Steamborn

Steamborn Series, Book 1

De: Eric Asher

Narrado por: Saskia Maarleveld

A supernatural swarm. A treacherous scheme. A tinker’s apprentice may be the village’s only hope…

Jacob has yet to meet a gadget he couldn’t fix or an adventure he couldn’t resist. With trade routes to his remote Lowlands town cut off, Jacob must exchange his boyhood adventures for petty theft. After all, his wages at the tinker shop aren’t enough to pay for his father’s medicine.

But it soon becomes clear why few merchants brave the nearby roads as a plague of terrifying creatures descends upon the town. With the Lowlands under siege, Jacob and his friend have no choice but to run for their lives. When their escape uncovers a terrible secret, Jacob learns there are those who’ll stop at nothing to make sure the teen takes the scandal to his grave…

Steamborn is an inventive YA fantasy novel with a heavy dash of steampunk. If you like dystopian settings, killer insects, and resourceful characters, then you’ll love Eric Asher’s gear-turning tale.

Buy Steamborn to crank up a whimsical thrill-ride today!

©2015 Eric R. Asher (P)2017 Eric R. Asher

Steampunk action.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Its not too long, too slow, too fast or too complicated. Reading this books is a nice introduction to the world and steampunk.

What did you like best about this story?

The bugs. Even though this is a steampunk based book with lots of gears and springs i really enjoyed the way insects were incorporated with the world.

What about Saskia Maarleveld’s performance did you like?

A soothing voice, not irritating at all.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Nope

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Steampunk in a post apocalyptic world

3.5 / 5


Steamborn is set sometime in a strange world, following an almost mythical war that brought the world to it's knees. Electricity and modern technologies are gone and only vaguely known of now, while the world is run through steam powered mechanical devices. The world is also populated with giant bugs, some of which are used as pack animals or pets, while others post a threat to civilisation.

Jacob is a 15 year old boy, learning how to build steam power devices as an apprentice. And he has a knack for it.

Civilisation is held up in cities, behind concentric walls, with the rich and powerful living in the inner city while the poorer live in the outer, less defended parts. Closer to the dangerous monsters. When a wall comes down and some monsters get in Jacob and his family and friends retreat into the inner city, where Jacob finds mysteries and dangers that will change everything for him.

The world building of Steamborn is great, with little bits of information about the world, the creatures and the time before being added along the way, creating a real and interesting world. The steampunk designs and devices are explained well and clearly, so that the reader gets a good impression of what they are, and how they look.

Jacob and those who surround him are interesting characters, each feeling real and interesting.

Where the book stumbles is in the overall story. While there is promise there it is ultimately a little lacking. The first and second acts are good, but it's not a complete story, lacking a proper and interesting 3rd act. It kinda kinda trails off at the end

This is made worse by the fact that the book doesn't contain a complete story. It's part of a larger story. I'm find with reading a series, even ones that you have to continue with, but each book within that series needs to have something of a complete story with a climax. And this doesn't really do that.

Narration by Saskia Maarleveld was good. He was well paced, clear and enjoyable to listen to. She does a variety of voices, providing each character a distinct voice. I've seen a lot of people complain at female narrators doing male voices but I thought Saskia did really well with that. Her old men sounded like old men, etc.

As a side note:
They say don't judge a book by it's cover. Well I somewhat did and I picked it up because the cover jumped out at me. A book may not always live up to it's cover (and a bad cover might hide a good book) but a good cover will always help with getting the book off the shelf and into hands (so to speak).
This book has a good cover and I wish more people made more effort with covers even for digital releases. because it is the first thing you see and it is the first impression you get (for better or worse).


I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Another great fantasy book from Eric Asher!

What did you love best about Steamborn?

What I enjoyed most is the world this novel is based in. There is a rich and deep history full of mysteries, many of which go unanswered in book 1. Not only is the city and world surrounding it written well, the political tensions and intrigues are also done very well. Every character carries with him or her pieces of this history or political conflicts making each character an integral part of the overall story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It was a tie between Jacob and Charles. Jacob because I related to his curiosity of how things worked, and how to improve them. Charles because he has such a rich history and background that I am intrigued to learn more about.

What about Saskia Maarleveld’s performance did you like?

I found her narration quite enjoyable. Her voice was very pleasant to listen to with a hint of an accent. The voices were all performed excellently. Each character was consistent and distinct.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I am no good at writing taglines unfortunately, but a movie of this would be excellent!

Original.

This surprised me so much with how much I ended up loving it. I find steampunk can be hit or miss, and this one is definitely a hit!! This focuses on Jacob, a 15 yr old apprentice, and the fact that one single event will change his life forever!!

The plot of this was fast paced and addicting. The world building was amazing too. It's set in a world that was decimated by war, and where all the "modern" conveniences have been lost. It's a world where steam powered devices are used for nearly everything. It's also a world where the rich live in the inner sanctum and the poor on the outside. It's a world where bugs are prevalent! And not just normal bugs, but giant supersized ones, that are often kept as pets, but more often they are dangerous ad deadly. It's a richly woven and detailed world and one that will grab you from the start.

The characters were all amazing. Well written and developed, they really captured my attention, particularly Jacob. He was a strong, kind and brave young man and was a worthy hero in the book. I liked his friendship with Alice and how much he looks out for her. I can't wait to see what happens in the next installment.

In all, a truly engaging and entertaining read and one that will grab you. I loved everything about this and can highly recommend this original and captivating read.

Saskia Maarleveld was great. She read the book well and had plenty of different tones for the characters. She was easy to listen to and made the story that more enjoyable. This is the first book I've listened to that was narrated by her, but it won't be my last!

I was voluntarily provided this free copy by the author, narrator, or publisher. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.

Clockwork heartache

Explosive action, super face paced to where your like WHAT... then giant insects.. greedy rich people.... some gore...nice people crying... lots of hungry teeth... oh and detailed mechanical work.

All of that is what is inside this book. The voice actor is good about distinguishing some voices from one another but you can't do them all different. I really liked the intricate info on the mechanics in some of the book, like you can start imagining that its in front of you being worked on sometimes. I would have liked more detailed descriptions of the insects and more of a backstory. From what I gathered this is a civilization after a great nuclear war thats decimated the planet and created giant insect creatures to the point that towns are hidden behind giant walls. Most technology is lost and they must rely on steam to get things going, at least in the poor areas. Later they talk about a type of light bulb being in the more ritzier neighborhoods. I was lost a few times but quickly caught up, though I will say the action is spaced far apart in the book, the more fast paced seemed to be the ending.. also around then you find out what Steamborn are..

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Steampunk with a twist

If you could sum up Steamborn in three words, what would they be?

Imaginative, fun, entertaining.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved all of the giant bugs and the different species/races of people.

Which scene was your favorite?

I don't have a favorite scene.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not that I can think of.

Young man starts to grow up, for family & friends

*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This is my first listen to Saskia. She has a lovely voice that's easy to listen to. I didn't found there was some difference in tone or sound to help differentiate the characters, but nothing major. However, the book was still rather easy to follow who was talking. Saskia does sound older for Charles and a scratchy sound for men. She did well with slight differences. I did find the story felt to be moving slow, so I did speed up to 1.25x the speed as opposed to my normal 1.00x speed. I wanted to move along with all that's to happen, I was a little anxious to get going. I was back and forth on the speed.

This is very much a young reader style story. Not just because our main character is 15 going on 16 but in the reading of the story. It's easy to follow as Jacob grows from a teen into a young man, as the city sees kids this age but also in his own thinking and doing.

The world is different. It's a feel of post apocalyptic with steam and clockworks powering things. We also see large insects. Some are friendly and like pets or horses to ride. Other bugs are strong and attack the city, where the walls have grown weak. This shows the division in people in the village/city areas. There are lowborn and highborn sections of the city, a very fantasy feel to the city.

The people in this book are kind to each other, with a few slurs or feelings for the lowborn shown. But all are suffering when the village is attacked by the huge insects and they have to work together. This is something our world needs to see more of. The kind hearts of adults and children willing to eagerly help each other, not expecting payment in return. This warmed my heart to hear! That's not to say there aren't people that look down on others, but there is a focus on kindness.

The story is told from Jacob's POV. We see the city and people as he sees them. There is some bad out there, but the author has chosen to focus on the good. Thank you. There is to much bad out there that many see, so to have a story highlighting the good in people is a pleasure to read. And, even though the world is rough with the giant bugs attacking, it seems like a world I'd like to visit.

The only downfall in the story for me was I didn't feel Jacob, our main character, had a drive or want for something. Not even a major conflict in his character and world. He's a boy living to get by. Sure, he's poor and life is hard, but it doesn't feel as he has a real want, something to drive to get or fight against. He does come across events that give him points to work toward - his father being sick which is a desire for his father to get well, the bugs attacking his part of town and wanting his family and friends safe, then what he learns in the catacombs. But nothing overall for him other than curiosity of a brilliant kid getting him into trouble.

The world is attention attracting. And at the end of this book, I'm curious to where the story goes with what we are learning. I'll be carrying on with the books to see where our characters end up.

Not too bad

Note: In exchange for an unbiased review, the author, publisher, and/or narrator were kind enough to provide an audio version of this book at no charge via AudiobookBlast.

I'm very late getting this review in, and for that I apologize. I actually finished this about three months ago or more, but didn't get around to writing this until now. So, some of my memories of this story are dimmed now. I remember that I enjoyed it OK. It wasn't anything spectacular, but I did like the unique world the characters lived in. I also remember liking the narrator. She reminded me a bit of Lucy Lawless (that only stuck out to me because I'd recently watched a documentary series that Lawless narrated), and she did a good job of distinguishing the various characters and such. Overall, though, there really didn't feel like enough compelling things were going on to make the story super-interesting. Adequate, enough to enjoy in the moment, but not necessarily enough to continue with the series.

Good book

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

This is not my normal type of reading material. While I liked the book I wish there had been a bit more background matter included.

awesome

excellent book, reader did a fabulous job bringing it to life for the listener to become engrossed.