Steamborn: The Complete Trilogy Box Set

By: Eric Asher

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

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

Book 1: Steamborn

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.

Book 2: Steamforged

There are old wounds in the forgotten places of the world, and some are soaked in blood.

Jacob and his allies flee into the Deadlands after the fall of Ancora. Charles, the enigmatic smith, hopes to find answers in the desert city of Bollwerk that could prevent a war.

Their enemies are many, and here Jacob will learn the cost of life in the Deadlands.

Book 3: Steamsworn

The world dies in war only to be reborn. It is the way of things, and always will be.

Forged in the Deadlands crucible, and armed with the knowledge of their true enemy, Jacob, Alice, and their allies bring the fight back to Ancora. The wounds cut deep in their darkest hour, but in the end, vengeance will light their path.

This collection includes Steamborn, Steamforged, and Steamsworn. Grab it and crank up a whimsical thrill-ride today!

©2016 Eric R. Asher (P)2017 Eric R. Asher

Intriguing

Could not put it down. Being a trucker, it's hard to find a trilogy that keeps you involved. I hope there are more books to come soon.

Great read, highly recommend!

Steamborn, Steamforged, and Steamsworn, my third read/listen from author Eric Asher. An inventive fantasy novel with a heavy dash of Steampunk. Narrator Saskia Maarleveld’s talented narration & intriguing accent adds greatly to the book’s enjoyment. I was given an Audible copy of this book & am voluntarily reviewing it. I’d gotten this back in July of 2017 and am just now getting around to reading it, my mistake. Well-written, with well-developed characters.

steampunk with a YA kick!

Would you listen to Steamborn: The Complete Trilogy Box Set again? Why?

Yes, I'd listen to it again. And again and again and again... I love the characters, the world Asher has built, and the plot!

What did you like best about this story?

In Steamborn, we're introduced to Jacob, a teenage boy and resident of the city of Ancora who often finds himself in trouble. He's brilliant with gadgets and inventions as an apprentice to his mentor, Charles. While Jacob does have both of his parents, Charles is still like a father figure to him, and I loved their interactions. He is impressed by Jacob's devotion to their inventions and encourages his thoughts and ideas.

Jacob's friend, Alice, is straight-laced and a rule follower but extremely caring and loyal. I loved their close friendship and the way it blossomed over the course of the story.

While Steamborn does start a bit slowly, it soon picks up its pace and has a lot going for it. There's giant bugs, steampunk gadgets that are easy to imagine and understand, the struggle between the rich and the poor, and a mystery Jacob discovers about the city he's lived in for his entire life. An excellent start to an excellent trilogy!

Steamforged gives us a look into the world outside of the city of Ancora and into the Deadlands and the city of Bollwerk. Jacob, Alice, Charles and Samuel (a spider knight) travel across the Deadlands to Bollwerk, and new characters are introduced. My favorite new character was Mary, who's not only a strong and independent woman but also an airship captain (go Mary!). I loved her!

While Steamborn was more introductory, Steamforged brings much needed action and suspense to the trilogy. I looked forward to experiencing the places and people which were talked about in the first book.

There's tension and I love delving into the differences between the poor and the rich because a lot of those parts of the story seem to parallel what's going on in the real world. I think there's a message in this story about the lengths the rich will go to in order to protect themselves no matter the heavy cost the poor ends up paying. Steamforged gave me a lot to think about with terrific characters and stellar writing. I loved it!

Man, Steamsworn hit me hard right in the feels! Asher upped the ante with for his characters with this last installment in the Steamborn trilogy. The book was action packed from beginning to end, and there were moments where I think my heart stopped from being kept in suspense. My emotions were all over the place, and I couldn't believe how much was happening. It wasn't overwhelming at all, so don't worry about that.

Steamsworn means so much to me because I love the characters fiercely. I feel their feelings and know their thoughts. They've become like real people to me with their hopes and fears.

This last installment in the trilogy was satisfying, and while I'll miss the characters and their passion to fight for what's right, I'm happy with the way it ended.

Have you listened to any of Saskia Maarleveld’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, did an amazing job voicing all of the different characters. She has a lovely and pleasant voice to listen to, and her accent is fab! I was impressed with her ability to differentiate the characters so cleanly to where I never had to wonder who was speaking. I'm interested in listening to her narrate other novels as well.

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

If it weren't for my need to eat and sleep (and oh yeah take care of my kids and husband lol), I would have loved to have listened to this trilogy in one sitting!

great book

love the performance that was given and made me finish this trilogy in just a few days.

Surpassingly good

Saskia Maarleveld's narration really elevates this series. It's a great mashup of steampunk and military sci-fi, in a post-post apocalyptic type setting with deadly giant insects, with a YA focus.

Absolutely loved the series...narration A+

The first book I was not completely grabbed by but after that totally hooked. One of the best series I have listened to.I have close to 50 in my library.The female narrator rocked and had a very clear and well spoken style.I purchased on a whim.Just let the strange story grab you and ride it.

Characters you'll fall in love with

The story is amazing and the narrator did a wonderful job. Highly recommend! It's got a story you never want to stop listening to

Steam...pistons and gears for everyone!

Loved it! It was full of steam punk genre fun! A great book full of brass, gears, suspense and love.

Absolutely Amazing

I could visualize every character, city, event that took place; thank you Asher and Maarleveld.

awesome trilogy!

great trilogy. i was engrossed completely! my only issue was in the 3rd bookm the narrator seems to have had to rerecord some of the lines, and you could really hear the difference. aside from that, fantastic!