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timinbc's review
2.0
There's probably a good story under there somewhere.
But Sleepy is too inconsistent, Knowledge Allah's too weird (60s caricature), and that whole side of the story didn't work for me. I liked WHAT they were doing, but how they did it was just too loose.
Sophine was pretty good, and her rarely-onstage assistant better. But then, and maybe my edition skipped a chapter or something, Sophine turned into Deaconess Blue, who for all practical purposes was a different character.
Then, the distractions, the things that break the flow of the story. There were SO many. Was this book edited at all?
Broaddus spins some great paragraphs, but then drops one that seems to have been written by a kid who failed grade 6. Danglers everywhere, words missing letters, and specific WTFs:
A guard's uniform has epilates (epaulettes?)
A monkey is called a marsupial.
In the first half, the author can't decide whether a single robot is an automaton or an automata. At one point he used both in one paragraph for the same robot.
We have some Victorian stuff, and airships, but near the end Deaconess casually whips out a backpack ornithopter. You're not gonna tell me that sucker is steam or clockwork, are you?
And how did Yeager know at the end that Sophrine was Deaconess Blue when as far as we know they had never met with her in that role?
And the title. I'm taking off nearly a whole star for that. There is one (1) airship. It appears on page 268 of 306, and lasts until page 278. On page 268 "this one did not bristle with armaments" but on the next page "They ... loaded it wth armaments. Turned it into a warship."
Sloppy, sloppy work, and I am NOT blaming the author. This is on the Apex Book Company.
But Sleepy is too inconsistent, Knowledge Allah's too weird (60s caricature), and that whole side of the story didn't work for me. I liked WHAT they were doing, but how they did it was just too loose.
Sophine was pretty good, and her rarely-onstage assistant better. But then, and maybe my edition skipped a chapter or something, Sophine turned into Deaconess Blue, who for all practical purposes was a different character.
Then, the distractions, the things that break the flow of the story. There were SO many. Was this book edited at all?
Broaddus spins some great paragraphs, but then drops one that seems to have been written by a kid who failed grade 6. Danglers everywhere, words missing letters, and specific WTFs:
A guard's uniform has epilates (epaulettes?)
A monkey is called a marsupial.
In the first half, the author can't decide whether a single robot is an automaton or an automata. At one point he used both in one paragraph for the same robot.
We have some Victorian stuff, and airships, but near the end Deaconess casually whips out a backpack ornithopter. You're not gonna tell me that sucker is steam or clockwork, are you?
And how did Yeager know at the end that Sophrine was Deaconess Blue when as far as we know they had never met with her in that role?
And the title. I'm taking off nearly a whole star for that. There is one (1) airship. It appears on page 268 of 306, and lasts until page 278. On page 268 "this one did not bristle with armaments" but on the next page "They ... loaded it wth armaments. Turned it into a warship."
Sloppy, sloppy work, and I am NOT blaming the author. This is on the Apex Book Company.
mary_soon_lee's review
4.0
This steampunk novel drew me in quickly as it introduced Sleepy, a steam engineeer by day, poet and dreamer and chiba-smoker by night. The narrative alternates between Sleepy's perspective and that of Sophine, struggling to make her way as a scientist in a male-dominated world. I remained fond of Sleepy throughout, but didn't fully warm to Sophine.
Both Sleepy and Sophine are black (Sophine lighter-skinned than Sleepy) and the novel does an excellent job showing the bitterly racist society they live in, a vision of an America-that-might-have-been if Britain (Albion) still ruled most of it.
The title is great, albeit misleading. An airship appears only late and briefly.
Parts of the prose shone, yet I found many of the sentence fragments distracting. I don't object to sentence fragments in principle, but quite a few of these made me mentally hiccup as I worked to parse them.
I found the climax less compelling than the early parts of the story, though the epilogue pleased me. (Spoiler warning:)
Three and a half out of five sleepy stars, rounded up for Sleepy.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
Both Sleepy and Sophine are black (Sophine lighter-skinned than Sleepy) and the novel does an excellent job showing the bitterly racist society they live in, a vision of an America-that-might-have-been if Britain (Albion) still ruled most of it.
The title is great, albeit misleading. An airship appears only late and briefly.
Parts of the prose shone, yet I found many of the sentence fragments distracting. I don't object to sentence fragments in principle, but quite a few of these made me mentally hiccup as I worked to parse them.
I found the climax less compelling than the early parts of the story, though the epilogue pleased me. (Spoiler warning:
Spoiler
it made me happy to see Sleepy performing poetry again.Three and a half out of five sleepy stars, rounded up for Sleepy.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
erincataldi's review
4.0
I'm excited to read another Indiana Author Award winner and this one was definitely unique. I loved that this book was set in Indianapolis, because even though it was futuristic and very steampunk I still was able to recognize many of the place names. I like how the author created new "history" for some of the places as well. A poet named Sleepy, finds himself caught up in the middle of a protest and suddenly he has a new hanger on named, (120 Degrees of) Knowledge Allah, and is wanted by every COP in the city. What in the heck happened? Across town in the wealthy and elite neighborhoods, Sophine Jefferson's father has just been murdered, she never cared much for politics, but suddenly she is swept in everything trying to avenge her father. Soon their paths will cross and Indianapolis will never be the same again. Unique and fun.
gracchus's review
4.0
Interesting story with a lot of criticism of structural racism, classism, etc. Well developed characters, intrigues, action, mysticism, parent-child relationships, buddy romances. Very broad vocabulary and therefore a bit difficult to read for a non-native speaker.
yak_attak's review
3.0
3.5 - What a mess of a delightful book that's sloppy, confusing, stilted, fist pumping exciting, deeply thematically resonant all in equal measure. If any one thing, it's just overwrought - I honestly enjoy a florid, purpled prose, but here it trips over itself, as if. the language went out of its way to spice itself up without a reason for doing so. And this serves the uneven quality - sometimes the characters are razor sharp, you see the scene evocatively, and the drive is present, and then it slips and you miss character movement, or dialogue is artificial, or motivations are mixed. Things just happen and you gotta roll with it. And so on.
The strength lies in Broaddus' unflinching willingness to dive deeper and deeper into the depravities of policing and the criminality as an institution on which the country is created - the shining examples of which are these deeply ironic news blasts from the overtly fascist media of the day... which while it has just enough edge of unreality to toe the line, boy does it sure sound like contemporary talking points too. Hmm. Wonder why.
Give it a shot. Honestly I dunno if you'll enjoy it, there's plenty of reasons why you may not, but it's just crazy enough to work, and that kind of art should be showcased more often.
The strength lies in Broaddus' unflinching willingness to dive deeper and deeper into the depravities of policing and the criminality as an institution on which the country is created - the shining examples of which are these deeply ironic news blasts from the overtly fascist media of the day... which while it has just enough edge of unreality to toe the line, boy does it sure sound like contemporary talking points too. Hmm. Wonder why.
Give it a shot. Honestly I dunno if you'll enjoy it, there's plenty of reasons why you may not, but it's just crazy enough to work, and that kind of art should be showcased more often.
sciphi's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
In a United States like ours, but where the civil war never started and emancipation happened as an afterthought due to the rise of “steam” technology powering gear and cog built automatons, oppression of the quite literal underclass has reached a breaking point. Social unrest simmers just below the boiling and crooked politicians hire amoral hustlers to betray their neighbors to the ever-present C.O.P.S.
The sometimes slam-poet Sleepy and his new activist acquaintance, Knowledge Allah, stumble into a desperate deal between an Oppressor’s schemes and a Revolutionary’s conspiracy to thwart them.
Meanwhile, a mad scientist is misusing the work of an idealistic lady inventor, until both stories criss-cross and intertwine, culminating in an stolen airship and an explosive rescue, with several dose of derring-do along the way.
The sometimes slam-poet Sleepy and his new activist acquaintance, Knowledge Allah, stumble into a desperate deal between an Oppressor’s schemes and a Revolutionary’s conspiracy to thwart them.
Meanwhile, a mad scientist is misusing the work of an idealistic lady inventor, until both stories criss-cross and intertwine, culminating in an stolen airship and an explosive rescue, with several dose of derring-do along the way.
edebell's review
5.0
"It's time to change your nature." - (120 Degrees of) Knowledge Allah
I really enjoyed this book!
Maurice Broaddus captured the spirit of steampunk in a fascinating way through his take on steamfunk - taking the genre's juxtaposition of past, future, sensory overbigness, and the machine - with the common settings of darkness and color and rust and shine and drawing poignant and layered metaphors that are both deep and apparent at the same time.
In that same spirit, one of the protagonists, (120 Degrees of) Knowledge Allah is now one of my favorite characters. And there are so many single lines that are great; rarely do I stop and hold my finger over a line, just absorbing. And that happened over and over with this book. (Sometimes even with an audible mmmmmm.)
For readers of mine who are concerned with violence and horror and know that Apex is a horror publisher, there were some brief elements of graphic violence and steampunk horror, but nothing I couldn't handle. (The depictions of institutionalized oppression-related violence and mentions of specific incidents are generally more disturbing than the direct plot violence.) The storytelling can be abrupt in various ways, but that all felt in character with the genre and the world. This is a terrific book from a brilliant author and an impactful indie press. Worthy of your support as well as your enjoyment.
I really enjoyed Pimp my Airship, and recommend it to anyone who loves a unique story in general, or specifically a fresh take on steampunk, afrofuturism, or political speculative fiction. In addition to the story being fun and often funny in between being sad or enraging, it was also powerful: I finished the book eager to get out and do things. In fact, my mind is racing with things to say, but since you can go read the book and join in, yourself, I'll leave it there.
Thanks to the author and publisher for such a great adventure.
I really enjoyed this book!
Maurice Broaddus captured the spirit of steampunk in a fascinating way through his take on steamfunk - taking the genre's juxtaposition of past, future, sensory overbigness, and the machine - with the common settings of darkness and color and rust and shine and drawing poignant and layered metaphors that are both deep and apparent at the same time.
In that same spirit, one of the protagonists, (120 Degrees of) Knowledge Allah is now one of my favorite characters. And there are so many single lines that are great; rarely do I stop and hold my finger over a line, just absorbing. And that happened over and over with this book. (Sometimes even with an audible mmmmmm.)
For readers of mine who are concerned with violence and horror and know that Apex is a horror publisher, there were some brief elements of graphic violence and steampunk horror, but nothing I couldn't handle. (The depictions of institutionalized oppression-related violence and mentions of specific incidents are generally more disturbing than the direct plot violence.) The storytelling can be abrupt in various ways, but that all felt in character with the genre and the world. This is a terrific book from a brilliant author and an impactful indie press. Worthy of your support as well as your enjoyment.
I really enjoyed Pimp my Airship, and recommend it to anyone who loves a unique story in general, or specifically a fresh take on steampunk, afrofuturism, or political speculative fiction. In addition to the story being fun and often funny in between being sad or enraging, it was also powerful: I finished the book eager to get out and do things. In fact, my mind is racing with things to say, but since you can go read the book and join in, yourself, I'll leave it there.
Thanks to the author and publisher for such a great adventure.
lmwanak's review
4.0
"...and like its predecessor, it is very steampunk, it is very black, and it is very, very Broaddus."
Read my full review up at Lightspeed: http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/book-reviews-august-2019/
Read my full review up at Lightspeed: http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/book-reviews-august-2019/
evavroslin's review
5.0
For a novel that started out, according to the Acknowledgments, as a joke Maurice Broaddus mentioned on Twitter, saying ‘I’m going to write a steampunk story with an all-black cast and call it Pimp My Airship, this has turned out to be one of the best novels of 2019 for me. Sleepy is one of the most memorable protagonists in recent years I’ve encountered. He has one of the most unique and engaging introductions I’ve ever read, and the worldbuilding in this novel hooked me right from the start. The novel also alternates between very formal tones then switches effectively between more modern speech, which I thought lent the work a nice sense of immediacy. For those who love their steampunk, this book will not disappoint. I hope this novel gets a film or screen adaptation one day as it would make for a phenomenal film, and possesses a wonderful filmic quality.
Sleepy transitions from city worker to performer with great aplomb. He soon encounters another character known as Knowledge Allah. Knowledge wants to recruit Sleepy to a movement known as the Cause, which is working to combat the forces of Albion “in its American colony.”
One of my favourite lines was after Knowledge delivered an explanation about how the Cause operates using cells and Sleepy’s response was: “I don’t know which of us is supposed to be high right now.” Broaddus definitely includes an ample measure of humour in this piece, which I thought was executed very well.
Although an invented/fantasy setting runs through as the undercurrent of this novel, it includes salient portrayals of racism and how people of colour are treated in contrast to white people.
Sophine is one of the other major characters in this novel, and she comes from the complete opposite world of Sleepy. She’s being considered for marriage by a snob she doesn’t care for, Melbourne. And there are robots. Did I mention there are robots? Just when you think the novel can’t get any cooler, it absolutely does. Characters that are usually pitted on opposite sides work together in this highly entertaining fantasy/sci-fi fusion novel from Broaddus, who, although better known for his horror fare, does a masterful job with Pimp My Airship. For those who enjoyed P. Djèlí Clark’s The Black God’s Drums released last summer from Tor, they will definitely enjoy Broaddus’s novel.
Sleepy transitions from city worker to performer with great aplomb. He soon encounters another character known as Knowledge Allah. Knowledge wants to recruit Sleepy to a movement known as the Cause, which is working to combat the forces of Albion “in its American colony.”
One of my favourite lines was after Knowledge delivered an explanation about how the Cause operates using cells and Sleepy’s response was: “I don’t know which of us is supposed to be high right now.” Broaddus definitely includes an ample measure of humour in this piece, which I thought was executed very well.
Although an invented/fantasy setting runs through as the undercurrent of this novel, it includes salient portrayals of racism and how people of colour are treated in contrast to white people.
Sophine is one of the other major characters in this novel, and she comes from the complete opposite world of Sleepy. She’s being considered for marriage by a snob she doesn’t care for, Melbourne. And there are robots. Did I mention there are robots? Just when you think the novel can’t get any cooler, it absolutely does. Characters that are usually pitted on opposite sides work together in this highly entertaining fantasy/sci-fi fusion novel from Broaddus, who, although better known for his horror fare, does a masterful job with Pimp My Airship. For those who enjoyed P. Djèlí Clark’s The Black God’s Drums released last summer from Tor, they will definitely enjoy Broaddus’s novel.
wardenkiko's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0