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Jackelian #2
The Kingdom Beyond the Waves
Professor Amelia Harsh is obsessed with finding the lost civilization of Camlantis, a legendary city from pre-history that is said to have conquered hunger, war, and disease with the creation of the perfect pacifist society. Without official funding, Amelia is forced to accept an offer of patronage from Abraham Quest, the man she blames for her father’s bankruptcy and suicide. She hates him, but he has something that Amelia desperately wants--evidence that proves that Camlantis existed and that the Camlantean ruins are buried under one of the sea-like lakes that dot the murderous jungles of Liongeli.
Amelia will blackmail her old friend Commodore Black into ferrying her along a huge river on his ancient U-boat. With an untrusty crew of freed convicts, Quest’s force of fearsome female mercenaries on board, and a lunatic steamman acting as their guide, Amelia’s luck seems to be going from bad to worse. Her quest for the perfect society has a good chance of bringing her own world to the brink of destruction…
Amelia will blackmail her old friend Commodore Black into ferrying her along a huge river on his ancient U-boat. With an untrusty crew of freed convicts, Quest’s force of fearsome female mercenaries on board, and a lunatic steamman acting as their guide, Amelia’s luck seems to be going from bad to worse. Her quest for the perfect society has a good chance of bringing her own world to the brink of destruction…
506 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
About the author
Stephen Hunt
272 books342 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Stephen Hunt is a British writer living in London. His first fantasy novel, For the Crown and the Dragon, was published in 1994, and introduced a young officer, Taliesin, fighting for the Queen of England in a Napoleonic period alternative reality where the wars of Europe were being fought with sorcery and steampunk weapons (airships, clockwork machine guns, and steam-driven trucks called kettle-blacks). The novel won the 1994 WH Smith Award, and the book reviewer Andrew Darlington used Hunt's novel to coin the phrase Flintlock Fantasy to describe the sub-genre of fantasy set in a Regency or Napoleonic-era period.
Stephen Hunt is a British writer living in London. His first fantasy novel, For the Crown and the Dragon, was published in 1994, and introduced a young officer, Taliesin, fighting for the Queen of England in a Napoleonic period alternative reality where the wars of Europe were being fought with sorcery and steampunk weapons (airships, clockwork machine guns, and steam-driven trucks called kettle-blacks). The novel won the 1994 WH Smith Award, and the book reviewer Andrew Darlington used Hunt's novel to coin the phrase Flintlock Fantasy to describe the sub-genre of fantasy set in a Regency or Napoleonic-era period.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 165 reviews
December 4, 2013
Professor Amelia Harsh joins an expedition, funded by Abraham Quest, to find the fabled city of Camlantis. Joining her are Commodore Black and his U-boat, a blind sonar man named Billy Snow, a crazy steamman named Ironflanks, and assorted dregs of society. Meanwhile, Cornelius Fortune, aka Furnace-breath Nick, a demon masked vigilante, stumbles upon what Abraham Quest is really planning...
Two words come to mind when I think about The Kingdom Beyond the Waves: "F@cking" and "Great." All of my problems with the Court of the Air were remedied in this, the next book in the series. The stories are clearer and the characters more interesting and likeable. While some of the characters made appearances in the Court of the Air, I wouldn't think it would be essential to read that one first.
Amelia Harsh is like a musclebound female Indiana Jones/Doc Savage, archaeologist and explorer extrordinaire. The story reads like a Doc Savage tale written by Jules Verne. Hunt's world is a very original place, free of many fantasy cliches.
I recommend this to all steampunk fans and those of pulp adventure tales.
Two words come to mind when I think about The Kingdom Beyond the Waves: "F@cking" and "Great." All of my problems with the Court of the Air were remedied in this, the next book in the series. The stories are clearer and the characters more interesting and likeable. While some of the characters made appearances in the Court of the Air, I wouldn't think it would be essential to read that one first.
Amelia Harsh is like a musclebound female Indiana Jones/Doc Savage, archaeologist and explorer extrordinaire. The story reads like a Doc Savage tale written by Jules Verne. Hunt's world is a very original place, free of many fantasy cliches.
I recommend this to all steampunk fans and those of pulp adventure tales.
October 3, 2019
I admit it. I read this book because of the its cover. Unfortunately there is no indication on that cover that it is the second in a series (or at least of related books). It read like it too. Don't just start talking about "lashlites" without telling me what they are first. It took me several chapters to discern that the word did not denote a nationality or occupation but a race of sentient, flying lizard-birds. Also, it seems, "shifties" is slang for people from Quatétershift, but Hunt never capitalizes "shifties," so it just looks at first that he's describing people as deceitful or evasive.
One of the quotes on the back lauded the author's world building. While there were some very interesting ideas presented, I was not impressed by the cacophony of influences that seemed to dilute the story's potential potency. If the author wants to use magic as the basis of the world's laws, go ahead; if he wants to use mechanics, or electricity, or the force—great! But don't use everything that was ever thought of in one world, unless there is going to be some sort of payoff/twist near the end that aligns what the reader things is incongruent. I had a very difficult time immersing myself in the world because it seemed like there weren't enough limitations.
Along with the above, if an author is going to create a world, he should spend some time/effort making good names for things. This is an irksome issue for a number of authors, not just Stephen Hunt. Some of his names (or renaming of things) were quite satisfying, such as calling factories "manufactories"; the race of lashlites—a good word that is easy recognize and pronounce. "Carlists" instead of "Marxists," effective. "Womb mage," conjures magic and the creepy factor! But "Jackels." I read that several times at the beginning wondering if this was for real, that the main county in the story is a respelling of a wild, African dog? I imagined that there must be some reason for names like that, or Quatérshift, as there was obviously embedded references to real-world geography/legend in names like Camlantis (Atlantis), Cassarabia (Arabia). I could have forgiven all of this if there had been some sort of payoff at the end, some reason. But no, the references to real world locations were a red herring.
Caveat: perhaps Hunt will continue to write in this world and will fill in gaps—maybe this is all some master plan. (But I didn't get that sense by the last page of this book.) I did like that he wasn't afraid to kill off characters—that did lend a sense of peril to the story, and I appreciate it. I also realize that the quality of naming things is not as big a deal to some as it is to me. However, I think that someone who is a writer, who has a sensitivity and appreciation for words (and how they sound and feel) should be more attentive.
One of the quotes on the back lauded the author's world building. While there were some very interesting ideas presented, I was not impressed by the cacophony of influences that seemed to dilute the story's potential potency. If the author wants to use magic as the basis of the world's laws, go ahead; if he wants to use mechanics, or electricity, or the force—great! But don't use everything that was ever thought of in one world, unless there is going to be some sort of payoff/twist near the end that aligns what the reader things is incongruent. I had a very difficult time immersing myself in the world because it seemed like there weren't enough limitations.
Along with the above, if an author is going to create a world, he should spend some time/effort making good names for things. This is an irksome issue for a number of authors, not just Stephen Hunt. Some of his names (or renaming of things) were quite satisfying, such as calling factories "manufactories"; the race of lashlites—a good word that is easy recognize and pronounce. "Carlists" instead of "Marxists," effective. "Womb mage," conjures magic and the creepy factor! But "Jackels." I read that several times at the beginning wondering if this was for real, that the main county in the story is a respelling of a wild, African dog? I imagined that there must be some reason for names like that, or Quatérshift, as there was obviously embedded references to real-world geography/legend in names like Camlantis (Atlantis), Cassarabia (Arabia). I could have forgiven all of this if there had been some sort of payoff at the end, some reason. But no, the references to real world locations were a red herring.
Caveat: perhaps Hunt will continue to write in this world and will fill in gaps—maybe this is all some master plan. (But I didn't get that sense by the last page of this book.) I did like that he wasn't afraid to kill off characters—that did lend a sense of peril to the story, and I appreciate it. I also realize that the quality of naming things is not as big a deal to some as it is to me. However, I think that someone who is a writer, who has a sensitivity and appreciation for words (and how they sound and feel) should be more attentive.
May 22, 2014
I'm glad I'm through this. It was way too busy for my taste.
Too many concepts (though some very good ones), Too many adjectives, too many metaphors (and many of those shoved in your face), too much superfluous description, too many characters and not enough depth to them to care particularly about their fates and the nomenclature irritated me a great deal.
I'm still looking forward to the third book, which is the one my friend who is loaning me these read first and the one she swears is far better than the first two and which hooked her into this series to begin with. If it doesn't come through for me, that's it with this series, though I still love the steampunk genre.
Too many concepts (though some very good ones), Too many adjectives, too many metaphors (and many of those shoved in your face), too much superfluous description, too many characters and not enough depth to them to care particularly about their fates and the nomenclature irritated me a great deal.
I'm still looking forward to the third book, which is the one my friend who is loaning me these read first and the one she swears is far better than the first two and which hooked her into this series to begin with. If it doesn't come through for me, that's it with this series, though I still love the steampunk genre.
October 22, 2014
I happen to like steampunk very much. I even read this one knowing it was the second book in a series, but reviewers liked it so much better than the first, I thought: why not? I give author Stephen Hunt kudos for some interesting characters, strange races and machine inventions, but found the book awfully long. Good battles, but the main character professor Amelia Harsh keeps waking up after oft-unexplained trauma. Other things that bothered me were that many of the main characters had prior lives and names they were hiding. Also, some explanatory background from the first book is needed. The basic plot is a commissioned search for a lost city (Camlantis = Camelot + Atlantis?), where peace reigned for a millennium, with secrets buried in a dangerous jungle with hive-driven inhabitants. 3.5 stars.
October 24, 2009
The Kingdom Beyond the Waves is an absolute improvement on the first book in Hunt's steampunk series. Gone is the untamed mess of ideas and characters and storylines; in its place is a streamlined, two-pronged adventure that comes together without confusion in the end. It's still ambitious and epic, but in a much more focused, precise way. If you felt like there was much to enjoy in The Court of the Air but that the execution left something to be desired, this book will seem like a reward for giving the author a second chance.
July 30, 2012
http://reinodeadlle.blogspot.pt/2012/...
Eu já devia saber que gosto sempre dos livros que compro na pseudo-Feira do Livro da Ericeira. Este, como é óbvio, não foi diferente. Agarrei nele mal vi que era steampunk, já que andava à procura de um livro desse género em português à bastante tempo, mas essa foi a única parte que me desiludiu no livro: é um steampunk com uma mistura de magia. De resto, adorei-o!
O livro conta a aventura de Amélia na busca pela Camlântida, que na minha cabeça era uma espécie de Atlântida. A receita para aventura é juntarmos um capitão habituado a todas as mordomias, uma equipa de três marujos bastante diferentes, bastantes crimonosos acabados de sair da prisão e um monte guerreiras musculadas que não hesitam em matar. Como se pode ver, tem tudo para ser uma aventura excitante, e é! Quando pensamos que sabemos o que vai acontecer a seguir, acontece qualquer coisa completamente inesperada que nos deixa de boca aberta.
O livro está dividido em duas narrativas: uma conta a aventura de Amélia pela selva de Gelileão e a outra a do misterioso Cornelius Fortune. No fim, estas duas narrativas acabam por se juntar, mas de uma forma bastante inesperada.
Há algum romance bastante camuflado, mas que acrescenta alguma coisa ao livro. E ele vem das personagens mais inesperadas. Quando ao oposto, o ódio, não há uma parte do "bem" e uma do "mal", cada personagem tem um bocadinho dos dois em si.
A escrita de Stephen Hunt não é confusa, mas houve algumas partes que tive de ler várias vezes para perceber. Secalhar também foi problema da tradução.
ATENÇÃO: Há algumas mortes neste livro, portanto, se não gostarem de mortes de personagens importantes, já sabem...
Este é o segundo livro de uma série, e só quando fui ao GoodReads é que vi. No entanto, também li algumas opiniões e vi que não é preciso a leitura do anterior para se ler este, apesar de algumas personagens serem as mesmas. Fez-me lembrar um bocado a série Robert Langdon do Dan Brown, em que podemos ler os livros pela ordem que quisermos.
Eu já devia saber que gosto sempre dos livros que compro na pseudo-Feira do Livro da Ericeira. Este, como é óbvio, não foi diferente. Agarrei nele mal vi que era steampunk, já que andava à procura de um livro desse género em português à bastante tempo, mas essa foi a única parte que me desiludiu no livro: é um steampunk com uma mistura de magia. De resto, adorei-o!
O livro conta a aventura de Amélia na busca pela Camlântida, que na minha cabeça era uma espécie de Atlântida. A receita para aventura é juntarmos um capitão habituado a todas as mordomias, uma equipa de três marujos bastante diferentes, bastantes crimonosos acabados de sair da prisão e um monte guerreiras musculadas que não hesitam em matar. Como se pode ver, tem tudo para ser uma aventura excitante, e é! Quando pensamos que sabemos o que vai acontecer a seguir, acontece qualquer coisa completamente inesperada que nos deixa de boca aberta.
O livro está dividido em duas narrativas: uma conta a aventura de Amélia pela selva de Gelileão e a outra a do misterioso Cornelius Fortune. No fim, estas duas narrativas acabam por se juntar, mas de uma forma bastante inesperada.
Há algum romance bastante camuflado, mas que acrescenta alguma coisa ao livro. E ele vem das personagens mais inesperadas. Quando ao oposto, o ódio, não há uma parte do "bem" e uma do "mal", cada personagem tem um bocadinho dos dois em si.
A escrita de Stephen Hunt não é confusa, mas houve algumas partes que tive de ler várias vezes para perceber. Secalhar também foi problema da tradução.
ATENÇÃO: Há algumas mortes neste livro, portanto, se não gostarem de mortes de personagens importantes, já sabem...
Este é o segundo livro de uma série, e só quando fui ao GoodReads é que vi. No entanto, também li algumas opiniões e vi que não é preciso a leitura do anterior para se ler este, apesar de algumas personagens serem as mesmas. Fez-me lembrar um bocado a série Robert Langdon do Dan Brown, em que podemos ler os livros pela ordem que quisermos.
August 24, 2012
The Kingdom Beyond the Waves is much more coherent a narrative than The Court of the Air -- I suppose it probably helps that a lot of the world is established already, and that some of the characters and concepts are familiar, but the story does seem to flow better too. Well enough that I think I will read the third book (if my library ever gets it in, anyway) and give Stephen Hunt the benefit of the doubt one more time. The last half of the book was genuinely gripping, though I did pause partway through for a long time before getting back into it.
It's fun to read, quite a lot of fun, but... I don't know. Too many characters, too few bonds between characters, too many improbable survivals and last minute rescues.
It's fun to read, quite a lot of fun, but... I don't know. Too many characters, too few bonds between characters, too many improbable survivals and last minute rescues.
February 11, 2024
3 estrelas devido à complexidade da escrita que dificulta uma leitura fluida. A descrição da ação é por via dos vários locais criados e espalhados pelo desenrolar da história, necessariamente bastante cuidadosa com referência a muitos pormenores, utilizando muitas palavras pouco usadas no dia a dia. Há também um cem número de personagens, espécies, civilizações e locais que carecem de muita informação o que causa dúvidas na interpretação da ação.
No geral a história é interessante e as personagens principais são extraordinárias.
No geral a história é interessante e as personagens principais são extraordinárias.
January 19, 2012
Stephen Hunt’s sophomore entry into his epic steampunk-fantasy series isn’t an enormous improvement on the first book. He still has trouble focusing in on the characters that really mater and the story doesn’t flow so much as lurch from one fantastical sequence to the next. But the core draw of the series, Hunt’s brilliant and expanding setting, is still there, shining brightly in the mess of plots and characters.
The Kingdom Beyond the Waves focuses primarily on Ameila Harsh, a minor character from Hunt’s first book, The Court of the Air, and her family’s obsession with discovering the lost city of Camlantis (yes… Cam-lantis. Laugh it up). After an Indiana Jones style sequence in the tomb of a prehistoric Black-oil chieftain, we’re brought to the meat of the plot, Harsh’s utter dismissal from the halls of Jackelian academia and her inability to launch another expedition. With the unlikely aid of her sworn nemesis, Abraham Quest, she prepares to try one last time. Amelia’s story runs parallel to Commodore Jared Black, navy man and U-boat captain extraordinaire. Black is another refugee from Hunt’s first novel, along with his roommates, Molly Templar and Aliquot Coppertracks. His inclusion as a primary protagonist is where things start to get complicated. The Commodore comes complete with his own bevy of secondary characters and a wholly unnecessary subplot involving the last remnants of The Jackals royal family in exile.
The second primary storyline follows Cornelius Fortune, otherwise known as Furnace-Breath Nick, trying to unravel a mystery of his own making in the Jackelian capital of Middlesteel. Fortune’s role in the novel is a vehicle for Hunt’s trademark ‘storm of a thousand Deus Ex Machinas’ in the final chapters, but that doesn’t stop him from getting a third heap of secondary characters who all have their own wacky back and side stories. For those of you counting that 3 main characters, 3 hordes of supporting characters and somewhere between 8 and 12 sets of vignettes for those supporting characters Despite Hunt making many of the same story-based mistakes he made in The Court of the Air, The Kingdom does feels less cumbersome. It helps that many of the ideas and plots are building on concepts introduced in the first novel but at the end of the day, there are just fewer names and places to keep track of this time around. Which says more about The Court of the Air than it does about The Kingdom Beyond the Waves.
Thank goodness the setting still as interesting as before. Hunt takes advantage of his Indiana Jones character and really delves into the meat of his world’s history. Typically, Steampunk novels run with the idea of an industrial revolution taking place earlier on the timeline than happened in recorded history. The rapid advances in technology associated with that time period have a different vocabulary in Steampunk, replacing combustion engines with steam boilers and electricity with clockwork. Not so in The Jackals. The Kingdom reveals that oil and electricity don’t work the same way any more, so technology had no choice but to evolve in new and interesting ways. Alongside these revelations are examinations of the existing mythos of the world, from the disturbing Womb-magic of Cassarabia to the bizarre hive mind of the Daggish Empire in deepest Liongeli. What’s impressive is that that Hunt hasn’t trotted out a whole new set of places and people for this second book, but expanded on concepts and ideas present in book one. For that reason I recommend reading these novels in sequence and quickly after one another.
Again, Hunt has a long way to go before these novels can be considered anything other than pleasure reading for steampunk fans. The writing is just as bad as before and while the story is less confusing overall, he’s still relying on the same tired plot devices to wrap everything up. But I sure as hell can’t put these books down.
The Kingdom Beyond the Waves focuses primarily on Ameila Harsh, a minor character from Hunt’s first book, The Court of the Air, and her family’s obsession with discovering the lost city of Camlantis (yes… Cam-lantis. Laugh it up). After an Indiana Jones style sequence in the tomb of a prehistoric Black-oil chieftain, we’re brought to the meat of the plot, Harsh’s utter dismissal from the halls of Jackelian academia and her inability to launch another expedition. With the unlikely aid of her sworn nemesis, Abraham Quest, she prepares to try one last time. Amelia’s story runs parallel to Commodore Jared Black, navy man and U-boat captain extraordinaire. Black is another refugee from Hunt’s first novel, along with his roommates, Molly Templar and Aliquot Coppertracks. His inclusion as a primary protagonist is where things start to get complicated. The Commodore comes complete with his own bevy of secondary characters and a wholly unnecessary subplot involving the last remnants of The Jackals royal family in exile.
The second primary storyline follows Cornelius Fortune, otherwise known as Furnace-Breath Nick, trying to unravel a mystery of his own making in the Jackelian capital of Middlesteel. Fortune’s role in the novel is a vehicle for Hunt’s trademark ‘storm of a thousand Deus Ex Machinas’ in the final chapters, but that doesn’t stop him from getting a third heap of secondary characters who all have their own wacky back and side stories. For those of you counting that 3 main characters, 3 hordes of supporting characters and somewhere between 8 and 12 sets of vignettes for those supporting characters Despite Hunt making many of the same story-based mistakes he made in The Court of the Air, The Kingdom does feels less cumbersome. It helps that many of the ideas and plots are building on concepts introduced in the first novel but at the end of the day, there are just fewer names and places to keep track of this time around. Which says more about The Court of the Air than it does about The Kingdom Beyond the Waves.
Thank goodness the setting still as interesting as before. Hunt takes advantage of his Indiana Jones character and really delves into the meat of his world’s history. Typically, Steampunk novels run with the idea of an industrial revolution taking place earlier on the timeline than happened in recorded history. The rapid advances in technology associated with that time period have a different vocabulary in Steampunk, replacing combustion engines with steam boilers and electricity with clockwork. Not so in The Jackals. The Kingdom reveals that oil and electricity don’t work the same way any more, so technology had no choice but to evolve in new and interesting ways. Alongside these revelations are examinations of the existing mythos of the world, from the disturbing Womb-magic of Cassarabia to the bizarre hive mind of the Daggish Empire in deepest Liongeli. What’s impressive is that that Hunt hasn’t trotted out a whole new set of places and people for this second book, but expanded on concepts and ideas present in book one. For that reason I recommend reading these novels in sequence and quickly after one another.
Again, Hunt has a long way to go before these novels can be considered anything other than pleasure reading for steampunk fans. The writing is just as bad as before and while the story is less confusing overall, he’s still relying on the same tired plot devices to wrap everything up. But I sure as hell can’t put these books down.
June 29, 2011
I seemed to remember liking the first book in this series enough to put the sequel on my wishlist. But, upon reading this, I realized that I hardly remembered any details of the previous book (Court of the Air), and I really didn't particularly like this book.
It's action-packed... but rather than being exciting and emotional, events rush by so quickly that they're barely described, and they don't have time to make an impression, let alone an impact. Neither the characters or the settings came to life for me, and the plot elements were so sketchily outlined that they were sometimes confusing. (Well, except that some of them were lifted from 'Heart of Darkness.')
I liked a lot of the steampunk-y concepts and gadgetry - too bad most of them were cadged from China Mieville's Bas-Lag novels. (I mean, seriously, there're lobster-people, bird-people, and cactus-people, as well as sentient robots. Sound familiar?) A few digs at Mieville's politics are thrown in there too, for good measure.
On top of it, it ends up with my Least Favorite Trope of Fantasy: the super-powerful Thing which could confer Mystic Knowledge must be destroyed/gotten rid of, because Humanity Isn't Ready, and it's Too Dangerous. Blah to all that.
If I had been more entertained, I wouldn't mind, but I ended up reading as fast as I could, just to get to the end. It's too bad, because I feel like this ought to be the sort of book I would like.
It's action-packed... but rather than being exciting and emotional, events rush by so quickly that they're barely described, and they don't have time to make an impression, let alone an impact. Neither the characters or the settings came to life for me, and the plot elements were so sketchily outlined that they were sometimes confusing. (Well, except that some of them were lifted from 'Heart of Darkness.')
I liked a lot of the steampunk-y concepts and gadgetry - too bad most of them were cadged from China Mieville's Bas-Lag novels. (I mean, seriously, there're lobster-people, bird-people, and cactus-people, as well as sentient robots. Sound familiar?) A few digs at Mieville's politics are thrown in there too, for good measure.
On top of it, it ends up with my Least Favorite Trope of Fantasy: the super-powerful Thing which could confer Mystic Knowledge must be destroyed/gotten rid of, because Humanity Isn't Ready, and it's Too Dangerous. Blah to all that.
If I had been more entertained, I wouldn't mind, but I ended up reading as fast as I could, just to get to the end. It's too bad, because I feel like this ought to be the sort of book I would like.
April 7, 2019
When I first began this book I quickly discovered that it was the second in the series. But I decided, the two sounded different enough that I could probably get by, so I trudged onwards.
It was a bit difficult to first get acquainted with the world and the terms (not to mention the politics), but after a few chapters I was able to follow most of it. Then about halfway the book got really good! The characters (loved Septimoth and Ironflanks!) and worlds were so unique that I was sucked in to this steampunk fantasy world! The creativity of it all, combined with fantastic writing, truly caught me by surprise!
I would definitley recommend this book, and I don’t think you need to read the first to enjoy this one. That being said, if the first is anything as good as this one I may have to track it down!
It was a bit difficult to first get acquainted with the world and the terms (not to mention the politics), but after a few chapters I was able to follow most of it. Then about halfway the book got really good! The characters (loved Septimoth and Ironflanks!) and worlds were so unique that I was sucked in to this steampunk fantasy world! The creativity of it all, combined with fantastic writing, truly caught me by surprise!
I would definitley recommend this book, and I don’t think you need to read the first to enjoy this one. That being said, if the first is anything as good as this one I may have to track it down!
March 17, 2018
I really like this world. Patterned on our own world, basically 19th century British empire, but very different in so many ways. In this world, the age of oil is long past, and electricity is uncontrollable. High-tension (their term) clockwork motors run u-boats, motorcars, and transaction engines (computers). This book involves the search for lost Camlantis (the equivalent of our Atlantis). This is great adventure, along the lines of Indiana Jones, but better.
January 25, 2018
I'll have a very long book hangover over this.
January 14, 2010
Another sequel which for me, like Gordon Dahlquist's The Dark Volume, did not quite measure up to its predecessor. I would strongly recommend that you read The Court of the Air first if you are going to read this series at all. While only a few characters in this volume are shared with Hunt's earlier book, the milieu is largely left unexplained here, treated as if it's already a known quantity.
Which it may be—which it should be, perhaps, if you have any interest at all in the steampunk craze. As in The Court of the Air, you'll find here all the oiled brass and leather furnishings you could shake a sword-cane at: pneumatic tubes and zeppelins and clockwork computers are the least of it. But this book does range farther afield than the first one, which focused primarily on two children and stayed (well, mostly) within the borders of Jackals, that country so like Victorian England in look and feel that it could be sued by Britannia for trademark violation if it really existed. This book takes its characters—Abraham Quest, the eccentric financial genius; Amelia Harsh, the struggling archaeologist with a controversial Theory, and the rest—by submarine and airship into Liongeli, remote jungle territory where awkwardly-named giant reptiles like the "kilasaurus" try to eat them and creepy distributed intelligences try to take over their minds, where Harsh hopes to discover the lost secrets of the lost utopian city-state of long-lost Camlantis (which could not possibly be a time-squeezed and tongue-tripping portmanteau of "Camelot" and "Atlantis," of course).
It's all great fun if you don't squint at it too closely, and even playing the game of "hey, where have I seen that bit before?" is entertaining enough. While I can't really recommend it highly, I can say that The Kingdom Beyond the Waves is a rather ripping yarn.
Which it may be—which it should be, perhaps, if you have any interest at all in the steampunk craze. As in The Court of the Air, you'll find here all the oiled brass and leather furnishings you could shake a sword-cane at: pneumatic tubes and zeppelins and clockwork computers are the least of it. But this book does range farther afield than the first one, which focused primarily on two children and stayed (well, mostly) within the borders of Jackals, that country so like Victorian England in look and feel that it could be sued by Britannia for trademark violation if it really existed. This book takes its characters—Abraham Quest, the eccentric financial genius; Amelia Harsh, the struggling archaeologist with a controversial Theory, and the rest—by submarine and airship into Liongeli, remote jungle territory where awkwardly-named giant reptiles like the "kilasaurus" try to eat them and creepy distributed intelligences try to take over their minds, where Harsh hopes to discover the lost secrets of the lost utopian city-state of long-lost Camlantis (which could not possibly be a time-squeezed and tongue-tripping portmanteau of "Camelot" and "Atlantis," of course).
It's all great fun if you don't squint at it too closely, and even playing the game of "hey, where have I seen that bit before?" is entertaining enough. While I can't really recommend it highly, I can say that The Kingdom Beyond the Waves is a rather ripping yarn.
January 7, 2015
So, turns out this is second in a series/universe, which I was unaware of when I picked it up (and nowhere on the book does it indicate this is the case). That might have helped to know.
In any case, the huge assault of unfamiliar terms and countries and places and things made this a really hard slog for the first third to half of the book. Nowhere did they explain what things actually were, and I spent a lot of time re-reading to try and grasp what was going on. Government systems, political ideologies, countries, human-like races, religion, general creatures and more were all thrown in indiscriminately. Carlist? Catosian? Craynarbian? Cassarabia? Camlantis? Commonshare? Circlist? Communityism? (And that's just the start...)
And it didn't start well - really, glaciers ground down a mountain range and turned grasslands into desert in the space of a couple thousand years? A tomb of a mysterious ancient artifact, described alike to an eighteen-wheeler, once owned by a warlord called Diesela Khan? Really?? An academic interested in ancient artifacts who also happens to have super muscular arms alike to a gorilla? Oookay.
It took a while for the terms to start to make sense, and my ability to suspend belief and buy into this world to start to operate (my issues above were eventually satisfactorily explained... except the Diesela Khan, that's just a stupid name)... but after that point, it became quite an enjoyable read, action-packed and a good rollicking adventure.
I am going to have to go back and read the first book, Court of the Air, then re-read this one, and see if it is a bit smoother of a read now that I have some clue what is going on. Will see.
In any case, the huge assault of unfamiliar terms and countries and places and things made this a really hard slog for the first third to half of the book. Nowhere did they explain what things actually were, and I spent a lot of time re-reading to try and grasp what was going on. Government systems, political ideologies, countries, human-like races, religion, general creatures and more were all thrown in indiscriminately. Carlist? Catosian? Craynarbian? Cassarabia? Camlantis? Commonshare? Circlist? Communityism? (And that's just the start...)
And it didn't start well - really, glaciers ground down a mountain range and turned grasslands into desert in the space of a couple thousand years? A tomb of a mysterious ancient artifact, described alike to an eighteen-wheeler, once owned by a warlord called Diesela Khan? Really?? An academic interested in ancient artifacts who also happens to have super muscular arms alike to a gorilla? Oookay.
It took a while for the terms to start to make sense, and my ability to suspend belief and buy into this world to start to operate (my issues above were eventually satisfactorily explained... except the Diesela Khan, that's just a stupid name)... but after that point, it became quite an enjoyable read, action-packed and a good rollicking adventure.
I am going to have to go back and read the first book, Court of the Air, then re-read this one, and see if it is a bit smoother of a read now that I have some clue what is going on. Will see.
August 18, 2010
Steampunk-by-numbers. Enjoyable enough, except for the frequent political asides & the conservatively transposed geopolitics. ('Ok, so this part is like England and this part is like France and this part is like Arabia - they have slaves, by the way. And all revolutionaries are bloodthirsty, insane and doomed to failure'.)
There were a few ideas I found striking - the way the winged characters deal with their dead (and the shame of not fulfilling that duty); that one of the scariest defense systems was a highly developed waste disposal unit that had evolved to neutralise all impurities. Other aspects of the world building seemed perfunctory. (It's probably unfair to compare, but the borg-like forest organism had me imagining something similar in the hands of China Mieville, say, would probably have some kind of cult of devotees wanting to be absorbed.)
The steammen are fun but the central plot - treacherous search for Utopia - was like something out of cold-war era children's fiction.
There were a few ideas I found striking - the way the winged characters deal with their dead (and the shame of not fulfilling that duty); that one of the scariest defense systems was a highly developed waste disposal unit that had evolved to neutralise all impurities. Other aspects of the world building seemed perfunctory. (It's probably unfair to compare, but the borg-like forest organism had me imagining something similar in the hands of China Mieville, say, would probably have some kind of cult of devotees wanting to be absorbed.)
The steammen are fun but the central plot - treacherous search for Utopia - was like something out of cold-war era children's fiction.
April 1, 2010
In February I read the first book in this steampunk series, "The Court of the Air", and I wasn't very impressed - it was full of brilliant ideas and an obviously very well-thought out world, but it was too much, unfortunately. The (excellent!) storyline got bogged down by lots of details and characters and it was just too much for me to remember and I found it quite confusing. Looking at other people's reviews, I wasn't the only one.
All that has been rectified in this, the second book - it has information on the world and appearances from some characters from book 1, but not too much to bog you down. It is exciting and pacey, and I couldn't put it down! A real, definite improvement from book 1, and made me really glad that I didn't give up on "the Court of the Air", as this really is a treat!
I will definitely be getting book 3 ("The Rise of the Iron Moon") from the library, now. :)
All that has been rectified in this, the second book - it has information on the world and appearances from some characters from book 1, but not too much to bog you down. It is exciting and pacey, and I couldn't put it down! A real, definite improvement from book 1, and made me really glad that I didn't give up on "the Court of the Air", as this really is a treat!
I will definitely be getting book 3 ("The Rise of the Iron Moon") from the library, now. :)
February 19, 2013
The writing style puts me in mind more than anyone else of Jack Vance (and his various other literary descendents, such as Matthew Hughes). The world that Hunt has created is weird, and complicated, but has the occasional hint that it might be our world after many eons and some fundamental changes in the universe. Some shades of Michael Moorcock's Hawkwind books as well. This is a good thing.
On the other hand, the colorful world is slightly afflicted with bloat. After reading both this and Hunt's first book, The Court of the Air, I really feel like they both suffer from having one (or possibly two) too many good ideas. They both hit a point where you start to feel like you're having trouble keeping track of all of the important fantastical plot elements-- and then they give you some more. As it is, it's good; but if Hunt could make it just a bit tighter, it could be really good.
On the other hand, the colorful world is slightly afflicted with bloat. After reading both this and Hunt's first book, The Court of the Air, I really feel like they both suffer from having one (or possibly two) too many good ideas. They both hit a point where you start to feel like you're having trouble keeping track of all of the important fantastical plot elements-- and then they give you some more. As it is, it's good; but if Hunt could make it just a bit tighter, it could be really good.
January 23, 2011
I think it was a pretty good book however the author has a bad habit of killing off characters in a very dishonorable way. To me it left me wondering why these characters were introduced in the first place. I would have also liked to see more hero stories being told from these seemingly overly developed and under-utilized characters.
At the same token, the book is very inventive with respect to an alternate universe. There is absolutely non-stop action however I think there are MANY stories to be told not just the one. A lot of loose ends but a really fun read with a lot going on. Nothing too complicated, just good fun.
At the same token, the book is very inventive with respect to an alternate universe. There is absolutely non-stop action however I think there are MANY stories to be told not just the one. A lot of loose ends but a really fun read with a lot going on. Nothing too complicated, just good fun.
September 7, 2009
This is one of the few books I have liked better then the first book the series, I think because it did not get bogged down by any never-ending battle scene, and instead had a smooth and nicely flowing plot throughout.
This read more like a great fantasy/adventure more then a steampunk novel; I think because it focused a little less on the society (especially in light of his first novel which was very society based), but still has an interesting world setting.
This read more like a great fantasy/adventure more then a steampunk novel; I think because it focused a little less on the society (especially in light of his first novel which was very society based), but still has an interesting world setting.
August 10, 2011
Ah, what to say. I'll leave it simple. So much of the supposed steampunk being churned out right now is dreck. This series is substantive, complex, intelligent, entertaining, action-packed, and challenging. I want to read this again, but only after I go back and read
The Court of the Air
again. Then I'll start in on the third book.
November 22, 2008
This one was also very good. This is not really a sequel; a few of the characters from the last book turn up in this book, but not the main characters. Again, it's a very imaginative world, with extraordinary creatures in it. It makes me wonder why all American science fiction is so similar. Why doesn't anyone here publish anything half as inventive as this?
February 13, 2016
I'm right in the middle of loving this book and thinking it was way to long. I think both are true. There was a lot going on in this one, much of it awesome, but maybe just a bit to much in general. Maybe I'm just a book minimalist, I think you can (and maybe should in most cases) tell a kick ass story in 300 pages.
April 19, 2009
A fantastic story of a lost civilisation and the people looking for it.
I would say that this book is a combination of "indiana jones" with "2000 leagues under the sea" with lots of inventive and original idéas.
I would say that this book is a combination of "indiana jones" with "2000 leagues under the sea" with lots of inventive and original idéas.
September 12, 2013
The second novel in the Jackelian sequence features a quest for the long-lost civilization of Camlantis, a dedicated professor, a masked avenger and a self-made millionnaire with devious plans. Great world building, gripping plot and a grand ending. Recommended.
February 16, 2020
This is pretty standard stream punk fantasy. A welcome diversion from my recent dystopian reading which is too visible in the present day America.
This novel follows on the Court Of The Air with a few characters making impactful returns. This story does not require you to have read the previous novel as the stories are independent with only the occasional reference to history you could pick up from the other story.
Since this story is built in the same universe, you still have all the various sentient species. Which provides for a variety of communities with different belief systems and attendant behaviors.
True to the Steampunk genre, there is much of this story that exhibits both Victorian era fashion and in many instances, technology. This story combines this with some very advanced technology that is poorly understood and mostly unavailable for use.
The story follows are few different groups at what starts as disparate and unrelated stories but it picks up speed greatly as the greater plot unfolds.
I hope both of these novels are made into TV Serials or feature length films.
This novel follows on the Court Of The Air with a few characters making impactful returns. This story does not require you to have read the previous novel as the stories are independent with only the occasional reference to history you could pick up from the other story.
Since this story is built in the same universe, you still have all the various sentient species. Which provides for a variety of communities with different belief systems and attendant behaviors.
True to the Steampunk genre, there is much of this story that exhibits both Victorian era fashion and in many instances, technology. This story combines this with some very advanced technology that is poorly understood and mostly unavailable for use.
The story follows are few different groups at what starts as disparate and unrelated stories but it picks up speed greatly as the greater plot unfolds.
I hope both of these novels are made into TV Serials or feature length films.
October 15, 2017
What an excellent book! I picked it up on a whim from the library science fiction section while I was in getting books with my son. I've had more misses than hits from that shelf, so my expectations were low, but what a pleasant surprise!
The story was exciting, with great characters, and just flowed along. I find that often steampunk novels get bogged down in how clever their technology is. This one just went with it, created a believable world with a story that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. I actually found myself thinking several times "how are they going to get out of this one?" And what an imaginative world! I couldn't believe some of the things that Hunt came up with! One of the best books I've read in quite awhile. A great, great read!
The story was exciting, with great characters, and just flowed along. I find that often steampunk novels get bogged down in how clever their technology is. This one just went with it, created a believable world with a story that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. I actually found myself thinking several times "how are they going to get out of this one?" And what an imaginative world! I couldn't believe some of the things that Hunt came up with! One of the best books I've read in quite awhile. A great, great read!
July 6, 2019
Having picked this up as a kind of, "Ahh, what the heck, $2.00 is worth it," buy in a used bookshop, with some reservations having read the first in the series a couple of years back, I found I liked this book quite a bit. I'd forgotten some of the details of the world, but that is fine. It almost makes me want to revisit the first book since my main complaint there was that it was too long, too convoluted, too everything-and-the-kitchen-sink... maybe I'd be more into it now than I was then.
4 stars, though really I think the (current) average of ~3.75 is closer to it. I'd probably rate this a 3.5 if I could, and 3 seems like underrating more than 4 is overrating.
4 stars, though really I think the (current) average of ~3.75 is closer to it. I'd probably rate this a 3.5 if I could, and 3 seems like underrating more than 4 is overrating.
March 7, 2024
This is one of those slightly trippy books that is impossible to put down but leave you wondering what on earth you just read. (I might have been less confused if I had realised that this book is the second in a series earlier on).
I liked the world even though it took some time to figure out what was going on (a map would have been nice). I loved the Indiana Jones meets Jules Verne kind of vibe and the twists and turns that keep you guessing till the end. I'm definitely going to look for the rest of the series.
I liked the world even though it took some time to figure out what was going on (a map would have been nice). I loved the Indiana Jones meets Jules Verne kind of vibe and the twists and turns that keep you guessing till the end. I'm definitely going to look for the rest of the series.
November 28, 2022
Sometimes it do be like: "You really don't know how to kill off a character not-abruptly." But I still greatly enjoy this world and liked seeing brief glimpses of old characters. Definitely a continuing sci-fi commentary on bullshit politics. Wish this was more widely available in the US. Or at all.
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