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The Boiling Seas #2
Nightingale's Sword
In the endless jungles of Tyria, the Blackbird flies again.
Tal Wenlock and Max Odyn make a formidable team. The thief and the scholar have already unearthed one ancient scroll, filled with priceless knowledge and forgotten magic - and with it cured Tal's sister of her crippling illness.
But four more scrolls still lurk in long-forgotten tombs - and Tal and Max are determined to find them. Unfortunately, so is everyone else. Tal and Max will have to race the world's finest treasure-hunters across the deadly Boiling Seas, from the depths of the earth to the heights of the sky, if they want to win the glory - and the gold.
Thankfully, this time Tal and Max have help. Because Lily Wenlock is back on her feet - and she's not about to let her little brother have all the fun.
The jungle islands of Tyria hold secrets unimaginable - all the Blackbird and his friends have to do is find them first.
PRAISE FOR THE BLACKBIRD AND THE GHOST:
★★★★★ - "my dream come true" - The Wood Between the Worlds
"wonderful worldbuilding... deeply engaging" - The Qwillery
Hûw Steer is an author, historian and sketch comedian from London. You may have seen him with the UCL Graters at the Edinburgh Fringe, read his theses on ancient Roman science-fiction, or even read one of his short stories. You probably haven’t, but at least you’re reading this.
Hûw's short stories can be found in Grimdark Magazine, Shoreline of Infinity, and The Future Fire, as well as on his website.
Tal Wenlock and Max Odyn make a formidable team. The thief and the scholar have already unearthed one ancient scroll, filled with priceless knowledge and forgotten magic - and with it cured Tal's sister of her crippling illness.
But four more scrolls still lurk in long-forgotten tombs - and Tal and Max are determined to find them. Unfortunately, so is everyone else. Tal and Max will have to race the world's finest treasure-hunters across the deadly Boiling Seas, from the depths of the earth to the heights of the sky, if they want to win the glory - and the gold.
Thankfully, this time Tal and Max have help. Because Lily Wenlock is back on her feet - and she's not about to let her little brother have all the fun.
The jungle islands of Tyria hold secrets unimaginable - all the Blackbird and his friends have to do is find them first.
PRAISE FOR THE BLACKBIRD AND THE GHOST:
★★★★★ - "my dream come true" - The Wood Between the Worlds
"wonderful worldbuilding... deeply engaging" - The Qwillery
Hûw Steer is an author, historian and sketch comedian from London. You may have seen him with the UCL Graters at the Edinburgh Fringe, read his theses on ancient Roman science-fiction, or even read one of his short stories. You probably haven’t, but at least you’re reading this.
Hûw's short stories can be found in Grimdark Magazine, Shoreline of Infinity, and The Future Fire, as well as on his website.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 19, 2021
1 person is currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Hûw Steer
15 books20 followersI’m an author and historian from London. I have an MA in Ancient History, specialising in the study of ancient science-fiction (yes, there is some!). I’ve been writing for some years now, have published several short stories and five novels, and am currently having several more rejected by agents and publishers.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 18, 2022
What do airships, pirates, tomb raiders, duels, magic, and jungle expeditions have in common?
They're all things I love in a story.
They're also all in Hûw Steer's newest novel, Nightingale's Sword. The second book in his Boiling Seas series (I reviewed the first one here), it's possibly even more action-packed and atmospheric than the first. And it sure is a great read.
After finding the first of several magic scrolls that contain ancient wisdom and spells, Tal Wenlock, alias The Blackbird, is determined to find the others. Helping him is scholar and unlikely adventurer Max Odyn, and Tal's intrepid sister Lily. The trio work well together both on and off the page: they're each strong characters in their own right, but they have a great group dynamic that makes the story fun and fulfilling. I'm hoping their relationships continue to develop and deepen in the next book.
The adventures begin on a huge, fancy airship sailing over the boiling seas. As far as cool stuff in stories go, this is pretty near the top. So just imagine how much cooler it gets when the airship is attacked by pirates, and Tal and his friends have to fight their way free.
Honestly not sure what could be cooler than that, but a quest to find a magic scroll in a ruined temple in the deep jungle of an uncharted island seems like a strong contender. And did I mention it's a race?
At this point, I was starting to wonder if the author has mind-reading powers because he literally put everything I love in a story into this book--except maybe dinosaurs, but you have to draw the line somewhere.
Thanks to a great, high stakes plot and engaging characters with great relationship dynamics, the story never gets stale or boring. But it's not just action at the expense of plot, worldbuilding, or character development. We're treated to a tour of the airship and an explanation of its inner workings, an artisan mapmaker's shop, a deep jungle, and an abandoned, unexplored temple.
We also see characters having to make tough decisions and grapple with the effects of their choices, which is something I appreciate in a story. And we get a taste of this world's history and geography, so that it feels like a real place with a real past.
Basically, Nightingale's Sword is part steampunk, part high fantasy, and part classic adventure tale. If that combination doesn't appeal to you, I don't know what will.
They're all things I love in a story.
They're also all in Hûw Steer's newest novel, Nightingale's Sword. The second book in his Boiling Seas series (I reviewed the first one here), it's possibly even more action-packed and atmospheric than the first. And it sure is a great read.
After finding the first of several magic scrolls that contain ancient wisdom and spells, Tal Wenlock, alias The Blackbird, is determined to find the others. Helping him is scholar and unlikely adventurer Max Odyn, and Tal's intrepid sister Lily. The trio work well together both on and off the page: they're each strong characters in their own right, but they have a great group dynamic that makes the story fun and fulfilling. I'm hoping their relationships continue to develop and deepen in the next book.
The adventures begin on a huge, fancy airship sailing over the boiling seas. As far as cool stuff in stories go, this is pretty near the top. So just imagine how much cooler it gets when the airship is attacked by pirates, and Tal and his friends have to fight their way free.
Honestly not sure what could be cooler than that, but a quest to find a magic scroll in a ruined temple in the deep jungle of an uncharted island seems like a strong contender. And did I mention it's a race?
At this point, I was starting to wonder if the author has mind-reading powers because he literally put everything I love in a story into this book--except maybe dinosaurs, but you have to draw the line somewhere.
Thanks to a great, high stakes plot and engaging characters with great relationship dynamics, the story never gets stale or boring. But it's not just action at the expense of plot, worldbuilding, or character development. We're treated to a tour of the airship and an explanation of its inner workings, an artisan mapmaker's shop, a deep jungle, and an abandoned, unexplored temple.
We also see characters having to make tough decisions and grapple with the effects of their choices, which is something I appreciate in a story. And we get a taste of this world's history and geography, so that it feels like a real place with a real past.
Basically, Nightingale's Sword is part steampunk, part high fantasy, and part classic adventure tale. If that combination doesn't appeal to you, I don't know what will.
January 3, 2022
Ever since I was introduced to Tal Wenlock in The Blackbird And The Ghost, I've been eagerly awaiting the next book in the Boiling Seas series.
In this spectacular sequel, Wenlock, his friend Max, and his sister Lily race against a competitor tomb raider to be the first to find the next ancient scroll containing magical secrets and forgotten knowledge.
In doing so, they have to fight off pirates, travel by rigid airship, and explore the mysterious underground ruins of a hidden temple.
If you're not excited by this point, you should be. And if you haven't started this series yet, pick up Blackbird today - I promise that you'll be purchasing Nightingale's Sword before tomorrow!
In this spectacular sequel, Wenlock, his friend Max, and his sister Lily race against a competitor tomb raider to be the first to find the next ancient scroll containing magical secrets and forgotten knowledge.
In doing so, they have to fight off pirates, travel by rigid airship, and explore the mysterious underground ruins of a hidden temple.
If you're not excited by this point, you should be. And if you haven't started this series yet, pick up Blackbird today - I promise that you'll be purchasing Nightingale's Sword before tomorrow!
November 30, 2023
An excellent second installment to a series of uniqueness, exploration and wonder, I thoroughly enjoyed Tal, Max and Lily's adventures to find the second scroll. There were a number of interesting elements to the plot that I won't spoil, and the character relationships were neatly done, but it's in the environmental descriptions that Steer really shines, with beautiful temples and jungles and storms all woven into wonderfully expressive prose. The only issue I found with the book was that the pacing was very sporadic, with some side events taking up a lot more time than some crucial elements in the final third of the book. But, taken as a whole story, the book is a great sequel, and I eagerly await the third!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews