Perhaps my favorite new quote from a book- "Come my brother, and feel the healing caress of my blade. Let me rid you of the privileged blood you so despise". Love it. Aldora is quite a character. Again, as in my previous review of "The Collected Bartlby and James Adventures", it would be great to see more depth into each character and their adventures. Looking forward to more. ( )

I recieved this book as part of the members give away.

I enjoy the steampunk genre, but i found this short story, lacking in character developments and it jumped from scene to scene.
Overall i found the story lacking, and not enjoyable. ( )

I received a free copy of this book through the LibraryThing “Member Giveaway” program.

SKY PIRATES OVER LONDON by Michael Coorlim

PLEASE keep in mind, this review is written by my “taste in books”/my opinion. Check out my library ratings of other books to see if your tastes are the same as mine before judging this book by my review)

I am definitely a fan of steampunk and mysteries (Holmes, etc). This book seemed to fit my needs so I quickly requested it in the Early Reviewer/Member Giveaway" program.

I normally dislike short stories due to lack of story and character development but I was pleasantly surprised with this book. The story did progress a little too quickly but I felt the writer's style more than made up for it. His writing was definite a plus and made this read very enjoyable and "smooth".

The "final showdown" between hero and villain was a bit of a cliché and over much too quickly but I don't really feel it detracted from the overall story. One might also say that the hero, Aldora Fiske, was a bit too perfect...but there are many heroes (Holmes, Bond, etc) that seem to always have luck/skill on their side but are cursed with a "quirk" of some sort. Perhaps Ms. Fiske has been cast in a similar fashion but with the length of this story, we have yet to see her "quirk".

The style and genre were a perfect fit for my tastes. I have already acquired two more of Michael Coorlim's books and will be reviewing them in the near future.

Great short story with outstanding style.
Overall rating: 4 stars ( )

Fundamentally, steampunk is artistically decadent as far as speculative fiction goes. It almost never attempts any serious or rigorous extrapolation of plausible alternate histories or technologies. The worldbuilding of a secondary fantasy world is not there, just a warmed over, weirdly spiced version of 19th Century history. The very name points to a subgenre based around the aesthetics of steam engines and corsets and zeppelins.

Still, the results can be entertaining, and I enjoyed this story. Those familiar with the Bartleby and James steampunk detective series from Coorlim will probably want to follow the adventures of Aldora Fiske, fiancé to Bartleby, and, secretly, quite an accomplished woman in her own right. She’s unflappable and always polite and quite determined in solving a problem.

Here the problem is an aerial blockade laid over London. Already concerned over its effect on her fellow citizens, she resolves to personally end the siege after her own house because a target for the sky pirates. Leaving Bartleby in London with a lie about a French holiday, Aldora an adventure which will reveal something of her talents, her past, and her family.

Besides the appealing Aldora, Coorlim invests his world with portents of a coming world war, a conflict promising to be much more ideological than our WWI. It is that theme, besides Coorlim’s skill in the literary basics of pacing, plotting, and characterization, I appreciate in Coorlim’s steampunk. ( )

An excellent little novella in its own right, the inclusion of some notable historical figures was great to see. Would definitely like to read more. ( )