Friday, June 29, 2012

Featured Ebook : The Wake of the Dragon by Jaq D. Hawkins

Ebook : THE WAKE OF THE DRAGON
Genre :  Steampunk, Fantasy
Author : Jaq D. Hawkins

Author Website :  
http://www.amazon.com/Jaq-D-Hawkins/e/B0034P4BFI
Goodreads author page:
 http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/218599.Jaq_D_Hawkins
Amazon Store:  
http://www.amazon.com/The-Wake-Dragon-Steampunk-ebook/dp/B0080UVQIW

Smashwords Store :  
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/158970 
ISBN : 9781476396354 (digital, paperbackback to be released soon)

Reviews : 4-5 stars  

BLURB : No sane airshipman will fly near a storm, but the cover of storm edge offers effective concealment for airship pirates who can strike quickly from above before anyone knows a ship is near. With the protection of Aide, the goddess of air travel, one airship defies the elements to seek fortune for the rag tag aerialists who make up the pirate crew.

The elements are the least of their problems when they find themselves saddled with an airsick clerk, a crewmember suspected of working for the East India Company and a love sick farm girl whose headstrong misconceptions compel her to seek adventure where no decent woman would wander unescorted.


Battling businessmen, mechanoids and villagers armed with torches and pitchforks, Captain Bonny must decide who to trust, and if the only rational course of action is one of apparent madness.

Amazon Reviews 
Superb Swashbuckling Steampunk June 9, 2012 : 5stars
By Mallory_Supernatural Aficionado
Format:Kindle Edition
 

13 Stars! An exciting, adventurous, engrossing adventure, a Steampunk thriller, delightful in every aspect, "Wake of the Dragon" is a superbly-written story that will surely appeal to readers of all stripes of genre interest. Yes, it is Steampunk, but it is rich in historical background; the thrill-a-minute pace will appeal to readers of adventurous thrillers; and the sheer excitement of the airships, the piracy, the many chases, mobs, and the upending of normal consensus reality to paint a reality so similar, yet so different-everything in this book is fantastic.

Take a pinch of legal opium trade as administered by Britain's East India Company; add airships, clockwork mechanoids; Dickensian business practices; rural communities and farms straight out of the Victorian era; pirates, cars, and the usual human emotions-toss in a hint of spy novel; and the result is a riveting page-turner that is not to be missed. Do pick this one up-you will likely find yourself reading it in one sitting as I did, then immediately wanting to turn back to the first page and read through again.  


Smashwords Reviews 
Review by: Jim Browning on May 25, 2012 : 5stars
 
This one had me laughing on the first page. As Steampunk writing goes this is what it should be, an airship pirate adventure in the opium trade where a convoluted series of thieves, spies and corrupt businessmen form a fast moving tale that keeps the pages turning and the reader both intrigued and amused.

The story can be engrossingly serious at one moment and delightfully comedic in the next.The characters are well defined and form an interesting tapestry of opposites. A businessman's clerk who suffers from travel sickness is an unlikely companion for a gentleman pirate captain with a mystical proclivity who thrives on the thrill of danger at storm's edge. A farm girl, a hired spy and a mechanoid pirate crew add both flavor and comedy to a story that has been notably historically researched, even giving the date of a significant earthquake in England that really happened.

The aspects of alternative technology that define good Steampunk are handled well and the writer's skill with the story teller's art makes me curious about her other books. I hope her future releases will include more Steampunk. A sequel to this one would be great as I would like to see more adventures with some of these characters.


Review by: C.M. Gray on May 24, 2012 : 4stars
 
In a steam punk world reminiscent of Victorian London, a world where steam powered airships roam the sky and it would seam everyone and his mother succumb to the tempting embrace of opium and rum, a robbery sets the story for an adventure around the skies.

The thieves head off in their airship, captained by the incredible Captain Bonny, while the luckless Dudley, clerk of the dubious victim, Mr Wyatt gives chase.The character of Captain Bonny is extremely well developed as he tempts the faits with his flirtations with Aide, goddess of the storm winds, always sailing a little too close to a storm so that he might feel a connection with her.

I thought this was a really well put together story that drew me along entertaining all the way. I look forward to exploring other books by this author. 


 

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