A fantastical steampunk first contact novel that ties together high magic, high technology, and bold characters to craft a story you won’t soon forget.“I can’t stop thinking about the world of Flotsam. Science-fiction, alchemy, and airships. It’s magic.”- Mary Robinette Kowal, Hugo-Award Winning AuthorCaptain Talis just wants to keep her airship crew from starving, and maybe scrape up enough … airship crew from starving, and maybe scrape up enough cash for some badly needed repairs. When an anonymous client offers a small fortune to root through a pile of atmospheric wreckage, it seems like an easy payday. The job yields an ancient ring, a forbidden secret, and a host of deadly enemies.
Now on the run from cultists with powerful allies, Talis needs to unload the ring as quickly as possible. Her desperate search for a buyer and the fallout from her discovery leads to a planetary battle between a secret society, alien forces, and even the gods themselves.
Talis and her crew have just one desperate chance to make things right before their potential big score destroys them all.
“Combining the best elements of steampunk and space opera, placed in a lavishly detailed and imagined world, Flotsam will hold you firmly till the final page.”
– Cat Rambo, Author of Beasts of Tabat
“A crazy blending of Steampunk, Fantasy and SciFi that takes you on a genre-bending wild ride through the skies of Peridot. The worldbuilding is incredibly epic for a newly minted author and hints at uncovering even more as this series evolves.”
– Kouer, GoodReads
“Flotsam sucked me in and wouldn’t let me go. R J Theodore is a fresh voice who will soon be on your must-read list!”
– Jennifer Foehner Wells, Best-Selling Author of the Confluence Series
“Peridot truly comes to life on the page; it’s remarkable that Theodore manages to establish the world and its cultures and races so well straight off the bat.”
– Alan Brenik
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The Review
I absolutely loved this book. As a sucker for genre mashups, I truly enjoyed getting to see this blend of sci-fi, steampunk, and fantasy all blended into one epic story of adventure, secrets, and camaraderie. The world-building the author utilized here was fantastic, giving readers a great sense of imagery as this world was brought to life while still leaving enough room for readers to want more backstory and history in future installments. The balance of mythos that went into the story with the character’s personal growth was amazing to watch unfold here and gave readers so much to absorb as the story went on.
The characters themselves were so diverse and fantastic to read. The complicated history and pasts of these characters were well fleshed out in the novel, and never felt like the exploration of these pasts ever took away from the main plot. The action was great, as the narrative took on a very cinematic quality and made this first book feel like the first season of a new streaming show steampunk and sci-fi fantasy fans are craving right now.
The Verdict
A memorable, entertaining, and brilliant steampunk and sci-fi fantasy novel, author R.J. Theodore’s “Flotsam” is the perfect first novel in a brand new series! The rich history and mythology the author built here with a cast of characters readers can’t help but care for and brilliant action makes this genre-bending novel a true standout.
This was a really great steampunky, science-fantasy joyride. The worldbuilding is excellent, with a shattered world held together by alchemical magic, with steampunk airships that travel between islands. There’s a good story to it as well, dealing with old gods and aliens.
The only thing I wasn’t thrilled about was that the ending dragged on a little and obviously goes into the next book without having a very satisfying conclusion as a stand-alone. I would have preferred a quicker resolution.
That said, I’m looking forward to the rest of the series!
Had a very hard time getting into it, I ultimately gave up.
Imagine a version of the Lord of the Rings where Frodo scratches his head at one point and says “Now where has that ring gone? I know i left it somewhere in my backpack. No, wait, did I remember to bring it? Last place I saw it was under the bed in my room at home. It was gathering dust which really looked cool, and as I reached for it I heard the kettle whistling in the kitchen and I decided to have tea.”
If you think that’s believable, then this book’s for you!
I really enjoyed the development of this alien world as I advanced through the book. Instead of loading the front of the story up with thorough descriptions they came throughout the book thus building a mental image of this strange world piece by piece.
The characters were well thought out and enjoyable to get to know. I’m looking forward to reading the next books in the series.
A really thoroughly original world, filled with action, science, and magic. I liked the central character, the female captain of a hot air balloon ship, and her crew a lot. I look forward to the next installment in the series. Although I could perhaps do with a bit less internal agonizing by the heroine?
Steam-punk books are great What-if books
This was a great day debut novel! I’m really looking forward to the next installment and I wish the author much success. I highly recommend reading Flotsam.
Haha….. I only wish I’d realized there was a glossary in the back while I was reading it.
Pirates in space. It has flavors of Serenity, Treasure Planet, and all the cross, double cross, and intrigue you could ask for. Tallis is a very human character with very human flaws.
I really enjoyed RJ Theodore’s world building, characters and story. Airships and aliens! Mysterious gods! Swashbuckling adventure! This book has all of that and more, and was well writen and very entertaining.
I’ll definitely be purchasing the next book in the series.