The Cinder Spires: The Aeronaut’s Windlass

i had been told that it took a bit to get into this book. Lots of details and descriptions. But once it got going, man did it get going. I love his Dresden Files series. This was a pretty good book!

Steampunk is not one of my usual genres, which led to this book languishing on my shelf for far too long. A unique, beautiful world, memorable characters, and action-packed battles kept me enthralled.

Read my full review:
https://rebeccasreadingcorner.blog/review-jim-butcher-the-aeronauts-windlass/

Jim Butcher already has one of the best series in existence. Here he shows his evolution as a writer, creating an even more complex and vibrant set of characters and situations. I’ve been jonesing for book two for too long now. Thank God for these last two Harry Dresden novels.

Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files are some of the fastest-paced books I’ve read. Set in modern-day Chicago, the intensity of these fantasy-noir novels ramps up almost immediately and barely leaves you time to catch your breath as the story hurtles forward. Sometimes they’re a little too fast; I often feel a bit exhausted after finishing one. So when I picked up The Aeronaut’s Windlash, the first book in his new Cinder Spires series, I wondered if that frenetic speed would carry over.

It doesn’t immediately. The first few chapters—while not dull—focus on establishing the main characters and fleshing out the alt-Earth setting. Some of it’s familiar: the main religions seem to be Christianity and Taoism (called the Way), and the inhabitants speak with a variety of Britishisms. But this world’s surface is prowled by bloodthirsty monsters, and humanity has retreated to massive, multi-leveled Spires erected by long-gone Builders. Iron and steel rot if they aren’t coated in copper, and the atmosphere is pervaded by an etheric energy that can be harnessed to fire crystal-based weapons and send nautical ships airborne. (Captain Grimm, an honor-bound privateer, feels like a steampunk-fantasy version of Patrick O’Brian’s Jack Aubrey. Needless to say, I liked him.)

The story takes off soon enough, though, when a rival Spire carries out a sneak attack on Spire Albion and lands a small force of marines. The main characters then band together to stop the invaders from completing their mission. From there, the pacing quickly begins to resemble a Dresden novel, with crisis after crisis and setback after setback.

It’s a lot of fun.

The prologue is over-the-top, and I’m not sure I needed the chapters from the talking cat’s perspective (yes, cats talk in this world). I also wish we’d learned more about the villains’ schemes, so that the heroes could do less reacting and initiate their own plans. But this is clearly meant to be a long series, and the mysteries that go unresolved—like why Grimm was kicked out of Albion’s fleet in his youth—are forgivable inducements to read the next book.

There’s only one problem: the sequel isn’t out yet! I hope it comes soon. I’m ready for another tale of aeronautical warfare to leave me breathless again.

(For more reviews like this one, see http://www.nickwisseman.com)

Another Jim Butcher winner! Totally different than his other series, looking forward to next book!

Overview: I enjoyed the fast-paced adventure and unique world of The Aeronaut’s Windlass, but the characterization left something to be desired.

Butcher’s writing is a bit wordier than I’m used to in modern fantasy. The voice of this story reminded me a great deal of the book Triumff, by Dan Abnett. Lots of dry wit and lengthy dialogue. This type of witty repartee can be very fun, but it also puts a certain amount of distance between the reader and the story, often making it seem as thought even the characters themselves are at a distance. When a character has a knife to her throat, it is a bit disjointed for her to launch into a length discourse that sounds as thought it’s been written and rehearsed. As a reader, I rarely saw what I would consider natural reactions in these characters.

One place Butcher excelled was in his writing of the eccentric Ferus and Folly. Both characters come across as quite crazy in the beginning, but we eventually see that they just view the world in a very different way. Captain Grim was decently written, with depth, backstory, and motivations. Gwen and Bridgett, however, lacked dimension. I found myself cringing a bit when Bridgett was narrating, as she seemed to exist mostly in support of Rawl and not as a person in her own right. Gwen was so straightforward as to be a robot, lacking real motivation or internal workings.
The world Butcher imagined for this story was wonderfully original, though we didn’t get to explore it as much as I might have liked. I assume he will delve deeper into both the world and the characters in future books of the series.

Overall, Aeronaut’s Windlass is a fun adventure if you’re not looking for anything too deep.

The bad reviews I’ve read of this book mostly center on the fact there is a cat as a POV character. I personally enjoyed those chapters a lot, and as someone who has spent time with cats, I think that probably is how they think of humans and our silly ways. It’s where most of the subtle humor in the book comes in. But if you don’t like that sort of thing, then you should skip this even though there is plenty of fun and action. There’s some room for improvement in the prose itself (the most used action tag is “blinked” ad nauseum) but overall I thought it was a solid and fun book.

Can’t wait for the next one! (And yes, it did take a few chapters to get it going and grab my interest, but after that…whoa!)

Butcher is one of my absolute favorite authors, so when I came across this book I barely hesitated to buy it. And I’m so glad I did. He builds a whole new world with ships sailing through the air rather than the sea, warrior cats that are not taking your crap, pirates, and so much more. In the midst of all the witty banter, in true Butcher style, lie little nuggets of wisdom and philosophy that make you pause and think.