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tyrshand's review
4.0
I've become quite fond of the linked short stories style of tale. There's just something extra lovely in the flow and it definitely worked here. I found this to be a delightful novel, as it was the mannerly, quirky, clever type of steampunk -- with a pirate! The mystery element was always present, if not always strong, since this seemed to be more about the characters and setting than the plot. That works perfectly fine for me, as I'm definitely a character reader.
For those who've read the Alex Wells books, the author's tone is very different here. In a way it reminded me of late 80s, early 90s in how it felt and sounded, though certainly with updates for the modern day.
Anywho, I definitely recommend it as an enjoyable adventure!
For those who've read the Alex Wells books, the author's tone is very different here. In a way it reminded me of late 80s, early 90s in how it felt and sounded, though certainly with updates for the modern day.
Anywho, I definitely recommend it as an enjoyable adventure!
tigerb99's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent stories. Lots of steampunk technology, lots of implications at global apocalypse/pandemic that aren't "as you know Bob" explained, good mysteries. The Captain picks up the end of a thread and just can't help tugging on it to see where it goes! Looking forward to more steam powered swash buckling in this universe.
witmol's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This was an enormous amount of fun to read. Think of all the best bits of adventure and mystery tales under a steampunk heist umbrella with a sprinkling of zombie threat in the mix. While each individual 'chapter' is an enclosed story and can be read separately, the order of the stories are well chosen and contribute to a better understanding of the whole. I especially like that the first story's main character is not the protagonist of the whole collection, giving an outsider's perspective of the Captain that the reader comes to appreciate as we get to know her.
synth's review against another edition
2.0
Well, I am disappointed
I quite liked the first story and was looking forward to the rest, but with each story my excitement died down a little. The picture being painted little by little of the Captain and her crew turned out less and less appealing to me, for reasons of cockiness and callousness and self-satisfaction and perfection on her part, and lack of any info about, and thus reader involvement in, her crew. Everyone and everything end up one-dimensional as the book tries hard to be a clever fun romp only to actually head toward being a condescending simplistic trudge.
I was also expecting actual gender exploration for some reason, which never materializes. Also, I expected sky pirates, not train robbers.
I quite liked the first story and was looking forward to the rest, but with each story my excitement died down a little. The picture being painted little by little of the Captain and her crew turned out less and less appealing to me, for reasons of cockiness and callousness and self-satisfaction and perfection on her part, and lack of any info about, and thus reader involvement in, her crew. Everyone and everything end up one-dimensional as the book tries hard to be a clever fun romp only to actually head toward being a condescending simplistic trudge.
I was also expecting actual gender exploration for some reason, which never materializes. Also, I expected sky pirates, not train robbers.
dawnvogel's review against another edition
4.0
(This review originally appeared at Mad Scientist Journal.)
Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures by Alex Acks is a collection of four steampunk/alternate history mystery novellas and one short story featuring Captain Marta Ramos and her second in command, Simms, as they navigate and plunder the Duchy of Denver and nearby locales. Ramos and Simms are piratical sorts, primarily using a steam-powered train for their heists, but occasionally resorting to whatever transport is available to them.
Of the novellas and short story, my favorite of the bunch was “The Curious Case of Clementine Nimowitz (and Her Exceedingly Tiny Dog)”. Full of twists and turns and a delightful reoccurring character, the story gives readers a good taste of the characters of Ramos and Simms and their interactions. I also enjoyed “The Ugly Tin Orrery,” which is slightly more political intrigue than the other stories, but still with a level of mystery that keeps readers guessing at every turn.
If the collection has a weak point, it’s likely to be found in the short story, “The Jade Tiger,” which seemed far too abbreviated to really let the mystery have room to breathe. But even this story has phenomenal writing and characterization.
If you’re a fan of steampunk, alternate history, and mystery, the novellas and short story in this collection are sure to delight you!
Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures by Alex Acks is a collection of four steampunk/alternate history mystery novellas and one short story featuring Captain Marta Ramos and her second in command, Simms, as they navigate and plunder the Duchy of Denver and nearby locales. Ramos and Simms are piratical sorts, primarily using a steam-powered train for their heists, but occasionally resorting to whatever transport is available to them.
Of the novellas and short story, my favorite of the bunch was “The Curious Case of Clementine Nimowitz (and Her Exceedingly Tiny Dog)”. Full of twists and turns and a delightful reoccurring character, the story gives readers a good taste of the characters of Ramos and Simms and their interactions. I also enjoyed “The Ugly Tin Orrery,” which is slightly more political intrigue than the other stories, but still with a level of mystery that keeps readers guessing at every turn.
If the collection has a weak point, it’s likely to be found in the short story, “The Jade Tiger,” which seemed far too abbreviated to really let the mystery have room to breathe. But even this story has phenomenal writing and characterization.
If you’re a fan of steampunk, alternate history, and mystery, the novellas and short story in this collection are sure to delight you!
skjam's review against another edition
3.0
Colonel Geoffrey Douglas is experiencing a lot of stress recently. He’s just gotten a new job as chief of security for the Grand Duke of Denver, and his first task is to ensure that the jewelry made for the Grand Duke’s daughter’s wedding gets safely from New York to Denver. He’s not in command of his own transport, but must travel on the luxury airship Titania. There are rumors that the notorious sky pirate Captain Ramos is in the area. There’s the constant threat of the exanimate. Oh, and then there’s a murder which may or may not be related to anything else.
The actual star of this set of steampunk stories is Captain Marta Ramos, sky and rail pirate. With the aid of her long-suffering lieutenant Simms, and a band of quirky rogues, Captain Ramos steals from the rich…and might give some of it to the poor, if there’s extra.
“Murder on the Titania” is the first of five stories, and the cover story. Captain Ramos helps Colonel Douglas solve the murder while planning her escape with the jewels.
“The Curious Case of Miss Clementine Nimowitz (And Her Exceedingly Tiny Dog)” opens with Captain Ramos discovering that her latest robbery victim has already been dead for some time–murdered! The only living witness is a small yappy lapdog, which appears to have swallowed some of the loot. Some potty humor in this one.
“The Jade Tiger” has our protagonist informed of a shipment of calcite lenses being transported by a certain lord. The informant is seeking revenge because the lord stole something precious from her. Of course, that’s not the entire truth.
“The Ugly Tin Orrery” is loot from the gang’s latest train robbery. It’s cheaply built, inaccurate as to the planets’ orbits, and doesn’t even seem to have sentimental value. And yet, someone is willing to kill to get it back.
“The Flying Turk” has Ramos and Simms back aboard an airship, this one being piloted by an experimental robot. There’s another murder that needs to be solved. The major twist should be obvious to anyone who’s familiar with the history of robotics.
As is common with steampunk, this series is set in an alternate late Nineteenth Century, with anachronistic bits of technology. LGBT+ individuals exist, but their relationships are illegal, so they have to hide them. Naturally, our heroes are more accepting of these folks. There are also undead, though they are more of a background element, used to explain why the heads of murder victims are always destroyed.
I was most reminded of the 80s syndicated fantasy adventures TV series, and could see these done as highish-budget television episodes. I didn’t fall in love with any of the characters, but would be willing to spend more pleasant time with them.
Recommended for steampunk fans.
The actual star of this set of steampunk stories is Captain Marta Ramos, sky and rail pirate. With the aid of her long-suffering lieutenant Simms, and a band of quirky rogues, Captain Ramos steals from the rich…and might give some of it to the poor, if there’s extra.
“Murder on the Titania” is the first of five stories, and the cover story. Captain Ramos helps Colonel Douglas solve the murder while planning her escape with the jewels.
“The Curious Case of Miss Clementine Nimowitz (And Her Exceedingly Tiny Dog)” opens with Captain Ramos discovering that her latest robbery victim has already been dead for some time–murdered! The only living witness is a small yappy lapdog, which appears to have swallowed some of the loot. Some potty humor in this one.
“The Jade Tiger” has our protagonist informed of a shipment of calcite lenses being transported by a certain lord. The informant is seeking revenge because the lord stole something precious from her. Of course, that’s not the entire truth.
“The Ugly Tin Orrery” is loot from the gang’s latest train robbery. It’s cheaply built, inaccurate as to the planets’ orbits, and doesn’t even seem to have sentimental value. And yet, someone is willing to kill to get it back.
“The Flying Turk” has Ramos and Simms back aboard an airship, this one being piloted by an experimental robot. There’s another murder that needs to be solved. The major twist should be obvious to anyone who’s familiar with the history of robotics.
As is common with steampunk, this series is set in an alternate late Nineteenth Century, with anachronistic bits of technology. LGBT+ individuals exist, but their relationships are illegal, so they have to hide them. Naturally, our heroes are more accepting of these folks. There are also undead, though they are more of a background element, used to explain why the heads of murder victims are always destroyed.
I was most reminded of the 80s syndicated fantasy adventures TV series, and could see these done as highish-budget television episodes. I didn’t fall in love with any of the characters, but would be willing to spend more pleasant time with them.
Recommended for steampunk fans.
juliusmoose's review against another edition
5.0
This is a series of connected short stories, sorta like a Sherlock Holmes collection. It’s set in a sort of steampunk U.S. with a hint of zombies in the background. The descriptions of the characters and what they’re doing are very funny. We're mainly following a pirate captain who goes around doing piratey things and also solving mysteries. I desperately want to read more stories about her.
calissa's review against another edition
4.0
Take Sherlock Holmes. Make him a Latina railcar pirate in a steampunk Denver where the dead are at risk of rising again and you have Murder on the Titania.
The work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie is often peppered with bigoted stereotypes. Murder on the Titania subverts those elements in a way that's delightful to read. This is probably most in evidence in the first (and titular) story of the collection. In this story, Colonel Geoffrey Douglas is charged with transporting some valuable jewellery from the Duchy of New York to home in the Duchy of Denver. A murder takes place while the airship is en route and the Colonel is called upon to investigate. It's a bit of an oblique introduction to Captain Ramos, but one that works through contrast. Geoff is by no means stupid--his intelligence was one of the things I enjoyed about the character. However, his biased assumptions blind him to investigative possibilities. The racism of Holmes is absent--indeed, PoC are present and an unremarked upon part of the world--but the characters share some similar biases regarding women and class.
Captain Ramos is more open-minded. On the surface, she doesn't have much in common with the famous detective. However, she does share a few of his other traits, such as a horror of boredom and an apparent disregard for personal safety. Much like Holmes, she remains a fairly enigmatic character; while we do get some scenes from her perspective, the third-person viewpoint keeps some distance. More of the story is told from the perspective of her Watson, a red-headed man from the working classes by the name of Simms. He plays the long-suffering sidekick who claims a desire for a quiet life, but not-so-secretly enjoys the thrill of an adventure.
The structure of the book works well. The first two novellas and the short story are each self-contained episodes about a discrete mystery. The third novella brings back a couple of characters and advances the worldbuilding in a way I found particularly satisfying. It's in this story that we get to see Ramos with her crew, an experience made all the more delightful by seeing them do what they do best--robbing trains. It would have been nice to see more of the team and I have hopes for future books. The last novella brings us full circle back to the airship Titania, making it a nice way to round out the collection.
I'm not much of a mystery reader, more for lack of time than lack of desire. So, I might not be the best judge in relation to the mystery elements of the story. However, I found some aspects a bit predictable. This didn't in any way detract from my enjoyment of the book, especially since it took place in such an interesting setting.
All in all, I found Murder on the Titania to be a fun read that does a wonderful job of paying homage to Sherlock Holmes while simultaneously subverting its problematic elements. I very much hope to see more in the future.
This review first appeared on Earl Grey Editing.
The work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie is often peppered with bigoted stereotypes. Murder on the Titania subverts those elements in a way that's delightful to read. This is probably most in evidence in the first (and titular) story of the collection. In this story, Colonel Geoffrey Douglas is charged with transporting some valuable jewellery from the Duchy of New York to home in the Duchy of Denver. A murder takes place while the airship is en route and the Colonel is called upon to investigate. It's a bit of an oblique introduction to Captain Ramos, but one that works through contrast. Geoff is by no means stupid--his intelligence was one of the things I enjoyed about the character. However, his biased assumptions blind him to investigative possibilities. The racism of Holmes is absent--indeed, PoC are present and an unremarked upon part of the world--but the characters share some similar biases regarding women and class.
Captain Ramos is more open-minded. On the surface, she doesn't have much in common with the famous detective. However, she does share a few of his other traits, such as a horror of boredom and an apparent disregard for personal safety. Much like Holmes, she remains a fairly enigmatic character; while we do get some scenes from her perspective, the third-person viewpoint keeps some distance. More of the story is told from the perspective of her Watson, a red-headed man from the working classes by the name of Simms. He plays the long-suffering sidekick who claims a desire for a quiet life, but not-so-secretly enjoys the thrill of an adventure.
The structure of the book works well. The first two novellas and the short story are each self-contained episodes about a discrete mystery. The third novella brings back a couple of characters and advances the worldbuilding in a way I found particularly satisfying. It's in this story that we get to see Ramos with her crew, an experience made all the more delightful by seeing them do what they do best--robbing trains. It would have been nice to see more of the team and I have hopes for future books. The last novella brings us full circle back to the airship Titania, making it a nice way to round out the collection.
I'm not much of a mystery reader, more for lack of time than lack of desire. So, I might not be the best judge in relation to the mystery elements of the story. However, I found some aspects a bit predictable. This didn't in any way detract from my enjoyment of the book, especially since it took place in such an interesting setting.
All in all, I found Murder on the Titania to be a fun read that does a wonderful job of paying homage to Sherlock Holmes while simultaneously subverting its problematic elements. I very much hope to see more in the future.
This review first appeared on Earl Grey Editing.
kjcharles's review against another edition
Very enjoyable set of linked stories set in a steampunk US with a sky pirate and her long suffering sidekick solving crimes despite being the criminals. Rollicking good fun with a highly diverse cast and a great pair of leads. (Alex Acks is also Alex Wells of the incredible Hunger Makes the Wolf duo which you should read *right now*.)
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