The Crew Who Came in From the Cold — Kathleen McClure and Kelley McKinnon

9 August 202321 January 2024 By 5t4n5

To begin, i would just like to mention that i received a free copy of this book from Kathleen and Kelley to read and review.

I’ve always been a total fan of the Fortune series, always great writing, great characters, interesting relationships, with lots of action and shenanigans, and this story was more of the same.

This story follows on from Outrageous Fortune, so do read that first.

In this story Kathleen teams up with Kelley McKinnon once again and what the reader gets is another wonderful adventure with the crew of the Errant when they get a passenger job to carry some doctors to another part of Fortune (they’re like Fortune’s vesion of “Doctors Without Borders), but one of these passengers isn’t who he says he is. Anyway, when this passenger goes to meet up with an old friend all hell breaks loose and, once again, trouble soon finds the crew of the Errant and shenanigans ensue. Plus, we get an update on John and Jagati’s budding romance . . . awwww!

All in all, while not a big long book, it’s a very good little adventure within which we learn a lot more about our favourite airship crew and, also, a very good little adventure that’ll keep you awake reading at bedtime when you should be going to sleep. But who needs sleep, right?

A must read for all Fortune fans and if you’re not a Fortune fan yet then i would humbly suggest that you go to Outrageous Fiction and get a free copy of Soldier of Fortune and give it a read. Yes, the first book in the series is free to try, so what’s stopping you? The planet Fortune is a wonderful stage setting for these really good, character driven adventures that Kathleen and Kelly take us on. If you like lots of action with great characters and great writing you won’t be disappointed.

Bye for now.

Kathleen’s Page Kelley’s Page

#steampunk #kathleenmcclure #kelleymckinnon

Contaminant Six — Joseph R. Lallo

17 May 20231 January 2024 By 5t4n5

Contaminant Six -- Joseph R. Lallo And we’re back with the Wind Breaker crew for another episode of fuggy shenanigans.

Captain Mack is busy beginning his retirement plans when life decides to have other plans. So it’s off back to the fug for yet another crazy adventure with another crazy nemesis to foil their plans. Super good writing once again from Joseph.

If you liked the TV show Firefly and you haven’t given the Free-Wrench series a try, then please do. It’s basically a steampunk version of the show.

Next up i’m off to read Upgrade by Blake Crouch, which i’m very much looking forward to. Another fantastic writer that everyone should give a bit of their reading time to.

Bye for now.

Joseph’s Page

#steampunk #josephrlallo

Fortune: Behind the Curtains — Kathleen McClure

20 March 202321 January 2024 By 5t4n5

A good little bit of background about the language and naming system of all things Fortune.

Best read before any of the books as it’ll help make sense of some of the words used.

Kathleen’s Page

#steampunk #kathleenmcclure

Fortune’s Fool — Kathleen McClure

12 March 202321 January 2024 By 5t4n5

A super good story continuing Gideon Quinn’s adventures after all the shenanigans we all totally enjoyed in Soldier of Fortune.

I found the pacing of this quite different to Kathleen and her co-writer’s other books, which was not a bad thing at all, i rather liked it. While the story mostly drives along in Kathleen’s usual fast paced style we are also left with the crew back at Doyle Street who have no idea what is going on with Gideon — and all the others who have gone missing — while getting the cafe ready to open and having a baby. So it’s quite nice to get these little breathers between the fast paced scenes involving Gideon and co. to catch our reading breaths.

And not only do we have all our favourite characters back and in the thick of it, but we have a few new ones to meet and enjoy reading about, yes, even those nasty ne’er-do-wells.

All in all, once again, brilliant writing, great characters, and great story telling. I just can’t wait for Kathleen to add the finishing touches to the next Fortune book, The Crew Who Came in From the Cold, which i will be diving into with absolute joy.

And i’ll say it again, like i say on all of books coming out of Outrageous Fiction, if you’re looking for some great action packed character driven story telling then look no further than their website for all your reading needs. You shall be satisfied.

Kathleen’s Page

#steampunk #kathleenmcclure

The Longest Shard — Kathleen McClure

12 March 202321 January 2024 By 5t4n5

If you like really good steampunk with really good characters navigating a really good world then The Fortune Chronicles by Kathleen McClure will be right up your alley.

Every one of the Fortune books i’ve read so far has left me really glad i bought it and always leaves me eagerly awaiting more. Kathleen is one of those writers who, once she’s got you started in a book, just ain’t gonna let you off the hook until the very last word. It’s just non-stop, gritty, character driven stuff with great world building that will keep you up late reading when you should be getting some sleep.

The Longest Shard is a really well written, fast paced novella giving us the full tale of Gideon Quinn’s time in Morton Barrens up to the time he leaves at the start of Soldier of Fortune. I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary to have read it before Soldier of Fortune, so if you missed it and want some more Fortune and Gideon Quinn then jump straight into this as soon as finished Soldier of Fortune.

Seriously folks, if you like steampunk give Kathleen, Fortune and Gideon Quinn a chance: you won’t regret it.

Kathleen’s Page

#steampunk #kathleenmcclure

Orphan, Dodger, Soldier, Spy — Kathleen McClure

16 February 202321 January 2024 By 5t4n5

This is a back story to the main Gideon Quinn adventures, giving us a bit more of Gideon’s past than is revealed to us in the main books.

In this book we’re taken back to Gideon’s time in the war when Gideon takes a couple of his soldiers to go behind enemy lines to steal some secret documents. We also get to know how Gideon ends up with all the scars.

Only a short novella kind of thing, but still a good little episode that gives us a bit more history to Gideon’s character.

I would suggest reading this after Soldier of Fortune, and then follow it up with The Longest Shard, which i have jumped straight into after finishing this book.

Kathleen’s Page

#steampunk #kathleenmcclure

Outrageous Fortune — Kathleen McClure and Kelley McKinnon

14 February 202321 January 2024 By 5t4n5

Click on picture to get your copy.

In this story we get to hear all about the crew of the airship Errant, whom we briefly met when Gideon and Mia delivered Jinna for safe-keeping in Soldier of Fortune. Not only do we get to hear all about them and their pasts, but we also get to go on another great adventure on the planet Fortune with shenanigans galore.

To write this book Kathleen teams up with Kelley McKinnon and while i found there’s a slightly different feel to the writing, it’s certainly just as good as, and flows perfectly on from, Soldier of Fortune. Once again, we are feasted to our heart’s content with great characters who just keep the story rip-roaring along for the reader’s complete entertainment.

This book is mostly set at the same time of the events in Soldier of Fortune, and if you haven’t read that first then i would suggest doing so before embarking on this book.

Another winner from the brilliant writers at Outrageous Fiction.

Kathleen’s Page Kelley’s Page

#steampunk #kathleenmcclure #kelleymckinnon

The Angel of Khan el-Khalili — P. Djèlí Clark

1 February 2022 By 5t4n5

The second story from the Dead Djinn Universe, which i only just got hold of with it having been quite some time since i finished the other three books (silly me thought it was a trilogy). But not to worry, while it would have been better to have read it before The Haunting of Tram Car 015, it was very much worth reading still and doesn’t detract from anything i’ve already read in this series.

Once again, all the super good writing we’ve come to enjoy from Djèlí, my only question would be is will there be any more Cairo books? I do so hope so, this is a fantastic world Djèlí has created that begs to be explored a lot more. And i totally recommend this whole series for everyone, even if you’re not already into steampunk flavoured fantasy with a North African twist you soon will be.

This is available in the anthology, Clockwork Cairo and also can be read for free over at Tor.com.

P. Djèlí Clark’s Page

#steampunk #fantasy #pdjeliclark

The Engineer Wore Venetian Red — Shelley Adina

21 January 2022 By 5t4n5

Shelley’s Page

#steampunk #shelleyadina

With a Golden Risha — P. Djèlí Clark

16 January 2022 By 5t4n5

Available in the periodical, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly — Issue 23.

To begin, a risha is to an Arabian oud as a plectrum is to a guitar. If you want to know more you can read all about ouds and rishas by clicking here.

So, with that out of the way, let’s get to a review.

Great book. This is early Djèlí introducing steampunk elements into his fantasy. Our story begins with our oud player, Saleh, getting rescued by a philosopher pirate (captain who’s not a captain), Usman, and the rest of the crew of the airship The Beggar. Then we’re off on a 537-kindle-loc-point adventure to find treasure, amongst which is a magical golden risha with which Saleh gets to play his oud.

I really enjoyed this book and hopefully, one fine day in the future, Djèlí might even sit down and write some more stories with Saleh and Usman. There’s got to be some great stories to be told about a philosopher pirate captain and his side-kick minstrel oud player.

And so, next up in my Djèlí reading list will be The Things My Mother Left Me

P. Djèlí Clark’s Page

#fantasy #steampunk #pdjeliclark

Steampunk! — Anthology

5 January 2022 By 5t4n5

Some Fortunate Future Day — Cassandra Clare

The Last Ride of the Glory Girls — Libba Bray

Clockwork Fagin — Cory Doctorow

Seven Days Beset by Demons — Shawn Cheng

Hand in Glove — Ysabeau S. Wilce

The Ghost of Cwmlech Manor — Delia Sherman

Gethsemane — Elizabeth Knox

The Summer People — Kelly Link

Peace in Our Time — Garth Nix

Nowhere Fast — Christopher Rowe

Finishing School — Kathleen Jennings

Steam Girl — Dylan Horrocks

Everything Amiable and Obliging — Holly Black

The Oracle Engine — M. T. Anderson

#fantasy #corydoctorow #mtanderson

The Black God’s Drums — P. Djèlí Clark

27 December 2021 By 5t4n5

Take some super good fantasy with a good African/Caribbean flavour, season with a nice hint of steampunk, and bake slowly for a few of hours in an althist New Orleans: what more can you ever want from a book?

This good length novella is from around the same time as Djèlí was writing the Dead Djinn series, and with all of these stories you really pick up on the time in Djèlí’s writing that he begins to introduce steampunk elements into his unique and wonderful style of fantasy.

A really well written, really enjoyable read.

For my next P. Djèlí Clark story, i’m going back in time. I managed to track down some earlier stories of his that i missed: gotta read them all. First up of those will be The Things My Mother Left Me.

Djèlí’s Page

#fantasy #steampunk #pdjeliclark

Clockwork Cairo — Anthology

26 December 2021 By 5t4n5

The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn’t, the Mummy That Was and the Cat in the Jar — Gail Carriger – 2014

The Angel of Khan el-Khalili — P. Djèlí Clark – 2017

Mock The Midnight Bell — Sarah Caulfield – 2017

Worthless Remains — Jonathan Green – 2006-2017

The Lights of Dendera — Tiffany Trent – 2017

Ushabti — Zan Lee – 2017

Thermodynamics; and/or The Remittance Men — Chaz Brenchley – 2017

Lucky At Cards — David Barnett – 2017

Sun River — Nisi Shawl – 2017

The Sun Shall Lie Across Us Like Gold — Benjanun Sriduangkaew – 2017

The Word of Menamhotep — George Mann – 2017

Silver Linings — Tee Morris & Pip Ballantine – 2014

Antonia and Cleopatra — Matthew Bright – 2017

The Museum of Unlikely Survivors — Rod Duncan – 2017

Jabari and the Giant — Christopher Parvin – 2017

To Kill A God — M.J. Lyons – 2017

The Infernal — Anne Jensen – 2017

Imhotep’s Dog — John Moralee – 2017

But For The Pieces He Left Behind — E. Catherine Tobler – 2017

The Copper Scarab — K. Tempest Bradford – 2017

#steampunk #pdjeliclark #teemorris #pipballantine

The Fall of Babel — Josiah Bancroft

27 November 2021 By 5t4n5

Josiah’s Page

#steampunk #josiahbancroft

The Windup Girl — Paolo Bacigalupi

18 November 202131 October 2023 By 5t4n5

The Windup Girl -- Paolo Bacigalupi This book is awful.

Well, at least the first 12% of it was. It was so awful that i really just couldn’t be bothered to wade through any more of the trudging, depressing, miserable writing. I feel i gave it a fair go because if a writer can’t sort his mess out in the first 12% of a book then the book can be deleted as far as i’m concerned.

All we get are depressing characters that you really have no inclination for any level of empathy towards, you just wish they’d all go away and someone interesting turn up, but no one does. Just miserable, depressing people who drink alcohol and smoke and live in a kind of steampunk dystopia which hasn’t been explained as to how all this mess came about. In fact, it all just feels totally messy, disjointed and made up by someone who really hasn’t made any attempt at understanding whatever genre this is supposed to be.

So, at the end of 12%, NO THANK YOU!

Deleted!

Paolo’s Page

#paolobacigalupi #whataloadofcrap

A Master of Djinn — P. Djèlí Clark

25 September 2021 By 5t4n5

The fourth book in the Dead Djinn Universe and carrying straight on from where The Haunting of Tram Car 015 left off, with all our favourite characters involved, this really is some great writing.

This trilogy has been my first taste of Djèlí’s writing and i’m very impressed. His imagination is excellent and his ability to put that imagination into words for all us avid readers is simply marvellous. I’m certainly going to be reading more of his work in the future: i’m hooked.

All in all, a wonderful blend of steampunk, fantasy and folklore all thrown into an alternative history in Cairo with lots of shenanigans mixed will in. And it’s great to have main protagonists who are strong women, from different religions, who also happen to be in a same sex relationship.

P. Djèlí Clark’s Page

#fantasy #steampunk #lgbtq #pdjeliclark

A Dead Djinn in Cairo — P. Djèlí Clark

12 September 2021 By 5t4n5

The first book in the Dead Djinn Universe, and what a good start it was. While it’s only a short story, 36 pages, it’s a very good short story and is packed with great hints as to what the rest of the series is going to be like in this alternative fantasy/steampunk Cairo.

The title gives the beginning away in that a Dead Djinn is found in Cairo by its lover. A special investigator from the “Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities” is brought in with a police inspector to investigate and then it’s just non stop until the end.

Then once you’re at the end of this i can’t imagine that any reader wouldn’t want to dive straight into The Angel of Khan el-Khalili, which is the next book in the series.

Great writing, great characters and just plain good stuff for those who like their fantasy mixed up with steampunk elements.