And, despite liking the writing, I found it to be way too steampunk. Nothing at to do with this book or the characters and storyline. Just me and disliking steampunk generally.
I have issues with authors thinking it's clever to change "internet" to " aethernet" or put magic or steam behind some modern inventions and act as if they cleverly created something. It's impressive when H.G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle or Jules Verne talks about the internet, cell phones, etc.--that's inventive. It can even be well done to have shipwrecked or disaster ridden societies to have to reinvent stuff and come up with technological or even magical inventions along the way that don't perfectly parallel current technology.
If I see one more "airship" or "aero ship" blimp/dirigible thing, I think I will scream...I'm that anti-steampunk. Although, admittedly, I prefer all the airship clichés to steampunk books (not this one) that use the atmosphere to shove everyone into period appropriate costumes like ascots and corsets and to devolve social progression back to Victorian restrictions on class, gender, etc.
There was some steampunk in this book, but she spent most of her time in London and we really didn't see any of the rest of the world so the world might be more steampunk than we see in this first book.
I have to agree about it not being all that clever to change the word for something in a minor way and it be seen as something completely new, but I don't think steampunk would be steampunk without that.
I did like that this one didn't really have much of the Victorian morality, that is one thing I tend to dislike about steampunk novels. Meljean Brook's Iron Seas series is steampunk, but also doesn't have the Victorian morality, at least not in England.
I love steampunk, so I can't really understand why you don't but to each their own. :) We can't all agree on every book/genre after all. If airships make you want to scream, it's likely a good thing you don't like steampunk!
Oh, I don't mind airships, just steampunk novels that have to have them or ones that have to put them on the cover. Oddly, I'm fine with the older than airship/blimp/dirigible hot air balloons and early aircraft getting steampunk'ed.
One of my real life reading buddies is much younger so this is the first big wave of steampunk and dystopian books for her and she had me reading one too many of them in a row -- and no one could come up with any transportation other than horses, airships or trains. Not even bicycles. Or steamboats. Or trolleys.
The gasses and fuels used in dirigibles were just way more advanced than even electricity and gaslight things. And I've been thru three waves of steampunk before so I'm just done with the genre. No offense to airships, blimps or dirigibles. (Or to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.)
So your main issue with the airships is that steampunk books only have then and not some other form of transportation? Despite loving steampunk, I've only read maybe 10 steampunk books. It sounds to me that you got to many steampunk books to fast, since you read three waves of them before you gave up.
I have issues with authors thinking it's clever to change "internet" to " aethernet" or put magic or steam behind some modern inventions and act as if they cleverly created something. It's impressive when H.G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle or Jules Verne talks about the internet, cell phones, etc.--that's inventive. It can even be well done to have shipwrecked or disaster ridden societies to have to reinvent stuff and come up with technological or even magical inventions along the way that don't perfectly parallel current technology.
If I see one more "airship" or "aero ship" blimp/dirigible thing, I think I will scream...I'm that anti-steampunk. Although, admittedly, I prefer all the airship clichés to steampunk books (not this one) that use the atmosphere to shove everyone into period appropriate costumes like ascots and corsets and to devolve social progression back to Victorian restrictions on class, gender, etc.
I have to agree about it not being all that clever to change the word for something in a minor way and it be seen as something completely new, but I don't think steampunk would be steampunk without that.
I did like that this one didn't really have much of the Victorian morality, that is one thing I tend to dislike about steampunk novels. Meljean Brook's Iron Seas series is steampunk, but also doesn't have the Victorian morality, at least not in England.
I love steampunk, so I can't really understand why you don't but to each their own. :) We can't all agree on every book/genre after all. If airships make you want to scream, it's likely a good thing you don't like steampunk!
One of my real life reading buddies is much younger so this is the first big wave of steampunk and dystopian books for her and she had me reading one too many of them in a row -- and no one could come up with any transportation other than horses, airships or trains. Not even bicycles. Or steamboats. Or trolleys.
The gasses and fuels used in dirigibles were just way more advanced than even electricity and gaslight things. And I've been thru three waves of steampunk before so I'm just done with the genre. No offense to airships, blimps or dirigibles. (Or to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.)