Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE:  The Engineer

SERIES:  Magic & Steam, Book 1

AUTHOR:  C.S. Poe

NARRATOR:  Declan Winters

PUBLISHER:  Emporium Press

LENGTH:  2 hours and 34 minutes

RELEASE DATE:  August 5, 2020

BLURB:

1881 – Special Agent Gillian Hamilton is a magic caster with the Federal Bureau of Magic and Steam. He’s sent to Shallow Grave, Arizona, to arrest a madman engineer known as Tinkerer, who’s responsible for blowing up half of Baltimore. Gillian has handled some of the worst criminals in the Bureau’s history, so this assignment shouldn’t be a problem. But even he’s taken aback by a run-in with the country’s most infamous outlaw, Gunner the Deadly. 

Gunner is also stalking Shallow Grave in search of Tinkerer, who will stop at nothing to take control of the town’s silver mines. Neither Gillian nor Gunner are willing to let Tinkerer hurt more innocent people, so they agree to a very temporary partnership. 

If facing illegal magic, Gatling gun contraptions, and a wild engineer in America’s frontier wasn’t enough trouble for a city boy, Gillian must also come to terms with the reality that he’s rather fond of his partner. But even if they live through this adventure, Gillian fears there’s no chance for love between a special agent and outlaw. 

Based on the short story, “Gunner the Deadly.” Entirely revised, newly expanded, and book one in the exciting new steampunk series, Magic & Steam.

REVIEW:

The proverb “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” describes the overarching framework of C.S. Poe’s absorbing genre mashup short story/novella, The Engineer. It’s the first entry in her Magic & Steam series, bringing together Special Agent Gillian Hamilton, an extremely powerful and highly disciplined magical caster working for the Federal Bureau of Magic and Steam, and outlaw Gunner the Deadly, who sits atop the Feds most wanted list. The story is part historical Wild West (1880s mining town in Arizona), part action/adventure romance, and overarchingly steampunk.  

I never even knew I liked steampunk – a subgenre of sci-fi that’s got a futuristic yet retro vibe that is both conflicting and fascinating. Under Poe’s deft penmanship, I am now hooked on it, or at least her version of it.  Steampunk creates an anachronistic push/pull where you have super-advanced, modern-day-like technology that relies on a throwback energy source, steam. It gives the story an immersive late-19th century Industrial Revolution feel to it.  In the case of Poe’s Magic & Steam, the story plays out in the late 1800s, right in the thick of the second Industrial Revolution in the United States.

Poe exploits the fundamental beauty of steampunk.  That phrase may seem like an oxymoron given the gritty, dirty nature of the coal-based, steam-driven technology steampunk embraces.  But it’s true because within this dirty, dusty, coal-fueled world is an era of gorgeous invention and innovation, where creativity abounds, and the sky’s the limit with possibilities for advancement. Things are bigger than life and Poe’s criminal masterminds, like Milo Ferguson, the titular engineer in The Engineer, fit with that theme.  Milo is an OTT, megalomaniacal, insane genius. He even comes with immense physical size, an exaggerated handlebar mustache, tattoos, and the stereotypical dastardly demeanor and manic laughter.

Gillian and Gunner are enemies by position – Gillian’s the law and Gunner’s a criminal – although they never personally treat each other that way.  Perhaps that’s because their first meeting is in the middle of a shootout with Milo, who’s trying to take over the silver mines in Shallow Grave, Arizona. Gillian and Gunner are both caught in the crossfire, immediately realize they have a common enemy, and form an uneasy allegiance.  However, their relationship seamlessly and naturally develops into one of trust and protectiveness, and by the end, we’re swooning … 

Declan Winters narrates the audiobook of The Engineer.  He is a new-to-me narrator, and based on this first listen, I’m impressed with his skill. He gets the voices right for the most part, and he’s emotionally invested.  Gillian’s timbre is apropos, soft and smooth, and his pitch sits higher than the deeper, grumblier voice Winters gives to Gunner.  If anything, I think Winters could have leaned into Gunner’s portrayal more. Perhaps the brevity of this story didn’t give him enough time to sink into character, because his vocalizations of both characters improves the further we get into the story.  But right out of the gate, Winters nails the interpretation of Milo’s crazed, blood-thirsty pursuit of fortune and notoriety at Gunner’s expense, with whom we understand he has a history.

Poe doesn’t elaborate on that here – in fact, she deliberately and cleverly holds back on a lot of information, whetting our appetite with just enough to make the events of The Engineer make sense, but reserving plenty of juicy subject matter for later series installments. My only significant complaint about the narration is that the pacing is much too slow.  However, that’s easily rectified by speeding up your playback. I found 1.25 speed perfect; at that tempo, the story flowed, and the vocals felt fluid and natural.

The Engineer provides an intriguing storyline featuring Poe’s intricate world-building and captivating imagery, and Winters makes it easy to listen.  I suspect he will only get better as the series goes on.  If this story indicates what the Magic & Steam series will be like, I am all in for all the audiobooks. Still, I’m heeding the advice to buckle up for an exciting but emotionally bumpy ride.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

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