A Brave New World

From the creator of such works of art as the “Furies of Calderon” and “The Dresden Files” Jim Butcher has now focused his immense talent onto, what is being called, the steampunk genre in his latest series, ”The Cinder Spires.”
Steampunk seems to be the latest trending term devising the name from a blending of sci-fi and fantasy with technology and aesthetic design inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery and the cyber punk genre.
The first book, “The Aeronaut’s Windlass,” is rich in Old World aristocratic political structures known as Spires, vintage clothing,” blended with magnificent airships, (reminding me of the airships in the “Grimm Noir” trilogy by Larry Correa) contesting in aerial naval battles, and other typical noir references usually associated with steampunk.
The plot moves quickly and Mr. Butcher introduces many characters and multiple action scenes that, at first seem distracting but soon become distinguishable and fit the story well. Bridget, scion of a once-prominent noble house on the verge of ruin and her cat, Rowl, Highborn Gwendolyn Lancaster, her “warrior born” cousin, Benedict; the grizzled Captain Grimm; and master etherealist Ferus and his assistant, Folly are a motley group of disgraced veterans and novices that are sent off to stop the mysterious force behind a very coordinated and deadly series of attacks on Spire Albion by its rival, Spire Aurora.
There is plenty of action and the society is open for some political backstabbing. I always think that it is a good book when you wonder what is going to happen next.

129 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Jim Butcher Hits it out of the Park

Jim Butcher's long awaited foray into steampunk lives up to every possible expectation, and they were high. I'm a big fan of the Dresden Files and if possible, enjoyed Codex Alera even more. The world of The Aeronaut's Windlass is entirely different; mankind lives in tall spire cities, away from the dangerous surface of the earth. Peopled by monsters, the surface is to be avoided at all cost. The Spire Cities, Albion and Aurora, are fiercely competitive with a history of warfare. A new round of warfare, initiated by Aurora, is the focus of The Aeronaut's Windlass. Aurora is clearly willing to use whatever means necessary to destroy Albion.

Captain Francis Grimm is loyal to Spire Albion, despite having been treated badly by the Admiralty; drummed out for cowardice unjustly. After his privateer airship, HMS Predator, is badly damaged in an Auroran ambush he must limp home for major repairs. He is recruited for a mission by the Spirearch with the promise of repairs and new crystals for The Predator.
He will be aided in his mission by a motley crew of characters ranging from the admirable to the just plain strange. He is also up against a female adversary who rivals Queen Mab of The Dresden Files and the Vord Queen of Codex Alera for sheer evil. The action of the book is relentless with the characters jumping from frying pan to fire nonstop.

I waffled about the rating on The Aeronaut's Windlass. The world building was almost too organic in that you are thrown into the action with no foundation. I don't mind saying that I had difficulty forming a mental picture of the Spires and airships, at least at the beginning. Euan Morton's narration pushed it from a 4.5 to a 5 for me. I was glued to my device until I realized there is actually no good stopping point in the action. His portrayal of Rowl, Prince of the Silent Paws is spot-on. I highly recommend The Aeronaut's Windlass.

RATING- 5 Stars

82 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

The Aeronauts

If this were not such a trusted author, I am not sure I would have continued after the first few chapters. We are begin with a character who is brilliant, but bored and in order to get what she wants, which is to join the Guard, she is willing to blast her way out of her mother's drawing room. Her Mother tells her house guards that her opposition to her daughter's leaving is really manipulative. Because the daughter only does things she thinks other people do not want her to do, the Mother is only pretending to oppose her. HUH? So what military unit would accept a spoiled brat, where is the wind ship Captain?

But this is Jim Butcher and yes, his characters grow and learn. And the reader is delighted to be with them. The characters and their story lines are woven together so skillfully that by the end of the book, which by the way is non stop action, we not only know them well, but are invested in them. When the book ends we miss them. Jim Butcher just gets better.

I am not sure why the narrator read this book as if he were quietly teaching a course in Victorian literature at one of the British Universities. I think the publishers, really should rethink the direction given to this reader. The choice of voice used here would be great for Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, even Bram Stoker. But the people in this book are warriors.

Euan Morton is a skilled narrator. I listened to his early work, in which he did a credible American soldier's accent, and seamlessly went into an SAS operative, along with family members of these two men. So in spite of the skills he brought to this book, the Publishers chose the most low key academic voice, even during a deadly battle of wind ships, hand to hand combat, and Pub brawls.

And still this is a great book. It is well worth the time spent listening to it.

57 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

great book!

great author, great narrator! Somehow this had 4 star rating when it was launched. not sure how someone could have read it in less time then the book is long. I'm about halfway in and I'm totally engrossed!

38 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Not up to Jim Butcher's usual excellence

Jim Butcher's books usually have a great depth of characters. Caring about the characters was very difficult in this novel. Too many perspectives made it difficult to really relate to the characters. While I understand this is the start of a series the ending left me quite unsatisfied.

24 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Classic Butcher

What made the experience of listening to The Aeronaut's Windlass the most enjoyable?

I really enjoy Jim Butcher's writing style, he can actually make me laugh out loud and the performance by Euan Morton was incredible, hope he has the gig for the next instalment.

23 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Best Butcher Ever! Best sci-fi fantasy of 2015!

What made the experience of listening to The Aeronaut's Windlass the most enjoyable?

Great ensemble cast with strong warrior women and men, wonderful ethereal beings, and evolved cats personalities.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the fast pace. I very much enjoyed the strong characters any one of whom could be their own book. And one just has to love the cats.

What about Euan Morton’s performance did you like?

His performance was absolutely amazing and spot on. He made it easy to distinguish between characters. Mr. Morton is very easy on the ears.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I didn't want any of my favorite characters to die. I absolutely did not want the story to end and I think Jim Butcher should be sequestered and not allowed to rest his pen until the sequel is in the hands of his publishers.

Any additional comments?

I am excited about this new series. However, I hope we haven't heard the last of Senior Dresden.

21 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Not what I was expecting.. but well worth a credit

Mr. Butcher is an extraordinarily gifted writer. I was instantly hooked on both the Dresden Files and the Codex Alera series. That didn't happen for me with The Cinder Spires. There were a few times during the first half of the book where I just thought "seriously?"... especially when the talking cats came around. It distracted me from an interesting world and made me think of Meow Mix commercials or Milo and Otis. However, as the story progressed I became more and more interested, and by the end, even the talking cats didn't bother me.

If Mr. Butcher evolves this story with as much talent as he did with Dresden Files, then readers will be in for a real treat. I'll definitely be picking up the next in the series.

I was unfamiliar with Euan Morton as a narrator, but I was thoroughly impressed and commend him for his performance. I have no complaints on the narration at all.

19 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

A lot to digest for a first book in a series

I realize there is a lot to establish in a first book when you're planning a series, but this was a LOT to keep in my head. Two things made it difficult for me, personally: The first person point of view kept changing which required mental adjustment while still attempting to follow a new storyline; The cast of characters are just a few too numerous. I can begin to understand the reasons for all of these choices, and I can see as the series unfolds it will become easier to follow these characters within the larger story arch. It just makes this a bit of a slog for book 1 in the series. I've had to re-listen or re-read a number of passages because I lost the thread. I hope books to come make this first book pay off.

16 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

First Jim Butcher but not my last...

What made the experience of listening to The Aeronaut's Windlass the most enjoyable?

The narrator is excellent. I look forward to listening to other books he has done.

What other book might you compare The Aeronaut's Windlass to and why?

It's definitely an adventure with lots of battles. There wasn't much time to catch one's breath. I would say it's a lot like Star Wars in comparison.

What does Euan Morton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Like other wonderful audio books, a great narration brings the book to life in ways that are different from just reading the words. Characters personality and traits are expressed and become almost tangible.

Any additional comments?

I haven't read much Steampunk so it's hard to compare it to anything in that genre, but I will look forward to readying the the sequels. And I LOVED the cats! I have 4 myself and I believe Jim's characterization of them was spot on!

15 personnes ont trouvé cela utile