You could probably write a good book about Pirates, Booze, Booty and Wenches!
You could probably write a good book about High Society, Conspiracy and Politics.
You could probably write a good book about Demons, Golems and Religion!
You could probably write a good book about resource use and poverty.
You could probably write a good book about Dogfights, Jets and Massive, Flying Fortresses!
Or you could take all of the above, add a large amount of action, a homicidal cat and a brilliant (if slightly warped) sense of humour and come out with Retribution Falls.
Retribution Falls follows the rag-tag, largely alcoholic (besides the one who doesn’t eat, drink or breathe…) crew of the Gunship/Freighter “Ketty Jay” and their misadventures after being framed for killing the son of the Country’s Ruler whilst searching for the “Grand Prize” that would make them rich for the rest of their lives’.
The characters are superbly written, each with their own deep and detailed back-story that really makes you care about what they feel and think as their lives are threatened time and again. All of them are haunting in their own way and also go to explaining the characters relationship with Darien Frey, the anti-hero who is the Cap’n of the Ketty Jay, who initially see’s the crew as a mere addition to the plane and his freedom. For example, at the start of the book he’s unwilling to hand the plane’s activation codes over in exchange for the passenger’s (Crake) life.
The story is set against a gloriously rich world that has a wide blend of technology’s and viewpoints that are rarely seen together, but just work beautifully. It’s close to Steam-punk, but not quite. Perhaps, for now, call it Air-Punk?
The societal background of Vardia would be close to the UK at the turn of the century but with elements of history both before and after the time. The nation is just recovering from the 1st and 2nd Aerium Wars with the Neighbouring “Sammie’s”* and explorers are searching New Vardia for fame and fortune. Aerium is one of the crux points of the series. The nation of Vardia is mountainous and divided into various Dukedoms. As transport by road and rail in such an environment would be impossible, Aerium is crucial to the nations viability. It, as far as I can discern, is a gas. When refined, it becomes much lighter than air, allowing massive machines to lumber into the sky which otherwise wouldn’t be possible. The ultimate expression of this is the Frigates, behemothic machines which each hold the firepower to level a town, as well as containing their own wing’s of fighter craft. And they are needed, both to defend against hostile neighbours and to deter the pirates who prey, amongst high mountain passes and plateaus, on the freighters that make up the lifeblood of the nation. The technology mix is curious and markedly WW1/2- esque as besides being jet (“prothane”) powered the aircraft don’t have radios and navigate and shoot by the use of the Mk1 Eyeball. This allows for superb dogfights, from small fighter duels in the “Biggles” tradition to gun-fights between frigates with swarms of fighters duking it out and dodging the artillery fire.
And yet, despite being set against a society where everything else is at a turn-of-century level, it feels right! And that’s without even starting on demonology and its practitioners, who move in society’s shadows to gain knowledge of the world’s beyond their own and bind demon’s to their bidding, for purposes ranging from self-guiding swords to hulking, unstoppable golem’s. However, demonology doesn’t come without its risks. As ever, summoning a demon you can’t control is a good way to get yourself (and/or your loved ones...) ripped to small pieces. There is also the risk of being found out by Awakeners and their followers, a group of religious fanatics who follow the deposed, insane, former king of Vardia, believing his words to be religious prophecy. Any demonist the Awakeners or their follower fined is shortly lynched or burnt.
I could talk of the books further. I could discuss the action-hero esque Century Knight’s, the elite bodyguards and hunters of the Arch-Duke who keep the nations peace and quash insurgency. I could talk on about the Shacklemores, the elite bounty-hunters on the trail of one of the Ketty Jay’s crew. I could talk more about the Manes, unearthly beings who come from the frozen North in black-iron dreadnoughts to steal people away. However, I shan’t. I will merely say that the book (and it’s sequel, The Black Lung Captain which will be reviewed here shortly) is excellent and a rewarding and entertaining read, with a full cast of characters, a strong plot and some deep storytelling and reflections on the world tied together by relentless action.
All the best and happy reading!
P.S. I only thought of this after writing the main text, but the book also makes good use of the three dimensional nation of air combat together with the agility afforded by aerium technology to create the kind of “flight and fight” sequences usually only encountered in deep space tales. For that, further credit is deserved.
If this sounds interesting to you, consider:
Double Eagle, by Dan Abnett: The master of sci-fi warfare strikes again! Set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe (see elsewhere on blog for background) this follows a fighter wing through a vicious war, with massive dogfights, desperate retreats, dark jokes and lots of explodey things. In the best of GW traditions, despite being in the far future dog-fighting is, as in Retribution Falls, line of site with jet aircraft with a minimal level of radio and radar (“auspex”) on board.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Myazaki: A Manga I read many years ago, before I even knew the word Manga. I can’t remember much but I remember some big flying things, lots of action and a solid, enjoyable plot with a powerful underlying message.
*An interesting nation in their own right, with a strong background
You could probably write a good book about High Society, Conspiracy and Politics.
You could probably write a good book about Demons, Golems and Religion!
You could probably write a good book about resource use and poverty.
You could probably write a good book about Dogfights, Jets and Massive, Flying Fortresses!
Or you could take all of the above, add a large amount of action, a homicidal cat and a brilliant (if slightly warped) sense of humour and come out with Retribution Falls.
Retribution Falls follows the rag-tag, largely alcoholic (besides the one who doesn’t eat, drink or breathe…) crew of the Gunship/Freighter “Ketty Jay” and their misadventures after being framed for killing the son of the Country’s Ruler whilst searching for the “Grand Prize” that would make them rich for the rest of their lives’.
The characters are superbly written, each with their own deep and detailed back-story that really makes you care about what they feel and think as their lives are threatened time and again. All of them are haunting in their own way and also go to explaining the characters relationship with Darien Frey, the anti-hero who is the Cap’n of the Ketty Jay, who initially see’s the crew as a mere addition to the plane and his freedom. For example, at the start of the book he’s unwilling to hand the plane’s activation codes over in exchange for the passenger’s (Crake) life.
The story is set against a gloriously rich world that has a wide blend of technology’s and viewpoints that are rarely seen together, but just work beautifully. It’s close to Steam-punk, but not quite. Perhaps, for now, call it Air-Punk?
The societal background of Vardia would be close to the UK at the turn of the century but with elements of history both before and after the time. The nation is just recovering from the 1st and 2nd Aerium Wars with the Neighbouring “Sammie’s”* and explorers are searching New Vardia for fame and fortune. Aerium is one of the crux points of the series. The nation of Vardia is mountainous and divided into various Dukedoms. As transport by road and rail in such an environment would be impossible, Aerium is crucial to the nations viability. It, as far as I can discern, is a gas. When refined, it becomes much lighter than air, allowing massive machines to lumber into the sky which otherwise wouldn’t be possible. The ultimate expression of this is the Frigates, behemothic machines which each hold the firepower to level a town, as well as containing their own wing’s of fighter craft. And they are needed, both to defend against hostile neighbours and to deter the pirates who prey, amongst high mountain passes and plateaus, on the freighters that make up the lifeblood of the nation. The technology mix is curious and markedly WW1/2- esque as besides being jet (“prothane”) powered the aircraft don’t have radios and navigate and shoot by the use of the Mk1 Eyeball. This allows for superb dogfights, from small fighter duels in the “Biggles” tradition to gun-fights between frigates with swarms of fighters duking it out and dodging the artillery fire.
And yet, despite being set against a society where everything else is at a turn-of-century level, it feels right! And that’s without even starting on demonology and its practitioners, who move in society’s shadows to gain knowledge of the world’s beyond their own and bind demon’s to their bidding, for purposes ranging from self-guiding swords to hulking, unstoppable golem’s. However, demonology doesn’t come without its risks. As ever, summoning a demon you can’t control is a good way to get yourself (and/or your loved ones...) ripped to small pieces. There is also the risk of being found out by Awakeners and their followers, a group of religious fanatics who follow the deposed, insane, former king of Vardia, believing his words to be religious prophecy. Any demonist the Awakeners or their follower fined is shortly lynched or burnt.
I could talk of the books further. I could discuss the action-hero esque Century Knight’s, the elite bodyguards and hunters of the Arch-Duke who keep the nations peace and quash insurgency. I could talk on about the Shacklemores, the elite bounty-hunters on the trail of one of the Ketty Jay’s crew. I could talk more about the Manes, unearthly beings who come from the frozen North in black-iron dreadnoughts to steal people away. However, I shan’t. I will merely say that the book (and it’s sequel, The Black Lung Captain which will be reviewed here shortly) is excellent and a rewarding and entertaining read, with a full cast of characters, a strong plot and some deep storytelling and reflections on the world tied together by relentless action.
All the best and happy reading!
P.S. I only thought of this after writing the main text, but the book also makes good use of the three dimensional nation of air combat together with the agility afforded by aerium technology to create the kind of “flight and fight” sequences usually only encountered in deep space tales. For that, further credit is deserved.
If this sounds interesting to you, consider:
Double Eagle, by Dan Abnett: The master of sci-fi warfare strikes again! Set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe (see elsewhere on blog for background) this follows a fighter wing through a vicious war, with massive dogfights, desperate retreats, dark jokes and lots of explodey things. In the best of GW traditions, despite being in the far future dog-fighting is, as in Retribution Falls, line of site with jet aircraft with a minimal level of radio and radar (“auspex”) on board.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Myazaki: A Manga I read many years ago, before I even knew the word Manga. I can’t remember much but I remember some big flying things, lots of action and a solid, enjoyable plot with a powerful underlying message.
*An interesting nation in their own right, with a strong background
1 comments:
Sounds great! Really dig the cover as well.
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