Retribution Falls

Tales of the Ketty Jay, Book 1

By: Chris Wooding

Narrated by: Rupert Degas

Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's Summary

A Tale of the Ketty Jay. 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.

Rupert Degas has narrated over 100 audiobooks. He has recorded a diverse range of authors, from Andy McNab, James Patterson, Wilbur Smith, and Chris Ryan to children's authors such as Derek Landy, Darren Shan, Jamie Rix, and Philip Pullman. He has narrated books by Patrick Rothfuss, Haruki Murakami, Mervyn Peake, Rose Tremain, and Cormac McCarthy as well as recording classics from Kafka, Conan Doyle, Lovecraft, and Wilde. Rupert has lent his voice to numerous cartoons, including Mr Bean, Robotboy, Gumball, Thomas & Friends, and Bob the Builder and has performed in over 50 radio productions for BBC Radio 4, including The Brightonomicon and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He spent 18 months in the West End performing in Stones in his Pockets and was in the original London cast of the smash-hit comedy The 39 Steps. Produced by Peter Rinne

©2009 Chris Wooding (P)2013 Orion Publishing Group

Please record the rest of the series!

This was an entertaining listen with lots of action, snarky comments, and flawed but likable characters. The narrator’s performance is outstanding and really adds to my enjoyment of the story. So why hasn’t the rest of this series been recorded yet? I may have to break down and actually r-e-a-d the next book. But It won’t be nearly as much fun without Rupert Degas’ diverse voices and accents.

Firefly meets Steampunk perfection. Why no book2?

I've searched high and low. This is the closest thing to the Firefly TV series in print media. Other stories are great, like Expanse, but they lack the charm and captain tight pants. This cast aboard is incredibly interesting and the world reminds be of playing an old SNES game.

Audible, where are books 2-4?!

Amazing book and great narrator voice

This is one of my favourite books of all time. The crew is fantastically well developed and the story is engaging.

I was stoked to see this book on audible, as I've been wanting to reread it, but barely have timeto read in the evenings.
Other than that, i really love the narrators impression of the characters, i'm literally grinning while im listening because it's so fun.
I would really recommend this book to anyone who likes pirates, swashbuckling, sci fi and engaging stories, and especially to people who love character and relationship dynamics.

I'm also holding out for the rest of the Letty Jay chronicles to be narrated, because this entire series is completely awe inspiring.

Wasn’t sure at first.

At first I did not like Frey but he wore on me and by the end, I was cheering for him. His crew is all too human in their frailties but lovable. Will be interesting to see what happens to them all, particularly the navigator.

Incredible

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, it's pretty different from typical fantasy I read. This was really, really good. It has interesting, compelling characters, pretty tight plot and moves along beautifully. The narrator was sooo good in this book, effortlessly jumping in and out of voices and accents, really bringing the book to life.

Amazing listen!

Everything about this book is astounding! The storyline is crafted beautifully, the world building done with perfection, and the characters are marvelously done! I connected with many of the protagonists and even some of the villians in a way. Lastly, the voice actor performed splendidly!

Slow start, solid finish, great narration.

As the book began I wondered if I’d made a mistake. There is little exposition offered and character backgrounds are interwoven at different parts of the story. The same is true for the world and the politics. When those details do come they are handled well and it feels natural. The downside is that you kinda have to take it on faith that the things happening make sense and that you’ll have a better understanding later in the book. So, did that reason, it was a little hard for me to get started. I let it sit for a week or more after the first few chapters because I had a difficult time following what was happening and with whom. Still, I’m glad I did.

Once you have a handle on who everyone is, the story clicks and it becomes a lot of fun. Each person of the crew is unique in some way and they all have quirks that make them stand out. They all feel fully realized and three dimensional. The captain starts off as a bit of a loser, on a fast path to a lonely death but by the end of the book he develops into a character you want to cheer for.

Degas did an absolutely masterful job with the narration. Each character he voiced became it’s own separate entity and I never had to wonder, “wait, who is this, again?” When you have such a diverse cast of likable misfits and thieves, you need a strong narrator and Degas hit it out if the park.

If you like steampunk this is a great foray into the genre. If you’re new to steampunk, this is a great introduction.

Couldn't Even Finish

The main character isn't likeable at all. Parts of this seem like they are written by a 12 year old. To be fair I didn't finish it so maybe it gets better later but I had enough. I like the Black Ocean series much better as far as having a Firefly type feel.

You can't take the sky from me

As another reviewer stated, if you loved Firefly, you'd like this book. Its Firefly meets Skies of Arcadia, with plenty of steampunk sprinkled in for fun.

The characters are flawed and likable, the pace is good, and the story keeps you engaged. This author knows how to present a good story. The performance was excellent as well.

Is there an audiobook for the sequel? Please Audible? I'd spend another credit on that for sure.

A Great Start!

Any additional comments?

A very entertaining listen! Great narration, an interesting world, and a charming cast of characters. Very well balanced, nice mix of action and character moments, very digestible worldbuilding. Really solid start to the series. I hope audible gets the next book, but this book does stand on it's own as well.

Basically a steampunk Firefly :)

I LOVED this book. I don't care if it is a massive rip-off of Firefly. Great, compelling story and fantastic characters. I am slightly obsessed with Frey now.

Hey Audible - I WANT THE REST OF THE SERIES!

A good reader makes makes or marrs a book and I've found that I would rather listen to a bad book with a great narrator than a good book with a poor one. Rupert Degas is one of my favourites. He has a lovely smooth voice is great at characterisation. You should check out his readings of Patrick Rothfuss.

Great Ensemble of Characters & Cracking Good Yarn

Where does Retribution Falls rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very Highly - Top 20.

Any additional comments?

This incorporates loads of my fave things in an audiobook.

It has a cast of interesting characters, including the ones who make only fleeting appearances. It has a richly described world with an interesting background. It's a gripping story that whips along, with thrills, spills and plenty of wry humour.

It's got spaceships, explosions and plenty of the weird and wonderful.

And finally, it's performed by one of my favourite readers, Rupert Degas. As one of the previous reviewers says, a good performance makes or breaks an audiobook, no matter how good the book is, and Degas always does a fantastic job.

Great book, which I really recommend! I just wish they'd release the rest of the 'Ketty Jay' series on audiobook (there are 3 more!) all read by Degas. Petition Chris Wooding's publishers now! Please!

Good yarn

WHEN is the next one in the trilogy coming out!

Great listen. As always Rupert Degas makes a superb job of narrating. The story is good and bodes well for the other books. BUT the transitions between occurrences and characters is unfortunately to sketchy sometimes and I found myself thinking that I must have missed something and I had to listen again - not my favourite thing - and I hadn't!

I gave it four stars. The fourth is due to the excellent narration of R Degas. AND I will get the next book - absolutely.

Not quite the steampunk firefly some claim

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

I'd recommend this. The world building is a bit sketchy in places but there's enough pace and new ideas to keep you listening. You do start to care about the characters. It's a shame that the motley crew and reluctant captain idea that has drawn Firefly comparisons. I'm a huge fan of Firefly but it could cloud your expectations a little.

Degas's performance takes the route of different accents for characters - the dialogue is performed as much as read. That's often a problem - especially when the narrators range of voices isn't that great. But Degas can hold his own and you really get a sense of the characters through his delivery.

One thing I would say that does bring Firefly to mind, is for the publishers not to leave us in the lurch by only producing an audio version of this one book. There are two more in the series and I'd buy them tomorrow.

Degas delights - again!

What did you like most about Retribution Falls?

The narration - big Degas fan but the story trundled along well

What other book might you compare Retribution Falls to, and why?

It's a bit like the movie series Firefly - quirky with a slight feel of a western - with a little magic and sourcery thrown in

Which character – as performed by Rupert Degas – was your favourite?

Too hard to choose - Degas renders such believable characters you look forward to hearing more from all of them - his female characters are a particular delight I always forget its actually a chap narrating!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes - absolutely gutted I can't find the rest of the series on audio book!

Any additional comments?

Please please please release the rest if the series in audio format - with Rupert Degas narrating of course!

Simply Out Of This World

To be clear I'm not at all a fan of science fiction and have normally limited myself to the brilliance of Scott Lynch and his Gentleman Bastard series.

For some reason I decided to try something different and went with Retribution Falls and it was one of the best audiobook decisions I have ever made! Right from the start it was different enough to grab my attention without going overboard on the fantasy front.

I thought it would be hard to find a narrator I enjoy as much as Tim Piggott-Smith but Rupert Degas was simply faultless! Great use of his voice and accents which made every character unique

If anyone is looking for a gripping read with a story line that holds your interest level high throughout the whole story then this is an absolute must! Please, Please, Please can we have the rest of the series but only if they are read by Mr. Degas!

Fun but not the best

What did you like most about Retribution Falls?

I liked the way it's written, very catching reading.

What did you like best about this story?

The steampunk athmosphere.

What does Rupert Degas bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

What he does in all books- the accents, the tones, just everything. He's my absolute favorite reader.

Any additional comments?

This is a good book about a bunch of pirates who get in trouble and then more trouble due to a setup. The story is not original but very well written, the characters are not very deep but one gets a good insight anyway, and here there are no "good" or "bad" characters... all have very big flaws. Good fantasy parts in it too. I recommend this, don't be put off by the description!

Retribution Wins

I really liked this book. The story kept at a good pace. Was creative and imaginative. Would really like for there to be a sequel. The characters are great, all with their own personality and not too many of them to get lost with who's who. Superb narration from a master of speech.

Great Read

I have been waiting for this series to come out on audio for some time now so I was delighted when the first book appeared. It was well worth the wait. Well written, great narration and of course a wonderful cast of characters making up the Ketty's crew. The plot careens along at a canter with various POVs but this doesn't water down the overall story. A super combination of author and narrator, can't wait for books 2 & 3.

Steampunk adventure with a side order of intrigue

This was a story in which I can pick many holes. Yet the strength of the cast of varied and interesting characters, the relentlessness of the adventure, the satisfying cluster of arcs and resolutions is enough to award this book five stars anyway. Frey is clearly the intended protagonist, but because of the omniscient POV you spend an equal amount of time in Crake and Jez's heads, and some in the other side characters' too. The benefit of this is that the action comes thick and fast and from all angles.

I thoroughly enjoyed the mood and tone of the book - the pacing was excellent and there were no noticeable slowdowns.

The biggest quibble I do have with the story is that there is a lot of introspection on the part of the characters, especially towards the end of the book. Given that you get this from three or four POVs, it gets positively exhausting in the last third of the book. It was an annoyance that was fortunately not great enough to spoil my enjoyment.

Rupert Degas is one of the best narrators on Audible and the variety of voices he gives to the characters is astonishing. I actually chose this book because I enjoyed listening to him read Metro 2033 and wanted to check out something else he'd narrated.

All in all this was one of my favourite reads of the year and I will certainly be diving into the next one as soon as my next Audible credit comes along!