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A review by stephanie_yuzuki
The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher
2.0
The Aeronaut's Windlass needs to be shorter and with fewer characters. A stronger variety of locations would help too. The plot drags for some time before things pick up around the middle. A number of early scenes could've been dropped or rewritten to explain the world better. The large cast means many more scenes to evenly showcase them all and the characters are a mixed bag. I enjoyed Bridget, Rowl, Folly and Ferus, but Bridget is captured multiple times for as much attention is given to her throughout the novel while I wanted more of Folly and Ferus, the latter not receiving much focus. Grimm and Gwendolyn didn't interest me much and I kept forgetting Benedict entirely. The antagonists are more fun, mainly Cavendish and Ransom, but Ransom barely figures into the action. The ultimate evil should've either gotten a little more explanation, such as a name or not been brought up at all and saved for the sequels; it's unsatisfying the way it is. No one appears to be LGBT and everyone seems to be White unless minor character Brother Vincent's Asian and the narration didn't bother explaining he looks different from the rest of the Albions.
The Hable of Spire Albion has the potential to be a great setting but it lacks a sense of adventure and quickly grew dull. I was left hoping Grimm would get the Predator repaired so the cast would begin their mission outside Albion but it never reaches that point. Finally, the prose is rather bland; nothing stood out much except the lack of swearing and that just felt silly after a while.
This is all just set up for the next novel, and while The Aeronaut's Windlass does a better job than some of the series beginners I've read, it still feels incomplete. Novels need to work as stand-alone stories even when part of a series. I'm interested to see where the sequel goes but there's much room for improvement.
The Hable of Spire Albion has the potential to be a great setting but it lacks a sense of adventure and quickly grew dull. I was left hoping Grimm would get the Predator repaired so the cast would begin their mission outside Albion but it never reaches that point. Finally, the prose is rather bland; nothing stood out much except the lack of swearing and that just felt silly after a while.
This is all just set up for the next novel, and while The Aeronaut's Windlass does a better job than some of the series beginners I've read, it still feels incomplete. Novels need to work as stand-alone stories even when part of a series. I'm interested to see where the sequel goes but there's much room for improvement.