Stevie‘s review of The Aeronaut’s Windlass (The Cinder Spires, Book 1) by Jim Butcher
Steampunk published by Orbit 05 Jul 16
I never managed to get into Butcher’s Harry Dresden series, although many others of my acquaintance have raved about it. The author has always struck me as a nice enough chap in interviews and on convention panels, and I like both steampunk and space (or in this case air) pirates, so thought I’d give his new series a try. There’s obviously been a lot of thought put into the world building, both in terms of technology and history, but I had reservations about some aspects of this imagined world right from the starting pages…
One thing I like about steampunk culture is its attempts at inclusivity. There are plenty of authors out there writing worlds in which Eurocentric Imperialism either never happened, or at least turned out differently for the cultures that were conquered in the real timelines. I’ve met plenty of makers and costumers in the UK who are bucking the idea that steampunk is all about the white Upper (or Upper Middle) Class folks too. Given all that, I expect a totally imagined steampunk world to be both culturally and racially diverse (more so even than the non-whitewashed versions of 18th and 19th century British history show us) and to feature a wide cross section of society in its heroes and heroines. I was disappointed by this book in both respects, although the first took a while to sink in, since we get next to no descriptions of any character’s skin tone or features until one of our heroines encounters ‘exotic’ visitors from other spires at a busy port, thus confirming my disquiet that all those characters we’d met prior to that excursion were white. My second disappointment happened in the very first sentence, when it was revealed that our first heroine was a member of the ruling elite, being manipulated into doing her period of military service by the machinations of her overbearing mother. The other heroine too, comes from a great family, as does at least one other character whose family is discussed in detail.
I’m quite sad that these factors marred my experience of the book to such an extent, as many of the background features showed potential: the ancient spires that serve to house the populations and to protect humanity from dangers lurking on the planet’s surface, the airships (naturally), the economics and practicalities resulting from populations that live out their entire lives in a totally enclosed space; also, the cats. The cats get a special mention, as I did enjoy their society and the ways in which they interact with each other and with the humans (when they absolutely can’t avoid it!). In fact, I’d quite like an entire book that focussed on the cats, with special appearances by the verminocitors: the humans that the cats encounter most frequently.
Sadly, unless such a book is forthcoming, I doubt I’ll be continuing with the series since it, like the Dresden books, just isn’t for me.
Grade: C
Summary:
Since time immemorial, the Spires have sheltered humanity. Within their halls, the ruling aristocratic houses develop scientific marvels, foster trade alliances, and maintain fleets of airships to keep the peace.
Captain Grimm commands the merchant ship Predator. Loyal to Spire Albion, he has taken their side in the cold war with Spire Aurora, disrupting the enemy’s shipping lines by attacking their cargo vessels. But when the Predator is damaged in combat, Grimm joins a team of Albion agents on a vital mission in exchange for fully restoring his ship.
And as Grimm undertakes this task, he learns that the conflict between the Spires is merely a premonition of things to come. Humanity’s ancient enemy, silent for more than ten thousand years, has begun to stir once more. And death will follow in its wake. . . .
Read an excerpt.
