Swashbuckling Airship Adventure
This is the kind of book you have
always wished to read, but you didn’t know that it existed. It’s
essentially the story of a dashing pirate captain in the midst of an
opium raid, but the wrinkle that makes this story especially unique
is that a significant amount of action takes place on floating
airships. Imagine a World War II zeppelin with Captain Hook’s ship
dangling beneath and you have a nice starting point for the type of
mental state you’re going to engage throughout this work. There is
a certain amount of romance and magic just in the image of a floating
pirate ship. Who wouldn’t want to spend a little time in a world
that can boast things like that?
This book is billed as “steampunk”
and although that term is accurate, this is kind of an entry-level
example of the genre in my opinion. I’ve read some steampunk with
some pretty wild conceptualizations (to the point that they distract
from the functionality of the novel as a whole) and that’s not the
case here. I’m by no means a steampunk expert, and I liked the
balance that this book struck. My guess is that it will be appealing
to both steampunk fanatics and casual readers.
The plot centers around the heist and
attempted recuperation of a shipment of opium. The pirates who steal
the shipment are a colorful lot led by Captain Bonny—who is one of
those “ruffian gentlemen” rogues. I enjoyed how the conflict of
this novel centered around fairly mundane things. The pirates steal
the opium and then attempt to unload it for a profit as their being
pursued by a single agent who is wholly unprepared and ill-equipped
for the undertaking.
I enjoyed the blend of a semi-mundane
plot on the backdrop of a fantastical world. I thought that
functioned to add realism to the book. I also enjoyed the mythology
of the pirates who lead rather romantic lives (as pirates so often
do) despite the often violent realities of their situation.
This novel is great for those of you
who are fans of pirate literature (of which there is too little) and
who are curious about what steampunk is. “The Wake of the Dragon”
is a fine and effective introduction to the genre, and I think it
will please more demanding steampunk readers as well.
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