Disclaimer: I’ve never seen this story before this week.
At chapter 17 up on the site, I am enthralled by this witty steampunk story. Take a Pratchett-esque sense of humour, add lots of brass fittings, pipes and embroidered velvet, throw in a dash of intrigue sprawled across two decades and you may have an idea of what this book is about. The only fault I could point out were a few paragraphing errors, however I was too busy reading to take note of the page number . . .
What impressed me the most were the descriptions – not only the people but every item from shadow to machine to mathematical equation, was immediately brought to life by the cunningly strung words.
Anyone with a penchant for the flamboyant and ready for a good snigger will enjoy this. And best of all: you can purchase the complete book directly from the site.
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Probably one of the best-written steampunk stories I’ve read, and almost certainly one of the better on the web. Rodgers has a skill for keeping your focus not just page to page but line to line, crafting a detailed world and characters that a reader can instantly empathise with while still delivering continuous, fast-paced humour.
The plot manages to be complex while still being involving and flows naturally from the ambitions and inclinations of the characters, each of whom evoke vastly different responses in the reader.
Unlike many forms of web-fiction, Arcadia Snips is a completed, proofread and edited work that is being released on the internet as a form of promotion rather than being written as the author goes along. The resulting quality helps the finished work shine amongst its contemporaries and it is strongly recommended you buy the book (available through the author’s website).
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Okay, I also saw this back when it was a gleam in Robert’s eye. And showed it around to other writers and publishers. I was dying to see it published. Well, I recently got hold of Robert to suggest that he take the weblit route to try to get some attention for this waaaaay cool story . . . and damned if he hadn’t started a serial blog, gotten some illustrations that are a perfect match for the work, and published it in paper. So I told him he oughta come over here and list it at WFG. Which he seems to have done.
The big thing I’d say is pretty simple: GIVE IT A READ! No vampires or gay wizards or anything, just a clever story told in an irrepressible style that keeps you smiling.
Girl Genius has been mentioned, and it’s a good reference. You find the same sciNerd trappings here, the same steampunk/comicbook/movieserials sensibility, and the same dollop, if not exactly style, of humor.
Robert’s been working on this a long time, and you can see it. This book has as good a chance as being the Next Big Thing To Come Out of WebLit as anything around.
It might not be your cup of tea, but I’d encourage you to take the time to find out.
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