Aeronaut’s Windlass

For someone who always did their homework as a kid, I lost the knack as an adult. At least as far as books are concerned. I picked up Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher with my latest Audible credit. I knew it was a serial going in. I was prepared to commit to hundreds of pages of adventure. What I didn’t realize he hadn’t gone past book one.

A sad trombone sounds in the background.

Which means I have committed to yet another unfinished epic. The list is almost at the epic-length itself. Well, I’m writing my review, so it’s a little late to do anything about it. Maybe next time, I will catch myself before I fall. I can’t be too upset. The second installment of The Cinder Spires series doesn’t exist because the author is currently wrapping up work on the latest episode of The Dresden Files. Bookworm problems: I don’t have one book because another book I want to read is being worked on. Oh, the horror! The horror!

Aeronaut’s Windlass is a steampunk fantasy adventure set high among the clouds. Jim Butcher has built a world of spire nations chock full of airships, protocol, and self-important cats. Windlass follows the story of a rag tag group of characters. Gwendolyn, heiress to extreme political power and riches, and Bridget, heiress of a diminished family and a meat vattery, are young recruits who fall into political intrigue. Captain Grimm, a world worn pirate, is commandeered into ferrying Gwendolyn, Bridget and the rest of the company to intercept the threat of war. While Grimm has command of the ship, he doesn’t hold control of the mission. That is in the hands of Master Ferus, expert Etherealist. This title translates into a weird man with a loose tie to reality, even for folks living in the world of Spire Albion. He is accompanied by his apprentice, Folly, who has a unique style of fashion. And then, there is Rowl, Prince of the Silent Paws, responsible for being the pinnacle of perfection in every way. He must suffer through the indignity of dealing with inept humans.

This was an excellent kick-off to a more extensive series. Butcher created a great cast to leas us through the early days of Albion-Aurora conflict. It does start slow. As a reader, you are plopped right into the middle of the action. You have to pick up on the world as you go along. After the initial introduction, the pull of the story and the characters takes you into the clouds as if on one of the tethers found on Captain Grimm’s vessel. I chose to pick up the audio book version. I know, I know. I couldn’t help it. Who doesn’t like to be read to? More importantly, who wants being stuck in traffic? Not this girl, let me tell you. Anyway. Euan Morton does a beautiful job transitioning between characters and narration, making my drives far and away more enjoyable.

If you haven’t read anything by Jim Butcher, I would highly recommend changing that fact as soon as possible. I stumbled upon him by accident. One of his short stories from his Dresden Files series was in an anthology I was listening to. And I’ve never really looked back. He has me hook line and sinker. I even recruited Adam into reading The Dresden files and then reading Aeronaut’s Windlass. The Dresden Files was his launch into the literary world and are charming adventures of their own. Windlass is a departure from Dresden in a lot of ways. The most notable is the switch to an omniscient point of view, offering readers a broader lens in which to experience his world through.

A voice from downstairs calls out, “If you’re looking for your next read, try the Mistborn series…” Uh-huh. Would that be one of your own sprawling fantasy epics, Adam? Why, yes it is. I’m not taking the bait this time. Wait, didn’t I listen to a short story by the Mistborn author and really like it? Yes-No. Walking away. Walking away.

Till the next chapter Nerd Girls!