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A review by caitcoy
Echoes of the Imperium by Nicholas Atwater, Olivia Atwater
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I knew after reading the prequel novella A Matter of Execution that this was a series that had my preferences written all over it and it's nice to be absolutely correct. I had never seen a swashbuckling steampunk that so effectively combined airships and a bit of magic with traditional fae elements. Echoes of the Imperium takes the delightful goblin captain, William Blair, who is introduced in the novella and sets him and his ragtag crew into the path of some very dangerous people who are doing their best to bring back the oppressive empire that Blair and his crew are sworn against.
First off, I'll say that this is the kind of high action swashbuckling adventure that I grew up absolutely loving and I think folks who love a lot of action with loveable characters will get along best with it. The authors certainly don't give the crew a lot of downtime to breathe as they get dragged from one scrape into the next, which made it very difficult to put this book down once I started it.
It also strongly wears its influences on its sleeve and I loved that about it. Echoes gave me the anti-imperial notes I love about the Stars Wars' New Republic era where the oppressive empire has been defeated but certainly hasn't disappeared as various factions fight for control of areas, leaving room for smugglers, pirates and those just trying to get by. Several of the crew (including Blair) are in fact former Imperials trying to make up for their past and seeing them really struggle with that guilt and the strong thematic tones about grief and governance was so deeply compelling to me. You also get a bit of a Firefly vibe, particularly with the humor and Wil being a flawed but heroic captain who is frequently underestimated outside of his crew but never within it.
And the fae element was so well done! It's very much the older style of capricious, heartless fae that don't care about individual mortal lives but only about their own conflicts and interests. And the magic is deeply connected to them and the weapons that they have granted to various mortals. I haven't seen other steampunk weave in this type of worldbuilding and it was so fascinating to see it unveiled.
This may lean a little tropey for some folks but it's so strong on the characters, themes and the social commentary that I found myself alternating between nodding along and laughing out loud at the loving bickering between crew members. The authors mention in the afterword that they wanted to turn some fantasy stereotypes on their heads and they did a spectacular job of it. If you want a high action adventure with loveable characters reckoning with their actions and some great social commentary, I really cannot recommend this highly enough. It's absolutely a new favorite for me!
Thanks to the authors and NetGalley for early access to the book in return for an honest review!
First off, I'll say that this is the kind of high action swashbuckling adventure that I grew up absolutely loving and I think folks who love a lot of action with loveable characters will get along best with it. The authors certainly don't give the crew a lot of downtime to breathe as they get dragged from one scrape into the next, which made it very difficult to put this book down once I started it.
It also strongly wears its influences on its sleeve and I loved that about it. Echoes gave me the anti-imperial notes I love about the Stars Wars' New Republic era where the oppressive empire has been defeated but certainly hasn't disappeared as various factions fight for control of areas, leaving room for smugglers, pirates and those just trying to get by. Several of the crew (including Blair) are in fact former Imperials trying to make up for their past and seeing them really struggle with that guilt and the strong thematic tones about grief and governance was so deeply compelling to me. You also get a bit of a Firefly vibe, particularly with the humor and Wil being a flawed but heroic captain who is frequently underestimated outside of his crew but never within it.
And the fae element was so well done! It's very much the older style of capricious, heartless fae that don't care about individual mortal lives but only about their own conflicts and interests. And the magic is deeply connected to them and the weapons that they have granted to various mortals. I haven't seen other steampunk weave in this type of worldbuilding and it was so fascinating to see it unveiled.
This may lean a little tropey for some folks but it's so strong on the characters, themes and the social commentary that I found myself alternating between nodding along and laughing out loud at the loving bickering between crew members. The authors mention in the afterword that they wanted to turn some fantasy stereotypes on their heads and they did a spectacular job of it. If you want a high action adventure with loveable characters reckoning with their actions and some great social commentary, I really cannot recommend this highly enough. It's absolutely a new favorite for me!
Thanks to the authors and NetGalley for early access to the book in return for an honest review!