The Aeronaut’s Windlass – The Cinder Spires by Jim Butcher – Review & Giveaway
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Description:
Since time immemorial, the Spires have sheltered humanity, towering for miles over the mist-shrouded surface of the world. Within their halls, aristocratic houses have ruled for generations, developing scientific marvels, fostering trade alliances, and building fleets of airships to keep the peace.
Captain Grimm commands the merchant ship, Predator. Fiercely loyal to Spire Albion, he has taken their side in the cold war with Spire Aurora, disrupting the enemy’s shipping lines by attacking their cargo vessels. But when the Predator is severely damaged in combat, leaving captain and crew grounded, Grimm is offered a proposition from the Spirearch of Albion—to join a team of agents on a vital mission in exchange for fully restoring Predator to its fighting glory.
And even as Grimm undertakes this dangerous task, he will learn that the conflict between the Spires is merely a premonition of things to come. Humanity’s ancient enemy, silent for more than ten thousand years, has begun to stir once more. And death will follow in its wake…
Review
The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher is the first book in his The Cinder Spires series. I was not sure of what to expect when I decided to read this new series by Jim Butcher, as I am a fan of his Dresden series. This was a bit different with a steam punk background in a different fantasy world, with aristocrats, magic, technology, ships and people who have some powers.
Early on we meet the leading characters who will all play a big role in the story. Captain Grimm, of Spire Albion, is the Captain of the ship Predator, which despite it being an older ship, is one of the most successful. In the midst of an attack, Predator holds its own, until Spire Aurora sends in a battleship that will damage Predator, as they limp home. We are in the middle of war between the two Spires, which is now escalating even more.
In another area, we meet Gwen Lancaster, of the Lancaster Vatterys. Gwen is determined to join the Spire Guard, and leaves home to do what she was expected to do. Gwen meets up with her cousin Benedict, a seasoned warrior, who will help her. Gwen is tough, and speaks her mind, even if it turns off others. Benedict is the opposite and he has no qualms teasing Gwen about her abrasive nature.
Next we meet, Bridget Targwen, who is forced by her father to go out and join the guard, as it is what she has to do when you reach a certain age. My favorite character is Rowl, a blueblood cat from his own tribe. Rowl loves Bridget, who can speak cat language; he stays with her to protect her.
All of them are commissioned by the SpireArch of Albion to help find out how Aurora is finding out Albion information, and who the leak is. They will work with together, and have been assigned to work with Master Ferus, an Etherialist and his apprentice, Folly. Both Ferus and Folly seem somewhat mad, especially in the language; but they have so much power, seeing things in the future. I did like Ferus, but Folly, who needed her Ethereal crystals, to keep her mind clear.
What follows is an interesting, and early on confusing adventure that will put them very much in danger, especially as the war escalates. Once we get the feel of the story, it becomes very exciting, with each of them finding themselves right in the middle of death defying situations. They will discover an evil that will threaten their world as they know it. The main villain, Cavendish, is a counter part of Ferus, but her powers are used to kill others mentally, as well as creating evil beings. I liked all the characters created by Butcher, and found myself becoming totally into this story in the last half. Many times throughout the adventure, we thought some of our heroes would die.
Butcher does a wonderful job explaining the naval battles between Predator, other ships and those from Aurora. We could feel the men on Predator doing what they could to salvage the ship against the attacks. Very well done. As I said before, Rowl was a great addition, especially when he had to get other cat tribes to help save Bridget and the others from those violent beings. After a slow start, which is to be expected when starting a new world, and trying to introduce the main characters; the story line picked up full speed ahead, with a wild exciting finish. I look forward to what comes next in this series by Jim Butcher.
Reviewed by Barb
Copy provided by Publisher
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