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mxsallybend's review
4.0
Flotsam is a book that intrigued me from the first line of its cover blurb.
A fantastical steampunk first contact novel that ties together high magic, high technology, and bold characters to craft a story you won’t soon forget.
Seriously, that one line promises a lot. The further I read, the more excited I became, until I started to worry my expectations were becoming too high. No matter how good a read it might be, R.J. Theodore had her work cut out for her - through no fault of her own - in delivering on those expectations.
Having had a few days to digest the book, to separate the emotions from the thoughts, I am pleasantly surprised to say it was everything I wanted - and perhaps even a bit more.
This is a book that starts out with a crazy treasure hunt that is of neither the deep-sea nor the outer-space variety, but somewhere in between. We're introduced to Captain Talis as she's dangling in the air, waiting to explore a shipwreck within the detritus strewn layer of the atmosphere. It has all the elements of a pulp adventure to it, complete with betrayal, attack, and pursuit, and kicks things up a notch with the appearance of a freakin' spaceship. Yeah, you heard me, a beautifully odd ship of silver, floating alongside sail-driven steampunk airships.
There is a lot to like here, beyond the rather cool concept. The characters are a lot of fun, some more developed that others, but all of them more than just stock figures. The world building is impressive, and even if it feels like there is a lot that's been held back at this point, what we do get is satisfying enough to turn questions into anticipation. The action is fantastic, something of a cross between space opera and nautical warfare, and the hand-to-hand combat is refreshingly unorthodox. Theodore does a great job of playing to the genre conventions, but never settles for being predicable, even if it means forcing the reader outside their comfort zone sometimes. As an added bonus, the aliens are truly that - alien - humanoid in appearance, but visibly crossed with other species, and having a class-based system that surpasses any question of gender.
While Flotsam does explore some themes of gender, class, and authority that are interesting, it is most successful as fantasy escapism. This is fun, fast-paced, and, and clever enough to keep you guessing. As a standalone novel it does, perhaps, leave too much unknown or open-ended - especially with its cliffhanger ending - but as the opening to a series it is everything it needs to be to keep us reading.
A fantastical steampunk first contact novel that ties together high magic, high technology, and bold characters to craft a story you won’t soon forget.
Seriously, that one line promises a lot. The further I read, the more excited I became, until I started to worry my expectations were becoming too high. No matter how good a read it might be, R.J. Theodore had her work cut out for her - through no fault of her own - in delivering on those expectations.
Having had a few days to digest the book, to separate the emotions from the thoughts, I am pleasantly surprised to say it was everything I wanted - and perhaps even a bit more.
This is a book that starts out with a crazy treasure hunt that is of neither the deep-sea nor the outer-space variety, but somewhere in between. We're introduced to Captain Talis as she's dangling in the air, waiting to explore a shipwreck within the detritus strewn layer of the atmosphere. It has all the elements of a pulp adventure to it, complete with betrayal, attack, and pursuit, and kicks things up a notch with the appearance of a freakin' spaceship. Yeah, you heard me, a beautifully odd ship of silver, floating alongside sail-driven steampunk airships.
There is a lot to like here, beyond the rather cool concept. The characters are a lot of fun, some more developed that others, but all of them more than just stock figures. The world building is impressive, and even if it feels like there is a lot that's been held back at this point, what we do get is satisfying enough to turn questions into anticipation. The action is fantastic, something of a cross between space opera and nautical warfare, and the hand-to-hand combat is refreshingly unorthodox. Theodore does a great job of playing to the genre conventions, but never settles for being predicable, even if it means forcing the reader outside their comfort zone sometimes. As an added bonus, the aliens are truly that - alien - humanoid in appearance, but visibly crossed with other species, and having a class-based system that surpasses any question of gender.
While Flotsam does explore some themes of gender, class, and authority that are interesting, it is most successful as fantasy escapism. This is fun, fast-paced, and, and clever enough to keep you guessing. As a standalone novel it does, perhaps, leave too much unknown or open-ended - especially with its cliffhanger ending - but as the opening to a series it is everything it needs to be to keep us reading.
branch_c's review against another edition
3.0
This book gets high marks for the imaginative setting and backstory. I’ve never read anything quite like it, though I suppose the “world” has something in common with harder SF such as Niven’s Smoke Ring.
The characters and their situation, meanwhile, are somewhat stereotypical, conveying a definite Firefly feel: the small, scrappy crew with differing personalities and motivations, but a shared loyalty to ship, to captain, and to each other.
The writing is a mixed bag for me: Theodore’s language is polished and evocative, with often elegant turns of phrase and engaging dialog. The use of nautical terminology is above average, with no obvious silliness or misunderstandings common to writers who’ve clearly never set foot on a boat. And the story itself is creative and unpredictable, with everything from bar brawls to alchemist gods and alien starships.
But it’s a bit heavy on mundane description, with arguably excessive detail about the characters’ appearance and clothing, and the placement of items in the airship cabins. The grander details about the environment, on the other hand, are sketchier than they could be. It’s an orbiting ring of debris, I guess? But with an atmosphere? And there’s gravity in which “down” is not toward Nexus, but toward the orbital plane? Also, did I miss what fuels the airships? The alchemical “magic” fits uneasily with the more scientific explanations here. Likewise the Five alchemists: worshipped as gods, but the justification for this is lacking. Even if they “created” the people of this world, they come across as simply more powerful people, not exactly deserving of faith and awe - I guess I’m with Hankirk on this.
And as a whole, the narrative didn’t hold my interest as it should have, given the ostensibly interesting sequence of events. The pace feels strangely slow, and the tone somewhat emotionally flat, taking itself perhaps a bit too seriously, while several characters seem to swing from being callous to empathetic and back again.
And finally, it ends uncertainly, but on a decidedly down note, in the expectation that the reader will want to pick up the next in the series to continue the adventure. While the book certainly has its positive aspects, I’m not sure I’m up for that.
The characters and their situation, meanwhile, are somewhat stereotypical, conveying a definite Firefly feel: the small, scrappy crew with differing personalities and motivations, but a shared loyalty to ship, to captain, and to each other.
The writing is a mixed bag for me: Theodore’s language is polished and evocative, with often elegant turns of phrase and engaging dialog. The use of nautical terminology is above average, with no obvious silliness or misunderstandings common to writers who’ve clearly never set foot on a boat. And the story itself is creative and unpredictable, with everything from bar brawls to alchemist gods and alien starships.
But it’s a bit heavy on mundane description, with arguably excessive detail about the characters’ appearance and clothing, and the placement of items in the airship cabins. The grander details about the environment, on the other hand, are sketchier than they could be. It’s an orbiting ring of debris, I guess? But with an atmosphere? And there’s gravity in which “down” is not toward Nexus, but toward the orbital plane? Also, did I miss what fuels the airships? The alchemical “magic” fits uneasily with the more scientific explanations here. Likewise the Five alchemists: worshipped as gods, but the justification for this is lacking. Even if they “created” the people of this world, they come across as simply more powerful people, not exactly deserving of faith and awe - I guess I’m with Hankirk on this.
And as a whole, the narrative didn’t hold my interest as it should have, given the ostensibly interesting sequence of events. The pace feels strangely slow, and the tone somewhat emotionally flat, taking itself perhaps a bit too seriously, while several characters seem to swing from being callous to empathetic and back again.
And finally, it ends uncertainly, but on a decidedly down note, in the expectation that the reader will want to pick up the next in the series to continue the adventure. While the book certainly has its positive aspects, I’m not sure I’m up for that.
marzipan9's review against another edition
4.0
I loved entering the world of Peridot! I don't think I've encountered anything near to this--a planet that exploded, yet still is able to support life through the will of its 5 deities. I thoroughly enjoyed me (long lol) journey through this book, and since I waited so long to finish it, book 2 is already ready for me to read!
andropupsi's review
I really want to love this story, I absolutely love the world building and just the thought of a planet practically exploded but held together by some unknown force just enough for people to survive in it is absolutely bonkers. I really couldn't get into the story however as the characters just seemed in constant conflict, or more rather the captain seemed in conflict with her crew. It felt like everytime the crew was mentioned she was worried about them leaving her or snapping at them.
The story isn't for me personally but I do definitely recommend that if you like science fiction and good world building definitely give this story a try.
The story isn't for me personally but I do definitely recommend that if you like science fiction and good world building definitely give this story a try.
kirstycarson1's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
annieb123's review
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Flotsam is the first book in a new series (Peridot Shift) and the debut novel from new voice R. J. Theodore. This book had me at hello. It promised everything in my ideal book checklist. Fantasy, touch of magic, aliens, steampunk, strong female characters with ensemble cast, pirates/junkers on a treasure hunt, some humor, good dialogue and plot driven narrative.
This was a solidly readable good book. I really saw a cliffhanger coming for 300 pages but when I had read the last page, I immediately started jonesing for the next book in the series.
This is high fantasy with cool world building, well thought out races, alien tech (the wasp-aliens with carved exoskeletons made me squee out loud. Ok, almost...but damn that was cool!), betrayal and survival and teamwork and...
It's a brick of a book, 535 pages, but doesn't suffer from book bloat in the slightest. It's not slow, doesn't drag, and the author isn't so fond of their own voice that they can't bear to cut anything they've written (I'm lookin' at you, Stephen King).
Released 27 March, 2018 by Parvus Press, it's available in ebook, paperback and audiobook formats. Really well written. Looking forward to the sequels.
Four stars
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
Flotsam is the first book in a new series (Peridot Shift) and the debut novel from new voice R. J. Theodore. This book had me at hello. It promised everything in my ideal book checklist. Fantasy, touch of magic, aliens, steampunk, strong female characters with ensemble cast, pirates/junkers on a treasure hunt, some humor, good dialogue and plot driven narrative.
This was a solidly readable good book. I really saw a cliffhanger coming for 300 pages but when I had read the last page, I immediately started jonesing for the next book in the series.
This is high fantasy with cool world building, well thought out races, alien tech (the wasp-aliens with carved exoskeletons made me squee out loud. Ok, almost...but damn that was cool!), betrayal and survival and teamwork and...
It's a brick of a book, 535 pages, but doesn't suffer from book bloat in the slightest. It's not slow, doesn't drag, and the author isn't so fond of their own voice that they can't bear to cut anything they've written (I'm lookin' at you, Stephen King).
Released 27 March, 2018 by Parvus Press, it's available in ebook, paperback and audiobook formats. Really well written. Looking forward to the sequels.
Four stars
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
erikbail's review
3.0
Guess it's techno-steam-punk. I really wanted to like the story, had everything I wanted, ships and pirates and dashing battles, but just awkwardly paced for me
jasecorn's review against another edition
4.0
Love the setting and the characters. Such a unique world has been created here and I can see many great ideas for future books. For a debut, this author has the rare gift of being able to paint a picture without getting bogged down in superfluous language. I was able to visualise all the settings which is something I struggle with sometimes, and considering the crazy universe this is set in, it's no mean feat to get me to effortlessly see through the authors eyes.
It took me to another world.
Easy to read, but a complex and fun adventure.
It took me to another world.
Easy to read, but a complex and fun adventure.
bunny_herondale's review against another edition
4.0
ENGLISH:
First of all, thanks to Robot Dinosaur Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced readers copy of the book in exchange of a honest review.
I'm still not sure if it's 3.5 or 4 stars.
Ok, the book is good, is interesting and it's a good trilogy start. What bothers me is that the main character which is a grown adult that has stopped being a naive young girl some time ago makes mistakes that not even the dumbest protagonist of the most cliché teen movie or book would make. Things that were very obvious and she refused to see or not giving the enough importance to other things even when a goddess (literally) told her the importance of those said things!
So, I don't know how I would classify this book because it has many genres, something like a space opera with fantasy and steampunk, a weird mixup, but it works well.
I have to recognize that at the beginning of the book it was difficult for me to really get into the story, and that's partly because the story itself, the principal problem in the book, doesn't start until the 58% of the book, everything that happens before that is the construction and preamble to that specific moment, I just hope it doesn't happen the same in the sequel.
I loved all the rest of the characters, including the aliens with unpronounceable names, Meran, the Wind Sabre crew and even Hankirk. The deities were more like meh to me, they weren't by far the more interesting thing in the book, but there were many things that I did like.
My favorite quotes of the book:
ESPAÑOL:
Primero que nada, gracias a Robot Dinosaur Press y a NetGalley por proveerme con una copia avanzada del libro a cambio de una reseña honesta.
Estoy indecisa entre 3.5 y 4 estrellas.
Ok, el libro es bueno, es interesante y marca un buen inicio de trilogía. Lo que me molesta, es que la protagonista que es una mujer adulta que ya tiene sus añitos, cometa errores que ni el protagonista más tonto de cualquier película o libro cliché para adolescentes cometería. Cosas que eran muy obvias y que no quiso ver o no darle la suficiente importancia a otras cosas a pesar de que una diosa (literalmente) fue y le informó de la importancia de ciertas cosas.
Entonces, no sé exactamente cómo se clasificaría este libro porque tiene muchos géneros, algo como un space opera con fantasía y steampunk, una mezcla rara, sin embargo funciona bien.
Debo reconocer que al inicio me costó engancharme con el libro, y es que la historia en sí, la problemática principal, no empieza sino hasta el 58% del libro, todo lo que sucede antes es como la construcción y el preámbulo para ese momento en específico, solamente espero que en la secuela no suceda lo mismo.
Me encantaron todos los demás personajes, incluyendo los aliens con nombres impronunciables, Meran, la tripulación del Wind Sabre e incluso Hankirk. Las deidades se me hicieron personajes equis, no eran ni de lejos lo más interesante del libro, pero hay varias cosas que sí que me gustaron.
Mis frases favoritas del libro:
First of all, thanks to Robot Dinosaur Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced readers copy of the book in exchange of a honest review.
I'm still not sure if it's 3.5 or 4 stars.
Ok, the book is good, is interesting and it's a good trilogy start. What bothers me is that the main character which is a grown adult that has stopped being a naive young girl some time ago makes mistakes that not even the dumbest protagonist of the most cliché teen movie or book would make. Things that were very obvious and she refused to see or not giving the enough importance to other things even when a goddess (literally) told her the importance of those said things!
So, I don't know how I would classify this book because it has many genres, something like a space opera with fantasy and steampunk, a weird mixup, but it works well.
I have to recognize that at the beginning of the book it was difficult for me to really get into the story, and that's partly because the story itself, the principal problem in the book, doesn't start until the 58% of the book, everything that happens before that is the construction and preamble to that specific moment, I just hope it doesn't happen the same in the sequel.
I loved all the rest of the characters, including the aliens with unpronounceable names, Meran, the Wind Sabre crew and even Hankirk. The deities were more like meh to me, they weren't by far the more interesting thing in the book, but there were many things that I did like.
My favorite quotes of the book:
It wasn’t the most impressive private airship in the skies— just a single lift balloon, a handful of cannons, and room for a small crew. But it was hers. You didn’t get to have or keep much in this world.
She couldn’t give him back the future he’d lost, but she never stopped trying to make a new one for him.
Talk to the goddess that had a penchant for turning people into mermaids if they pissed her off.
Of course.
Why not?
Then a wave hit her. Desolation. Aching emptiness.
Silus Cutter is dead.
Her god. The being who created her people and protected them. The being who was supposed to be immortal.
He wasn’t. He was dead. And she was kneeling among his murderers.
“We all do...” Xe paused for a moment, resting. “...what we must to survive. Act for what we believe is the greater good of our people.”
Sometimes, she thought. And other times we act selfishly and court disaster.
“Do you have a purpose I can live for?”
“Same thing I have. Freedom.”
“This one would raze it all to the ground for you,” she said, her eyes flashing at Talis.
Dug’s eyelids lowered, and he inhaled deeply. He looked intoxicated, leaning toward Meran, who cupped his chin. But Meran looked at Hankirk.
“As would he.”
“Should have killed him,”she said under her breath to Dug.
“You still can.”
She stayed silent. She’d already proven that she couldn’t.
ESPAÑOL:
Primero que nada, gracias a Robot Dinosaur Press y a NetGalley por proveerme con una copia avanzada del libro a cambio de una reseña honesta.
Estoy indecisa entre 3.5 y 4 estrellas.
Ok, el libro es bueno, es interesante y marca un buen inicio de trilogía. Lo que me molesta, es que la protagonista que es una mujer adulta que ya tiene sus añitos, cometa errores que ni el protagonista más tonto de cualquier película o libro cliché para adolescentes cometería. Cosas que eran muy obvias y que no quiso ver o no darle la suficiente importancia a otras cosas a pesar de que una diosa (literalmente) fue y le informó de la importancia de ciertas cosas.
Entonces, no sé exactamente cómo se clasificaría este libro porque tiene muchos géneros, algo como un space opera con fantasía y steampunk, una mezcla rara, sin embargo funciona bien.
Debo reconocer que al inicio me costó engancharme con el libro, y es que la historia en sí, la problemática principal, no empieza sino hasta el 58% del libro, todo lo que sucede antes es como la construcción y el preámbulo para ese momento en específico, solamente espero que en la secuela no suceda lo mismo.
Me encantaron todos los demás personajes, incluyendo los aliens con nombres impronunciables, Meran, la tripulación del Wind Sabre e incluso Hankirk. Las deidades se me hicieron personajes equis, no eran ni de lejos lo más interesante del libro, pero hay varias cosas que sí que me gustaron.
Mis frases favoritas del libro:
It wasn’t the most impressive private airship in the skies— just a single lift balloon, a handful of cannons, and room for a small crew. But it was hers. You didn’t get to have or keep much in this world.
She couldn’t give him back the future he’d lost, but she never stopped trying to make a new one for him.
Talk to the goddess that had a penchant for turning people into mermaids if they pissed her off.
Of course.
Why not?
Then a wave hit her. Desolation. Aching emptiness.
Silus Cutter is dead.
Her god. The being who created her people and protected them. The being who was supposed to be immortal.
He wasn’t. He was dead. And she was kneeling among his murderers.
“We all do...” Xe paused for a moment, resting. “...what we must to survive. Act for what we believe is the greater good of our people.”
Sometimes, she thought. And other times we act selfishly and court disaster.
“Do you have a purpose I can live for?”
“Same thing I have. Freedom.”
“This one would raze it all to the ground for you,” she said, her eyes flashing at Talis.
Dug’s eyelids lowered, and he inhaled deeply. He looked intoxicated, leaning toward Meran, who cupped his chin. But Meran looked at Hankirk.
“As would he.”
“Should have killed him,”she said under her breath to Dug.
“You still can.”
She stayed silent. She’d already proven that she couldn’t.