- Paperback: 480 pages
- Publisher: Spectra (April 26, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0345522516
- ISBN-13: 978-0345522511
"Piracy is a bit out of Darian Frey’s league. Fate has not been kind to the captain of the airship Ketty Jay—or his motley crew. They are all running from something. Crake is a daemonist in hiding, traveling with an armored golem and burdened by guilt. Jez is the new navigator, desperate to keep her secret from the rest of the crew. Malvery is a disgraced doctor, drinking himself to death. So when an opportunity arises to steal a chest of gems from a vulnerable airship, Frey can’t pass it up. It’s an easy take—and the payoff will finally make him a rich man.
But when the attack goes horribly wrong, Frey suddenly finds himself the most wanted man in Vardia, trailed by bounty hunters, the elite Century Knights, and the dread queen of the skies, Trinica Dracken. Frey realizes that they’ve been set up to take a fall but doesn’t know the endgame. And the ultimate answer for captain and crew may lie in the legendary hidden pirate town of Retribution Falls. That’s if they can get there without getting blown out of the sky."-Amazon
But when the attack goes horribly wrong, Frey suddenly finds himself the most wanted man in Vardia, trailed by bounty hunters, the elite Century Knights, and the dread queen of the skies, Trinica Dracken. Frey realizes that they’ve been set up to take a fall but doesn’t know the endgame. And the ultimate answer for captain and crew may lie in the legendary hidden pirate town of Retribution Falls. That’s if they can get there without getting blown out of the sky."-Amazon
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My Thoughts:
I’m not a big fan of sky-piracy. I find the whole idea of
floating ships, battling it out amongst the clouds a little stale. So while I thought I would be able to enjoy Retribution Falls, it turned out to be much
like my first hunch; a daring book for pirate lovers, and admirers of high
fantasy – of which I am neither.
Despite my genre-related reservations, I’d still like to agree with the good Peter Hamilton. Tales of The Ketty Jay is a (gallant) steampunk-inspired voyage
reminiscent of an old westerner, complete with funny hats, big bad guys, and a
blatant disregard for danger. I may not like it, but you will.
“Coming up the cargo ramp, revolvers in both hands, was a figure they all knew and hoped never to see…..The archduke’s merciless attack dog: Kedmund Drave.”
Though the pace starts out slow, the reader is eventually
sucked into the expanse of Chris Wooding’s Vardia. A vastness filled bandits, assorted cultures,
and daemonists, one of which; happens to have a "special" secret! Well.. not quite.
You don’t immediately know it, but almost everyone is hiding
something. It might seem a little convenient to some, but its (the surplus secrets part) understandable. Darian Frey and his men are the hodgepodge
crew of the Ketty Jay after all! Multi-faceted characters, with their own quirks and personal stories to tell. *Nods*
“Don’t let the cap’n fool you. He’s got a way with people, when he has the mind to try. But it’s not here nor there to him if you live or die. Or me, for that matter, or anyone else on board”
I think the only other book that’s had an similarly "rich" group, is that of the Argo II. (HOO) – And whilst they're fighting Greek gods, these outlaws are wrestling equally vivid bounty-hunters, and the ever-fearsome, Trinicia Dracken. Yep, that's right - Queen of The Skies. Can the bitter conflict be any more fierce? Sign this one out at the library folks, the odds are you won't regret it.
My Rating: 4/5
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