bellatora's review against another edition
5.0
I need to read more sci-fi/fantasy. It’s so…refreshing. I am damn tired of reading angsty books that confront The Heavy Issues or crappy paranormal romance. Some action, some decent characterization and a pinch of the fantastic. That is what I need more of in my life.
I got a little tired of the ship fights in this book – is it a guy thing to enjoy these kind of battles? Things blow up. Or don’t. It’s really boring to read about. But the rest of the story was great!
It’s definitely like Firefly, except more dysfunctional and if Malcolm Reynolds was a selfish prick in the beginning. It was great watching the crew come together, though the only ones I cared about were Frey, Crake and Jez. Frey because he was the captain and even though he was a tool, he grew out of it. Crake I loved because he is a good guy with a dark past. My literary type! And Jez because she is my type of heroine – competent and with secret awesomeness, plus dark secrets. Malvery, etc. I didn’t care about as much. They rounded out the crew well, but I feel like they could be replaced. I did love the pirate queen, Trinica. She is also a lady with a tragic past (helped along by Frey…he really isn’t that sympathetic for most of the novel).
This book is classified as sci fi, but I would put it in fantasy. It’s steampunk, but it’s all about magic (even the robot is really a golem). And there’s no knowledge of space or other planets or anything. But it was shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, which is a sci fi award. Guess sci fi/fantasy classification really is a matter of personal taste.
I got a little tired of the ship fights in this book – is it a guy thing to enjoy these kind of battles? Things blow up. Or don’t. It’s really boring to read about. But the rest of the story was great!
It’s definitely like Firefly, except more dysfunctional and if Malcolm Reynolds was a selfish prick in the beginning. It was great watching the crew come together, though the only ones I cared about were Frey, Crake and Jez. Frey because he was the captain and even though he was a tool, he grew out of it. Crake I loved because he is a good guy with a dark past. My literary type! And Jez because she is my type of heroine – competent and with secret awesomeness, plus dark secrets. Malvery, etc. I didn’t care about as much. They rounded out the crew well, but I feel like they could be replaced. I did love the pirate queen, Trinica. She is also a lady with a tragic past (helped along by Frey…he really isn’t that sympathetic for most of the novel).
This book is classified as sci fi, but I would put it in fantasy. It’s steampunk, but it’s all about magic (even the robot is really a golem). And there’s no knowledge of space or other planets or anything. But it was shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, which is a sci fi award. Guess sci fi/fantasy classification really is a matter of personal taste.
anywiebs's review against another edition
4.0
Now this was a fun read! A pirate adventure which reminded me of Firefly. I know you want to read it already!
A word of warning, you will fall in love with Darian Frey, the captain of the Ketty Jay, who is somewhat egoistic, chauvinist and so damn charming. Seriously he uses others for his own purposes, has a way of playing with women and their feelings, and at the same time he is so scared of commitment and disappointing others he doesn't really try.
Throughout the book we learn how he became this way and we see him evolve, curious to see how that goes on in the next books.
But he is not the only character in the book, his crew is a mix of rogue characters, who all have some dark spot in their past that they have to deal with. We find out all their issues but not all of them are resolved, they are just things they have to learn how to live with.
Aside from the mysteries the characters pose we also see how an addiction or obsession rules every single characters live.
The writing is precise and captivating at the beginning. Towards the end the author loses faith in his abilities to convey his points and, for my tastes, explains the character changes in Darian Frey too much.
A word of warning, you will fall in love with Darian Frey, the captain of the Ketty Jay, who is somewhat egoistic, chauvinist and so damn charming. Seriously he uses others for his own purposes, has a way of playing with women and their feelings, and at the same time he is so scared of commitment and disappointing others he doesn't really try.
Throughout the book we learn how he became this way and we see him evolve, curious to see how that goes on in the next books.
But he is not the only character in the book, his crew is a mix of rogue characters, who all have some dark spot in their past that they have to deal with. We find out all their issues but not all of them are resolved, they are just things they have to learn how to live with.
Aside from the mysteries the characters pose we also see how an addiction or obsession rules every single characters live.
The writing is precise and captivating at the beginning. Towards the end the author loses faith in his abilities to convey his points and, for my tastes, explains the character changes in Darian Frey too much.
jonathangemmell's review against another edition
5.0
A mix of sci fi, steampunk and fantasy. Distinctive characters with fleshed out back stories. Plot was paced very well and humour was on point.
pavram's review against another edition
4.0
Linč meets Aberkrombi u stimpank setingu.
Da, zvuči dobro i da, jeste dobro. Ludo zabavno sa solidnom postavom likova koji nekako na kraju uspevaju da izbegnu zamku stereotipa na kojoj su zasnovani. Jedino je priča malo predvidljiva, pa čak na momente i isforsirana, ali to je sitnica u poredjenju sa veselim duhom koji gaji ovaj roman. Jel sam spomenuo da je knjiga luuuuuudo zabavna? Mislim da može samo bolje, ovo je ipak tek svojevrsni uvod i zato lično jedva čekam da se bacim na nastavke.
4+
Da, zvuči dobro i da, jeste dobro. Ludo zabavno sa solidnom postavom likova koji nekako na kraju uspevaju da izbegnu zamku stereotipa na kojoj su zasnovani. Jedino je priča malo predvidljiva, pa čak na momente i isforsirana, ali to je sitnica u poredjenju sa veselim duhom koji gaji ovaj roman. Jel sam spomenuo da je knjiga luuuuuudo zabavna? Mislim da može samo bolje, ovo je ipak tek svojevrsni uvod i zato lično jedva čekam da se bacim na nastavke.
4+
preiman790's review against another edition
5.0
what can i say about this magnificent peace of steam punk. i could say it is full of old fashioned pulpy goodness, but it sounds like i am describing a carton of orange juice. I could wax poetically on it's many virtues such as it's well written characters and it's interesting setting but that would not really fit the style. I could start spouting juvenile onomatopoeiae in some attempt to express the intense action and excitement with out having to quote large portions of the text. or i could just sit back and wait for you to read this outstanding novel for yourself and wait for you to come back and tell me that i utterly failed to do it justice anyway. that sounds easier so i think I'll do that. I apologize for waisting your time, go read.
trike's review against another edition
4.0
I picked up Retribution Falls because someone had likened it to Joss Whedon's brilliant Firefly, and that isn't entirely incorrect.
There are significant differences in the details, to be sure. Rather than Science Fiction Space Opera, Retribution Falls is a Steampunk Fantasy that is confined to one small continent on a planet. There is a magic skeleton key, an enchanted cutlass, a monstrous golem and guest appearances by demons and perhaps a zombie. (That last one isn't particularly clear.) There are even a version of the Reavers, but they are minor figures in the backstory and seem slightly demonic in origin.
The airship Ketty Jay is similar to Serenity, and her motley crew comprised of runaways and roustabouts, felons and freebooters does resemble the cast of Whedon's series. The most significant difference for me was that this crew is led not by an analogue to Malcolm Reynolds, a good man turned hard, but by Jayne Cobb, a thug who discovers some empathy for others. Darian Frey is incredibly hard to like; he is selfish, petty and has little sense of honor. As we come to understand him he does have some redemption, but he's still kind of a dick.
All of those comparisons aside, the story itself is quite good. The arcs of the characters are interesting, the world Wooding has created is intriguing, and the plot moves right along as one event logically leads to the next.
I particularly enjoyed how the captain and crew of the Ketty Jay go from being reactive to proactive, stepping up from minor piracy to big league intrigue, yet still suffer from their innate incompetency. Aside from the ship's engineer, the former slave Silo, and the ship's cat, the irascible Slag, none of these people are really good at what they do. It's only once they take on the sort-of-qualified navigator Jez that they stop bumbling around as much. (The arrival of Jez sets up one of the best lines early in the book, for the crew tends to go through navigators the way Spinal Tap goes through drummers.)
There's adventure a-plenty, turnabouts, a couple of twists and some terrific action scenes. Plus a little romance on the side. I was able to see some of the background stuff coming and a couple of the twists were telegraphed, but those weren't enough to severely damage my enjoyment.
All in all an enjoyable adventure tale.
There are significant differences in the details, to be sure. Rather than Science Fiction Space Opera, Retribution Falls is a Steampunk Fantasy that is confined to one small continent on a planet. There is a magic skeleton key, an enchanted cutlass, a monstrous golem and guest appearances by demons and perhaps a zombie. (That last one isn't particularly clear.) There are even a version of the Reavers, but they are minor figures in the backstory and seem slightly demonic in origin.
The airship Ketty Jay is similar to Serenity, and her motley crew comprised of runaways and roustabouts, felons and freebooters does resemble the cast of Whedon's series. The most significant difference for me was that this crew is led not by an analogue to Malcolm Reynolds, a good man turned hard, but by Jayne Cobb, a thug who discovers some empathy for others. Darian Frey is incredibly hard to like; he is selfish, petty and has little sense of honor. As we come to understand him he does have some redemption, but he's still kind of a dick.
All of those comparisons aside, the story itself is quite good. The arcs of the characters are interesting, the world Wooding has created is intriguing, and the plot moves right along as one event logically leads to the next.
I particularly enjoyed how the captain and crew of the Ketty Jay go from being reactive to proactive, stepping up from minor piracy to big league intrigue, yet still suffer from their innate incompetency. Aside from the ship's engineer, the former slave Silo, and the ship's cat, the irascible Slag, none of these people are really good at what they do. It's only once they take on the sort-of-qualified navigator Jez that they stop bumbling around as much. (The arrival of Jez sets up one of the best lines early in the book, for the crew tends to go through navigators the way Spinal Tap goes through drummers.)
There's adventure a-plenty, turnabouts, a couple of twists and some terrific action scenes. Plus a little romance on the side. I was able to see some of the background stuff coming and a couple of the twists were telegraphed, but those weren't enough to severely damage my enjoyment.
All in all an enjoyable adventure tale.
simaris's review against another edition
4.5
I’m not easy to please, but DAMN was this amazing. I don’t know how he’s done it, but Chris Wooding managed to create the most wonderful world I’ve ever seen, along with the most fucked-up yet realistic characters of all time. They’re not perfect. They don’t make for a socially-adapted group of people – and still (or perhaps because of that) I’ve come to love them with all my fucking heart.
His writing style isn’t extraordinary, but that’s fine. I would’ve preferred a subtler way of describing a town’s atmosphere or the mountains’ snow-capped tops. But somehow, his blunt way of stating what a certain village looks like somehow works with the story – it’s not some Lovecraftian horror story after all (which I like, too). He's forgiven, because of this the story has this thrilling edge-of-seat pace that I miss in so many books.
I like how Wooding used flashbacks (but not in a common, cliché way) to give the characters depth and how they came to life through drip-feeding content to the reader. Many authors overlook (or simply don’t care about, or... just... handle poorly) any side character’s backstory, but Wooding nailed it. I need character arcs and growth in my books, and this one had enough of that.
The story itself was mind-blowingly thrilling. The order of events made sense and storylines were rounded up perfectly in the end. Though the initiating event took a considerable amount of pages, the rest of the book more than made up for that.
I kinda want to rush through the rest of the series, because this is simply amazing, but also, I don’t want to, because then I’ll never be able to read them for the first time again.
His writing style isn’t extraordinary, but that’s fine. I would’ve preferred a subtler way of describing a town’s atmosphere or the mountains’ snow-capped tops. But somehow, his blunt way of stating what a certain village looks like somehow works with the story – it’s not some Lovecraftian horror story after all (which I like, too). He's forgiven, because of this the story has this thrilling edge-of-seat pace that I miss in so many books.
I like how Wooding used flashbacks (but not in a common, cliché way) to give the characters depth and how they came to life through drip-feeding content to the reader. Many authors overlook (or simply don’t care about, or... just... handle poorly) any side character’s backstory, but Wooding nailed it. I need character arcs and growth in my books, and this one had enough of that.
The story itself was mind-blowingly thrilling. The order of events made sense and storylines were rounded up perfectly in the end. Though the initiating event took a considerable amount of pages, the rest of the book more than made up for that.
I kinda want to rush through the rest of the series, because this is simply amazing, but also, I don’t want to, because then I’ll never be able to read them for the first time again.
novoaust's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a reread for me. Tales of the Ketty Jay has always been a comfort series for me, and I am happy to explore this world once more.
I am a sucker for both pirates as well as steampunk books, and I wish we got to see them more often in fantasy. Retribution Falls combines the two in a blistering story that really never slows down. We follow Darian Frey, captain of the Ketty Jay, as well as his crew, as they are set up to commit a crime. Now on the run, the crew will stop at nothing to clear their name.
This story has gun fights, sword, airborne dog fights, fights where a giant demon golem saves the day, and everyones personal favorite, a grumpy cat (who's name is Slag). Characters are a highlight for me. The crew of the Ketty Jay are a band of misfits. Rapscallions looking for a place to fit in, and they've found their home aboard Frey's ship. Each character is unique, with most of them possessing wit, humor, and overall funny personalities. The banter between the bunch reminds me of that between Wax and Wayne in Mistborn era 2, and makes for some great moments.
The steampunk world that this is set in is imaginative and executed quite well. While the plot is straight forward and we do get some typical fantasy tropes, the story feels fresh and new. Random towns built on scaffolding off the side of mountains paired with the industrial side of cities (pipes, duct work, etc) make for a vivid setting not seen often in fantasy.
I wish we did get to see more of the world though, as often times, the crew would fast travel between locations. As much as I appreciated the action, I wish we got to enjoy the settings more than we do.
Overall, Retribution Falls is a great start to a great series, and I firmly believe that Chris Wooding is one of the most underrated fantasy authors there is.
I am a sucker for both pirates as well as steampunk books, and I wish we got to see them more often in fantasy. Retribution Falls combines the two in a blistering story that really never slows down. We follow Darian Frey, captain of the Ketty Jay, as well as his crew, as they are set up to commit a crime. Now on the run, the crew will stop at nothing to clear their name.
This story has gun fights, sword, airborne dog fights, fights where a giant demon golem saves the day, and everyones personal favorite, a grumpy cat (who's name is Slag). Characters are a highlight for me. The crew of the Ketty Jay are a band of misfits. Rapscallions looking for a place to fit in, and they've found their home aboard Frey's ship. Each character is unique, with most of them possessing wit, humor, and overall funny personalities. The banter between the bunch reminds me of that between Wax and Wayne in Mistborn era 2, and makes for some great moments.
The steampunk world that this is set in is imaginative and executed quite well. While the plot is straight forward and we do get some typical fantasy tropes, the story feels fresh and new. Random towns built on scaffolding off the side of mountains paired with the industrial side of cities (pipes, duct work, etc) make for a vivid setting not seen often in fantasy.
I wish we did get to see more of the world though, as often times, the crew would fast travel between locations. As much as I appreciated the action, I wish we got to enjoy the settings more than we do.
Overall, Retribution Falls is a great start to a great series, and I firmly believe that Chris Wooding is one of the most underrated fantasy authors there is.
lyndiane's review against another edition
5.0
A rollicking, swash-buckling steampunk adventure, along the lines of the "Firefly" TV series.
A motley bunch of misfits, each hiding a secret and running from the past, are thrown together on the Ketty Jay under the sort-of captaincy of Darian Frey. In an effort to try and make a big score (because they really, really suck at being pirates), Darian accepts a commission that really sounds too good to be true. It's not too long before all hell breaks loose.
What a rush!!!!!
A motley bunch of misfits, each hiding a secret and running from the past, are thrown together on the Ketty Jay under the sort-of captaincy of Darian Frey. In an effort to try and make a big score (because they really, really suck at being pirates), Darian accepts a commission that really sounds too good to be true. It's not too long before all hell breaks loose.
What a rush!!!!!