Jim Butcher, the number-one New York Times best-selling author of The Dresden Files and the Codex Alera novels, conjures up a new series set in a fantastic world of noble families, steam-powered technology, and magic-wielding warriors….
Since time immemorial the Spires have sheltered humanity, towering for miles over the mist-shrouded surface of the world. Within their halls aristocratic houses have ruled for generations, developing scientific marvels, fostering trade alliances, and building fleets of airships to keep the peace.
Captain Grimm commands the merchant ship Predator. Fiercely loyal to Spire Albion, he has taken their side in the cold war with Spire Aurora, disrupting the enemy’s shipping lines by attacking their cargo vessels. But when the Predator is severely damaged in combat, leaving captain and crew grounded, Grimm is offered a proposition from the Spirearch of Albion – to join a team of agents on a vital mission in exchange for fully restoring Predator to its fighting glory.
And even as Grimm undertakes this dangerous task, he will learn that the conflict between the Spires is merely a premonition of things to come. Humanity’s ancient enemy, silent for more than ten thousand years, has begun to stir once more. And death will follow in its wake….
Epic airship shoot outs, Steampunk, and kickass story telling I finally caved, and started listening to Jim Butcher’s THE DRESDEN FILES in audio this year, so while I’m still busy playing catch-up on that series, I was excited to be able to get in on the ground floor of THE CINDER SPIRES. The humour was not along the same lines as what I’ve come to equate with this author, but the world-building and characters were, and two out of three ain’t bad! And, in all fairness, Rowl probably made this novel 3/3 for cat people, I just…
The tale of Grim Ship-Tree I have literally been waiting years for this book. Literally. Years. Ever since I heard that Jim Butcher was penning a steampunk series, I have been slavering to read the first Cinder Spires book.Â
A PROMISING START TO A NEW SERIES! The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher is the first book in the author’s new series, The Cinder Spires. In it, Butcher has created a superbly imagined epic steampunk world in the clouds with sentient cats that talk, airships, pirates, smugglers, navies and the clash of two female protagonists, who both hailed from a royal family. There’s an eclectic cast of characters- adorable, crafty and repulsive: Captain Grimm, Gwen, Benedict, Bridget, Folly, Ferus, Ransom, Ciriaco, Journeyman,…