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The Symbicate
A Steampunk Fantasy Adventure
The Symbicate is the most feared criminal organisation in the land, and now it’s dying. Rival crime rings, dashing heroes, and scorned freedom fighters close in alongside scores of the world’s deadliest bounty hunters, assassins, and hit men—all flocking to one city to compete for the payday of a lifetime.
Three young adventurers find themselves embroiled in the deadly plot: a Hired Hero out for revenge, a reluctant assassin just trying to survive, and a do-gooder viscount on a quest to save his uncle. Our three hapless heroes are unaware of how intertwined their destinies will be, and strive to complete their quests, even if it means giving up everything they once believed in.
This is a world where the moon is shattered, and the land is inhabited by symbioids—sinewy life-forms that can weave with gadgets or hosts to grant unique abilities. But treachery and mystery abound beneath the surface, and things are never as they seem.
The Symbicate is the most feared criminal organisation in the land, and now it’s dying. Rival crime rings, dashing heroes, and scorned freedom fighters close in alongside scores of the world’s deadliest bounty hunters, assassins, and hit men—all flocking to one city to compete for the payday of a lifetime.
Three young adventurers find themselves embroiled in the deadly plot: a Hired Hero out for revenge, a reluctant assassin just trying to survive, and a do-gooder viscount on a quest to save his uncle. Our three hapless heroes are unaware of how intertwined their destinies will be, and strive to complete their quests, even if it means giving up everything they once believed in.
This is a world where the moon is shattered, and the land is inhabited by symbioids—sinewy life-forms that can weave with gadgets or hosts to grant unique abilities. But treachery and mystery abound beneath the surface, and things are never as they seem.
234 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2021
2 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 12, 2025
Very cool world, excellent vibes, interesting characters. Wish it was longer
May 30, 2021
A really fun and fast-paced steampunk adventure. There’s an impressive amount of world-building packed into this compact volume and a nice dose of dry wit.
There were a lot of characters I’d like to know more about, particularly the backstories of Billie and Eleanor, so fingers crossed for a sequel!
There were a lot of characters I’d like to know more about, particularly the backstories of Billie and Eleanor, so fingers crossed for a sequel!
December 29, 2025
This may be genuinely one of the most insane books I've ever read. I have a lot of thoughts and opinions to get through, so let's dive straight in (I'll do my best to avoid spoilers).
First off, let's talk about the things Symbicate does right. Immediately, the magic system in this book is quite fun - people weave with "symbioids" to obtain powers, and the symbioids are strongly hinted to have some kind of consciousness. Some symbioids are "living" and some are "mechanical", and there are some interesting moments of cultural politics surrounding the living symbioids and how taboo they are.
The characters we're introduced to are fun to read in a cartoonish sort of way. This is part of what makes this book enjoyable as light entertainment. You won't want to read too deeply into most of these characters, but they bring a lot of liveliness to their scenes, and have some unexpected chemistry with each other.
This is a big part of the problem with Symbicate in general, though - it's fun until you read into it further. That would be fine if all it wanted to be is light entertainment, but it clearly wants to be more. It wants you to take its lore dumps seriously, and it wants you to be curious about the deeper backstories and arcs of each character. It just doesn't know how to teach the reader its lore.
So then, we have the lore dumps. They're not too egregious for a fantasy book, because they're usually not all that long. It's a very to-the-point book. The problems is that it doesn't know how to do clean exposition - everything is delivered in the form of a lore dump, and it's usually awkward and stunted. It gets across what the reader needs to know, but that's it. It never considers what's natural or what's realistic for the characters or the scene. It's not a book that takes many steps to keep you immersed or to maintain your suspension of disbelief.
Perhaps the biggest pain point for me is the characters. I said before that they're fun until you read into them more deeply, which is true. They usually have fairly serviceable backstories that you're fed early on, and then everything they do is a result of a single motivation, and they never get any more layers or subplots. But the biggest problem is with consistency. Plainly, the characters' moral values and objectives follow the needs of the plot instead of following any kind of logical consistency. This applies to the power scaling as well - we have characters who are getting bodied by singular untrained fighters, and then taking out legions of pirates a couple of chapters later. Everything is warped to the convenience of the plot, which means that it's very difficult to take the characters' themes, arcs and motivations seriously, since the book itself can't commit to them.
The moment when this book really gets into gear, though, is the finale. There's an impressive number of characters that are set up throughout a relatively short novel, and they're put in place specifically to participate in a long, intricate, often montage-style action scene that makes up the story's climax. Frankly, this section is a little bewildering. We have all of the above strengths and weaknesses of storytelling firing from all cylinders. We have the big lesson/resolution for the character arcs of almost every named character packed into one scene. Twists. Deaths. Betrayals. It's like you took the entirety of Avengers: Endgame and stuffed it into one chapter.
To be honest, there are moments where it works. This book is usually at its best within the heat of some fast-paced action, because most of what we experience in the book is very surface-level. Leaning into this type of writing is smart. But the story absolutely needed some better pacing, and it should have cut several characters who barely pertained to the plot at all other than to make things more complicated, or to contribute to one specific fight scene where nothing meaningfully changes. To put it plainly, the plot suffers from a lack of direction. It's always hard to write a multi-POV story. This book takes that difficulty curve and loads it into a rocket before propelling it at mach-10 into the pale green luminescence of the shattered moon (yes, this celestial prop comes up a lot).
If you want an epic fantasy that respects its own characters and worldbuilding, I can't recommend Symbicate, but there's a lot of fun stuff in this book that points towards a budding writing style that *could* make for a really fun read, and the writer clearly cares about delivering whimsy, adventure and comedy to his readers. Hopefully the author can take my feedback into his next projects.
First off, let's talk about the things Symbicate does right. Immediately, the magic system in this book is quite fun - people weave with "symbioids" to obtain powers, and the symbioids are strongly hinted to have some kind of consciousness. Some symbioids are "living" and some are "mechanical", and there are some interesting moments of cultural politics surrounding the living symbioids and how taboo they are.
The characters we're introduced to are fun to read in a cartoonish sort of way. This is part of what makes this book enjoyable as light entertainment. You won't want to read too deeply into most of these characters, but they bring a lot of liveliness to their scenes, and have some unexpected chemistry with each other.
This is a big part of the problem with Symbicate in general, though - it's fun until you read into it further. That would be fine if all it wanted to be is light entertainment, but it clearly wants to be more. It wants you to take its lore dumps seriously, and it wants you to be curious about the deeper backstories and arcs of each character. It just doesn't know how to teach the reader its lore.
So then, we have the lore dumps. They're not too egregious for a fantasy book, because they're usually not all that long. It's a very to-the-point book. The problems is that it doesn't know how to do clean exposition - everything is delivered in the form of a lore dump, and it's usually awkward and stunted. It gets across what the reader needs to know, but that's it. It never considers what's natural or what's realistic for the characters or the scene. It's not a book that takes many steps to keep you immersed or to maintain your suspension of disbelief.
Perhaps the biggest pain point for me is the characters. I said before that they're fun until you read into them more deeply, which is true. They usually have fairly serviceable backstories that you're fed early on, and then everything they do is a result of a single motivation, and they never get any more layers or subplots. But the biggest problem is with consistency. Plainly, the characters' moral values and objectives follow the needs of the plot instead of following any kind of logical consistency. This applies to the power scaling as well - we have characters who are getting bodied by singular untrained fighters, and then taking out legions of pirates a couple of chapters later. Everything is warped to the convenience of the plot, which means that it's very difficult to take the characters' themes, arcs and motivations seriously, since the book itself can't commit to them.
The moment when this book really gets into gear, though, is the finale. There's an impressive number of characters that are set up throughout a relatively short novel, and they're put in place specifically to participate in a long, intricate, often montage-style action scene that makes up the story's climax. Frankly, this section is a little bewildering. We have all of the above strengths and weaknesses of storytelling firing from all cylinders. We have the big lesson/resolution for the character arcs of almost every named character packed into one scene. Twists. Deaths. Betrayals. It's like you took the entirety of Avengers: Endgame and stuffed it into one chapter.
To be honest, there are moments where it works. This book is usually at its best within the heat of some fast-paced action, because most of what we experience in the book is very surface-level. Leaning into this type of writing is smart. But the story absolutely needed some better pacing, and it should have cut several characters who barely pertained to the plot at all other than to make things more complicated, or to contribute to one specific fight scene where nothing meaningfully changes. To put it plainly, the plot suffers from a lack of direction. It's always hard to write a multi-POV story. This book takes that difficulty curve and loads it into a rocket before propelling it at mach-10 into the pale green luminescence of the shattered moon (yes, this celestial prop comes up a lot).
If you want an epic fantasy that respects its own characters and worldbuilding, I can't recommend Symbicate, but there's a lot of fun stuff in this book that points towards a budding writing style that *could* make for a really fun read, and the writer clearly cares about delivering whimsy, adventure and comedy to his readers. Hopefully the author can take my feedback into his next projects.
December 18, 2023
Sean M. T. Shanahan’s “The Symbicate: A Roaring, Whimsical Adventure” (Book 1) is an action-packed steampunk fantasy book that follows an unconventional group of heroes, each on their individual quests. However, their motives eventually intertwine, and with beautiful friendships built on the journey, they face dangerous pirates and supernatural beings together to achieve their goals. It had been a while since I read a good steampunk fantasy novel and I’m so glad I picked this one.
Sean does a tremendous job of carving out well-developed characters. Each protagonist has a distinct personality and backstory, making them relatable and easy to root for. The dynamics between the characters, particularly the banter and camaraderie, add depth and humour to the story. Thomas Marrow, the male lead in particular, stands out with his complex motivations, internal struggles and a backstory you might not be ready for.
When building a fantasy world with unnatural elements, sometimes the reader feels disassociated, unable to grasp the story’s realism. That’s where dialogues play an essential part in establishing the connection between the reader and the characters. Fortunately, this novel doesn’t face this issue. The dialogues are crisp, witty, and blended so well for individual characters, that will definitely make you chuckle.
The Symbicate (Book 1) explores themes of sacrifice, redemption, and the power of friendship. The characters’ quests are driven by personal goals and desires, but they ultimately learn the importance of working together and supporting one another. The conflict between the need to protect others and the potential consequences of their actions adds an extra layer of well-seasoned complexity to the story and raises thought-provoking questions about the nature of heroism and sacrifice.
The book’s vivid and immersive world-building is commendable and goes perfectly with the plot. I fell in love with it at first glance, wanting to know more about this steampunk fantasy world. The author paints a detailed picture of the settings, from the shattered moonlit sky to the dark waters of the Dread Coast. My favourite would be the slum district of Quartrant. The inclusion of supernatural elements, such as symbioids and the Angel of Death, also adds an intriguing layer to the story that’ll keep you guessing. I just can’t get over the lovely costume descriptions of characters wearing frock coats, bulky copper contraptions, etc.
Now, let’s be real. Even the most thrilling rollercoaster has its bumps. There are a few areas where the book lacked the sparkle and could have been improved. The pacing, while generally fast, occasionally feels rushed, especially during action sequences. The well-depicted action scenes required more detailed descriptions and a slower build-up to certain events.
Additionally, the book introduced several plot threads and characters, which were overwhelming at times and didn’t really support the plot. Maybe it was necessary for the world-building leading up to the advancement of the overall Symbicate series, but it isn’t that significant and will need reintroduction in the later books. While the author does a commendable job of tying everything together, some readers may find it challenging to keep track of all the different storylines. Sometimes, the timelines changed between current and past with no heads-up whatsoever and took a while to be comprehensible.
But hey, flaws and all, “The Symbicate” is a must-read if you’re a fellow fantasy and sci-fi enthusiast like me. Even if you’re not familiar with the steampunk-ish noir-styled stories, this book is a great introduction, and you should definitely pick it up for your next read. I’ve already added the next instalment in “The Symbicate” series to my TBR list. It’s safe to say I’m hooked!
Sean does a tremendous job of carving out well-developed characters. Each protagonist has a distinct personality and backstory, making them relatable and easy to root for. The dynamics between the characters, particularly the banter and camaraderie, add depth and humour to the story. Thomas Marrow, the male lead in particular, stands out with his complex motivations, internal struggles and a backstory you might not be ready for.
When building a fantasy world with unnatural elements, sometimes the reader feels disassociated, unable to grasp the story’s realism. That’s where dialogues play an essential part in establishing the connection between the reader and the characters. Fortunately, this novel doesn’t face this issue. The dialogues are crisp, witty, and blended so well for individual characters, that will definitely make you chuckle.
The Symbicate (Book 1) explores themes of sacrifice, redemption, and the power of friendship. The characters’ quests are driven by personal goals and desires, but they ultimately learn the importance of working together and supporting one another. The conflict between the need to protect others and the potential consequences of their actions adds an extra layer of well-seasoned complexity to the story and raises thought-provoking questions about the nature of heroism and sacrifice.
The book’s vivid and immersive world-building is commendable and goes perfectly with the plot. I fell in love with it at first glance, wanting to know more about this steampunk fantasy world. The author paints a detailed picture of the settings, from the shattered moonlit sky to the dark waters of the Dread Coast. My favourite would be the slum district of Quartrant. The inclusion of supernatural elements, such as symbioids and the Angel of Death, also adds an intriguing layer to the story that’ll keep you guessing. I just can’t get over the lovely costume descriptions of characters wearing frock coats, bulky copper contraptions, etc.
Now, let’s be real. Even the most thrilling rollercoaster has its bumps. There are a few areas where the book lacked the sparkle and could have been improved. The pacing, while generally fast, occasionally feels rushed, especially during action sequences. The well-depicted action scenes required more detailed descriptions and a slower build-up to certain events.
Additionally, the book introduced several plot threads and characters, which were overwhelming at times and didn’t really support the plot. Maybe it was necessary for the world-building leading up to the advancement of the overall Symbicate series, but it isn’t that significant and will need reintroduction in the later books. While the author does a commendable job of tying everything together, some readers may find it challenging to keep track of all the different storylines. Sometimes, the timelines changed between current and past with no heads-up whatsoever and took a while to be comprehensible.
But hey, flaws and all, “The Symbicate” is a must-read if you’re a fellow fantasy and sci-fi enthusiast like me. Even if you’re not familiar with the steampunk-ish noir-styled stories, this book is a great introduction, and you should definitely pick it up for your next read. I’ve already added the next instalment in “The Symbicate” series to my TBR list. It’s safe to say I’m hooked!
December 24, 2023
What a fun, action-packed read, about a group of fighters, augmented by symbioids, which give them superhero-like qualities, going after a bounty placed on the leader of the Symbicate.
The story opens with Thomas, a hired Hero with symbioids that give him grappling hooks to move about in Spider Man-like fashion, on a mission to save a noble's daughter. Mid-way through, he gets his first lead on the villain who killed his father,and took his sister away many years before.
Thomas takes leave from the Hero agency that employs him, and sets out to take revenge for his loss. But, at the same time, a contract has been put out on the man he's after, which draws out a long list of captable bounty hunters, many themselves augment. One can blink himself here or there, extricating himself from sticky situations. Another is gifted with unnatural luck.
The fighters are male and female, and tough as they come. The fight sequences are abundant, full of cool moves and crackling banter. Allegiances are made, enemies forged. But invariably, not all is as straight-forward as it appears, with a couple of twists that made me smile.
It is a roaring, whimsical adventure indeed.
The story opens with Thomas, a hired Hero with symbioids that give him grappling hooks to move about in Spider Man-like fashion, on a mission to save a noble's daughter. Mid-way through, he gets his first lead on the villain who killed his father,and took his sister away many years before.
Thomas takes leave from the Hero agency that employs him, and sets out to take revenge for his loss. But, at the same time, a contract has been put out on the man he's after, which draws out a long list of captable bounty hunters, many themselves augment. One can blink himself here or there, extricating himself from sticky situations. Another is gifted with unnatural luck.
The fighters are male and female, and tough as they come. The fight sequences are abundant, full of cool moves and crackling banter. Allegiances are made, enemies forged. But invariably, not all is as straight-forward as it appears, with a couple of twists that made me smile.
It is a roaring, whimsical adventure indeed.
December 6, 2024
Absolutely loved this book!
It was fun and intriguing, with a unique twist at the end. The characters were all interesting and each one's stories interconnected together by the end. I found their money system and the functions of symbioid's intriguing, and how they fitted into the main trio's story. Without giving too much away, you will find yourself captivated by the world and how it works, rooting for the trio to each succeed, until you realise a win for one is a loss for another.
It was fun and intriguing, with a unique twist at the end. The characters were all interesting and each one's stories interconnected together by the end. I found their money system and the functions of symbioid's intriguing, and how they fitted into the main trio's story. Without giving too much away, you will find yourself captivated by the world and how it works, rooting for the trio to each succeed, until you realise a win for one is a loss for another.
June 24, 2025
The Symbicate was a truly fantastic story. The characters were compelling, with emotions, and problems that felt real. They were lovable, and enjoyable. The plot built up well, and had me rushing out to get the next book in my hands. I, personally, felt the battle scenes were the cherry on top of this delightful cake of a book. They were so fluid, well written and engaging, you felt like you were there in the heat of it all.
I cannot wait to dive into the next book!
I cannot wait to dive into the next book!
December 10, 2023
Adventurous and thrilling, The Symbicate follows the journey of three unlikely companions, Tara, Thomas, and Eric, as they work to achieve separate tasks. They meet on their way to Masonville, each for their own goals, and end up finding out that their paths are more intertwined than they could have ever imagined. Exciting and full of adventure, this book is a must read!
October 17, 2024
This is a really good book, one of the best I’ve ever read. It seamlessly connects the characters in a way that doesn’t feel rushed or choppy, and it really feels heart wrenching at the sad moments, and satisfying when good things happen. All in all, this is a great book, and only made better by the next 2
January 7, 2025
I was hooked in the first few pages - immersed further with every introduction and layer of lore.
It has everything I want in a good story and undoubtedly made me laugh, cry and left me surprised in ways I didn’t see coming.
Was very thankful to finish the book and be met with the knowledge of a second book. What a world!!!!
It has everything I want in a good story and undoubtedly made me laugh, cry and left me surprised in ways I didn’t see coming.
Was very thankful to finish the book and be met with the knowledge of a second book. What a world!!!!
September 13, 2025
Action from the start!
I love the world building and characters in this book and series. Lots of great plot twists and turns. I've finished reading the whole series and I'm really glad I stopped by the bookstore to speak to the author. I don't read much - but I am glad I spent my time on this series!
I love the world building and characters in this book and series. Lots of great plot twists and turns. I've finished reading the whole series and I'm really glad I stopped by the bookstore to speak to the author. I don't read much - but I am glad I spent my time on this series!
July 28, 2021
Honestly I loved this book! Such a unique concept and I loved seeing how the different character stories intertwined. Plus, or course, that twist! Did not see it coming! 10/10 would recommend to any friends who enjoy fantasy, adventure, sci-fi or steampunk.
June 29, 2021
Amazing world built on steam and unknown tech that grips you harder than Thom's grapples!
July 19, 2021
It took me a few chapters to get into this book. After that I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen to the characters. The book keeps you going to the end.
March 2, 2025
World building is hard, but shanahan manages to get over that awkward phase of information dumping very quickly. His intriguing character, politics and even currency are captivating
December 13, 2025
Well written, great character development and sci fantasy world. Love that the main characters are female.
January 11, 2025
This gave me John Wick, Guy Ritchie, Treasure Island, Princess Bride vibes. Sean masterfully introduced a ragtag bunch of characters with competing interests and goals into a fascinating world and situation. I enjoyed learning more about the characters and how the various storylines were going to weave together. The sci fi elements of the Symbioids were my favourite aspect. I look forward to more from this world and characters.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews