Karissa E. (ophelia99) reviewed The Aeronaut's Windlass (The Cinder Spires, Bk 1) on + 2527 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I was incredibly excited to get a copy of this book to review through NetGalley. I absolutely adore Butcher's Dresden Files. I also read the Codex Alera series and thought it decent. This book has more of a steampunk feel to it...and it was incredibly disappointing and boring. I finally gave up reading it 55% of the way through.
Captain Grimm commands the merchant ship the Predator, his ship has taken heavy damage during an encounter with another ship. Despite being forced out of Spire Albion's armed forces he is fiercely loyal to to Albion. When Grimm returns to port at Spire Albion to repair his ship he finds it under attack and does his best to help the people of Albion. However, the Spirearch of Albion has different plans for Grimm and asks that he accompany some young cadets and some etherists on a mission of extreme importance. Grimm agrees, but only because the Spirearch also agrees to repair the Predator to her former glory.
The story switches viewpoint between Captain Grimm and some cadets who are training to be in the military. The three cadets the story focuses on are Gwen (a noble woman determined to learn to fight), Benedict (a warriorborn who also fights and is related to Gwen), and Bridget (a young woman from a failing noble house who is struggling to keep her house afloat).
I really really struggled with reading this and finally gave up about 55% of the way through the story. Pretty much every aspect of this book is poorly done. The biggest downfall of the book for me was the sheer boredom of reading it; I seriously fell asleep every time I started reading this book...it was soooo boring.
The world seems half-formed and is hard to picture and imagine; there just isn't enough description or reference points for the reader to figure out what type of world they are in.
There are a ton of characters thrown at the reader quickly and none of them are all that interesting. They are all very stereotypical to the point of being caricatures. You have Gwen the spoiled noble woman who is petite and beautiful but tough when she needs to be; you have Folly the insane magic user, and Captain Grimm the misunderstood yet noble ship captain. I didn't find any of them to be interesting or engaging.
Then there is the story. I was halfway through the book and still have no idea what this story is about. Spire Albion was attacked and is now starting a war with another Spire who attacked them. I don't have a good idea what Spires actually are; they seem to be underground cities or enclosed cities of some sort? I was never clear on that.. Then our characters are supposed to leave Spire Albion for an important reason but we never really know what it is.
Next there are the airship battles. I am really not a fan of reading about either naval or airship battles. I always have trouble picturing what's going on unless the scenes are really well done. The scenes with Captain Grimm were especially excruciating to get through because I just could not picture what was happening. This is more of a personal preference thing..but me and ship battles just don't mix, they do not interest me even a tiny bit.
The only positive thing I can say about the story is that the writing flows well and there weren't any technical flaws with how it was written.
Overall this story was a big disappointment, especially given how excited I was to start a new Jim Butcher series. The story is boring and doesn't seem to have a point, the world is strangely undefined, and the characters are forgettable and unengaging. Every time I picked up this book and started reading I immediately got sleepy and fell asleep. I will definitely not be reading this series.
Please don't let this book be the first example of steampunk literature you read. There are a ton of great steampunk books out there. If you are interested in reading steampunk I would check out any of the following series, they are all great steampunk reads: House Immortal by Devon Monk (okay this ones not totally steampunk, but it is awesome), the Treasure Chronicles by Jordan Elizabeth, The Clockwork Dagger by Beth Cato, The Electric Empire by Viola Carr, The Iron Seas by Meljean Brook, The Baskerville Affair by Emma Jane Holloway, and the Clockwork Century series by Cherie Priest.
Captain Grimm commands the merchant ship the Predator, his ship has taken heavy damage during an encounter with another ship. Despite being forced out of Spire Albion's armed forces he is fiercely loyal to to Albion. When Grimm returns to port at Spire Albion to repair his ship he finds it under attack and does his best to help the people of Albion. However, the Spirearch of Albion has different plans for Grimm and asks that he accompany some young cadets and some etherists on a mission of extreme importance. Grimm agrees, but only because the Spirearch also agrees to repair the Predator to her former glory.
The story switches viewpoint between Captain Grimm and some cadets who are training to be in the military. The three cadets the story focuses on are Gwen (a noble woman determined to learn to fight), Benedict (a warriorborn who also fights and is related to Gwen), and Bridget (a young woman from a failing noble house who is struggling to keep her house afloat).
I really really struggled with reading this and finally gave up about 55% of the way through the story. Pretty much every aspect of this book is poorly done. The biggest downfall of the book for me was the sheer boredom of reading it; I seriously fell asleep every time I started reading this book...it was soooo boring.
The world seems half-formed and is hard to picture and imagine; there just isn't enough description or reference points for the reader to figure out what type of world they are in.
There are a ton of characters thrown at the reader quickly and none of them are all that interesting. They are all very stereotypical to the point of being caricatures. You have Gwen the spoiled noble woman who is petite and beautiful but tough when she needs to be; you have Folly the insane magic user, and Captain Grimm the misunderstood yet noble ship captain. I didn't find any of them to be interesting or engaging.
Then there is the story. I was halfway through the book and still have no idea what this story is about. Spire Albion was attacked and is now starting a war with another Spire who attacked them. I don't have a good idea what Spires actually are; they seem to be underground cities or enclosed cities of some sort? I was never clear on that.. Then our characters are supposed to leave Spire Albion for an important reason but we never really know what it is.
Next there are the airship battles. I am really not a fan of reading about either naval or airship battles. I always have trouble picturing what's going on unless the scenes are really well done. The scenes with Captain Grimm were especially excruciating to get through because I just could not picture what was happening. This is more of a personal preference thing..but me and ship battles just don't mix, they do not interest me even a tiny bit.
The only positive thing I can say about the story is that the writing flows well and there weren't any technical flaws with how it was written.
Overall this story was a big disappointment, especially given how excited I was to start a new Jim Butcher series. The story is boring and doesn't seem to have a point, the world is strangely undefined, and the characters are forgettable and unengaging. Every time I picked up this book and started reading I immediately got sleepy and fell asleep. I will definitely not be reading this series.
Please don't let this book be the first example of steampunk literature you read. There are a ton of great steampunk books out there. If you are interested in reading steampunk I would check out any of the following series, they are all great steampunk reads: House Immortal by Devon Monk (okay this ones not totally steampunk, but it is awesome), the Treasure Chronicles by Jordan Elizabeth, The Clockwork Dagger by Beth Cato, The Electric Empire by Viola Carr, The Iron Seas by Meljean Brook, The Baskerville Affair by Emma Jane Holloway, and the Clockwork Century series by Cherie Priest.
Lloyd B. (azriel308) reviewed The Aeronaut's Windlass (The Cinder Spires, Bk 1) on + 27 more book reviews
I wills admit I like the Dresden Files. Was assuming I would enjoy this book as well. Sadly, no.
Starting with the captain, Captain Grimm. I liked this character. Loyal even after being forced out of the military. It seemed like he took the fall for someone else. Basically politics kicked him out.
The cat I did like as well, he gave some comic relief to the story, for the most part. His human wasn't bad either. Logical and quiet for the most part. She was an enduring young lady who was trying to keep her house going. A very nice change from the over grown, spoiled, loud mouthed noble who seems to make things worse for the most part by not being able to shut up and feeling she is always right and has to stick her nose into everything. Characters like her often ruin a good book. A noble that feels she has to learn to be a soldier? Not sure where that is supposed to lead here. I found myself skimming over any part with her character talking.
The book started off all right, air ship battle, sounded like pirates in the sky with big sail ships with magic crystals.
I did enjoy the crazy magician and his apprentice.
The cities were decently described. In the sky, on spires, etc. Lots of back alleys and clear lines between slums etc.
The number of characters introduced at a time sometimes seemed to be a lot at once. Several times I went back to re-read things just to be sure I had it straight.
It was written well, didn't catch any misspellings, and it flowed smoothly. Just kinda...Blah.
Over all, not Mr. Butchers best work. Won't be bothering with the rest of this series.
Starting with the captain, Captain Grimm. I liked this character. Loyal even after being forced out of the military. It seemed like he took the fall for someone else. Basically politics kicked him out.
The cat I did like as well, he gave some comic relief to the story, for the most part. His human wasn't bad either. Logical and quiet for the most part. She was an enduring young lady who was trying to keep her house going. A very nice change from the over grown, spoiled, loud mouthed noble who seems to make things worse for the most part by not being able to shut up and feeling she is always right and has to stick her nose into everything. Characters like her often ruin a good book. A noble that feels she has to learn to be a soldier? Not sure where that is supposed to lead here. I found myself skimming over any part with her character talking.
The book started off all right, air ship battle, sounded like pirates in the sky with big sail ships with magic crystals.
I did enjoy the crazy magician and his apprentice.
The cities were decently described. In the sky, on spires, etc. Lots of back alleys and clear lines between slums etc.
The number of characters introduced at a time sometimes seemed to be a lot at once. Several times I went back to re-read things just to be sure I had it straight.
It was written well, didn't catch any misspellings, and it flowed smoothly. Just kinda...Blah.
Over all, not Mr. Butchers best work. Won't be bothering with the rest of this series.
Let me preface this with writing that I LOVE the Dresden series. This is NOT the Dresden series. Does that warrant the criticisms? If you really only want more Dresden, this series may not be for you.
This is the first novel in a saga - it's 630 pages in hardcover and written as beautifully and cleverly as Butcher can do. It is FULL of action and interesting characters and lovely easter eggs (there's a tip of the hat to Anne McCaffrey's The Ship Who Sang which made my heart soar a bit). At first glance, the "main" character is Captain Grimm - a disgraced airship soldier who rarely shows what he's feeling to the people around him. He's solid, steadfast and absolutely the one person you want by your side when there's trouble. In the second half you find out more about his personal life. I'm sure we'll discover more about him in books to come but it's important to note that he's not the only major character. There's also Gwen, a daughter of privilege who wants independence and not marriage - gutsy, brave and needs to learn when to think first and maybe shut up :). Her cousin Benedict, a warrior-born who seems genetically different than 100% humans though he's human enough for me (hubba hubba) and definitely appealing to Bridget, another cadet who signed up for 2 years as a Spirearch guard out of family pride. They are a terrific trio. They're actually a quartet because Bridget travels with Rowl, the prince of the Silent Paws clan. If you love Dresden's cat Mister, then this is his cat with dialogue. Enjoy!
The people on the planet live in the sky - most of them on Spires which reach up into the clouds where the people live in "habbles". Commerce is done by ships that travel between Spires, and up and down between levels of each Spire. No people live on the planet surface but there are many dangerous creatures. Falling to your death is terrifying (not that you'd survive the fall anyway...).
A war begins between Spire Albion (where our heroes reside) and Spire Aurora. It will carry over to the next book and likely the next and what's fueling this war is very, very dangerous.
There is a LOT of information to take in, but it's absolutely worth the trip. You might not finish this quickly because of its length but you will race through the chapters as they're short and something important happens in every single chapter! The villains are incredibly dangerous and unnerving as you'd expect from Butcher - and the heroes are wonderful. You have to read it all to perceive this new universe he's built and once you do, you're HOOKED. I finished The Aeronaut's Windlass and immediately visited Butcher's website to find out that the next in the series is coming after the next Dresden.
Keep writing, Jim, I'll keep reading!
This is the first novel in a saga - it's 630 pages in hardcover and written as beautifully and cleverly as Butcher can do. It is FULL of action and interesting characters and lovely easter eggs (there's a tip of the hat to Anne McCaffrey's The Ship Who Sang which made my heart soar a bit). At first glance, the "main" character is Captain Grimm - a disgraced airship soldier who rarely shows what he's feeling to the people around him. He's solid, steadfast and absolutely the one person you want by your side when there's trouble. In the second half you find out more about his personal life. I'm sure we'll discover more about him in books to come but it's important to note that he's not the only major character. There's also Gwen, a daughter of privilege who wants independence and not marriage - gutsy, brave and needs to learn when to think first and maybe shut up :). Her cousin Benedict, a warrior-born who seems genetically different than 100% humans though he's human enough for me (hubba hubba) and definitely appealing to Bridget, another cadet who signed up for 2 years as a Spirearch guard out of family pride. They are a terrific trio. They're actually a quartet because Bridget travels with Rowl, the prince of the Silent Paws clan. If you love Dresden's cat Mister, then this is his cat with dialogue. Enjoy!
The people on the planet live in the sky - most of them on Spires which reach up into the clouds where the people live in "habbles". Commerce is done by ships that travel between Spires, and up and down between levels of each Spire. No people live on the planet surface but there are many dangerous creatures. Falling to your death is terrifying (not that you'd survive the fall anyway...).
A war begins between Spire Albion (where our heroes reside) and Spire Aurora. It will carry over to the next book and likely the next and what's fueling this war is very, very dangerous.
There is a LOT of information to take in, but it's absolutely worth the trip. You might not finish this quickly because of its length but you will race through the chapters as they're short and something important happens in every single chapter! The villains are incredibly dangerous and unnerving as you'd expect from Butcher - and the heroes are wonderful. You have to read it all to perceive this new universe he's built and once you do, you're HOOKED. I finished The Aeronaut's Windlass and immediately visited Butcher's website to find out that the next in the series is coming after the next Dresden.
Keep writing, Jim, I'll keep reading!
