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A review by voelve
Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
If, based on other reviews of this book, you're looking for the novel version of the TV series 'Firefly', you will be sorely disappointed. There are some surface similarities - a found family of freebooters just trying to stay out of trouble and somehow getting in loads of trouble anyway - but that's about it.
This first book in the Tales of the Ketty Jay series introduces us to a wild world of political intrigue and airships. It's every man for themselves on this crew, but over the course of some 400 pages, we get to see them learn to not only actually cooperate, but strengthen and support each other. To nobody is this more surprising than one of our main characters, Captain Frey, a deeply selfish man. One of my favorite things about this book is that we're not supposed to like him, even as we experience the world through his eyes. While we remain surface-level acquaintances with most of the other protagonists, their stories are expanded upon in the next three books, where we are also drawn deeper into the central conspiracy.
Overall, Retribution Falls is a semi-dark, very fast paced story of blossoming friendships and troubled people trying to run away from their individual pasts. I'd recommend this one to any reader who's a fan of pirate stories, a steampunk-ish aesthetic, and the found family trope. Despite the gruesome content warnings, there is always an overarching theme of hope and a belief that with a little tenacity, they'll be able to make it.
This first book in the Tales of the Ketty Jay series introduces us to a wild world of political intrigue and airships. It's every man for themselves on this crew, but over the course of some 400 pages, we get to see them learn to not only actually cooperate, but strengthen and support each other. To nobody is this more surprising than one of our main characters, Captain Frey, a deeply selfish man. One of my favorite things about this book is that we're not supposed to like him, even as we experience the world through his eyes. While we remain surface-level acquaintances with most of the other protagonists, their stories are expanded upon in the next three books, where we are also drawn deeper into the central conspiracy.
Overall, Retribution Falls is a semi-dark, very fast paced story of blossoming friendships and troubled people trying to run away from their individual pasts. I'd recommend this one to any reader who's a fan of pirate stories, a steampunk-ish aesthetic, and the found family trope. Despite the gruesome content warnings, there is always an overarching theme of hope and a belief that with a little tenacity, they'll be able to make it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Gun violence
Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism
Minor: Rape