Release Date: 19/09/13
Publisher: Gollancz
SYNOPSIS:
All good things come to an end. And this is it: the last stand of the Ketty Jay and her intrepid crew. They've been shot down, set up, double-crossed and ripped off. They've stolen priceless treasures, destroyed a ten-thousand-year-old Azryx city and sort-of-accidentally blew up the son of the Archduke. Now they've gone and started a civil war. This time, they're really in trouble. As Vardia descends into chaos, Captain Frey is doing his best to keep his crew out of it. He's got his mind on other things, not least the fate of Trinica Dracken. But wars have a way of dragging people in, and sooner or later they're going to have to pick a side. It's a choice they'll be staking their lives on. Cities fall and daemons rise. Old secrets are uncovered and new threats revealed. When the smoke clears, who will be left standing?
REVIEW:
Whilst I wasn’t originally enamoured of this series its one that has grown on me over time. As such its come as a bit of a surprise for me to see how sad I was at the end of this series with so many plot lines that could have led to successive titles but the author took not only a brave step but one where he feels that they could bow out on a high.
The writing was sharp, the pace wonderful and when added to an author who has a clear love for the characters created really put his all into this final excursion.
That’s not so say that it’s a book without problems, far from it, as in places it did feel quite rushed but with so many plot lines to tie up that’s hardly a surprise. All round a book that I had fun with and I wish Chris the best of luck with his next project. I just hope it is as good as what has gone before.
Release Date: 20/10/11
SYNOPSIS:
Things are finally looking good for Captain Frey and his crew. The Ketty Jay has been fixed up good as new. They've got their first taste of fortune and fame. And, just for once, nobody is trying to kill them. Even Trinica Dracken, Frey's ex-fiancee and long-time nemesis, has given up her quest for revenge. In fact, she's offered them a job - one that will take them deep into the desert heart of Samarla, the land of their ancient enemies. To a place where the secrets of the past lie in wait for the unwary. Secrets that might very well cost Frey everything. Join the crew of the Ketty Jay on their greatest adventure yet: a story of mayhem and mischief, roof-top chases and death-defying races, murderous daemons, psychopathic golems and a particularly cranky cat. The first time was to clear his name. The second time was for money. This time, Frey's in a race against the clock for the ultimate prize: to save his own life.
REVIEW:
The third book in the Ketty Jay series and one that for me, really has finally won me over with this series as I didn’t enjoy the first book, the second grew on me and now the third really took it to somewhere new in a Steampunk version of Firefly. It’s witty; it has a great cast who gel and play from each other throughout which when added to the authors writing style, it keeps it moving at its own pace.
Add to this decent prose, a good overall arc with hidden agendas and it’s a story that will keep you reading from start to finish. Great stuff.
BOOK BLURB:
Darian Frey is down on his luck. He can barely keep his squabbling crew fed and his rickety aircraft in the sky. Even the simplest robberies seem to go wrong. It's getting so a man can't make a dishonest living any more. Enter Captain Grist. He's heard about a crashed aircraft laden with the treasures of a lost civilisation, and he needs Frey's help to get it. There's only one problem. The craft is lying in the trackless heart of a remote island, populated by giant beasts and subhuman monsters. Dangerous, yes. Suicidal, perhaps. Still, Frey's never let common sense get in the way of a fortune before. But there's something other than treasure on board that aircraft. Something that a lot of important people would kill for. And it's going to take all of Frey's considerable skill at lying, cheating and stealing if he wants to get his hands on it . . . Strap yourself in for another tale of adventure and debauchery, pilots and pirates, golems and daemons, double-crosses and double-double-crosses. The crew of the Ketty Jay are back!
REVIEW:
Having had major problems with the original title in this series, I really wasn’t looking forward to starting this book. As with the original it did contain elements that are very similar to Firefly although this time round the crew didn’t feel that they were quite as obnoxious or unlikeable. Whether that’s because I weathered the original storm I’m not sure, but here in this tale, Chris takes the elements within to a more pleasing novel. Whilst I’m still not the biggest fan of this series it has improved and the reader may well be better starting with this title than the original.
BOOK BLURB:
Frey is the captain of the Ketty Jay, leader of a small and highly dysfunctional band of layabouts. An inveterate womaniser and rogue, he and his gang make a living on the wrong side of the law, avoiding the heavily armed flying frigates of the Coalition Navy. With their trio of ragged fighter craft, they run contraband, rob airships and generally make a nuisance of themselves. So a hot tip on a cargo freighter loaded with valuables seems like a great prospect for an easy heist and a fast buck. Until the heist goes wrong, and the freighter explodes. Suddenly Frey isn't just a nuisance anymore - he's public enemy number one, with the Coalition Navy on his tail and contractors hired to take him down. But Frey knows something they don't. That freighter was rigged to blow, and Frey has been framed to take the fall. If he wants to prove it, he's going to have to catch the real culprit. He must face liars and lovers, dogfights and gunfights, Dukes and daemons. It's going to take all his criminal talents to prove he's not the criminal they think he is ...
REVIEW:
Originally a well known children's author, Chris Wooding has grown as an author along with his audience. With his latest offering, many will end up comparing it to the now sadly defunct Firefly but will have numerous problems with it. My first, and perhaps major complaint was that I really couldn't get a likeability factor for them, they really got on my nerves and instead of some in depth bonding relied more on the mannerisms of navvy's which might seem like clever macho stuff but is quite sad and annoying in the long run. It's a shame as the book had so much going for it but the author seems to have rushed the whole thing and sadly turned up an half assed attempt at a novel that won't please many if any at all. A sad shame to be honest as it had the makings of something great.
