. She’s being considered for marriage by a snob she doesn’t care for, Melbourne. And there are robots. Did I mention there are robots? Just when you think the novel can’t get any cooler, it absolutely does. Characters that are usually pitted on opposite sides work together in this highly entertaining fantasy/sci-fi fusion novel from Broaddus, who, although better known for his horror fare, does a masterful job with Pimp My Airship. For those who enjoyed P. Djèlí Clark’s The Black God’s Drums released last summer from Tor, they will definitely enjoy Broaddus’s novel.
Sleepy transitions from city worker to performer with great aplomb. He soon encounters another character known as Knowledge Allah. Knowledge wants to recruit Sleepy to a movement known as the Cause, which is working to combat the forces of Albion “in its American colony.”
One of my favourite lines was after Knowledge delivered an explanation about how the Cause operates using cells and Sleepy’s response was: “I don’t know which of us is supposed to be high right now.” Broaddus definitely includes an ample measure of humour in this piece, which I thought was executed very well.
Although an invented/fantasy setting runs through as the undercurrent of this novel, it includes salient portrayals of racism and how people of colour are treated in contrast to white people.
Sophine is one of the other major characters in this novel, and she comes from the complete opposite world of Sleepy. She’s being considered for marriage by a snob she doesn’t care for, Melbourne. And there are robots. Did I mention there are robots? Just when you think the novel can’t get any cooler, it absolutely does. Characters that are usually pitted on opposite sides work together in this highly entertaining fantasy/sci-fi fusion novel from Broaddus, who, although better known for his horror fare, does a masterful job with Pimp My Airship. For those who enjoyed P. Djèlí Clark’s The Black God’s Drums released last summer from Tor, they will definitely enjoy Broaddus’s novel.
November 14, 2019
"It's time to change your nature." - (120 Degrees of) Knowledge Allah
I really enjoyed this book!
Maurice Broaddus captured the spirit of steampunk in a fascinating way through his take on steamfunk - taking the genre's juxtaposition of past, future, sensory overbigness, and the machine - with the common settings of darkness and color and rust and shine and drawing poignant and layered metaphors that are both deep and apparent at the same time.
In that same spirit, one of the protagonists, (120 Degrees of) Knowledge Allah is now one of my favorite characters. And there are so many single lines that are great; rarely do I stop and hold my finger over a line, just absorbing. And that happened over and over with this book. (Sometimes even with an audible mmmmmm.)
For readers of mine who are concerned with violence and horror and know that Apex is a horror publisher, there were some brief elements of graphic violence and steampunk horror, but nothing I couldn't handle. (The depictions of institutionalized oppression-related violence and mentions of specific incidents are generally more disturbing than the direct plot violence.) The storytelling can be abrupt in various ways, but that all felt in character with the genre and the world. This is a terrific book from a brilliant author and an impactful indie press. Worthy of your support as well as your enjoyment.
I really enjoyed Pimp my Airship, and recommend it to anyone who loves a unique story in general, or specifically a fresh take on steampunk, afrofuturism, or political speculative fiction. In addition to the story being fun and often funny in between being sad or enraging, it was also powerful: I finished the book eager to get out and do things. In fact, my mind is racing with things to say, but since you can go read the book and join in, yourself, I'll leave it there.
Thanks to the author and publisher for such a great adventure.
I really enjoyed this book!
Maurice Broaddus captured the spirit of steampunk in a fascinating way through his take on steamfunk - taking the genre's juxtaposition of past, future, sensory overbigness, and the machine - with the common settings of darkness and color and rust and shine and drawing poignant and layered metaphors that are both deep and apparent at the same time.
In that same spirit, one of the protagonists, (120 Degrees of) Knowledge Allah is now one of my favorite characters. And there are so many single lines that are great; rarely do I stop and hold my finger over a line, just absorbing. And that happened over and over with this book. (Sometimes even with an audible mmmmmm.)
For readers of mine who are concerned with violence and horror and know that Apex is a horror publisher, there were some brief elements of graphic violence and steampunk horror, but nothing I couldn't handle. (The depictions of institutionalized oppression-related violence and mentions of specific incidents are generally more disturbing than the direct plot violence.) The storytelling can be abrupt in various ways, but that all felt in character with the genre and the world. This is a terrific book from a brilliant author and an impactful indie press. Worthy of your support as well as your enjoyment.
I really enjoyed Pimp my Airship, and recommend it to anyone who loves a unique story in general, or specifically a fresh take on steampunk, afrofuturism, or political speculative fiction. In addition to the story being fun and often funny in between being sad or enraging, it was also powerful: I finished the book eager to get out and do things. In fact, my mind is racing with things to say, but since you can go read the book and join in, yourself, I'll leave it there.
Thanks to the author and publisher for such a great adventure.
July 6, 2023
This steampunk novel drew me in quickly as it introduced Sleepy, a steam engineeer by day, poet and dreamer and chiba-smoker by night. The narrative alternates between Sleepy's perspective and that of Sophine, struggling to make her way as a scientist in a male-dominated world. I remained fond of Sleepy throughout, but didn't fully warm to Sophine.
Both Sleepy and Sophine are black (Sophine lighter-skinned than Sleepy) and the novel does an excellent job showing the bitterly racist society they live in, a vision of an America-that-might-have-been if Britain (Albion) still ruled most of it.
The title is great, albeit misleading. An airship appears only late and briefly.
Parts of the prose shone, yet I found many of the sentence fragments distracting. I don't object to sentence fragments in principle, but quite a few of these made me mentally hiccup as I worked to parse them.
I found the climax less compelling than the early parts of the story, though the epilogue pleased me. (Spoiler warning: )
Three and a half out of five sleepy stars, rounded up for Sleepy.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
Both Sleepy and Sophine are black (Sophine lighter-skinned than Sleepy) and the novel does an excellent job showing the bitterly racist society they live in, a vision of an America-that-might-have-been if Britain (Albion) still ruled most of it.
The title is great, albeit misleading. An airship appears only late and briefly.
Parts of the prose shone, yet I found many of the sentence fragments distracting. I don't object to sentence fragments in principle, but quite a few of these made me mentally hiccup as I worked to parse them.
I found the climax less compelling than the early parts of the story, though the epilogue pleased me. (Spoiler warning: )
Three and a half out of five sleepy stars, rounded up for Sleepy.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
July 30, 2024
Not what I was expecting, but I will take this
I got this book at an Author Convention. I was intrigued by the name. It's been a few years since I got this book, but the call to experience adventures in a steampunk era with African Americans as the main characters called to me.
I must say this book is many things. It's a smart story with social commentary on evolving racial issues where segregation of white and black people meets a world of fantastical science and technological growth. There are cyborgs and airships as well as klansmen and Jim Crow laws.
We follow three main characters as they navigate this landscape as black people. Their worlds collide as they are wrapped up in plots to overthrow the status quo while bigoted businessmen and politicians do their best to crush any type of uprising.
This book is fun, fast paced, and fierce. It is thought provoking especially considering our present time and climate of our social and economic times. There's art seen in spoken word poetry and amazing scientific discoveries. And yes. There is a pimped out airship.
I will say the tone snuck up on me in this book. I was expecting steampunk adventures and I got it. I also got to feel empowered and heard in a book. It's not every day an author conveys the same feelings I have just existing in a world that can be less comfortable with your presence. There were no punches pulled or pretty words painted within these pages. It's a raw tale that one should approach with an open mind and a willing heart to discuss.
I got this book at an Author Convention. I was intrigued by the name. It's been a few years since I got this book, but the call to experience adventures in a steampunk era with African Americans as the main characters called to me.
I must say this book is many things. It's a smart story with social commentary on evolving racial issues where segregation of white and black people meets a world of fantastical science and technological growth. There are cyborgs and airships as well as klansmen and Jim Crow laws.
We follow three main characters as they navigate this landscape as black people. Their worlds collide as they are wrapped up in plots to overthrow the status quo while bigoted businessmen and politicians do their best to crush any type of uprising.
This book is fun, fast paced, and fierce. It is thought provoking especially considering our present time and climate of our social and economic times. There's art seen in spoken word poetry and amazing scientific discoveries. And yes. There is a pimped out airship.
I will say the tone snuck up on me in this book. I was expecting steampunk adventures and I got it. I also got to feel empowered and heard in a book. It's not every day an author conveys the same feelings I have just existing in a world that can be less comfortable with your presence. There were no punches pulled or pretty words painted within these pages. It's a raw tale that one should approach with an open mind and a willing heart to discuss.
January 28, 2020
Full disclosure: I live in Indianapolis and am acquainted with the author, which may have made me alternately forgiving and exacting.
The good: Broaddus' world-building savvy is complete and detailed. Sure, it's steampunk, but the alternative history is engaging and makes sense. For someone familiar with Indianapolis there is a nice shot of adrenaline at the geographical specificity, with a frisson of squee when realizing the impact his alternative history has had on spaces and places you pass by every day (in some cases, literally). Broaddus excels at description of machines, and vividly brings to life both steampunk tropes and new dystopian ideas of his own invention. He is clearly influenced by his community activism and I recognize many models of people and situations derived from real life (which makes the novel's action especially chilling).
The not so good: I keenly felt the lack of a good editor, particularly in the action scenes, which seemed to me overly detailed given the heat of the moment being depicted. Many points were hammered home when more nuance would have been appreciated, and there were long sections of exposition where the plot just didn't move along as fast as in prior sections.
But overall I enjoyed the book, the characters, and the message. I am definitely going to read the next one when it comes out!
The good: Broaddus' world-building savvy is complete and detailed. Sure, it's steampunk, but the alternative history is engaging and makes sense. For someone familiar with Indianapolis there is a nice shot of adrenaline at the geographical specificity, with a frisson of squee when realizing the impact his alternative history has had on spaces and places you pass by every day (in some cases, literally). Broaddus excels at description of machines, and vividly brings to life both steampunk tropes and new dystopian ideas of his own invention. He is clearly influenced by his community activism and I recognize many models of people and situations derived from real life (which makes the novel's action especially chilling).
The not so good: I keenly felt the lack of a good editor, particularly in the action scenes, which seemed to me overly detailed given the heat of the moment being depicted. Many points were hammered home when more nuance would have been appreciated, and there were long sections of exposition where the plot just didn't move along as fast as in prior sections.
But overall I enjoyed the book, the characters, and the message. I am definitely going to read the next one when it comes out!
January 25, 2022
3.5 - What a mess of a delightful book that's sloppy, confusing, stilted, fist pumping exciting, deeply thematically resonant all in equal measure. If any one thing, it's just overwrought - I honestly enjoy a florid, purpled prose, but here it trips over itself, as if. the language went out of its way to spice itself up without a reason for doing so. And this serves the uneven quality - sometimes the characters are razor sharp, you see the scene evocatively, and the drive is present, and then it slips and you miss character movement, or dialogue is artificial, or motivations are mixed. Things just happen and you gotta roll with it. And so on.
The strength lies in Broaddus' unflinching willingness to dive deeper and deeper into the depravities of policing and the criminality as an institution on which the country is created - the shining examples of which are these deeply ironic news blasts from the overtly fascist media of the day... which while it has just enough edge of unreality to toe the line, boy does it sure sound like contemporary talking points too. Hmm. Wonder why.
Give it a shot. Honestly I dunno if you'll enjoy it, there's plenty of reasons why you may not, but it's just crazy enough to work, and that kind of art should be showcased more often.
The strength lies in Broaddus' unflinching willingness to dive deeper and deeper into the depravities of policing and the criminality as an institution on which the country is created - the shining examples of which are these deeply ironic news blasts from the overtly fascist media of the day... which while it has just enough edge of unreality to toe the line, boy does it sure sound like contemporary talking points too. Hmm. Wonder why.
Give it a shot. Honestly I dunno if you'll enjoy it, there's plenty of reasons why you may not, but it's just crazy enough to work, and that kind of art should be showcased more often.
October 4, 2021
I'm excited to read another Indiana Author Award winner and this one was definitely unique. I loved that this book was set in Indianapolis, because even though it was futuristic and very steampunk I still was able to recognize many of the place names. I like how the author created new "history" for some of the places as well. A poet named Sleepy, finds himself caught up in the middle of a protest and suddenly he has a new hanger on named, (120 Degrees of) Knowledge Allah, and is wanted by every COP in the city. What in the heck happened? Across town in the wealthy and elite neighborhoods, Sophine Jefferson's father has just been murdered, she never cared much for politics, but suddenly she is swept in everything trying to avenge her father. Soon their paths will cross and Indianapolis will never be the same again. Unique and fun.
March 11, 2024
This is a dystopian steampunk story, with strong doses of feminism and anti-racism. Steampunk isn’t really my thing, and I do think the first (feminism in it) is typical, and guess that the second is pretty rare.
I made it as far as the middle of chapter 6 (of 20) and the story just didn’t hold my interest, so I let it go. The Sleepy/ Knowledge Allah side of the story had worldbuilding that didn’t quite hold together for me, Sleepy’s character never quite made any sense (why didn’t he have any boundaries?), and Knowledge Allah felt more like a caricature than a real person. Sophie’s side of the story was more interesting, but not enough to keep me engaged. Anything that doesn’t keep me through to the end automatically gets one star, but this might be more your kind of story.
I made it as far as the middle of chapter 6 (of 20) and the story just didn’t hold my interest, so I let it go. The Sleepy/ Knowledge Allah side of the story had worldbuilding that didn’t quite hold together for me, Sleepy’s character never quite made any sense (why didn’t he have any boundaries?), and Knowledge Allah felt more like a caricature than a real person. Sophie’s side of the story was more interesting, but not enough to keep me engaged. Anything that doesn’t keep me through to the end automatically gets one star, but this might be more your kind of story.
March 1, 2021
I loved this book so much. Maurice Broaddus managed to pack steampunk, alternate history, social commentary, and some killer poems in here. He even got me to tear up at a couple of points, which doesn't happen to me very often when I read. The prose is lyrical, tight, and keeps pulling you deeper and deeper into the story. I couldn't stop reading it and didn't want it to end. It was an ideal book to check out with all that's happened the last couple of year, hitting on the treatment of race and class structure.
You should definitely check this one out, it deserves all of our attention.
You should definitely check this one out, it deserves all of our attention.
March 7, 2025
The back story here is not original because it's ours but the world is crazy cool. The characters are compelling and yet fun. The steampunk elements, while very entertaining, are mostly candy. The meat of this tale is the main characters coming to terms with who they need to become. Their world like ours, is a labyrinth of racism, sexism, and class struggle. I could bump around in this world for days.
The narration had some interesting pronunciations that I thought added to the parallel effect. Fun listen and I'm now a fan of this author.
The narration had some interesting pronunciations that I thought added to the parallel effect. Fun listen and I'm now a fan of this author.
July 16, 2019
This book was a slow read for me. And I don’t read slow, most of the times. I had a hard time coming to like Sleepy. I liked she who became Deaconess Blues. Knowledge Allah was likably difficult.
The story felt disjointed for quite a while. But the second half was interesting, intriguing, it made me think a lot about our current political arenas.
I must add that this was a book given to me for this review by Apex Publishing
The story felt disjointed for quite a while. But the second half was interesting, intriguing, it made me think a lot about our current political arenas.
I must add that this was a book given to me for this review by Apex Publishing
September 8, 2019
"...and like its predecessor, it is very steampunk, it is very black, and it is very, very Broaddus."
Read my full review up at Lightspeed: http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/non...
Read my full review up at Lightspeed: http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/non...
May 10, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. I hope Maurice writes a sequel. It's a fun and imaginative steam punk universe through the eyes of black characters where slavery ended because of robots instead of the Civil War.
April 2, 2023
There aren't many hip-hop steampunk alternate histories, the setting is great. My only quibble is that there is a lot of world building before the plot really gets going.
Worth sticking with as when the main characters do get together, the finale is worth it.
Worth sticking with as when the main characters do get together, the finale is worth it.
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