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Tales of the Ketty Jay #2
The Black Lung Captain
Darian Frey is down on his luck. He can barely keep his squabbling crew fed and his rickety aircraft in the sky. Even the simplest robberies seem to go wrong. It's getting so a man can't make a dishonest living any more.
Enter Captain Grist. He's heard about a crashed aircraft laden with the treasures of a lost civilisation, and he needs Frey's help to get it. There's only one problem. The craft is lying in the trackless heart of a remote island, populated by giant beasts and subhuman monsters.
Dangerous, yes. Suicidal, perhaps. Still, Frey's never let common sense get in the way of a fortune before. But there's something other than treasure on board that aircraft. Something that a lot of important people would kill for. And it's going to take all of Frey's considerable skill at lying, cheating and stealing if he wants to get his hands on it...
Strap yourself in for another tale of adventure and debauchery, pilots and pirates, golems and daemons, double-crosses and double-double-crosses. The crew of the Ketty Jay are back!
Enter Captain Grist. He's heard about a crashed aircraft laden with the treasures of a lost civilisation, and he needs Frey's help to get it. There's only one problem. The craft is lying in the trackless heart of a remote island, populated by giant beasts and subhuman monsters.
Dangerous, yes. Suicidal, perhaps. Still, Frey's never let common sense get in the way of a fortune before. But there's something other than treasure on board that aircraft. Something that a lot of important people would kill for. And it's going to take all of Frey's considerable skill at lying, cheating and stealing if he wants to get his hands on it...
Strap yourself in for another tale of adventure and debauchery, pilots and pirates, golems and daemons, double-crosses and double-double-crosses. The crew of the Ketty Jay are back!
442 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2010
105 people are currently reading
3211 people want to read
About the author
Chris Wooding
79 books2,190 followersChris Wooding grew up in a small town in Leicestershire, where not much of anything happened. So he started to write novels. He was sixteen when he completed his first. He had an agent by eighteen. By nineteen he had signed his first book deal. When he left university he began to write full-time, and he has been doing it professionally all his adult life.
Now thirty-nine, Chris has written over twenty books, which have been translated into twenty languages, won various awards and been published around the world. He writes for film and television, and has several projects in development.
Chris has travelled extensively round the world, having backpacked all over Europe and North America, Scandinavia, South East Asia, Japan and South Africa. He also lived in Madrid for a time. When he wasn’t travelling on his own, he spent his twenties touring with bands and seeing the UK and Europe from the back of a van.
He also learned not so long ago that his family tree can be traced back to John Milton, author of Paradise Lost, which has no bearing on him whatsoever but it’s kind of interesting anyway.
Chris lives in London.
Now thirty-nine, Chris has written over twenty books, which have been translated into twenty languages, won various awards and been published around the world. He writes for film and television, and has several projects in development.
Chris has travelled extensively round the world, having backpacked all over Europe and North America, Scandinavia, South East Asia, Japan and South Africa. He also lived in Madrid for a time. When he wasn’t travelling on his own, he spent his twenties touring with bands and seeing the UK and Europe from the back of a van.
He also learned not so long ago that his family tree can be traced back to John Milton, author of Paradise Lost, which has no bearing on him whatsoever but it’s kind of interesting anyway.
Chris lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 504 reviews
October 19, 2018
This was more or less on the same quality of fun and entertainment of Retribution Falls; except that it was imbued with great characterizations right from the start.
The Black Lung Captain is the second book in the Tales of the Ketty Jay quartet by Chris Wooding. A year since the events of the last book has passed and the plot began with Frey being offered a mission that will make him extremely wealthy and as usual, the mission immediately went completely wrong. Sounds familiar? Yup, I practically copy pasted my plot description of the first book. In terms of storytelling structure, there was close to zero differences with the first book. This doesn’t mean that the book wasn’t entertaining or fun to read, because they were. However, if you’re binge reading the series as I did, you’ll notice even more just how similar the structure of the story was and at times it can felt a bit draggy. The plot and actions were still engaging overall but moving forward, I really hope Wooding offers something new to the series rather than just similar storytelling structure rehashed with different names and places.
My minor issue with the repetitive nature of the storytelling style aside, I must say that once again I’m deeply impressed by Wooding’s characterizations and how well-fleshed out the crews of Ketty Jay were. With the exception of one crewmate, the crew of Ketty Jay received well-thorough character development and growth. The superb characters’ growth and improvement were even more evident in Frey, Crake, and Jez. In the first book, it was all about trying to first realize that they’re a team; the sequel shows how difficult it can be to maintain the relationship and teamwork in their ragtag group.
Frey and the crew of Ketty Jay learned and fought through a lot of emotional hurdles in order to work better as a crew and I found their journey to be heartwarming and satisfying to read. Wooding really dived deep into the characters’ personalities, flaws, and thoughts; if you’re not a fan of heavily character-driven books, I can imagine how this series would be boring to read. Sure there were plenty of actions, engaging plot, and good pacing to go with but beneath it all, the characterizations easily took the spotlight of the book.
The world-building improved as Wooding gave more explanation on the history of the Manes and daemon. Admittedly, I want to address I truly believe that Wooding was inspired by Full Metal Alchemist in the creation of this series. Without spoiling anything from the series so far, there were two characters in the series that seriously have the same subplot as the one told in Full Metal Alchemist. There’s nothing wrong with it, authors are always free to be inspired by other peoples’ work and put it into their creation. However, I had a hard time not thinking something along the line of “oh my god, this is completely just like Full Metal Alchemist” repeatedly during these two character storyline; it was too similar and frankly, quite distracting to my immersion.
This review has been relatively shorter than my usual review. Despite how much I enjoyed the book, I simply don’t have anything prominent left to say because there were too many similarities between this and the first book that if I exclude the improvement in character development and world-building, it really felt like the same plot rehashed with different antagonist and locales. Overall though, my rating speaks for itself; The Black Lung Captain was fun and entertaining. I won’t say that it was amazing or mind-blowing but I laughed, saddened, smiled, and certainly had a fun time with it. Wooding continues to impress and immerse me with his talent in characterizations and once again, I can’t wait to read what kind of ordeal the crew of Ketty Jay will face next.
You can order the book HERE!
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
The Black Lung Captain is the second book in the Tales of the Ketty Jay quartet by Chris Wooding. A year since the events of the last book has passed and the plot began with Frey being offered a mission that will make him extremely wealthy and as usual, the mission immediately went completely wrong. Sounds familiar? Yup, I practically copy pasted my plot description of the first book. In terms of storytelling structure, there was close to zero differences with the first book. This doesn’t mean that the book wasn’t entertaining or fun to read, because they were. However, if you’re binge reading the series as I did, you’ll notice even more just how similar the structure of the story was and at times it can felt a bit draggy. The plot and actions were still engaging overall but moving forward, I really hope Wooding offers something new to the series rather than just similar storytelling structure rehashed with different names and places.
My minor issue with the repetitive nature of the storytelling style aside, I must say that once again I’m deeply impressed by Wooding’s characterizations and how well-fleshed out the crews of Ketty Jay were. With the exception of one crewmate, the crew of Ketty Jay received well-thorough character development and growth. The superb characters’ growth and improvement were even more evident in Frey, Crake, and Jez. In the first book, it was all about trying to first realize that they’re a team; the sequel shows how difficult it can be to maintain the relationship and teamwork in their ragtag group.
“Not for the first time, he wished he commanded a highly trained bunch of soldiers instead of a ragtag mob of rejects in varying stages of alcoholism.”
Frey and the crew of Ketty Jay learned and fought through a lot of emotional hurdles in order to work better as a crew and I found their journey to be heartwarming and satisfying to read. Wooding really dived deep into the characters’ personalities, flaws, and thoughts; if you’re not a fan of heavily character-driven books, I can imagine how this series would be boring to read. Sure there were plenty of actions, engaging plot, and good pacing to go with but beneath it all, the characterizations easily took the spotlight of the book.
“Individually they were hopeless. But somehow, when they were all together, they became something greater than the sum of their parts.”
The world-building improved as Wooding gave more explanation on the history of the Manes and daemon. Admittedly, I want to address I truly believe that Wooding was inspired by Full Metal Alchemist in the creation of this series. Without spoiling anything from the series so far, there were two characters in the series that seriously have the same subplot as the one told in Full Metal Alchemist. There’s nothing wrong with it, authors are always free to be inspired by other peoples’ work and put it into their creation. However, I had a hard time not thinking something along the line of “oh my god, this is completely just like Full Metal Alchemist” repeatedly during these two character storyline; it was too similar and frankly, quite distracting to my immersion.
This review has been relatively shorter than my usual review. Despite how much I enjoyed the book, I simply don’t have anything prominent left to say because there were too many similarities between this and the first book that if I exclude the improvement in character development and world-building, it really felt like the same plot rehashed with different antagonist and locales. Overall though, my rating speaks for itself; The Black Lung Captain was fun and entertaining. I won’t say that it was amazing or mind-blowing but I laughed, saddened, smiled, and certainly had a fun time with it. Wooding continues to impress and immerse me with his talent in characterizations and once again, I can’t wait to read what kind of ordeal the crew of Ketty Jay will face next.
You can order the book HERE!
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
December 3, 2018
This series is fun so far!
May 4, 2020
Fun swashbuckling adventure. Should probably be read while drinking a glass of Captain's and Coke for fully immersive enjoyment. The characters grew on me as they went through more tribulations and started to transform with experience, even Frey. One I need to add to my own library, because it deserves a second read.
Three and a half pirates.
Three and a half pirates.
April 27, 2023
The Black Lung Captain continues the story of a rogue and irresistible to women airship pilot/small-time smuggler, setting out with his crew on the adventures full of fun and debauchery... Sounds familiar?
...and this time, they are chasing a mysterious and powerful artifact that is about to fall in the wrong hands. Again, sounds familiar?
(Do you know how much I love Harrison Ford? Let me give you a hint. My card is a Ford. It has a name. My Ford is named Harrison. Yeah.)
Black Lung Captain, the second in Chris Wooding's "The Tales of the Ketty Jay" steampunk-ish series, in the very Han Solo-ish and Indiana Jones-ish in its spirit of fun and adventure. Do not look for profound moral lessons or life-changing experience from it (unless you count 'friends are good', 'betrayals are bad', and 'there are things better than money' as such). No, this book does not try to deliver that.
What it delivers instead is a pure unadulterated fast-paced page-turner full of adventures, betrayals and double-crosses, tight corners, suspense, friendship, traps, unbelievable escapes, and loads of humor. Like Indiana Jones movies, this book never make you doubt that the heroes will survive and be fine; instead, it keeps up the suspense by making you wonder how exactly they are going to get out of yet another tight corner. It will not be a life-changing experience but it will sure keep you nicely entertained, even if it doesn't make you think too much.
Do not mess with Slag the cat. You just may find yourself in the ICU if you do.
The storyline is fun and well-executed. The pacing is fast. The language is rather modern and snarky, and is quite enjoyable even if it runs a risk of sounding dated in a few decades. The characterization is not bad at all, with distinct personalities and believable, even though predictable, character development.
This book definitely delivers what it promises - an enjoyable fun ride chock-full of fascinating adventures. 4 stars. I will definitely pick up the final story of Frey and his crew.
...and this time, they are chasing a mysterious and powerful artifact that is about to fall in the wrong hands. Again, sounds familiar?
(Do you know how much I love Harrison Ford? Let me give you a hint. My card is a Ford. It has a name. My Ford is named Harrison. Yeah.)
Black Lung Captain, the second in Chris Wooding's "The Tales of the Ketty Jay" steampunk-ish series, in the very Han Solo-ish and Indiana Jones-ish in its spirit of fun and adventure. Do not look for profound moral lessons or life-changing experience from it (unless you count 'friends are good', 'betrayals are bad', and 'there are things better than money' as such). No, this book does not try to deliver that.
What it delivers instead is a pure unadulterated fast-paced page-turner full of adventures, betrayals and double-crosses, tight corners, suspense, friendship, traps, unbelievable escapes, and loads of humor. Like Indiana Jones movies, this book never make you doubt that the heroes will survive and be fine; instead, it keeps up the suspense by making you wonder how exactly they are going to get out of yet another tight corner. It will not be a life-changing experience but it will sure keep you nicely entertained, even if it doesn't make you think too much.
'You know what's worse than robbing a bunch of defenceless orphans?' Frey said. 'Failing to rob a bunch of defenceless orphans.'Darian Frey and the crew of his old but trusty airship "Ketty Jay" - "six men, one woman (kind of), a golem and a cat" - are, as usual, in way over their heads. They are dead broke and so are easily tempted by a seemingly great offer involving a shady Captain Grist and a trip through the jungle to the remains of a Mane airship in search of a mysterious artifact that may bring them riches. Sounds too good to be true, right? Especially if Frey's old flame, the double-crossing pirate captain Trinica Dracken, decides to get involved.
"They're looking out for each other, Frey thought to himself. By damn, my crew are actually looking out for each other. Could you have ever imagined it, a year ago?"After their previous adventure, a bunch of misfits on board of Ketty Jay learned to care for each other and became a real crew. Now these newly formed bonds of friendship are about to be tested by the dark secrets and troubles that plague them.
A man's past was his own on the Ketty Jay. Mostly, he reflected, that was a good thing. On Frey's crew, your only judge was yourself. But the conspiracy of silence had its downside. How could you be sure who was your friend and who wasn't, when they'd never seen the worst of you? When the secrets came out, who'd stand by your side?Crake is torn apart by the dark secret from his past that involves a little dead girl. Jez, the heartbeat-challenged navigator, attempts to resist the ever-stronger pull of the Manes. Pinn's love life is shattered. Frey is neglecting his crew in favor of a certain old flame. And poor Harkins is, to his dismay, terrorized by Slag, the resident alpha-cat of the airship, and needs to take a stand against the terror reign of feline ferocity.
"Powerless? Him? Not any more. After all, he'd just punched out a cat. Taking on a dreadnought seemed like the next logical step."[image error]
Do not mess with Slag the cat. You just may find yourself in the ICU if you do.
The storyline is fun and well-executed. The pacing is fast. The language is rather modern and snarky, and is quite enjoyable even if it runs a risk of sounding dated in a few decades. The characterization is not bad at all, with distinct personalities and believable, even though predictable, character development.
"Well, if he could avoid leaving thousands of corpses behind, that would be good. Mass murder was a legacy he could do without."---------------------------------------------------------
This book definitely delivers what it promises - an enjoyable fun ride chock-full of fascinating adventures. 4 stars. I will definitely pick up the final story of Frey and his crew.
'I could kiss you.'
'I'd rather you didn't. Allsoul only knows where that mouth's been.'
September 7, 2020
What kind of protagonists are inept enough to fail an orphanage robbery?
(The best ones!)
The Black Lung Captain continues the story of Captain Davian Frey and his crew of six men, one woman, a golem and a cat (specialty: petty theft, minor smuggling and a touch of piracy-lite). Framed for the murder of the Archduke’s son, having cleaned his name (somewhat), Captain Frey finds himself at life’s rock bottom - again. Which prompts him to accept a phoney commission - again. Which leads tounforeseen consequences. In short, Captain Frey and his team do what they do best of all: start meddling with the forces they don’t understand and with the powers way out of their league.
“The crew took the news well, with the exception of Harkins, who had to breathe into a paper bag for a while until his hysteria subsided.
Some of the reviews of Retribution Falls complained about its silly simplicity. The opening volume in the Tales of the Ketty Jay had some of the Disney-like quality that sacrificed depth for action and plausibility for effect. Indeed, the novel ended with a very Hollywood moment of happily ever after. All was grand, the day saved, the team reunited. But life usually kicks in just right after and the Black Lung Captain revisits the happily ever after that was supposed to happen and finds it flawed. It means that The Black Lung Captain is… well, blacker than the predecessor.
Suddenly everyone in the crew has some deeper side of the personality: Harkin’s in love and must duel his eternal enemy to prove his worth (yes, that means duels with the cat). Crake’s develops alcoholism in record time, Jez wants to leave her daemons behind, Silo’s silences become profound, and dear me, even Pinn was not spared! And Frey, Frey is torn but his newly discovered desire to make a mark and leave behind something else than the usual mess.
“If I get eaten, you can have the Ketty Jay, okay?”
“That’s very sweet of you. What if you get stamped on, poisoned, or die horribly from some unknown plague?”
It is clear that what came together in the previous book, starts coming apart at the arguably makeshift stitches. Worse, holes appear in the very fabric of the crew, and some holes just cannot be filled in with money. Mr Wooding uses this premise well to add new layers to his story. Characterisation renders the picture a shade darker, but also wholesome and this new perspective reveals a whole new network of connections and meanings.
What I appreciated the most was how the old elements are re-used (although some repetitive tricks become boring) and developed in new directions. There is a romance too, and I need to take some words back because I am very impressed with how Mr Woodings worked things out. I need to admit that Trinicia’s thread is pure genius. I am very glad that Woodings did not opt for the easy-cheesy solution to the Trinica-Frey problem. Somehow he managed to retain the complexity of a real relationship (I was very often thinking that this is what Sabetha-Locke Lamora romance should have been but never managed to achieve).
“It’s easy to become obsessed with the unimportant, when nothing you do means anything.”
Nevertheless, not everything is doom and gloom. The book has some more serious undertones as our protagonists grow up and scrape their selves raw in the process, but it is still a joyride. Mr Wooding writes great dialogues, and wonderful banter that lightens the mood. I had some issues with how the sequences were paced, slowing down and taking some detours, but overall, it is still an immensely readable book. The very needed comic relief is still there and balances both the drama and the action.
“Damage report,” Frey ordered.
“Cuts and bruises. Bashed my knee pretty bad. I’ve felt better.”
“Not you. The aircraft.”
Minor thoughts:
- don’t eat in chapter 23;
- it’s nice to see Marduk (no Morcutts though);
- what I’d really, really like to see is Amalicia-Trinicia one to one. Or maybe a two to one in a full-frontal Frey confrontation.
Right, Darian?
“Don’t mind him. He laughs in the face of danger.”
Also in the series:
1. Retribution Falls ★★★★☆
3. The Iron Jackal ★★★★☆
4. The Ace of Skulls ★★★★☆
(The best ones!)
The Black Lung Captain continues the story of Captain Davian Frey and his crew of six men, one woman, a golem and a cat (specialty: petty theft, minor smuggling and a touch of piracy-lite). Framed for the murder of the Archduke’s son, having cleaned his name (somewhat), Captain Frey finds himself at life’s rock bottom - again. Which prompts him to accept a phoney commission - again. Which leads to
“The crew took the news well, with the exception of Harkins, who had to breathe into a paper bag for a while until his hysteria subsided.
Some of the reviews of Retribution Falls complained about its silly simplicity. The opening volume in the Tales of the Ketty Jay had some of the Disney-like quality that sacrificed depth for action and plausibility for effect. Indeed, the novel ended with a very Hollywood moment of happily ever after. All was grand, the day saved, the team reunited. But life usually kicks in just right after and the Black Lung Captain revisits the happily ever after that was supposed to happen and finds it flawed. It means that The Black Lung Captain is… well, blacker than the predecessor.
Suddenly everyone in the crew has some deeper side of the personality: Harkin’s in love and must duel his eternal enemy to prove his worth (yes, that means duels with the cat). Crake’s develops alcoholism in record time, Jez wants to leave her daemons behind, Silo’s silences become profound, and dear me, even Pinn was not spared! And Frey, Frey is torn but his newly discovered desire to make a mark and leave behind something else than the usual mess.
“If I get eaten, you can have the Ketty Jay, okay?”
“That’s very sweet of you. What if you get stamped on, poisoned, or die horribly from some unknown plague?”
It is clear that what came together in the previous book, starts coming apart at the arguably makeshift stitches. Worse, holes appear in the very fabric of the crew, and some holes just cannot be filled in with money. Mr Wooding uses this premise well to add new layers to his story. Characterisation renders the picture a shade darker, but also wholesome and this new perspective reveals a whole new network of connections and meanings.
What I appreciated the most was how the old elements are re-used (although some repetitive tricks become boring) and developed in new directions. There is a romance too, and I need to take some words back because I am very impressed with how Mr Woodings worked things out. I need to admit that Trinicia’s thread is pure genius. I am very glad that Woodings did not opt for the easy-cheesy solution to the Trinica-Frey problem. Somehow he managed to retain the complexity of a real relationship (I was very often thinking that this is what Sabetha-Locke Lamora romance should have been but never managed to achieve).
“It’s easy to become obsessed with the unimportant, when nothing you do means anything.”
Nevertheless, not everything is doom and gloom. The book has some more serious undertones as our protagonists grow up and scrape their selves raw in the process, but it is still a joyride. Mr Wooding writes great dialogues, and wonderful banter that lightens the mood. I had some issues with how the sequences were paced, slowing down and taking some detours, but overall, it is still an immensely readable book. The very needed comic relief is still there and balances both the drama and the action.
“Damage report,” Frey ordered.
“Cuts and bruises. Bashed my knee pretty bad. I’ve felt better.”
“Not you. The aircraft.”
Minor thoughts:
- don’t eat in chapter 23;
- it’s nice to see Marduk (no Morcutts though);
- what I’d really, really like to see is Amalicia-Trinicia one to one. Or maybe a two to one in a full-frontal Frey confrontation.
Right, Darian?
“Don’t mind him. He laughs in the face of danger.”
Also in the series:
1. Retribution Falls ★★★★☆
3. The Iron Jackal ★★★★☆
4. The Ace of Skulls ★★★★☆
October 4, 2017
So far, this is the best rag-tag-team steampunk series that I read lately.
After read the second book of Ketty Jay, I perceive the 4 book series as a closely linked series. On this second book, character development is the focus The plot of this book is not as tight as the first book.
The storytelling is very similar with the first book. Personally I am worried, if there isn't something big that introduced on third book, The third book could become a boring book.
EDIT: I am glad, the author already expect the potential problem as on above paragraph. There are enough new twists, and surprises on book three. It is safe to carry on reading this series. :)
After read the second book of Ketty Jay, I perceive the 4 book series as a closely linked series. On this second book, character development is the focus The plot of this book is not as tight as the first book.
The storytelling is very similar with the first book. Personally I am worried, if there isn't something big that introduced on third book, The third book could become a boring book.
EDIT: I am glad, the author already expect the potential problem as on above paragraph. There are enough new twists, and surprises on book three. It is safe to carry on reading this series. :)
August 7, 2017
Book one: 3.75*
Book two: 4.25*
They'll both get 4*'s due to the lack of granularity available but book two was far superior for me in every aspect to book one. The story was better. There was more action, more surprises, better insight into the world and the characters.
I think the thing I liked best was although still a fun swashbuckling tale we such so much more depth into every character. You felt their pain. The writer took a much deeper dive into their persona and the empathy bleed through for each of them.
Second would be we learned so much more about the Mane's and by extension Jez. That world really opened up for new possibilities for the last two books. Ditto with Crake and the daemonites. Then there was the whole Frey and Trinica relationship which took on new depths of understanding, treatery and just a pinch of compassion and understanding.
Book two: 4.25*
They'll both get 4*'s due to the lack of granularity available but book two was far superior for me in every aspect to book one. The story was better. There was more action, more surprises, better insight into the world and the characters.
I think the thing I liked best was although still a fun swashbuckling tale we such so much more depth into every character. You felt their pain. The writer took a much deeper dive into their persona and the empathy bleed through for each of them.
Second would be we learned so much more about the Mane's and by extension Jez. That world really opened up for new possibilities for the last two books. Ditto with Crake and the daemonites. Then there was the whole Frey and Trinica relationship which took on new depths of understanding, treatery and just a pinch of compassion and understanding.
May 31, 2020
Actual rating: 3.99999999 stars. Get it? Good.
Introducing….Captain Darian Frey 2.0! Now with more humour! More kick-ass action! More adventure and fun and stuff! More blood and gore! More awesome villains! More cool aerial (or not) fights! More pretty much everything!
{insert sigh of relief here}
That was a close one. I mean, I almost didn't read this instalment. Book #1 was alright, but not the oh-wow-this-is-so-entertaining-and-boom-Captain-Frey-you're-mine-let-me-kidnap-you-and-lock-you-up-in-my-harem-for-later-use swashbuckling adventure I was expecting. Because, seriously, this guy is supposed to be a rogue? Please. He is the most unroguish rogue I have ever met in the entirety of my entire life. Oh he tries, I'll give you that. That's the problem, actually. He tries too hard and it's pretty lame. BUT. That was Captain Frey 1.0. His new, much improved self is still lacking in the roguish rogue department, but at least he's not as bland and dull and meh as he was in the first book, so there's hope for him yet.
Maybe. I mean, the guy still has tons of stuff to learn when it comes to being an aggravating, selfish rascal. But I have to admit Not Roguish Enough Darian (NRED™) has lots of potential, and I think all he needs is someone to show him how to fully develop it. He'd do well to hang around with my Main Squeeze (and undisputed king of my high security harem), Caleb Shepperd. I mean, there are rogues and there is MY Caleb. He'd teach Young Grasshopper Darian all there is to know about being a selfish bastard. Because, seriously, Darian? What a soft-hearted wimp you can be! I'm sorry but you just can't go around pretending you're a badass, hard-as-nails captain, and then spend your time whine-whine-whining about getting your poor little heart broken years ago. Just let the bitch go and unleash the unapologetic scoundrel in you once and for all! Tick tock, tick tock, time's a-wastin' and all that crap!
Hmmm, that last paragraph is a lot longer than I anticipated…Oh well, I'm pretty sure you have nothing better to do with your silly lives than read my fascinating reviews, so there's no reason for me to worry about wasting your time, right? Right. Just as I thought.
So let's see now, what else is there to talk about in the New & Improved Department here?
There's more action, blah blah blah, more adventure, blah blah blah, more fun, blah blah blah, more mostest awesomest villains…what? What seems to be the problem here, my Little Barnacles? I already said all that? Of course I did. You can be so clueless and thick sometimes, I consider it my duty to rehash a bit, and make sure you grasp the full meaning of the captivating thoughts I am trying to convey. No no, really, you're welcome, my pleasure and stuff. No need to thank me or anything. Just send a $1,000,000 donation to Nefarious S., c/o Fleet Admiral DaShrimp, Bank Of Crustaceans, Undersea Post Box #1, The Deep Blue Sea. That should do nicely.
Now. Where were we? Oh yes, the More Everything Stuff (MES™).
Note to self: the Little Barnacles might be thick and clueless, but I think they got the More Thing (MT™) by now. And if some of them didn't, they're really and truly hopeless, and you shouldn't be wasting your time on them.
So. There's a lot more blood and gore in this instalment than in the previous one, and that's pretty delicious. I mean, who doesn't lovea little story in their bloodshed a little bloodshed in their story?! Frey and his crew are on a delightful dismemberment roll here, and I'm pretty sure they'd make Lady super-duper proud. A little beheading goes a long way and all that. It's positively charming.
I'll spare you the ritual "Off with their heads" gif here. You're welcome.
Yes, I know, I'm full of crap. I love you too, by the way.
I have to say that the greatest improvement between this instalment and the last has to be the cast of characters. What a bland, flat, one-dimensional, cardboard-like bunch they were in Retribution Falls! I swear, a piece of cheese has more personality than all of this gang put together! Except from the cat, that is. And the golem. These two couldn't talk, but at least they were fun to read about. BUT. That was Frey Crew 1.0. Frey Crew 2.0 is much better fleshed out!
I assure you, my dear count, tis nothing but the truth! The New & Improved characters actually have more personality than barnacles (oops! Sorry dears, didn't mean to insult you or imply that you had no personality whatsoever)! They are actually interesting! And engaging! And fun to read about! Okay, let's not get over excited here. They are mostly fun to read about. Because frankly, there was serious skimming involved when it came to some characters' POVs. Not that their chapters were boring or anything. Nah. They were just kind of lackluster. BIG difference. But anyway. You know what was pretty cool about this instalment? Even the rum-drinking, viciously cunning cat got his POV! Which was pretty hilarious at first. Then it got kind of old. Kinda. Sorta. Meh Meh Meh. Skim skim skim. Repetition killed the funny cat. But hey, it was kinda fun while it sorta didn't last. But anyway and stuff. Despite this instalment not being complete and total characterization heaven, Wooding does seem to be on the path to enlightenment. I mean, even the villains are pretty cool (as I may or may not have mentioned before), which is a sure sign that Mr W. is no longer suffering from that deadly disease known as Acute Character Flatitis (ACF™).
Almost, Little Barnacles, almost. Believe me, I'm as tired of my BS as you are, so this shouldn't take too long.
What other fascinating thought do I want to share about this book? Things can get bloody hilarious. Oh yes. The dialogues can get pretty funny. Oh yes. Some scenes are downright comical. Oh yes. And I have run out of humorous synonyms so that will be all. You're welcome.
Oh dear. I think the deepest apologies are in order. I mean, I had little to say about this book, but I did take my time doing so, didn't I? Oh well. Girls will be girls, boys will be boys, crustaceans will be crustaceans and ever-blabbering Sarahs will be ever-blabbering Sarahs. Some things will never change and all that crap.
» And the moral of this grippingly riveting review is: for all my grumpy BS, I did sorta-kinda enjoy this book. I mean, I did sorta-kinda rated it 3.99999999 stars. Which should sorta-kinda tell you something. That something being that this was a pretty fun, adventurous, almost-a-thrill-a-minute ride. Which is sorta-kinda good.
· Book 1: Retribution Falls ★★★
· Book 3: The Iron Jackal ★★★
· Book 4: The Ace of Skulls ★★
Introducing….Captain Darian Frey 2.0! Now with more humour! More kick-ass action! More adventure and fun and stuff! More blood and gore! More awesome villains! More cool aerial (or not) fights! More pretty much everything!
{insert sigh of relief here}
That was a close one. I mean, I almost didn't read this instalment. Book #1 was alright, but not the oh-wow-this-is-so-entertaining-and-boom-Captain-Frey-you're-mine-let-me-kidnap-you-and-lock-you-up-in-my-harem-for-later-use swashbuckling adventure I was expecting. Because, seriously, this guy is supposed to be a rogue? Please. He is the most unroguish rogue I have ever met in the entirety of my entire life. Oh he tries, I'll give you that. That's the problem, actually. He tries too hard and it's pretty lame. BUT. That was Captain Frey 1.0. His new, much improved self is still lacking in the roguish rogue department, but at least he's not as bland and dull and meh as he was in the first book, so there's hope for him yet.
Maybe. I mean, the guy still has tons of stuff to learn when it comes to being an aggravating, selfish rascal. But I have to admit Not Roguish Enough Darian (NRED™) has lots of potential, and I think all he needs is someone to show him how to fully develop it. He'd do well to hang around with my Main Squeeze (and undisputed king of my high security harem), Caleb Shepperd. I mean, there are rogues and there is MY Caleb. He'd teach Young Grasshopper Darian all there is to know about being a selfish bastard. Because, seriously, Darian? What a soft-hearted wimp you can be! I'm sorry but you just can't go around pretending you're a badass, hard-as-nails captain, and then spend your time whine-whine-whining about getting your poor little heart broken years ago. Just let the bitch go and unleash the unapologetic scoundrel in you once and for all! Tick tock, tick tock, time's a-wastin' and all that crap!
Hmmm, that last paragraph is a lot longer than I anticipated…Oh well, I'm pretty sure you have nothing better to do with your silly lives than read my fascinating reviews, so there's no reason for me to worry about wasting your time, right? Right. Just as I thought.
So let's see now, what else is there to talk about in the New & Improved Department here?
There's more action, blah blah blah, more adventure, blah blah blah, more fun, blah blah blah, more mostest awesomest villains…what? What seems to be the problem here, my Little Barnacles? I already said all that? Of course I did. You can be so clueless and thick sometimes, I consider it my duty to rehash a bit, and make sure you grasp the full meaning of the captivating thoughts I am trying to convey. No no, really, you're welcome, my pleasure and stuff. No need to thank me or anything. Just send a $1,000,000 donation to Nefarious S., c/o Fleet Admiral DaShrimp, Bank Of Crustaceans, Undersea Post Box #1, The Deep Blue Sea. That should do nicely.
Now. Where were we? Oh yes, the More Everything Stuff (MES™).
Note to self: the Little Barnacles might be thick and clueless, but I think they got the More Thing (MT™) by now. And if some of them didn't, they're really and truly hopeless, and you shouldn't be wasting your time on them.
So. There's a lot more blood and gore in this instalment than in the previous one, and that's pretty delicious. I mean, who doesn't love
I'll spare you the ritual "Off with their heads" gif here. You're welcome.
Yes, I know, I'm full of crap. I love you too, by the way.
I have to say that the greatest improvement between this instalment and the last has to be the cast of characters. What a bland, flat, one-dimensional, cardboard-like bunch they were in Retribution Falls! I swear, a piece of cheese has more personality than all of this gang put together! Except from the cat, that is. And the golem. These two couldn't talk, but at least they were fun to read about. BUT. That was Frey Crew 1.0. Frey Crew 2.0 is much better fleshed out!
I assure you, my dear count, tis nothing but the truth! The New & Improved characters actually have more personality than barnacles (oops! Sorry dears, didn't mean to insult you or imply that you had no personality whatsoever)! They are actually interesting! And engaging! And fun to read about! Okay, let's not get over excited here. They are mostly fun to read about. Because frankly, there was serious skimming involved when it came to some characters' POVs. Not that their chapters were boring or anything. Nah. They were just kind of lackluster. BIG difference. But anyway. You know what was pretty cool about this instalment? Even the rum-drinking, viciously cunning cat got his POV! Which was pretty hilarious at first. Then it got kind of old. Kinda. Sorta. Meh Meh Meh. Skim skim skim. Repetition killed the funny cat. But hey, it was kinda fun while it sorta didn't last. But anyway and stuff. Despite this instalment not being complete and total characterization heaven, Wooding does seem to be on the path to enlightenment. I mean, even the villains are pretty cool (as I may or may not have mentioned before), which is a sure sign that Mr W. is no longer suffering from that deadly disease known as Acute Character Flatitis (ACF™).
Almost, Little Barnacles, almost. Believe me, I'm as tired of my BS as you are, so this shouldn't take too long.
What other fascinating thought do I want to share about this book? Things can get bloody hilarious. Oh yes. The dialogues can get pretty funny. Oh yes. Some scenes are downright comical. Oh yes. And I have run out of humorous synonyms so that will be all. You're welcome.
Oh dear. I think the deepest apologies are in order. I mean, I had little to say about this book, but I did take my time doing so, didn't I? Oh well. Girls will be girls, boys will be boys, crustaceans will be crustaceans and ever-blabbering Sarahs will be ever-blabbering Sarahs. Some things will never change and all that crap.
» And the moral of this grippingly riveting review is: for all my grumpy BS, I did sorta-kinda enjoy this book. I mean, I did sorta-kinda rated it 3.99999999 stars. Which should sorta-kinda tell you something. That something being that this was a pretty fun, adventurous, almost-a-thrill-a-minute ride. Which is sorta-kinda good.
· Book 1: Retribution Falls ★★★
· Book 3: The Iron Jackal ★★★
· Book 4: The Ace of Skulls ★★
May 30, 2015
Dave's Quick Judgement -
THE DEFENSE
- The villains are really good at being bad.
- The heroes are also really good at being bad!
- Many subplots introduced in the first novel are moved forward in exciting ways.
- Loads of laugh-out-loud moments despite the story being darker this time around.
- Wooding's world-building abilities have improved.
THE PROSECUTION
- The absense of crucial team members at times interrupts the flow of the story (which is sorta the point Wooding is trying to make about teamwork, but still, I found my interest waning during those times) .
- Several chapters featuring Harkins being tormented by the cat was a bit excessive. The first time, it was funny...the tenth time, not so much!
THE VERDICT
A little less fun than its predecessor but also a little more powerful, "The Black Lung Captain" is yet another thrilling tale of the Ketty Jay!
FULL REVIEW TO COME
Hopefully someday...I mean, it's only February and I'm already three reviews behind this year. Stupid real life...getting in the way of my writing time!
*grumbles*
THE DEFENSE
- The villains are really good at being bad.
- The heroes are also really good at being bad!
- Many subplots introduced in the first novel are moved forward in exciting ways.
- Loads of laugh-out-loud moments despite the story being darker this time around.
- Wooding's world-building abilities have improved.
THE PROSECUTION
- The absense of crucial team members at times interrupts the flow of the story (which is sorta the point Wooding is trying to make about teamwork, but still, I found my interest waning during those times) .
- Several chapters featuring Harkins being tormented by the cat was a bit excessive. The first time, it was funny...the tenth time, not so much!
THE VERDICT
A little less fun than its predecessor but also a little more powerful, "The Black Lung Captain" is yet another thrilling tale of the Ketty Jay!
FULL REVIEW TO COME
Hopefully someday...I mean, it's only February and I'm already three reviews behind this year. Stupid real life...getting in the way of my writing time!
*grumbles*
February 27, 2017
Bang, straight back into the reading groove after a coupla iffy books in my world of reading with this entertaining tale. Loved the first in the series mainly due to its characters & interaction between the crew who are in reality a bunch of misfits who somehow against all the odds gel as a crew. Not much backstory was part of the first book & you were cast straight into the plot...... this episode gives more about each of the crew in turn whilst the plot (treasure hunt) unfolds & genial it is!
You get to learn about each crew members dysfunction or past history which made them thus & it certainly makes for good reading for the most part...... the only one I dinny like was that of the Captain!!
The crew goes its separate ways during the book too & it makes for a change in dynamics which leaves you missing that bond created so well in the first book, they appear broken for the most part & tbh its not as much fun as the first book as everything centres around Captain Frey.....
Alliances between pirate captains are never lasting is all i’ll say...... but we all know that about Pirates (Arrrrrrrr)!
It’s a solid enough 3.5 stars but for it’s coupla annoyances I can’t really round it up to a four so its getting a three from me which is maybe a tad harsh......
You get to learn about each crew members dysfunction or past history which made them thus & it certainly makes for good reading for the most part...... the only one I dinny like was that of the Captain!!
The crew goes its separate ways during the book too & it makes for a change in dynamics which leaves you missing that bond created so well in the first book, they appear broken for the most part & tbh its not as much fun as the first book as everything centres around Captain Frey.....
Alliances between pirate captains are never lasting is all i’ll say...... but we all know that about Pirates (Arrrrrrrr)!
It’s a solid enough 3.5 stars but for it’s coupla annoyances I can’t really round it up to a four so its getting a three from me which is maybe a tad harsh......
July 7, 2022
Deep in the heart of the Kurg rainforest lies a long-forgotten wreck. On board, behind a magically protected door, an elusive treasure awaits. Good thing Darian Frey, captain of the airship Ketty Jay, has the daemonist Crake on board. Crake is their best chance of getting that door open—if they can sober him up.
In this installment of Tales of the Ketty Jay, Darian Frey is back to his old tricks. He's robbing an orphanage in the beginning of this book, and that didn't endear him to me much. By the end of the last book Frey had learned a few things and for a little while I thought he had forgotten every one of them, but he ended up proving me wrong. Yet again Chris Wooding surprises me with the character growth of not only the main character, but all of them. Even the cat, Slag gets a tiny part of a chapter in his point of view. I still dislike Pinn to a great extent, but even he ended up better by the end of this book. Crake and Jez in particular have great story arcs where they face their demons and come to grips with themselves. Crake's efforts to restore Bess is an especially emotional one. Speaking of Bess, whenever I read about her I can't help but think of Fullmetal Alchemist.
That's how I picture Bess.
Not only is the whole crew of the Ketty Jay present here, but Frey's former love and nemesis, Trinica Dracken is back, as well as the Century Knights. I liked the story arc with Trinica and also would love to read more of the Century Knights in the next books. We also learn a lot of interesting things about the Mane and The Awakeners. In general there is a much deeper level of emotion involved with the characters this time around, which is something that was missing in the first book. I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
In this installment of Tales of the Ketty Jay, Darian Frey is back to his old tricks. He's robbing an orphanage in the beginning of this book, and that didn't endear him to me much. By the end of the last book Frey had learned a few things and for a little while I thought he had forgotten every one of them, but he ended up proving me wrong. Yet again Chris Wooding surprises me with the character growth of not only the main character, but all of them. Even the cat, Slag gets a tiny part of a chapter in his point of view. I still dislike Pinn to a great extent, but even he ended up better by the end of this book. Crake and Jez in particular have great story arcs where they face their demons and come to grips with themselves. Crake's efforts to restore Bess is an especially emotional one. Speaking of Bess, whenever I read about her I can't help but think of Fullmetal Alchemist.
That's how I picture Bess.
Not only is the whole crew of the Ketty Jay present here, but Frey's former love and nemesis, Trinica Dracken is back, as well as the Century Knights. I liked the story arc with Trinica and also would love to read more of the Century Knights in the next books. We also learn a lot of interesting things about the Mane and The Awakeners. In general there is a much deeper level of emotion involved with the characters this time around, which is something that was missing in the first book. I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
May 20, 2020
**Reread 2020: Still loving this story the second time through. It's a great balance between action adventure and character development, plus it makes me chuckle out loud on more than one occasion. I did this reread via audiobook and the narrator does a masterful job giving each character his/her own unique voice. I don't regret owning these books in two formats. :-) **
It's been a year since Captain Darian Frey and the crew of the Ketty Jay barely escaped with their lives following their ill advised adventures in the first book. They've run through the money that adventure bestowed upon them so they're back at square one...broke, broke, and more broke. Times are so hard they've even resorted to trying to steal from orphans. White hatted heroes they ain't.
When the captain of another ship approaches Frey with plans to seek out some rumored treasure on a crashed ship Frey, once again showing his penchant for poor decision-making, jumps at the chance. From then on it's a mad dash from one life threatening situation to another. Along the way the crew members individually haggle with personal issues so there is some nice character development there, especially with Jez, Frey, and Crake. The characters also have to deal, as a group, with what it really means to be a crew. Complicating matters even more is Trinica Dracken, the one woman from Frey's past that he just can't shake which, considering what a downright rat's ass Frey is to most women, is greatly amusing to me.
All in all, I'm enjoying the adventures of this misfit crew. I don't always like their choices but they are evolving and they are always entertaining. The book is full of humor, adventure, death defying air battles, character growth, excellent pacing, oh, and Slag, the ship's cranky cat. Can't forget Slag.
It's been a year since Captain Darian Frey and the crew of the Ketty Jay barely escaped with their lives following their ill advised adventures in the first book. They've run through the money that adventure bestowed upon them so they're back at square one...broke, broke, and more broke. Times are so hard they've even resorted to trying to steal from orphans. White hatted heroes they ain't.
When the captain of another ship approaches Frey with plans to seek out some rumored treasure on a crashed ship Frey, once again showing his penchant for poor decision-making, jumps at the chance. From then on it's a mad dash from one life threatening situation to another. Along the way the crew members individually haggle with personal issues so there is some nice character development there, especially with Jez, Frey, and Crake. The characters also have to deal, as a group, with what it really means to be a crew. Complicating matters even more is Trinica Dracken, the one woman from Frey's past that he just can't shake which, considering what a downright rat's ass Frey is to most women, is greatly amusing to me.
All in all, I'm enjoying the adventures of this misfit crew. I don't always like their choices but they are evolving and they are always entertaining. The book is full of humor, adventure, death defying air battles, character growth, excellent pacing, oh, and Slag, the ship's cranky cat. Can't forget Slag.
April 11, 2020
‘this is an alliance of necessity,’ she said firmly. ‘nothing more. when this is over, we are enemies again.’
‘best of enemies,’ frey said with a grin.
another fast-paced adventure for the crew of the ketty jay! and i’m so glad i stayed for the bumpy, rattling, old-ass airship ride.
the black lung captain is bigger, better, and faster than retribution falls. the plot remains mostly the same: frey and his crew join an adventurous sort of quest to retrieve an item, get double-crossed, and are then stuck trying to make the best of the situation while staying alive.
the indiana jones angle is strong with this one: rather than the cold, grey cities of the previous book, we open on an uncharted territory covered with dense jungles. it’s all about lost civilizations and hunting for powerful artefacts this time around, which also nicely paves the way for more details about the world and society the ketty jay operates in.
and that’s good, because the worldbuilding is flimsy at best. it’s a nice progression, though: from politics, governments, and various institutions of power in book one, we now turn to more unknown worlds and mysterious beings in book two.
but let’s all be honest, here: we’re not necessarily in it for the worldbuilding, are we?
we wanna see some awesome aerial battles, and cocky gunfights where the bullets only kill the nameless idiots on the periphery (shouldn’t have worn a red shirt, folks!). and we wanna see more of the ragtag crew that we’ve grown so fond of.
well, i can happily tell you that this book does that all in Spades.
any little snippets of backstories, personal demons, and hangups that we’ve seen from our main characters get further established in this book. they get believable follow-ups, even to the point where some crew members leave the ketty jay for a while to figure their shit out. so yes, it’s a 10/10 from me on the character development front.
captain frey has firmly settled into his redemption arc from selfish asshole to rogue-with-a-heart-of-gold, and is the first of the bunch to shake up his moral compass. jez, initially skeptic and withdrawn of her hidden nature, starts working to figure it out and embrace it. crake finally faces his terrible deeds from the past.
silo has a couple of nasty confrontations regarding his life as a slave, pinn has to deal with the fallout of his girlfriend, and harkins works very hard to finally find his bravery. the only one who doesn’t really get a layer of depth is the ship’s doctor, malvery.
i also thought that the villain of this story was much more well-developed and thought-out; you respect them and their motivations, which adds another layer of interest to the story. i felt bad when they finally met their fate, even if they did deserve it from a justice-served point of view.
and as for my personal villain from the last book, all the casual sexism that was laying about -- i can tell you, it’s handled way better. first of all, there’s actually less of it, and secondly, the narrative starts actively disapproving of it. and so it dawns on frey that maybe he shouldn’t be that hung up on appearances, which jez and trinica gladly confirm for him.
and that finally brings me to trinica dracken, feared pirate queen and frey’s former fiancee / nemesis. going by the reviews, there’s plenty of people out there that hated frey’s infatuation with her in this book; granted, he’s a bit of a lovesick fool, but i personally LOVED seeing these two interact.
giving trinica more space in this book also further developed her as a character, elevating her from her backstory tropes that made me cringe so much in book one. and knowing myself pretty well, i too, would act like a lovesick fool around her, just like frey.
so, in conclusion: very happy i stuck with the series, and a thoroughly enjoyable adventure in the style of any adventure flick you’ve ever liked, only with more airships, angry cats, and golems.
✎ 3.5 stars.
August 28, 2014
I read the first book about the crew of the air ship Ketty Jay last year and "Retribution Falls" was a 5 star read for me.
As this book takes all the ingredients the first one had it won't be surprising that I enjoyed the second installment as much as the first one.
For those of you who haven't heard of the series before, imagine the legendary tv show Firely in a Steampunk corsett.
There is a unique secondary world -so no pseudo-victorian scenario- which offers a lot of sense of wonder.
But by far the best part of the book is the characters making up the dysfunctional crew of the Ketty Jay. Silo, the silent Murthian engineer. Malvery, the doc who's afraid to operate. Pinn, the daring fighter pilot without decorum. Harkins, the not-so-daring old fighter pilot, whose biggest enemy is Slag...the ship's cat. Crake, the daemonist with his golem Bess. Jez, the female navigator with a secret. And of course, Darian Frey, the infamous captain of the Ketty Jay.
And although these comic characters make up for a great fast-paced adventure and a lot of banter, each of them has a darker, personal issue to deal with, which makes them complex, believeable and relateable characters.
So, if you're up for a good old adventure with some really great characters and a little depzh in between the action, hop onboard the Ketty Jay.
If you haven't read "Retribution Falls", start your journey there, but if you already know the first book then I can assure you. This one is as good as the first one.
As this book takes all the ingredients the first one had it won't be surprising that I enjoyed the second installment as much as the first one.
For those of you who haven't heard of the series before, imagine the legendary tv show Firely in a Steampunk corsett.
There is a unique secondary world -so no pseudo-victorian scenario- which offers a lot of sense of wonder.
But by far the best part of the book is the characters making up the dysfunctional crew of the Ketty Jay. Silo, the silent Murthian engineer. Malvery, the doc who's afraid to operate. Pinn, the daring fighter pilot without decorum. Harkins, the not-so-daring old fighter pilot, whose biggest enemy is Slag...the ship's cat. Crake, the daemonist with his golem Bess. Jez, the female navigator with a secret. And of course, Darian Frey, the infamous captain of the Ketty Jay.
And although these comic characters make up for a great fast-paced adventure and a lot of banter, each of them has a darker, personal issue to deal with, which makes them complex, believeable and relateable characters.
So, if you're up for a good old adventure with some really great characters and a little depzh in between the action, hop onboard the Ketty Jay.
If you haven't read "Retribution Falls", start your journey there, but if you already know the first book then I can assure you. This one is as good as the first one.
September 30, 2016
Wonderful character driven fantasy that borders on scifi. This book and series is all about the crew , how they deal with their background, each other and the world in general.
Too nice to be pirates, too dirty to be legit the Kitty Jay and its crew fall into an unprofitable grey area so jump at a chance to make a fortune.While the first book was about the crew coming together this book almost sees it all crumble apart, and it becomes about each member accepting who they are and coming to terms with their own issues .
Some brilliant moments that really shone out and a very interesting concept involving the vampire like Manes mentioned in Retribution Falls.
Definitely worth the read.
Too nice to be pirates, too dirty to be legit the Kitty Jay and its crew fall into an unprofitable grey area so jump at a chance to make a fortune.While the first book was about the crew coming together this book almost sees it all crumble apart, and it becomes about each member accepting who they are and coming to terms with their own issues .
Some brilliant moments that really shone out and a very interesting concept involving the vampire like Manes mentioned in Retribution Falls.
Definitely worth the read.
November 10, 2017
E ovo je vrsta knjige koju lako mogu da zamislim kao holivudski blokbaster. Jednostavna priča koja je interesantno ispričana, likovi koji nisu previše kompleksni ali opet dovoljno interesantni i realni, gomila akcije koja je sve impresivnija kako se kraj primiče :)
Dosadno vam sigurno neće biti pa kome se svideo prvi deo neka samo navali.
Plus i za romantičare u duši ima scena tako da su svi pokriveni :P
Dosadno vam sigurno neće biti pa kome se svideo prvi deo neka samo navali.
Plus i za romantičare u duši ima scena tako da su svi pokriveni :P
November 25, 2020
More of the same with slightly better characterization and 4 stars might be to much and I given lover grades to better books but fuck it, I enjoyed it a lot. As someone who grown up watching Farscape and Firefly I have soft spot for crews of outcasts and underdogs.
April 2, 2016
Executive Summary: After a bit of a slow start, I think I enjoyed this one slightly more than the first. Looking forward to get to book 3 soon.
Full Review
I originally came onto this series after a recommendation in a thread about books similar to Firefly. Two books in, I'm hard to agree with that. Sure you have a crew flying around ship, but that's about where the similarities end for me.
For one thing, the characters are far less likable in this series than on Firefly. I recall coming to like them a more by the end of the first book, but whether it was the gap of time, or their general selfishness, I found myself disliking them again at the start of this book as well. You have no real closeness between any of the characters at the start.
They aren't really friends or comrades, so much as a bunch of people with no other place to go. At least sometimes. There has definitively been developments in both the characters and their relationships as the series has gone on.
Despite all of that, it was still a fun an enjoyable book. I'm not really into Steampunk, but this is fairly light on that. I'm almost more inclined to call this flintlocke fantasy much of the time. You do have airships and various mechanical based magic though. Whatever it's subgenre may be, I find the world building fascinating.
There is plenty of politics and mystery. First, you have the religious cult-like Awakeners and their determination to wipe out all Daemonists and anyone who opposes them. However their political clout seems to waning.
That is no help for the secretive Daemonists however, who must still hide their study of magic from all but a few if they wish to live. Then there are the mysterious Mane. They are considered to be violent and dangerous, but what are their true motivations?
Finally you have the typical mysterious pasts of the various crew members. All of this adds depth and flavor to the main story of salvaging a valuable treasure on a downed airship. The pace of the story is fast and the writing is excellent.
Somehow Mr. Wooding keeps his hooks in me despite writing characters I have trouble liking and caring for. Much like the last book though, I think I'm coming around on them again. We'll see if that holds up in the next book, which I hope to read much sooner than I did this one. If you haven't checked this series out yet, I highly recommend it.
Full Review
I originally came onto this series after a recommendation in a thread about books similar to Firefly. Two books in, I'm hard to agree with that. Sure you have a crew flying around ship, but that's about where the similarities end for me.
For one thing, the characters are far less likable in this series than on Firefly. I recall coming to like them a more by the end of the first book, but whether it was the gap of time, or their general selfishness, I found myself disliking them again at the start of this book as well. You have no real closeness between any of the characters at the start.
They aren't really friends or comrades, so much as a bunch of people with no other place to go. At least sometimes. There has definitively been developments in both the characters and their relationships as the series has gone on.
Despite all of that, it was still a fun an enjoyable book. I'm not really into Steampunk, but this is fairly light on that. I'm almost more inclined to call this flintlocke fantasy much of the time. You do have airships and various mechanical based magic though. Whatever it's subgenre may be, I find the world building fascinating.
There is plenty of politics and mystery. First, you have the religious cult-like Awakeners and their determination to wipe out all Daemonists and anyone who opposes them. However their political clout seems to waning.
That is no help for the secretive Daemonists however, who must still hide their study of magic from all but a few if they wish to live. Then there are the mysterious Mane. They are considered to be violent and dangerous, but what are their true motivations?
Finally you have the typical mysterious pasts of the various crew members. All of this adds depth and flavor to the main story of salvaging a valuable treasure on a downed airship. The pace of the story is fast and the writing is excellent.
Somehow Mr. Wooding keeps his hooks in me despite writing characters I have trouble liking and caring for. Much like the last book though, I think I'm coming around on them again. We'll see if that holds up in the next book, which I hope to read much sooner than I did this one. If you haven't checked this series out yet, I highly recommend it.
July 24, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
I found this to be better than the first book of the series. I think perhaps that was because I was more familiar with the characters after having read book 1. I think this book was better structured and written.
I think that at times I was put in mind of Firefly by some of the stuff going on in this book, which is a good thing as I really enjoyed the resulting film from that series.
I have the 2 remaining books of this series on my tbr shelves and will get to them ASAP. I think that Mr Wooding has a great deal of potential.
I found this to be better than the first book of the series. I think perhaps that was because I was more familiar with the characters after having read book 1. I think this book was better structured and written.
I think that at times I was put in mind of Firefly by some of the stuff going on in this book, which is a good thing as I really enjoyed the resulting film from that series.
I have the 2 remaining books of this series on my tbr shelves and will get to them ASAP. I think that Mr Wooding has a great deal of potential.
March 7, 2015
Another wonderfully adventurous and fun-filled story from this second book. I have to say that after loving the first one in this series I wasn't too worried about going into the next one and I just felt that Chris Wooding gets my kind of humour and makes me really entertained the whole way through.
This story once again follows the crew members of the Ketty Jay, a 'sort-of' pirate airship with a 'sort-of' awesome crew. The character are what really make these books thrilling and enticing for me. They draw you in and make you root for them. They captivate and intrigue you and you just keep on wanting to read late into the night to find out more about them and their lives.
Also, in this book we get a lot more development on certain characteristics, traits or problems with our characters, and this was wonderful to see.
One thing I truly love about Chris Wooding's writing is that it is one of the most well-paced series. I never get hung up or stuck on something because every mystery or query I have is solved just when it needs to be and I'm never loft hanging or being annoyed. He's excellent at revealing things at the right time or creating action that just makes you want to keep going to the end and find out what will happen. Also his characters are realistic, believable and very funny too. There are brutal and crazy moments within this, but there are also bursts of banter and joking which had me smiling and laughing out loud.
In this story we follow the crew as they go on another adventure to a land where very few like to go. There are monsters and nasty creatures but somewhere there's an old ship with some hidden secrets and that is what they seek. Of course the story goes above and beyond that simple summary, but this book just builds on the foundations of the first and makes you more attached and excited for the character's upcoming adventures.
I can't believe there's only 4 books in this series, I'll be sad when I finish this one up for sure!
I loved learning more about the Manes (a strange race who few know anything about but who certainly impact this book in various ways) as I think they're very exciting and ominous to read about. I also loved seeing the problems that some of the characters had to face within this and there were some more deep and sad moments within this than the first which were touching and sincere.
Overall this was just as brilliant as the first in its own way and I'm really happy with how the story is developing on. I look forward to reading more with these characters and learning more about their escapades! Can't wait to read the next, highly recommended!! 5*s!
This story once again follows the crew members of the Ketty Jay, a 'sort-of' pirate airship with a 'sort-of' awesome crew. The character are what really make these books thrilling and enticing for me. They draw you in and make you root for them. They captivate and intrigue you and you just keep on wanting to read late into the night to find out more about them and their lives.
Also, in this book we get a lot more development on certain characteristics, traits or problems with our characters, and this was wonderful to see.
One thing I truly love about Chris Wooding's writing is that it is one of the most well-paced series. I never get hung up or stuck on something because every mystery or query I have is solved just when it needs to be and I'm never loft hanging or being annoyed. He's excellent at revealing things at the right time or creating action that just makes you want to keep going to the end and find out what will happen. Also his characters are realistic, believable and very funny too. There are brutal and crazy moments within this, but there are also bursts of banter and joking which had me smiling and laughing out loud.
In this story we follow the crew as they go on another adventure to a land where very few like to go. There are monsters and nasty creatures but somewhere there's an old ship with some hidden secrets and that is what they seek. Of course the story goes above and beyond that simple summary, but this book just builds on the foundations of the first and makes you more attached and excited for the character's upcoming adventures.
I can't believe there's only 4 books in this series, I'll be sad when I finish this one up for sure!
I loved learning more about the Manes (a strange race who few know anything about but who certainly impact this book in various ways) as I think they're very exciting and ominous to read about. I also loved seeing the problems that some of the characters had to face within this and there were some more deep and sad moments within this than the first which were touching and sincere.
Overall this was just as brilliant as the first in its own way and I'm really happy with how the story is developing on. I look forward to reading more with these characters and learning more about their escapades! Can't wait to read the next, highly recommended!! 5*s!
November 4, 2015
8/10
Just what the doctor ordered, a nice big healthy dose of fun! After reading around 1000 pages of “A Clash of Kings” doom and gloom (don’t get me wrong, it’s a great read) this was exactly the thing to cleanse my palette and it’s good to see that the first novel in the series wasn’t a fluke. If anything, this novel is better overall than the stellar “Retribution Falls”.
I remember when reviewing the first novel I mentioned that you didn’t get information of all the crew. This is well and truly addressed in this novel. Not only do you get the usual amount of storyline with the main characters but you get the side characters background too but without it ever feeling like massive info dumps. Even the cat gets a couple of paragraphs! It made the crew feel more fleshed out and also meant you cared that little bit more for them when things were going wrong.
The plot is entertaining throughout, weaving between whimsical banter to fast paced action and then onto grief topped off with awesomeness. There are certain plot points which are linked to things mentioned in the previous book so I would recommend starting there first. The writing is top notch like the first one; the action flows nicely, the tense moments are deftly handled and the light hearted moments are fun to read but overall it just feels like a better novel than the first one.
This could quite easily have been a 5 star read, one issue is that it’s one of those that is fun and entertaining to read but when you’ve finished it doesn’t stick with you which is sort of what makes a book the 5 star grade that I rarely give. A 4 day hiatus due to a stag do also didn’t help matters either! Other than that, I can’t recommend this series highly enough. A nice blend of sci-fi, steampunk, action/adventure. What more could you want!
If you like this try: “Guards! Guards!” by Terry Pratchett
Just what the doctor ordered, a nice big healthy dose of fun! After reading around 1000 pages of “A Clash of Kings” doom and gloom (don’t get me wrong, it’s a great read) this was exactly the thing to cleanse my palette and it’s good to see that the first novel in the series wasn’t a fluke. If anything, this novel is better overall than the stellar “Retribution Falls”.
I remember when reviewing the first novel I mentioned that you didn’t get information of all the crew. This is well and truly addressed in this novel. Not only do you get the usual amount of storyline with the main characters but you get the side characters background too but without it ever feeling like massive info dumps. Even the cat gets a couple of paragraphs! It made the crew feel more fleshed out and also meant you cared that little bit more for them when things were going wrong.
The plot is entertaining throughout, weaving between whimsical banter to fast paced action and then onto grief topped off with awesomeness. There are certain plot points which are linked to things mentioned in the previous book so I would recommend starting there first. The writing is top notch like the first one; the action flows nicely, the tense moments are deftly handled and the light hearted moments are fun to read but overall it just feels like a better novel than the first one.
This could quite easily have been a 5 star read, one issue is that it’s one of those that is fun and entertaining to read but when you’ve finished it doesn’t stick with you which is sort of what makes a book the 5 star grade that I rarely give. A 4 day hiatus due to a stag do also didn’t help matters either! Other than that, I can’t recommend this series highly enough. A nice blend of sci-fi, steampunk, action/adventure. What more could you want!
If you like this try: “Guards! Guards!” by Terry Pratchett
August 26, 2015
I am moving the star rating up to 5 for this one, basically because I am really really enjoying the story. There are some corny moments and there are some pretty convenient super power abilities, but you know what.... it's just a fun read. It's a real adventure story, with what appears to be a pretty solid forward thinking storyline.
I was expecting more of the same with book 2, but Wooding certainly appears to have been laying the ground work for this series, there are you standard smallish side stories, the main plot and then what is starting to show as a series plot.
For me the biggest plus for this book is the character development. For those of you who have read the Expanse series will enjoy this story for the characters. This crew for me, is the best group of characters I have read in a long time. and that includes the Expanse team. The interaction between them is clever and utterly realistic. The smarter crew members taking the piss out of the less smart ones, the picking on the Captain's narcissism and watching that backfire due to his....well narcissism. The quick come backs, all brilliantly written that has me laughing a lot.
I am just about to finish the next one in the series and I have to say, it is continuing to improve.
What are you waiting for, hop on the Ketty Jay and have some airborne adventures.
I was expecting more of the same with book 2, but Wooding certainly appears to have been laying the ground work for this series, there are you standard smallish side stories, the main plot and then what is starting to show as a series plot.
For me the biggest plus for this book is the character development. For those of you who have read the Expanse series will enjoy this story for the characters. This crew for me, is the best group of characters I have read in a long time. and that includes the Expanse team. The interaction between them is clever and utterly realistic. The smarter crew members taking the piss out of the less smart ones, the picking on the Captain's narcissism and watching that backfire due to his....well narcissism. The quick come backs, all brilliantly written that has me laughing a lot.
I am just about to finish the next one in the series and I have to say, it is continuing to improve.
What are you waiting for, hop on the Ketty Jay and have some airborne adventures.
December 8, 2015
Man o man o man o MAN! This series is amazingly, fantastically excellent!
It's not often that the 2nd book in a series totally surpasses the first in terms of awesomeness, world-building, character feely-feelz, attention-grabbing excitement, butt-kickin', and witty-ass banter. This one does. And it does it with aplomb.
Daring rescues, gas-powered flying behemoths, giant possessed metal golems, rattling machine guns, magic swords lopping off pieces, space-faring telepathic pseudo-zombies, stealing from orphans, betrayals of the heart, and the meanest cat you've ever met. All this and more can be part of your mindscape if you simply READ THIS BOOK!
It's not often that the 2nd book in a series totally surpasses the first in terms of awesomeness, world-building, character feely-feelz, attention-grabbing excitement, butt-kickin', and witty-ass banter. This one does. And it does it with aplomb.
Daring rescues, gas-powered flying behemoths, giant possessed metal golems, rattling machine guns, magic swords lopping off pieces, space-faring telepathic pseudo-zombies, stealing from orphans, betrayals of the heart, and the meanest cat you've ever met. All this and more can be part of your mindscape if you simply READ THIS BOOK!
July 8, 2025
Великолепни 5 Гриви!
Имам си нова любима поредица и любими персонажи. Дайте ми истории за банда неудачници, които в сърцата си не са неудачници и ме бройте щастлива. Още от времето на Стивън Кингското "То", това са историите, които ме улучват право в сърцето.
Учудващо, втората книга ми хареса повече от първата. Всички персонажи претърпяха страхотно развитие, стилът на автора продължава да се лее все така меко и плавно, с лек привкус на приятно грубиянски хумор. На места съм се смяла с глас.
Дано продължи така и в следващата книга.
" - Знаете ли какво е по-лошо от това да обереш една тайфа беззащитни сираци? - попита Фрей. - Да не успееш да обереш една тайфа беззащитни сираци.
Джес го потупа по рамото.
- Смел опит, Кап'тане!
- О, я млъквай!"
" - Това е риск, който съм склонен да поема, Фрей. Ако питаш мене, живот без пури не си струва да се живее. - Грист започна да се смее, но завърши задавяйки се в кашлица, която го накара да се превие на две. Когато се съвзе, той се изправи и избърса слюнката от брадата си. Загледа се в пурата си с насълзени очи. - Тютюнът, това е една сурова любовница."
" - В Самарла бях роб - промълви той. - Във Вардия съм враг. Това май е първото място, на което съм просто човек."
"На горното легло дебелият хъркаше толкова силно, че можеше да погълне собствените си одеяла."
"Ако планираше обирите си с половината от усилията , с които планираш бягствата от любовниците си, досега всички щяхме да сме забогатели."
" - Иска ми се да те разцелувам.
- Предпочитам да не го правиш Кап'тане. Само Единният Дух знае къде може да е била устата ти."
"Двигателите не са ударени, Кап'тане! - извика Малвъри отгоре. - Дявол знае къде са ни уцелили, но ако не усещаш повреда в уредите, Сайло казва да не се тревожиш. Сигурно няма да разберем, докато не се взривим."
"Крейк беше благодарен за разбирането. Фрей не беше от хората, които задават въпроси. На Кети Джей миналото на човека си оставаше само негово.
В повечето случаи според Крейк това беше добре. В екипажа на Фрей единственият ти съдия си самият ти. Но това конспиративно мълчание си имаше и лоши страни. Как можеше човек да знае кой му е приятел и кой не, след като никой не познаваше най-лошата му страна? Когато тайните излезеха наяве, кой ще застане на твоя страна?"
"Дори и да постигнеш това, което винаги си искал, то много рядко се оказва наистина такова, каквото са ти казвали, че е. Богатите са също толкова нещастни и объркани, колкото и бедните. Просто по различен начин. - Погледна надолу към черната повърхност на кафето. - Човек не може да избяга от себе си.
- Това пък какво означава?
- Ами, където и да отидеш, каквото и да правиш, пак си оставаш ти. Можеш да промениш всичко, което те заобикаля и да започнеш нов живот, но винаги ще се държиш по стария начин, ще се сприятеляващ със същите хора, ще правиш същите грешки. Трябва да промениш самия себе си."
"На Фрей му беше студено, страхуваше се, а и беше прекалено рано сутринта, за да те убият. Но независимо от това в този момент изпитваше пламенна обич към екип��жа си. Нищо не можеше да се сравни с другарството между мъже и жени , които заедно се изправят пред опасностите. Това беше връзка по-силна от приятелството. Втурването в битка с друг човек до теб беше проява на доверие на ниво в обши линии непознато след аристократите или селяните.
"Фрей въздъхна. Самолетът му може и да беше поправен и да е като нов, но екипажът му беше такъв, какъвто е бил винаги. Бяха свадливи. недисциплинирани и проблемни. И въпреки това се радваше, че ги има. Взети заедно поотделно бяха безнадеждни. Но когато бяха всички заедно, по някакъв начин ставаха нещо много по-добро от това, на което е способен всеки един от тях поотделно.
Не можеше да повярва, че в един момент почти щеше да ги остави да си отидат. Какво беше мислил тогава? Светът навън беше долен и подъл, те бяха единствените истински приятели, които имаше. А това не е нещо, което човек може да захвърли. Не може да го замени нито за пари, нито за слава, нито за каквото и да е друго."
"Всъщност идеята да разбуни едрите риби определено беше започнала да му се струва привлекателна. Той беше човек, който винаги се бе старал да остава незабелязан от по-силните от него. Винаги бе предпочитал да се занимава с най-низшите, отрепките на обществото, хора, които според него много лесно би могъл да надхитри. Беше смятал това за разумна стратегия, защото така беше останал жив до този момент. Но само да остане жив вече не му стигаше. Не беше достатъчно да се носи през някакво незначително съществувание, без да повлияе особено върху когото и да било, да се насочи тихо към някаква неясна смърт и да остане само в мислите на няколко приятели, които да го помнят.
Фрей искаше да стане някой. Искаше животът му да има значение. Това беше чувство, което не бе изпитвал от времето, което беше момче.
Доста време го владееше усещането, че е напълно безполезен, но вече не беше така. Беше извършил нещо необикновено и цяла Вардия щеше да узнае за това. Този път беше различно от Водопади на възмездието, когато участието му се пазеше в тайна и единствената му грижа беше да спаси собствената си кожа. Този път бе извършил нещо, което никой до този момент не бе успял да направи, и което беше по-важно - направил го беше заради някой друг.
"Какво ще остане след мен?" - мислеше Фрей. - "Една дяволски добра история. История, която ще се разказва отново и отново. И това ми е достатъчно." "
Имам си нова любима поредица и любими персонажи. Дайте ми истории за банда неудачници, които в сърцата си не са неудачници и ме бройте щастлива. Още от времето на Стивън Кингското "То", това са историите, които ме улучват право в сърцето.
Учудващо, втората книга ми хареса повече от първата. Всички персонажи претърпяха страхотно развитие, стилът на автора продължава да се лее все така меко и плавно, с лек привкус на приятно грубиянски хумор. На места съм се смяла с глас.
Дано продължи така и в следващата книга.
" - Знаете ли какво е по-лошо от това да обереш една тайфа беззащитни сираци? - попита Фрей. - Да не успееш да обереш една тайфа беззащитни сираци.
Джес го потупа по рамото.
- Смел опит, Кап'тане!
- О, я млъквай!"
" - Това е риск, който съм склонен да поема, Фрей. Ако питаш мене, живот без пури не си струва да се живее. - Грист започна да се смее, но завърши задавяйки се в кашлица, която го накара да се превие на две. Когато се съвзе, той се изправи и избърса слюнката от брадата си. Загледа се в пурата си с насълзени очи. - Тютюнът, това е една сурова любовница."
" - В Самарла бях роб - промълви той. - Във Вардия съм враг. Това май е първото място, на което съм просто човек."
"На горното легло дебелият хъркаше толкова силно, че можеше да погълне собствените си одеяла."
"Ако планираше обирите си с половината от усилията , с които планираш бягствата от любовниците си, досега всички щяхме да сме забогатели."
" - Иска ми се да те разцелувам.
- Предпочитам да не го правиш Кап'тане. Само Единният Дух знае къде може да е била устата ти."
"Двигателите не са ударени, Кап'тане! - извика Малвъри отгоре. - Дявол знае къде са ни уцелили, но ако не усещаш повреда в уредите, Сайло казва да не се тревожиш. Сигурно няма да разберем, докато не се взривим."
"Крейк беше благодарен за разбирането. Фрей не беше от хората, които задават въпроси. На Кети Джей миналото на човека си оставаше само негово.
В повечето случаи според Крейк това беше добре. В екипажа на Фрей единственият ти съдия си самият ти. Но това конспиративно мълчание си имаше и лоши страни. Как можеше човек да знае кой му е приятел и кой не, след като никой не познаваше най-лошата му страна? Когато тайните излезеха наяве, кой ще застане на твоя страна?"
"Дори и да постигнеш това, което винаги си искал, то много рядко се оказва наистина такова, каквото са ти казвали, че е. Богатите са също толкова нещастни и объркани, колкото и бедните. Просто по различен начин. - Погледна надолу към черната повърхност на кафето. - Човек не може да избяга от себе си.
- Това пък какво означава?
- Ами, където и да отидеш, каквото и да правиш, пак си оставаш ти. Можеш да промениш всичко, което те заобикаля и да започнеш нов живот, но винаги ще се държиш по стария начин, ще се сприятеляващ със същите хора, ще правиш същите грешки. Трябва да промениш самия себе си."
"На Фрей му беше студено, страхуваше се, а и беше прекалено рано сутринта, за да те убият. Но независимо от това в този момент изпитваше пламенна обич към екип��жа си. Нищо не можеше да се сравни с другарството между мъже и жени , които заедно се изправят пред опасностите. Това беше връзка по-силна от приятелството. Втурването в битка с друг човек до теб беше проява на доверие на ниво в обши линии непознато след аристократите или селяните.
"Фрей въздъхна. Самолетът му може и да беше поправен и да е като нов, но екипажът му беше такъв, какъвто е бил винаги. Бяха свадливи. недисциплинирани и проблемни. И въпреки това се радваше, че ги има. Взети заедно поотделно бяха безнадеждни. Но когато бяха всички заедно, по някакъв начин ставаха нещо много по-добро от това, на което е способен всеки един от тях поотделно.
Не можеше да повярва, че в един момент почти щеше да ги остави да си отидат. Какво беше мислил тогава? Светът навън беше долен и подъл, те бяха единствените истински приятели, които имаше. А това не е нещо, което човек може да захвърли. Не може да го замени нито за пари, нито за слава, нито за каквото и да е друго."
"Всъщност идеята да разбуни едрите риби определено беше започнала да му се струва привлекателна. Той беше човек, който винаги се бе старал да остава незабелязан от по-силните от него. Винаги бе предпочитал да се занимава с най-низшите, отрепките на обществото, хора, които според него много лесно би могъл да надхитри. Беше смятал това за разумна стратегия, защото така беше останал жив до този момент. Но само да остане жив вече не му стигаше. Не беше достатъчно да се носи през някакво незначително съществувание, без да повлияе особено върху когото и да било, да се насочи тихо към някаква неясна смърт и да остане само в мислите на няколко приятели, които да го помнят.
Фрей искаше да стане някой. Искаше животът му да има значение. Това беше чувство, което не бе изпитвал от времето, което беше момче.
Доста време го владееше усещането, че е напълно безполезен, но вече не беше така. Беше извършил нещо необикновено и цяла Вардия щеше да узнае за това. Този път беше различно от Водопади на възмездието, когато участието му се пазеше в тайна и единствената му грижа беше да спаси собствената си кожа. Този път бе извършил нещо, което никой до този момент не бе успял да направи, и което беше по-важно - направил го беше заради някой друг.
"Какво ще остане след мен?" - мислеше Фрей. - "Една дяволски добра история. История, която ще се разказва отново и отново. И това ми е достатъчно." "
June 14, 2016
Nije ovo jedan od onih univerzalno dobrih romana koje se čak i hipsteri usudjuju da vole, iako im religija to brani. Ovo je nešto malo drugačije, te moj rivju nije nimalo objektivan.
Svaki aspekt ovog romana mi odgovara, bukvalno ne postoji nikakva sitnica koju bih mogao da mu zamerim. Gde je prvi deo bio svojstveni prolog i uvod u ekipu likova, ovo je već punokrvna avantura koja poseduje neverovatan i nimalo isforsiran šarm. Jako simpatična ekipica, prirodan i interesantan world-building, odmerena akcija, humor, "udoban" stil, ma sve. I vodič Kako napisati (suptilnu, neiskarikiranu, značajnu) romansu 101. Od početka do kraja, uživanje.
Postaje mi bezveze da stavljam broj na knjigu, pogotovo kada sam ovako pristrasan, ali neka bude.
5
Svaki aspekt ovog romana mi odgovara, bukvalno ne postoji nikakva sitnica koju bih mogao da mu zamerim. Gde je prvi deo bio svojstveni prolog i uvod u ekipu likova, ovo je već punokrvna avantura koja poseduje neverovatan i nimalo isforsiran šarm. Jako simpatična ekipica, prirodan i interesantan world-building, odmerena akcija, humor, "udoban" stil, ma sve. I vodič Kako napisati (suptilnu, neiskarikiranu, značajnu) romansu 101. Od početka do kraja, uživanje.
Postaje mi bezveze da stavljam broj na knjigu, pogotovo kada sam ovako pristrasan, ali neka bude.
5
May 30, 2017
Still a lot of fun and action-packed, just like the first book. This series is quickly becoming one of my favorites, if not my all-time favorite.
Review moved to http://covers2covers.wordpress.com/20...
Review moved to http://covers2covers.wordpress.com/20...
August 8, 2025
Better than first book but still a solid 3 stars. Fast read and fast paced with lots of action just like first book. What made it better was characterisations and relationships between characters as that was something I found lacking in book 1.
February 2, 2012
Black Lung Captain is the confirmation that Retribution Falls was no one-hit-wonder. The ragtag band of outsiders and misfits embark here on new adventures that will bring upon them uncounted perils rather than the fame and fortune they were aiming at.
The McGuffin in this caper is a myterious artefact / doom device found and lost again in an abandoned dreadnought. Captain Darian Frey has his work cut out as he struggles to recover the artefact, keep his crew from coming apart under pressure, and stay ahead of the lethal attentions from the two women in his life : seduced and abandoned aristocrat Amalicia and old flame turned pirate queen Trinicka Dracken.
The Firefly fanfic vibe continues to be felt in the fast action sequences and humorous tone. Even the ghouls from the northern Ice Cap remind me of the space pirates in the TV series. But the Ketty Jay is so well written, I have no problem where the inspiration came from. There's one reply from Darian wielding his trusty cutlass ("It's all in the wrist") that seems picked up directly from Big Trouble In Little China - I hope it was intentional, because that's another film I love. I am thinking the series deserves a big budget movie or TV treatment, and I'm having a lot of fun making up casting decisions (Mila Kunis as Trinicka, or Jennifer Lawrence as Jez, Isla Fisher as Amalicia)
I had some issues with this second book, because it is written to function well as a standalone, and in order to do that it revisits the origin stories for each crew member, making the middle chapters a bit slower. But it also adds to layers/ nuance/ depth to each main character, plus additional appearances of the Century Knights - this bunch I feel could star in their own spin off books after the Ketty Jay is finished.
The final chapters kept me up until the early hours, passing in a rush of combat and cross / double cross / triple cross with superb control of action, dialogue, emotion. I'm glad I already bought The Iron Jackal, because I can't wait to get back together with the Ketty Jay.
A final observation for the series covers : great stuff, I would have bought the books on sight even if they were not already highly recommended by friends.
The McGuffin in this caper is a myterious artefact / doom device found and lost again in an abandoned dreadnought. Captain Darian Frey has his work cut out as he struggles to recover the artefact, keep his crew from coming apart under pressure, and stay ahead of the lethal attentions from the two women in his life : seduced and abandoned aristocrat Amalicia and old flame turned pirate queen Trinicka Dracken.
The Firefly fanfic vibe continues to be felt in the fast action sequences and humorous tone. Even the ghouls from the northern Ice Cap remind me of the space pirates in the TV series. But the Ketty Jay is so well written, I have no problem where the inspiration came from. There's one reply from Darian wielding his trusty cutlass ("It's all in the wrist") that seems picked up directly from Big Trouble In Little China - I hope it was intentional, because that's another film I love. I am thinking the series deserves a big budget movie or TV treatment, and I'm having a lot of fun making up casting decisions (Mila Kunis as Trinicka, or Jennifer Lawrence as Jez, Isla Fisher as Amalicia)
I had some issues with this second book, because it is written to function well as a standalone, and in order to do that it revisits the origin stories for each crew member, making the middle chapters a bit slower. But it also adds to layers/ nuance/ depth to each main character, plus additional appearances of the Century Knights - this bunch I feel could star in their own spin off books after the Ketty Jay is finished.
The final chapters kept me up until the early hours, passing in a rush of combat and cross / double cross / triple cross with superb control of action, dialogue, emotion. I'm glad I already bought The Iron Jackal, because I can't wait to get back together with the Ketty Jay.
A final observation for the series covers : great stuff, I would have bought the books on sight even if they were not already highly recommended by friends.
December 14, 2010
Wow, for a second novel in a series with many to come, Black Lung Captain did not suffer the normal sophomore blues. Once again, we are taken on a non-stop rollicking space cowboy, steampunk adventure. The whole cast from Retribution Falls is back in another Tale of the Ketty Jay. I felt like I was reading about The Serenity from Firefly, one of my favorite movies and quickly cancelled TV series.
In this novel we get more back story on the captain and his crew, and all the richer it makes this story of betrayal and redemption. I ate up every word of this one, actually enjoying it more than the first.
If you are a fan of steampunk, space cowboy's, and high adventure, run out and grab Retribution Falls, then read this one.
In this novel we get more back story on the captain and his crew, and all the richer it makes this story of betrayal and redemption. I ate up every word of this one, actually enjoying it more than the first.
If you are a fan of steampunk, space cowboy's, and high adventure, run out and grab Retribution Falls, then read this one.
January 21, 2024
The story kicks off with the crew of the Ketty Jay robbing an orphanage. Six men, one woman (kind of), a golem and a cat.
They’re then recruited to accompany an expedition to find a downed aircraft full of treasures rumoured to be of the Azryx - a lost civilisation with highly advanced technology.
Only thing is, it’s in a rainforest in Kurg - the vast island off Vardia's north-eastern coast. Impenetrable. Hostile. Populated by beasts so horrible that the mere mention of them made the local wildlife scatter.
There’s a lot of individual character growth as each person tries to overcome their inner fears. This sees them breaking away, withdrawing, and their presence being missed by the rest of the crew.
Even the cat has a perspective!
The crew of the Ketty Jay were a finely balanced group. Individually, each man and woman was a mess, but together, somehow, they'd found a way to work.
If that doesn’t scream idiots who slowly become a kinda functioning (that’s arguable), maniac found family, then I don’t what does!
Pinn whooped. ‘Watch out, boys! It's dyin' time!' he yelled.
Frey presumed he was addressing the enemy.
It’s whacky, it’s fun, it’s a joyride.
This was my favourite of the series!
If you want a steampunk book that gives you Indiana Jones vibes, read this!
Bookstagram
They’re then recruited to accompany an expedition to find a downed aircraft full of treasures rumoured to be of the Azryx - a lost civilisation with highly advanced technology.
Only thing is, it’s in a rainforest in Kurg - the vast island off Vardia's north-eastern coast. Impenetrable. Hostile. Populated by beasts so horrible that the mere mention of them made the local wildlife scatter.
There’s a lot of individual character growth as each person tries to overcome their inner fears. This sees them breaking away, withdrawing, and their presence being missed by the rest of the crew.
Even the cat has a perspective!
The crew of the Ketty Jay were a finely balanced group. Individually, each man and woman was a mess, but together, somehow, they'd found a way to work.
If that doesn’t scream idiots who slowly become a kinda functioning (that’s arguable), maniac found family, then I don’t what does!
Pinn whooped. ‘Watch out, boys! It's dyin' time!' he yelled.
Frey presumed he was addressing the enemy.
It’s whacky, it’s fun, it’s a joyride.
This was my favourite of the series!
If you want a steampunk book that gives you Indiana Jones vibes, read this!
Bookstagram
Displaying 1 - 30 of 504 reviews