I just finished Queen of Candesce recently - I picked it up on a whim when I was traveling. Mostly I picked it up because of a few simple lines on the back cover.
From the blurb description:
"Now, in Queen of Candesce," Venera finds herself plunging through the air between the artificial continents of Virga..."
From an Interzone review blurb:
"Queen of Candesce has a backdrop that's simultaneously steampunk and space opera..."
What can I say, artificial continents, steampunk, space opera...you've got my attention.
It is the second book in a series, and usually I don't pick up a book in the middle, but the author Karl Schroeder, wrote the book well and helped fill in the blanks so you don't need to read the first book, but it makes you REALLY want to read the first book. A good lesson to any up-and-coming writer I feel.
I won't give much of the book away, but I'll say I enjoyed it. Its got a couple interesting characters, and this book was full of a lot of machination and intrigue, but it mixes that with an equal amount of action. It had a pulp feel to it. Plus the setting is rather unique, and I really love that.
My biggest beef was the main character - Venera is a woman and the author is a man. I feel he did have women review the character - there are points- but I don't think he had enough reviewing. Venera is a very unique woman due to her upbringing, but I don't know if that is excuse enough to have her behaviorally acting like a man for the majority of the book.
Still, that aside, I did devour the book. Usually I don't like intrigue, but this book kept up the fast pace that it set in the beginning. Also, like I said, the author hinted enough about the first book in the series that I KNOW I want to pick that one up: airships, pirate duels, traveling into the heart of an artificial sun, what's not to love?!
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