Reviews

Free-Wrench by Joseph R. Lallo

chromatick's review

3.0

This was a decently fun steampunk romp. The author wrote this book in three months, and it shows a bit.

The idea is a good one, and the world he has created definitely has some good steampunk feel to it.

The main weakness of the book is that all the characters sound exactly the same. No one really has a distinct voice.

I've liked his Gemini Protocol series so I will probably give the next book in this one a shot.

If you want a light-weight, fun, steampunk adventure then this one isn't too bad.

amakelly's review

2.0

This was pretty good but it didn’t hold my interest. I found myself wishing the story was over with so I could be done reading.

rebelrider's review

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

lorialdenholuta's review

5.0

I love Steampunk - but I'm really picky about airship adventures. I've run into some that focus SO much on the airship that they forget to develop the characters... or the plot! Not so with Free-Wrench. Everything's here, and in good balance. It was very easy to become emotionally invested in everyone, and the adventure was non-stop surprise after surprise. Onward to book 2 for me!

sofia19_reading's review

adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

misterg65's review

4.0

I like this series ... reminds me a bit of the Clockwork Century series by Cherie Priest (Boneshaker etc) but that might just be due to "fug" being similar to "Blight"!

davep's review

4.0

The first instalment of the Free Wrench series, and it was a good 'steampunk' story with characters that were easy to associate with. It flowed well with enough depth to keep you engrossed.

nickmiller's review

4.0

Good Steampunk book! I liked the fact that the protagonist was a woman. Sometimes when I read books that have women protagonists, I often feel like it's a forced choice. I didn't in this case. I thought Nita was a great character and very well developed. Good twist and turns in this short novel. I definitely had nights where I stayed up later than I should have reading it. Well done Joseph!

cavalary's review

3.0

Sure, it's barely about half the minimum size of a book I'd normally look at, the events depicted are indeed rushed, the characters not particularly developed and the otherwise potentially very interesting world shown in just a few glimpses, plus that there are a few places where it could use more editing. However, this book actually was written in a hurry, insanely so, and while that isn't in itself an excuse, what is contained in it is quite nicely put together, the action carrying the reader from one scene to the next, even if it may require some suspension of disbelief.
Would the above be enough to not consider myself cheated if I'd have paid for it, or to not consider it barely worth a second thought before being dismissed if it'd have been the whole of the story? Highly unlikely. Yet Free-Wrench is given away for free and marks the start of a series which may allow the world and characters to develop more. Plus, it includes some very obvious references to things that are awfully wrong in our world and a pretty clear call to fight against them. And all of this does make me somewhat interested in the rest of the series... Though the next books in it, which aren't free, also seem too short for me to feel they may be worth paying for.

csheehan72's review

3.0

Relatively entertaining steampunk story. The machines are interesting just not the people so much