Gears of a Mad God: Proper young ladies in the s don't get dirty, and they don't get into fights. But Colleen's uncle is killed, and she wants answers. When a sinister cult targets her, she pushes back - hard. Now she's running for her life. It will take all her courage, all her strength, and every steam-powered weapon she can devise to keep her alive long enough to unravel the mystery of Proper young ladies in the s don't get dirty, and they don't get into fights. It will take all her courage, all her strength, and every steam-powered weapon she can devise to keep her alive long enough to unravel the mystery of her uncle's death.
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Let's see, the title says steampunk. Only a promise of that and a steam used as a weapon once or twice. Next it says Lovecraft. Not much of that either, I'm afraid. As the first in a series it holds a promise of more steampunk than just a mention and more of buried and locked gods in need of liberation and awakening type of story than a mere use of the word cult. There are some people chasing our heroine and all that and we know they are cultists because she's been told they are. As I said, only Let's see, the title says steampunk.
As I said, only a promise so far. I've checked the reviews, so I can't say I didn't know. I started reading knowing there wouldn't be a lot of stuff from the title. She doesn't have any problems fighting against five attackers. Next, her actions directly endanger people who help her. These are just a few examples why she is annoying. The only thing this story delivers completely, and then some, is the adventure. It is a fast paced story with a lot of shooting, fighting and chase. The instalments are probably better now that the first story has established this world and its problems.
View all 4 comments. Apr 01, Chad Ringgenberg rated it liked it. Not bad Not a bad read, plenty of action and adventure. Well worth the time. The female protagonists is compelling. This was a fun, Victorian adventure story. That, unfortunately, was the sum of it.
You can imagine, then, how a story billed as 'a Lovecraftian steampunk adventure' would grab my interest. Unfortunately, Gears Of a Mad God was much more adventure than anything else. The author used only the most superficial of Lovecraftian elements, and even then much too sparingly. The 'Lovecraftian' element boils down to a n This was a fun, Victorian adventure story.
The 'Lovecraftian' element boils down to a nameless cult and a mysterious place with a vaguely ominous name. No cosmic horror, no hints of things that would drive a human mind to insanity. There was actually one person who went insane, at least, but that was clearly tacked on at the end of the story during editing - it was too abrupt and unexplained to serve the story in any way. The steampunk flavor was presented with a bit more depth. I enjoy 'historical' steampunk, which this story fit perfectly.
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However, aside from the Victorian elements, which I felt were correctly used secondary to the action, there was not a deep sense of the steampunk genre. No techno fantasy, just straightforward gears and steam. No retro-futurism to be found at all. So, we're left with a Victorian adventure story. Taken in that vein, Gears of a Mad God is entertaining.
Too bad that's not how it is advertised. May 08, Mandy Walkden-Brown rated it really liked it Shelves: A great introduction to this series. There's an unusual assortment of characters and I particularly enjoyed meeting Colleen, a feisty young woman, who's not afraid to hurl the occasional insult, or hammer, at the somewhat psychotic members of the opposition.
Action and intrigue aplenty with no dull moments. A thoroughly enjoyable read. Nov 15, Gevera Bert rated it liked it. This is not Steampunk at all. Just because one of the characters knows how to repair clocks? Jul 06, L. Gears of a Mad God is exciting enough, but that is all there is to it. It has an excellent premise and good ideas throughout, but it fails to achieve on a number of levels. It's not a steampunk Lovecraft adventure, as advertised. Other reviewers have beaten this dead horse a number of times, and so I won't go into too much here. Virtually non-existent steampunk elements.
In fact, steampunk veers toward what I believe are unintentional anachronisms, showing little knowledge of Victorian norms t Gears of a Mad God is exciting enough, but that is all there is to it. In fact, steampunk veers toward what I believe are unintentional anachronisms, showing little knowledge of Victorian norms typically found in steampunk. The Lovecraft part is similarly nebulous, but I found that point appealing.
I don't need every Lovecraftian story to delve deeply into the Mythos. Here, we see crazed cultists, of which the heroes know little and so the author wisely includes little as a result , who are trying to find some mysterious place or device known to Colleen's dead uncle. Colleen, as the spunky heroine, is easily the best part of the book. Should the author in subsequent books add more Lovecraftian color, it would be refreshing to see a hapless female protagonist fall into the maddening clutches of the horror cosmic.
The majority of the novella is dominated by two rather large set pieces. The first takes place aboard a ship crewed by a number of cultists. The other occurs at the end, when Colleen returns to rescue her compatriots. Both are over-long and are pure glitz with no substance. As such, the book overall lacks substance. It's also difficult to explore characters when all they do is run around, so overall characterization falls by the wayside as well.
The majority of the ideas put forth throughout are never really explored. For example, we see virtually nothing of the FBI or its Canadian counterpart in any measure working against this cult aside from the characters Colleen meets. There's little feel of their being an "effort", especially given this cult's plans for worldwide destruction. You've got to give the audience something. It can't all be saved for the sequels. To sell a series you've got to give your audience something of the world to make them want to read on.
What we're given are two action sequences and very little exposition that influences us to move forward. Though this particular story is self-contained, it ends with its author fully intent on continuing the story as a series. This is a failing of so much fantasy and science fiction these days. Everyone wants to write a multi-book epic without first learning how to tell a story. So, rather than tell a complete story that could launch into the next book, Gears of a Mad God reads like part of a much longer work. It's hard to read this and not feel cheated in some way. It's not hard to see the author wants to tell a story but doesn't know where to go.
A good set up and good first chapter is all but ruined by the resultant adventure. When you don't know where you're going, you throw a bunch of action in the reader's way and hope he doesn't realize you've said nothing at all. That is the situation here. We emerge from the first volume of this series not knowing any of the characters. She's young, she's blonde, she has no family, and is in a difficult relationship with a man she thought she loved. She's part of a group searching for a mysterious place or object, and there are cultists trying to kill her.
That might sound like a lot, but a good writer could do more with half the space, and he could tell a complete adventure. There simply isn't enough here to warrant my continuing this series. Marketed as a Steampunk Lovecraft Adventure I found the book lacking in one major thing No sooner have you been introduced to the main character Colleen, you the reader, and her are dropped into frantic chaos.
This chaotic pace and plethora of action continues until the very last word, not once letting up. Action is marvelous, but this may have been too much action, and not enough story building to create a well formulated novella, let alone series. I will say that I am intrigued eno Marketed as a Steampunk Lovecraft Adventure I found the book lacking in one major thing I will say that I am intrigued enough to desire to read Dark Island. On the Steampunk Genre front, Nichols has nailed it on the head! There is nothing missing for a pure steampunk classic. We have a clock maker, steam powered automobiles and ships, a bounty of inventions to bedazzle the mind.
Again, the problem remains in the details. While it is not necessary to describe every thing, such as the color of a lady's glove, there is a need to develop details to make events more real, characters more complex, and the plot more plentiful. At less than pages, I feel that more might have been better for this to fly like a dirigible into the foggy Steampunk Night. Let's break it down by the 3 Basics of Book Building Nichols has a rather elaborate cast of characters that appear within the page novelette.
Many have a great power to intrigue, but without sufficient back story development they lie stagnant. Colleen begs to be given an opportunity to develop for the reader, as does her uncle. The numerous characters; friends and foe alike, almost demand further study. It is almost hard to know who is trustworthy and who is a villain, the story moves over the character's introductions far too fast. While there may be an intentional reason for keeping Colleen's uncle's true identity and back story under wraps, the rest of the characters truly need more of a story to bring the reader up to par with what might be going on.
Chapter one taunts the reader, as it is well paced and written. Hold on though, because chapter two flows like a rapid river. You can follow the story which is a plus, but it twists and turns so violently at times, you feel like you need a life preserver to secure yourself to the structure. Alas, the foundation is never solidly built, and you are left floundering. What connects Colleen so closely to her uncle?
Why would Colleen give up stability for someone she hasn't seen in years? These questions and many more could be answered to set the solid corner stones of the story before plunging the reader into nonstop chaos. On average, many readers would get far too confused to stick with the book. Buried within the faster than a speeding steam locomotive action is actually an exceptional and compelling plot. There is mystery and mayhem.
Smashwords – Gears of a Mad God: A Steampunk Lovecraft Adventure – a book by Brent Nichols
Nichols plotted out a great story, he just bypassed the descriptions, details and distinct explorations I personally find so delightful in any novel, but especially a Steampunk novel. I went into this book more for the Lovecraft element than for the steampunk, so I wasn't horribly disappointed. I'm not a steampunk fan, so I can't really judge how well that end of the story held up. From a Lovecraftian angle, however Bonus points if you actually know what I'm talking about. The story had several cute nods to Lovecraft.
There was a p I went into this book more for the Lovecraft element than for the steampunk, so I wasn't horribly disappointed. There was a passage early on - "Every cultist we've ever captured has been at least half mad. And, whatever is at the heart of their twisted religion, it seems to be something that the human mind can barely withstand.
Colleen's uncle that she barely knew read a mysterious book, and the knowledge contained within drove him to insanity, and ultimately, suicide. Then, there's the "hero" of the story - not Colleen, she's just the main character. The "hero" would be an FBI agent named Carter, who's leading an investigation into the story's half-mad cult. He's the most competent of all of the secret agents on the case, and ends up being instrumental in keeping everybody alive at the end of the book.
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You can remove the unavailable item s now or we'll automatically remove it at Checkout. Continue shopping Checkout Continue shopping. Gears of a Mad God: Free eBook Add to My Books. Book 1 of the Gears of a Mad God series. In this series View all Book 2. Ratings and Reviews 7 27 star ratings 7 reviews. Yes No Thanks for your feedback! A very quick pace and entertaining book, maybe a little too quick pace at times.
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It didn't really feel steampunk but was rather fun. This book doesn't completely finished, but I look forward to reading the next book. I can't wait to find out what else happens … Show more Show less. Steampunk Cthullu - two genres I enjoy. This tale fairly rolls along with out a pause. However, Steam is present but the dystrophy of Steampunk is missing. There are no weird contraptions and no unseen, indescribable Lovecraftian monstrosities. It isn't bad but it isn't great. I'm unlikely to read the other books in the series. Kept me engaged in the story the whole time, great book … Show more Show less.
Really fun fast read. I do appreciate an author, especially if he is a man, who writes about a competent woman. Such a wonderful change from the wimpy, weepy, blushing, shaking heroine. I'm hoping for further character development in book two: How to write a great review Do Say what you liked best and least Describe the author's style Explain the rating you gave Don't Use rude and profane language Include any personal information Mention spoilers or the book's price Recap the plot.
Close Report a review At Kobo, we try to ensure that published reviews do not contain rude or profane language, spoilers, or any of our reviewer's personal information. Would you like us to take another look at this review? No, cancel Yes, report it Thanks! She is from Canada and when her favorite uncle is murdered, she is off on an adventure to avenge his death.
She is aided by members of a secret government American agency to which her uncle unbeknownst to our heroine, Coleen belonged.
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She finds herself deep in the pursuit of an ancient cult whose members will stop at nothing to attain their goals. They worship an ancient god named Katharis we don't find this out until vol. As it turns out, Katharis resembles, vaguely, some descriptions of Lovecraft's ancient god, Chthulu. In this episode, the focus of attention is the whereabouts of a place called, "Tathanos. It turns out it is an island. This book contains a lot of action and introduction of characters, none of whom are very well rounded out other than Coleen, and the setting of the basic story arc.
What I liked about this book is that it moves quickly, has lots of twists and turns, lots of heroism and villainy and is just a fun read. If you are looking for something full of deeper hidden meaning, this is not a series for you. This is more like an old time Saturday afternoon at the theater serial. It's all just for fun. This is outside my usual reading genres: This was a rough read, because plainly it's roughly written. Don't get me wrong, it's not badly written, that's something else, although there are isolated editing lapses. The style is rough and ready, I think a slight mismatch with the genre, and yet it has its own engaging character.
I'm not a Lovecraft fan, so the effective failure to deliver in that area didn't bother me one bit. Colleen is a character I like, but, like the writing, unpolished. Nichols jumps from scene to scene, sometimes neglecting to communicate enough of Colleen's thinking or emotions to bring the reader along, which leaves the reader with a gappy experience. The story is gripping enough, and the pace is, well, lightning quick. I think the author needs to rework this book. Nevertheless, I'm giving it four stars on Amazon because it's still better than just 'okay'.
The minions of Lovecraft's old ones appear to be trying again to bring them to our world. This time they are running around Canada. The official American investigations team with its Canadian liaison is pretty ineffectual, making the story hard to accept. By the end of the piece it appears that she is shedding her overbearing boyfriend and embarking on a new, exciting career. However that, and any appearance by Lovecraft's old ones, are for additional volumes of which, I believe, there are six at this time.
I downloaded this story for free from Amazon. The additional volumes are not expensive. I feel that the story should be between 3 and 4 stars but as that is not possible, I am going with 4. I would not classify this as a steampunk story. It is a bit too much in the modern era. The use of automobiles instead of steam-driven carriages , telephones, and electricity all serve to destroy any steampunk atmosphere.
That said, I did thoroughly enjoy this story for what it is: This fast-paced story is full of action and suspense from the start, and the action, suspense, and danger continue to increase through to the very end. To briefly summarize the plot, Colleen, our young heroine, receives word that her uncle, the last surviving member of her family, has passed away. She leaves her home in Toronto and journeys to Victoria, B. Colleen is immediately immersed in a sea of danger.
Not sure who to trust, she finally teams up with government agents investigating a cult whose goal is to unleash ancient evils upon the world. At the final chapter, though, it is up to Colleen alone to turn the tide against those who serve evil.
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One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was that it was set in Canada, not London.