The Aeronaut's Windlass - Jim Butcher
Let's get one thing out of the way first: I haven't read The Dresden Files. I don't even really know what The Dresden Files are about. Bottom line, I'm incredibly intimidated by The Dresden Files. So, now that I've used the words "The Dresden Files" in four consecutive sentences, I will not be using them again. If you're looking for any comparison between Butcher's old (and much more famous) book series and this one, look elsewhere.
Commence review:
In my mind, there are three ways to write a book set in a new fantasy/sci-fi world. There is the rare standalone novel like Good Omens or Elantris, there is the exceptionally common trilogy-setup-where-the-whole-series-should-be-one-book (which, keep in mind, includes heavy hitters like The Fellowship of the Ring), and, finally, there is the epic series starter. As far as books that I have reviewed so far on this site go, The Aeronaut's Windlass is unique in two categories. First, the astute FantasyScientist reader might notice this is the first male author reviewed on the blog. Don't ask me for an explanation - I think I just like the style of fantasy written more often by women. Second, this book is not only the first epic-starting novel, but also the only book that is not in a trilogy. Epics are rarer than trilogies, and their first books are commonly completely impenetrable (not merely looking but staring daggers at you, Steven Erikson), which is why I'm thrilled to say that I deeply enjoyed The Aeronaut's Windlass.
A review of The Aeronaut's Windlass needs to be split into three parts. First, the worldbuilding. My, my, the worldbuilding. The cinder spires, the eponymous location where this series takes place, are a perfect blend of the cramped, isolated, steam-punk city-states from Mortal Engines (yes, I read the books; no, I haven't seen the movie) and the peculiar architecture of The Jetsons. Throw in "the Ether," a flow of magic that surrounds the spires, and you've got just the right blend of sci-fi and fantasy that Star Wars stumbled on half a century ago. In books that have truly excellent world building, I like to be incredibly stingy in what I spoil, because discovering the world is such an integral part of the book experience. For example, those reading this review after reading the book will notice that I will not divulge any details of the character Rowl, because, even though he is introduced very early in the book. The moment I learned Rowl was actually going to be a character was genuinely one of my favorite parts.
And with that smooth segue, on to the characters!
Something I have not previously divulged on this site is that I generally do not like fantasy/sci-fi television shows very much. In general, I find books outclass them in almost every category. The one exception is the number of fun, interesting, and engaging characters that television shows have. I'm thinking of things like how Star Trek's Starfleet can have a dozen regularly recurring characters, each of whom you, as the watcher, would not be upset learning more about. Compare this to the number of people who have complained about having to read "another Bran chapter, ugh." and you've got my point. The Aeronaut's Windlass has just that sweet spot where I liked every character, and there was more than, like, three of them! Bridget and Gwendolyn are both trying their best to follow "the hero's journey," the former from the position of "poor kid who doesn't belong" and the latter from "rich kid trapped in the castle." Captain Grimm's, though a trope, is a trope I'll never get tired of - the honorable ship captain that commands the absolute respect of his crew. These are three of the sprawling cast in this book, and not even necessarily my favorite therein. Hell, this book even had an A and a B plot at times, that always came together in just the right ways.
Finally, the story. The story is where this book falls just short of getting four stars, but only just barely. The story follows our rag-tag team of character's as they work to defend their city-spire from the airfleet of another city-spire, with the added universal existential threat that seems necessary in all fantasy epics playing on in the background. The story jumps genres (not in a bad way) from mystery to war drama to horror fairly seamlessly, leaving you with a different feeling in your gut after each individual chapter. It does, on the other hand, certainly seem to drag at times, where some characters are simply waiting for other characters to fall into position, or artificial holds being placed on character's movements (like the ship breaking down, and the ship regularly breaks down). The book just ends up being long - a little longer than my tastes - where it seems like it could have sheared about 50 pages without missing too much. But hey, I called it extensive for a reason.
If you've been swirling around the world of young-adult fantasy trilogies for as long as I have, The Aeronaut's Windlass is a wonderful break, and will hopefully be the start of an excellent new sci-fi/fantasy series.
-Michael
