Genre: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Steampunk
Series: Tales of the Ketty Jay #1
Page Count: 380
Publication Year: 2009
Publisher: Gollancz
Summary: Crash! Bang! Boom! What an adventure!
This is one of the funnest adventures I’ve ever read. I found it during my “I Tried Starting Six More Fantasy Series” post, so you can read my initial thoughts here.
During a seemingly easy robbery, the crew of an airship suddenly become the most wanted people in the land. As they unravel the mystery of their dangerous circumstances, the convoy of villains looking to shoot them out of the sky gets longer each day. With a less than courageous and inspiring captain, getting to the point where the crew can fight the enemy might be a little difficult.
I want adventure in fantasy books and this book delivers. It’s a nice mix of espionage, chase scenes, uncovering information, character mysteries and general action. Things never get too serious but it doesn’t skim the surface for the sake of not dragging down the mood; some darkness and drama is still present, it’s just not sapping my soul.
What I really like about this book is the pacing. I don’t think a chapter passes where something hasn’t happened or been revealed. Since I’ve read quite a few beginnings where nothing happens and it’s full of dry history, this is a lovely change. This type of pacing means it doesn’t have much time to develop the characters, but I’ll get to that in a second.
Another thing that’s great is the world. I’ve read my fair share of fantasy and a few sci-fi, but I can’t remember coming across a place like this. Not only do they have airships, there are guns, electricity, toilets and other modern amenities, but it stays below the sci-fi threshold. It’s like steampunk, but without the reliance on steam. It reminds me of the game Dishonored, which I love. They go to several different towns and because they don’t spend much time in one place, they can all blur into a mass of rundown/seedy ports, but it’s still fun to be on the move and finding new things. I never felt inundated with the world’s history and I doubt that will be a problem with this series, which is extremely refreshing. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read a fantasy book and been slapped with textbooks of history that does nothing for the story. I may not have any clue how this world came to be, but do I need to know? No.
The characters are familiar types. The captain isn’t leader material, but grows to be one and to care about his crew. The doctor is an alcoholic who doesn’t perform surgery anymore. The mechanic doesn’t say much but is intensely loyal to the captain because they saved each other’s lives. The navigator has a secret she doesn’t want anyone else to know and consequently hasn’t put down roots. The two fighter pilots both have reasons for why they want to stay in the air, be it glory or fear. And the extra passenger is running from the authorities while slowly returning to his hobby of daemonism. Alright, I’m not familiar with daemonism. None of them do or say anything too surprising and they don’t break new ground or push barriers. The only thing that’s different about them is they don’t pry into anyone’s past or stir-up needless drama. Someone can say, “It’s none of your/my business” and that’s enough. I like them.
The description can go overboard when it comes to people. Pretty much everyone who talks has their face and/or body shape or clothes described and I think that’s a bit much. I also don’t remember any of it a page later, so it’s wasted on me. The rest of the description is enough to get a clear visual but not so much that you have pages of the stuff. Perhaps it’s superficial when it comes to the cities they visit and that makes the whole thing not as deep and lush as it could be, but I’d rather have less than more.
Not only is this a fun book, it’s funny. I’m not talking Wodehouse funny, but humor is a part of the story and it makes it better. Whether it’s the banter between the crew or the way something is described, I felt an ever-present lightness and enjoyment in the prose.
Crake considered him a life-form ranking somewhere below a garden mole and just above a shellfish.
Rake players didn’t like their games too brightly lit. Most of them had only a passing acquaintance with daylight.
His body ached as if he’d been expertly beaten up by a squad of vicious midgets.
Snoring was good. Unless it was a particularly cunning decoy—Frey briefly imagined a sharp-eyed assassin waiting behind the door, dagger raised, snoring loudly—it suggested the enemy was unaware, unarmed, and at a massive disadvantage, which was the only way Frey would fight anyone, if he could help it.
The prose isn’t fantastic and it could be cleaned up in a few areas but it’s such a fun time that I don’t care as much as I normally would.
You may have noticed that I’m not bringing down the hammer of disapproval, despite my criticisms. The reason is that there are books for every occasion and this one is for when you want a lighthearted adventure that is not a literary Michelangelo. It has a job to do and I think it does it well.
Check out my rating here.