Review: Two steps forward, one step back
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 7, 2012
The second book in this series continued to have a strong and interesting plot.I also felt the author is actually reading the reviews and responding to them, for example in strengthening the main character's development and presenting her with more-sophisticated challenges, filling in some gaps in her backstory, and cutting down on the use of the "f" word.But I thought in one way the series took a big step backwards. The first book in the series and its main character had a distinctive "voice" relative to the author's other series, a kind of refined and semi-formal voice appropriate to a steampunk series. But in this book, Gwen's voice and thinking became almost indistinguishable from the main character in the Young Ancients series. I think the villain here was speed. In a rush to get out the book, the author fell back on a voice that he had been writing in a lot and so which was easy to get down on paper. This got in the way of the artistry. Please don't become a speed-writing hack like Piers Anthony, Mr. Power. Anthony can make money off of it based on his early artistry and huge Xanth-universe fan base, but most people can't.Overall Mr. Power remains one of the better self-published authors when it comes to imaginative and action-driven plots, with some genuine heart. I'm planning to continue to buy what he writes.