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grimread's review against another edition
2.0
This is a tough one. Another re-read of the book so that I can continue the series and remember what happened in this one. Although I don't think it's a badly written book I will leave the 2 star rating because of one fatal flaw. The main characters, good or bad, in this book just have no real meaning. It almost seems like their existence adds nothing to the story.
In the beginning you get to know them and get exciting to see how they will all meet. Then somewhere in the middle when the "revolution" starts they all get somehow lost in the city. What ever they do has no impact on the story or the city. And then the ending has to resolve something so we get back to Arjun and Jack and in 4 pages they manage to fix the vengeful-god-problem and getting the city back to normal, something that hasn't really been tried for the last third of the book.
A portion of this book is dedicated to trying to build them into something but then when the part of Ararat is in action (raids, fire, angry god) they become completely impotent, drifting somewhere in the sidelines. Arjun follows Holbach because he just can't seem to think for himself, Jack leads his Thunderers into pointless fights that don't really make sense, Arlandes is moping in his office. Arlandes is probably the most wasted character in the book. The way Gilman writes it you expect for Arlandes to pull through in some daring stunt with the Thunderer, but there is nothing in the book to make him be a loved or hated character. He is the most annoying self pitying waste of paper I have seen.
It also seems that it is written for every character that in the end they do the exact opposite of what they were saying. Olympia and Holback wanted to stay but they left the city; Arjun wanted to leave but stayed; Arlandes wanted to fight for the Countess but then he leaves her for the ship; Jack is probably the only one who achieved his goal. He wanted to be free.
I think this lack of keeping the reader interested in the characters is what made me choose such low rating.
In the beginning you get to know them and get exciting to see how they will all meet. Then somewhere in the middle when the "revolution" starts they all get somehow lost in the city. What ever they do has no impact on the story or the city. And then the ending has to resolve something so we get back to Arjun and Jack and in 4 pages they manage to fix the vengeful-god-problem and getting the city back to normal, something that hasn't really been tried for the last third of the book.
A portion of this book is dedicated to trying to build them into something but then when the part of Ararat is in action (raids, fire, angry god) they become completely impotent, drifting somewhere in the sidelines. Arjun follows Holbach because he just can't seem to think for himself, Jack leads his Thunderers into pointless fights that don't really make sense, Arlandes is moping in his office. Arlandes is probably the most wasted character in the book. The way Gilman writes it you expect for Arlandes to pull through in some daring stunt with the Thunderer, but there is nothing in the book to make him be a loved or hated character. He is the most annoying self pitying waste of paper I have seen.
It also seems that it is written for every character that in the end they do the exact opposite of what they were saying. Olympia and Holback wanted to stay but they left the city; Arjun wanted to leave but stayed; Arlandes wanted to fight for the Countess but then he leaves her for the ship; Jack is probably the only one who achieved his goal. He wanted to be free.
I think this lack of keeping the reader interested in the characters is what made me choose such low rating.
wolvereader's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not even sure how to describe Thunderer. For plot details, you can read the summary as well as I can. I guess I can say that the incredibly rich world was utterly immersive, and the city Ararat was as much a character as Arjun or Jack. The depth of feeling given to Ararat reminded me of [a:China Miéville|33918|China Miéville|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1243988363p2/33918.jpg]'s great city, New Crobuzon. Like New Crobuzon, there is a hint of [a:H. P. Lovecraft|6583618|H. P. Lovecraft|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg]ian dread, but not nearly so much. Instead, Ararat can be joyous, depressing, wonderful, and workaday.
The other characters in the book are reasonably well realized, and while there were a few tropes, there were also a few real novelties.
Truthfully, the plot is almost secondary to the world-building going on, and while it moved along and was enjoyable, it's probably not what I'll keep coming back to. If you like losing yourself in new worlds, this is the book for you. If, instead, you're looking for deep plot or revealing character studies, then you might want to pass it by.
The other characters in the book are reasonably well realized, and while there were a few tropes, there were also a few real novelties.
Truthfully, the plot is almost secondary to the world-building going on, and while it moved along and was enjoyable, it's probably not what I'll keep coming back to. If you like losing yourself in new worlds, this is the book for you. If, instead, you're looking for deep plot or revealing character studies, then you might want to pass it by.
graculus's review against another edition
2.0
I have to admit, when I first picked this one up, I was expecting some run of the mill steampunk story given the blurb on the back cover, only to find that it was something much more complex than that...
The basic premise of 'Thunderer' (which is, alas, I think also it's weak point) is that it's a bunch of different stories that all converge in the end - the city in which it's set (called Ararat) is a malleable place, where streets can shift and entire districts emerge or disappear, a place inhabited by a plethora of gods which impact on the city and its people to varying extents. One of the stories told in 'Thunderer' is about Arjun, who comes to Ararat in search of a divine presence that has left the place where he grew up; given its inhabitants, Ararat seems a sensible place to search for that presence.
I'm a bit torn over 'Thunderer', to be honest, as I'm not totally sure that I give a damn about some of the characters, which is always a source of difficulty. In particular, the female characters in the book are clearly secondary and in a supporting role, there to be acted upon rather than acting (with the exception of the malevolent Countess, who gets her come-uppance in the end for acting out of type). There's a sequel, [b:Gears of the City|4723066|Gears of the City|Felix Gilman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266906990s/4723066.jpg|4787515], but given my misgivings about this book, I can't say it's something I'll be searching out with great enthusiasm...
The basic premise of 'Thunderer' (which is, alas, I think also it's weak point) is that it's a bunch of different stories that all converge in the end - the city in which it's set (called Ararat) is a malleable place, where streets can shift and entire districts emerge or disappear, a place inhabited by a plethora of gods which impact on the city and its people to varying extents. One of the stories told in 'Thunderer' is about Arjun, who comes to Ararat in search of a divine presence that has left the place where he grew up; given its inhabitants, Ararat seems a sensible place to search for that presence.
I'm a bit torn over 'Thunderer', to be honest, as I'm not totally sure that I give a damn about some of the characters, which is always a source of difficulty. In particular, the female characters in the book are clearly secondary and in a supporting role, there to be acted upon rather than acting (with the exception of the malevolent Countess, who gets her come-uppance in the end for acting out of type). There's a sequel, [b:Gears of the City|4723066|Gears of the City|Felix Gilman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266906990s/4723066.jpg|4787515], but given my misgivings about this book, I can't say it's something I'll be searching out with great enthusiasm...
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