Maggie G. reviewed on 2/27/2017 + 72 more book reviews

Let me preface this with writing that I LOVE the Dresden series. This is NOT the Dresden series. Does that warrant the criticisms? If you really only want more Dresden, this series may not be for you.

This is the first novel in a saga - it's 630 pages in hardcover and written as beautifully and cleverly as Butcher can do. It is FULL of action and interesting characters and lovely easter eggs (there's a tip of the hat to Anne McCaffrey's The Ship Who Sang which made my heart soar a bit). At first glance, the "main" character is Captain Grimm - a disgraced airship soldier who rarely shows what he's feeling to the people around him. He's solid, steadfast and absolutely the one person you want by your side when there's trouble. In the second half you find out more about his personal life. I'm sure we'll discover more about him in books to come but it's important to note that he's not the only major character. There's also Gwen, a daughter of privilege who wants independence and not marriage - gutsy, brave and needs to learn when to think first and maybe shut up :). Her cousin Benedict, a warrior-born who seems genetically different than 100% humans though he's human enough for me (hubba hubba) and definitely appealing to Bridget, another cadet who signed up for 2 years as a Spirearch guard out of family pride. They are a terrific trio. They're actually a quartet because Bridget travels with Rowl, the prince of the Silent Paws clan. If you love Dresden's cat Mister, then this is his cat with dialogue. Enjoy!

The people on the planet live in the sky - most of them on Spires which reach up into the clouds where the people live in "habbles". Commerce is done by ships that travel between Spires, and up and down between levels of each Spire. No people live on the planet surface but there are many dangerous creatures. Falling to your death is terrifying (not that you'd survive the fall anyway...).

A war begins between Spire Albion (where our heroes reside) and Spire Aurora. It will carry over to the next book and likely the next and what's fueling this war is very, very dangerous.

There is a LOT of information to take in, but it's absolutely worth the trip. You might not finish this quickly because of its length but you will race through the chapters as they're short and something important happens in every single chapter! The villains are incredibly dangerous and unnerving as you'd expect from Butcher - and the heroes are wonderful. You have to read it all to perceive this new universe he's built and once you do, you're HOOKED. I finished The Aeronaut's Windlass and immediately visited Butcher's website to find out that the next in the series is coming after the next Dresden.

Keep writing, Jim, I'll keep reading!

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