Assassins of the Steam Age

I'm not sure what a "steampunk thriller" is, exactly, but if this is an example of the genre, then I want more! This is a stunning novel of suspense, technology, and human strength. The characters draw you in and the plot keeps you hooked. This is an epic example of perfect action-adventure meets science-fiction writing. I can't wait to read more about this seemingly real world in which everything is slightly different from our reality but not always in a worse way. So much of the technology is fascinating and the government setup reflects the unending improvements of civilization. A truly exciting story that sneaks up on you with its wisdom and creativity. Not for the feint of heart (kind of gore-filled and at times the descriptions of show more animal cruelty seem all too real), this book literally has something for everyone. show less

Author Joseph Robert Lewis shares his love of "the amazing history of human civilization" by inviting readers into one exotic steampunk locale after another, across Northern Africa, in this fast-paced adventure. The setting alone sets The Burning Sky (Halcyon #1: A Steampunk Thriller) apart from most of the Steampunk genre, rooted as it is in the neo-victorian UK or US. Quite apart from the splendid abundance of airships, mechanically augmented villains, and steam-powered industry, Burning Sky held my attention by forcing me to imagine how history and civilizations would have unfolded in a world where "Europe never emerged from the last Ice Age and only the southern regions are habitable. North Africa is cool, wet, and fertile. Ancient show more nations such as the Persian Empire have persisted, though others, such as the Romans, never rose to power."

The action kicks off right away in this novel, with fiery explosions at the airship hangars and the city of Tingis's train station. Two of the protagonists, Major Syfax Zidane of the royal marshals and Lt. Taziri Ohana, airship engineer, are suddenly off chasing a stolen airship seeking answers. Who would destroy the main modes of transportation out of the city? Is the missing Ambassador involved? Can anyone dislike Crosby, Stills, and Nash so much as to bomb the Marrakesh Express?

While the chase unfolds, a second storyline introduces readers to Princess Qhora of the Incan Empire and her lover and guardian Don Lorenzo, the Espani swordsman. Disrupted in their quest to deliver exotic New World pets (Great Cats that are long extinct from our own world) from her cousin the Prince-Emperor across the ocean to the Queen of Marrakesh, they're forced to seek other means of transport to their destination. Before long, we learn how their mission entangles with the same shadowy villains behind the Tingis violence in a conspiratorial plot to replace the Queen with an aristocrat who is unafraid to apply Steampunk technology for her deadly ends.

Other noteworthy character include the bionically Taser-equipped Ambassador Chaou and the stiletto assassin Shifrah, one Bad Samaritan. I couldn't find much to complain about in this novel, although I did find myself wrenched out of the story a few times by dialog that sounded too contemporary to my ear: "Oh shut up you big babies. You're all fine. They're juts little cuts. No one's dying, no one's lost any eyes. And no one's head is sliced open. Just settle down" is one example that came to mind. I also would like to have seen a stronger emphasis on the clockwork, mechanical, brass-goggled gizmology that one comes to expect from the genre, but that could simply be my sci-fi tastes imposing. For those of my leaning, there was some vaguely satisfying imagery in Doctor Medina's abattoir laboratory, however.

On the other hand, these small failings are more than made up for by the welcome threading of important themes not always addressed in Steampunk, a genre not generally known for it's confrontation of contemporary issues. Change and Progress aren't always universally beneficial things, and Lewis is determined to remind us of the human cost. Steam-powered prosthetic limbs are all well and good, but when the reason for their high demand is industrial accidents brought on by rapid modernization... one pauses at the ethical dilemma. Marrakesh's matriarchal society also called attention to our own too-often unequal treatment of the genders. There is another noteworthy line spoken by a character from the glacier-frozen and economically underdeveloped Europan nation of Hellas (AKA: approximately Greece on our own real-world globe). Speaking to characters from the more prosperous and "First-World" nations of Africa, he complains: "Europa isn't a country, you know. It's a vast continent, filled with many different nations and peoples, languages, and religions!" These reversals of fortune seen in Burning Sky subtly remind us that ours isn't the only perspective on matters.

I'm looking forward to reading books 2 and 3 of The Halcyon Trilogy, and think that readers hungry for a taste of some exotic flavor to their Steampunk will agree. show less

I want to start off completely honestly and say that I never thought I'd finish reading this book. It's not a terrible long book, but I am a reader who likes to get lost in the world of the story and this is one hell of a world. The "steampunk" fad always seemed interesting to me, but it wasn't even until I finished the book that I thought about whether or not this term applies. The thought of inflatable airships and a world where lights out is at sundown simply took my breath away.

This story begins with Taziri, but this is in no way Taziri's story. It took a while to get all of the characters straight, but soon you realize how intricately woven their lives really are. The synopsis leads you to believe Taziri is the main character, and show more personally she was the character I connected most with. As a mother with a young daughter, I could imagine the pain and worry associated with the fantastic journey she gets to go on.

There is only one aspect of the novel that truly bothered me, and that involved Dr. Medina's experimentation. While I understand that her actions were aimed to show the moral character of both her and Lady Sade, the basement of the prosthetics shop is somewhere that left me with nightmares. Once again, Lewis described it in great detail, but the feeling of being there is something I could have lived without.

Altogether I think that this was the best science fiction I've read in a long time. This is one story that really had my mind going as it pulled me right into it. If you enjoy fantasy, science fiction, or really any kind of adventure, grab a copy of The Burning Sky by Joseph Robert Lewis. show less

A fast paced steam punk journey through a world that is reassuringly familiar and stunningly strange.

Set in a world where Northern Europe never emerged from the last ice age and the empire of Rome never came to be The Burning Skies tells a tale of political upheaval through the eyes of six major players.

You better be ready to hit the ground running when you read this novel. The author offers no gentle scene setting to ease you into this alternate history of the world. Don't be scared, the skill with which the multi voiced narratives have been written gives you all the information you need to understand what's happening. You'll find yourself lulled into thinking “I know where this is going” only to find the plot twist out from under show more you and races off in a different direction.

The world of Burning Skies is rich in detail and so well formed that I want to go back and visit as soon as possible. I'm hoping that Joseph Robert Lewis will have the next book ready soon. You audience has devoured the appetiser and is hungry for the main course. show less

Joseph Robert Lewis takes the idea of "What If?" to an entirely new and exciting dimension. He recreates our world by asking "what if" so many times that he is able to create an entirely new, entirely believeable world. Most importantly, however, Mr. Lewis is able to create multi-faceted characters who are as flawed as anyone in THIS world. For this reason, even at its most fantastic, seemingly unbelievable moments, readers are still captured by the fast moving plot and characters who seem real enough to touch.

Got this book through the LT Member Giveaway program

I'm a great lover of SF&F and whether this is steampunk or not (though almost everything is steam driven) does not really matter. The setting of the novel is like todays earth (but why I cannot see, a completely fantasized world would have done the trick just as well - maybe this absolves the author from coming up with other original names). Anyway, as a fantasy novel the story works well and is a compelling read.

For me it was not a 'non-stop' read; I had to put it away at times and I did not get fully immersed untill the last third of the book. From there one the plot developed quite quickly and became more interesting. What I liked about the book is that it can be read as a single show more book without having to read the next parts (though I think I definitely will...). With most multiple part books today that seem to stop midway in a story this was quite refreshing. show less

I liked this novel very much. The world Lewis creates is an excellent alternative history, incorporating extinct megafauna from around the last ice age. Some of my favorite "monsters" from prehistory make an appearance in the story. I'd hesitate to call this steampunk. While I think some s'punky elements are here, I think this is more a world-that-could-have-been tale based on a different ecology rather than technology. Could this be ecopunk? Actually, I think the book is better than any sort of crappy genre name.

The characters are all clearly realized individuals. Sometimes, their intentions and motives aren't made clear to the reader, and there are some vagaries about the societies and the characters themselves that will leave the show more reader wondering. Over all, though, Lewis' sharp writing and the world we step into more than make up for any of those short comings. show less