Gaie SeboldReseñas

This is a fantasy romp featuring the titular Babylon Steel, a brothel madam/swordmistress who lives on the chaotic and varied Scalentine, a tiny plane which is fed by a number of mysterious portals disgorging numerous strange refugees and other travellers. Babylon herself has been one such refugees, but having settled down in Scalentine she will find that she and her crew at the Red Lantern will be drawn into the search for a missing girl which will culminate in a confrontation between her and the mysterious past she's left behind.

I was part of the original workshop for the initial draft, but even then it was clear it was something special. The writing is great - Gaie has a light, lucid prose style and the city shows a fantastic and playful inventiveness. Babylon is a tough but likeable heroine ably supported by a well-drawn supporting cast, and all in all, it's a wonderful fun read. Highly recommended.

Wow, what a great story. I really enjoyed this book. After reading some YA fantasy lately it was definitely time for some grown-up's fantasy and this really fit the bill.

The only thing i'm unhappy about is that i'm utterly skint until i get paid on Tuesday so i can't buy the second book until then, but rest assured, as soon as i wake up my computer on Tuesday morning i'll be on Amazon buying it.

Great writing, great story, great book, what more can a reader ask for?

If you like fantasy that isn't afraid of getting it's hands dirty then i'm sure you'll like this. If, on the other hand, you like the nice fluffy fantasy stuff then just don't look.

This book follows on perfectly from 'Babylon Steel', with all the usual characters we were introduced to in that book. And it's much the same kind of fantasy stuff that really isn't for children as there's a fair amount of sex and some quite graphic descriptions of interspecies relationships - Babylon is a whore house madam after all is said an done.

I have to say, Gaie has created a really interesting universe with The Planes and there's obviously a much bigger story going on in the background concerning the rifts between The Planes, which i seriously hope Gaie is going to slowly uncover in further books in this series.

Please, please, please, Gaie, get writing more about Babylon and Co'.

So if you're not offended by adult stuff mixed in with your fantasy stories the 'Babylon Steel' series is definitely a place to visit on your reading list. Enjoy!

I read Gaie's first two books, Babylon Steel and Dangerous Gifts, quite a while ago now and thoroughly enjoyed them, so it was good to come back and enjoy some more of Gaie's writing.

Other than the lack of brothels and sex (can't have everything we like), this book is certainly just as enjoyable, well written, with great characters, and certainly a must read for anyone who has enjoyed Gaie's earlier books.

While i rather enjoyed Shanghai Sparrow with it's steampunk silliness and, also, the growth of Evvie, this book has immediately become unenjoyable with Evvie just turning into some kind of idiot who doesn't want anyone else's help or advice, even when she's up to her neck in problems.   It's really like the Evvie we left off with at the end of Shanghai Sparrow has been replaced with some utter idiot who learned absolutely nothing from her earlier experiences.

I do believe this is the first book of Gaie's that not only have i not liked, but just couldn't continue reading it was annoying me that much.   I gave it until 27% but it just kept on getting worse and i quit.   I've got too many good books to read to waste my time on stuff like this.

But as i've said about other writers whose works i've totally enjoyed, at some point each is going to write a book that i just don't like.   This is that book for Gaie.

Ho hum!

This began the final couple of Gaie's books that i haven't read.

Admittedly, i picked this up with a fair few preconceptions and had them all dashed rather quickly.   The first thing is that i've put Gaie's writing firmly in the fantasy-for-grown-ups genre, and this is anything but that.

So i was rather surprised to find myself reading some steampunk with a hint of fantasy aimed at teenage girls (at least that where i think it belongs).   I was even more surprised to find myself quite enjoying it, being a 57 year old man.   It's very similar to Magnificent Devices by Shelley Adina, so if you enjoy that kind of "silly" then i'm sure you'll enjoy this kind of "silly".

I'm certainly enjoying a bit of "silly" at the moment, so i'm diving straight into the second book in the series, Sparrow Falling for some more.

Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

Content warnings:
This novel contains a lot of dark and serious content which some readers may find triggering or disturbing. There are scenes of brutally injured and murdered young women, prejudice against sex workers as well as ongoing harassment from religious zealots towards citizens that they deem as “impure”. There is a very disturbing punishment handed out by this religious sect that results in a murderer becoming permanently disabled and disfigured, and psychologically tortured for the rest of their life.

There is a storyline in which young women are groomed emotionally and sexually by men and women in a position of power. The young women are willing accomplices, at least at first. Please note that this is unrelated to the brothel and other than the previously named religious zealots, everything related to the brothel is written respectfully to sex workers. While this novel contains sex scenes, it is not pure erotica, however, it is more on the adventurous side and may not be suitable for all readers.

I was drawn in by the stunning artwork on the cover depicting a host of interesting characters, and I stayed when the story matched the artwork. Intriguing, full of depth, and sexy, Bad Gods is everything it’s cover promises. Join me as we head to Scalentine, the city of portals, where you can find anything…

To say that Bad Gods is the story of one woman doesn’t do it justice. This is a story of many people, all of whom are connected by the illustrious Babylon Steel, a woman who has many experiences under her belt by the time she reaches the plane of Scalentine. There she settles with her travelling companion, finally choosing to stop running from her mysterious past and eventually opening the Red Lantern brothel. It seems like an old choice for someone who came to the plane as a mercenary, but as we find out, Babylon has had many titles under her belt and brothel owner is just the latest one.

The story begins with Babylon taking a job to find a missing heiress when she realises that the books, which she’s been judiciously ignoring, are a mess and the brothel is desperately in need of some money pronto. She’s spurred on by the fact that something dark is happening on Scalentine, and the local religious faction, zealots who hate women, are ramping up their activity. The idea of a young girl lost and alone in the city is a powerful motivator, especially when it reminds Babylon so much of herself. As Sebold leads us on an investigation through the city of portals, we learn all about Scalentine, and its diverse community. There’s weres like the Chief of the City Militia, fey, the reptilian Ikinchi, the human-catapillar-like Barraké and many more.

As Babylon seeks to find the missing girl she finds a connection to the past she left behind a long time ago, and Sebold expertly interweaves chapters of Babylon’s past between those of the current story. It’s a dark story, full of plots and intrigue, and I absolutely loved it. For those who might find alternating stories, especially one from the present and one from the past, being told at the same time irritating let me assure you that there is a point to it, it’s not just a fun gimmick to explain the character’s background. Both do intersect and lead to a brilliant conclusion.

In some ways I found Bad Gods reminiscent of Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel Legacy series. While Bablyon Steel is much more of a warrior compared to Carey’s Phèdre nó Delaunay, there are similarities in their stories. This is also the only fantasy novel I’ve found, other than Carey’s work, where sex scenes and fantasy have co-existed without devolving into romance or pure erotica. Bad Gods is very much a fantasy novel, just as Carey’s Kushiel Legacy is a fantasy epic. Likewise, Sebold’s scenes are elegantly written rather than becoming smutty as they so often do in paranormal romance novels.

Humour keeps Bad Gods from getting too dark, reminding the reader that no matter how difficult life has been or becomes, the love and support of found family will get you through your darkest days (and kick some ass too).


For more of my reviews please visit my blog!

I just knew her adventures werent done☺

Decided to add the cover to the GR page for this book. Note to self unless you add authors name you just get a lot of images of poor and confused (and sometimes deceased) sparrows:0

4,5

I recieved this ARC from Netgalley and this is my honest Review of it.

This book takes place in a Victorian era world where steamships soar the skies over London, and where a young woman called Evvie the sparrow works for Ma Pether (think like a female Fagin).

Stealing running,confidence games and keeping out from the eyes of the law are the essentials in her profession even if there are hints that once her Life once was very different.But Evvie prefers not to think too much about her past and instead focus on the present wich is hard enough.

One day while she is working a con she is interrupted by a man called Holmfort who tempts her with the possibility of advancement in life and a pension after she has completed an important task for him,a task for wich he believes she has an aptitude.

She agrees to this even if she and we the reader both know that he has ulterior motives.

So Evvie finds herself shipped off to the strict boarding school Britannia run by stern Ms Cairngrim aptly nicknamed Miss Grim by her students.

The Britannia School is used to train girls in the service of the empire but Evvie soon figures out that its mostly used to hide away the illegitimate daughters of the rich,noble and powerful. Its pupils are taught several subjects like deportment,languages,the art of disguise and Bartitsu.



In this new enviroment can Evvie figure out the dark agenda of Holmforth and her connection to Etheric sciences

The first thing you need to know about Evvie is that she is DEVIOUS and CUNNING. But being forced to grow up in the conditions she had its not bad qualities to have.

Another character describes her perfectly

"With *spoiler hidden* you are an respectable young lady.

Others see an innocent or a rogue..

"And what do you see?" Evvie raised her chin"

"An artist he said,and managed still clinging on to the window with one hand,a remarkably elegant bow.

But she has a good heart so I liked her. Shes a strong character but shes certainly not a Mary Sue or made of stone

When it comes to the setting I also liked (if liking is the right word) that the author didnt shy away from the seedier and not so pretty parts of the Victorian era. There is racial prejudice and chauvinism galore. Not to mention poverty and other dickensian awful going ons.

But in all the darkness there is hope too


As I was reading Shanghai Sparrow I kept waiting for romance to happen. There were several likely candidates for the role but then I realized just like this story does perfectly fine without inserting a romance so does Evvie. She has too many other things to think about to complicate it with getting a love interest.

There were actually several times when I though to myself. Give the poor girl a break. Hasnt she been through enough? And isnt that what makes a book great when you start to care about their characters and what will become of them


That said I really liked Liu :) He both admires and accepts her for what she is.

This is a book full of what I would like to call in lack of a better word- Girl power.

Evvie acquires a female friend at Britannia who proves to be quite resourceful and loyal,and other female character shows that they are far from the mindless idiots some men seems to think they are.

Holmforth as the primary antagonist was really someone you could dislike and hope Evvie would escape from, but at the same time you start understand where he was coming from and makes him something more than a cardboard antagonist.

His fate at the end of the book was really sad,and despite being the villain I think it was a bit harsh.Maybe it will make him learn some lessons though

If this book has any weakness its that I felt the reasons for the animosity against the Folk was a bit vague as they dont really appear in the book wich causes the threat they are supposedly posing be a bit hard to Believe as its based on what a supporting character states and some powerhungry/paranoid officials beliefs.

The chapters with the folk Empress could have been cut out for all the impact they had on the story.

The prologue I am not so sure I liked because of the implications when it comes to the future of Evvie. Its not an unhappy ending and I even understand how it came about and that it fits the theme of female empowerment running through the book.

But I cant really believe thats how her story will end.

Will there be no more adventures for Eveline Duchen?! I hope Gaie Sebold does write more. *hints*

***WHO SUCKED ME IN***
woensdag 26 september 2018

Babylon Steel, ex-sword-for-hire, ex… other things, runs the best brothel in Scalentine; city of many portals, two moons, and a wide variety of races, were-creatures, and religions, not to mention the occasional insane warlock.

Ok in my feed ✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans)'s review popped up. And the cover intrigued me. THEN I READ THE BLURB!

TL;DR This book intrigues me.

Ok confession: I like reading about women who are in the sex industry. Hmm wait I like stories in which the women who walk in the sex industry aren't ashamed about or are being shamed for it. Normally I would say people instead of women but men have such a different role in the sex industry that comparing the two genders feels wrong to me.
But the thing is... most of the time those stories aren't happy ones. Because even though those women can give happiness most of the time it isn't respected that they can? ARGH my thoughts aren't coming out well. This will be frustrating to read to Future-Me.

But as a young child who grew up reading her neighbours Harlequin books and boarding schools books it paved the way later on to books like [b:Kushiëls Pijl|2960500|Kushiëls Pijl (Phèdre's Trilogy, #1)|Jacqueline Carey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1204801572s/2960500.jpg|2990010] after which I learned to respect the hell out of women who choose to be in the sex industry. Modern bloggers like Girl on the Net really helped me formulate my opinion about this topic. So I'm really looking forward to reading a fantasy (MY FAVORITE GENRE!) with such a character.

I really like this up until the climax. It felt very rushed and there are multiple things left hanging at the end of the story.
I feel it would have been better if it has stayed focused on 1 or 2 plot lines, and left the companion story to be resolved in another book where it could get proper attention.

Plot:
Madis is a thief and she knows that she is a good one. As does her brother, who still didn’t want her to join his gang, though. Now he presents her with a challenge: if she can manage to steal a magical belt of a bride on her wedding night, he will share the profits with her and finally accept her into the gang. Madis takes him up on the challenge and puts together her team.

A Hazardous Engagement is a fun all-female heist story. Entertaining and light, I really wouldn’t have minded if it had been more than just a novella.

Read more on my blog: https://kalafudra.com/2019/09/02/a-hazardous-engagement-gaie-sebold/

I really enjoyed this novella but alas, it was all too short. A caper story with an all-female gang of thieves and ne'er-do-wells. Hired by her brother to steal a magical artifact from a bride-to-be, Madis assembles a group of rogues to carry out the heist. Cue various double-crossing relatives and things that aren't actually what they seem, the villains of the piece get their come-uppance and Madis and co get away with the loot and the gratitude of the less-than-willing bride.

Reminiscent in style of Tanya Huff's Madelene stories (Third Time Lucky: And Other Stories of the Most Powerful Wizard in the World) and Joanna Russ' The Adventures of Alyx, I look forward to reading more of their adventures.

Recommended

A fine sequel to the first book; if you liked that one, you'll probably enjoy this one as well. It pretty much assumes the reader is familiar with the world, characters, and events of the previous story, but improves on that book by narrowing the focus down to a (more or less) single storyline (which itself is a continuation of a single plotline from the first.) It still has the awkward sex scenes, but they're shorter and fewer here. And though the story is more focused than before, I never found it quite as gripping as Ebi's "Avatar" story (the best part of last book, I thought.) I do like these characters, though, and wish there was at least another entry in the series.½

I have been looking forward to reading Babylon Steel since it first came out and despite having all the right ingredients, it fell short of my high expectations. Don't get me wrong, it was good but I don't think it lived up to its potential.

The main reason I think is because the chapters are divided into past and present, which wasn't a problem except they were too short and distracted me from what was happening in the story. Just as I was sucked in, I felt pulled in another direction and with this happening in every chapter I started to lose interest.

Even thought the story started off slowly, I loved Babylon's dry humour, the colourful cast of characters and the excellent world building- the many planes, planets and species left me wanting to read more.

likable characters - good world building - good setup for future development - fun adventure - just the right amount of gritty - a few (light) adult situations (main character runs a whorehouse). Might read more by author½

Make no mistake you need to have read the first book to get the most from this, the second in the series. However, although there is no precis of the former I was soon back into the swing of Sebold's Dickensian steam and gas London. This is more a function of being back with instantly recognisable characters like fox-spirit Liu, the brilliant Ma Pether and, of course, Evvie Sparrow herself.

In this installment the plot revolves around the school and an unsavory sort called Stug. When Evvie suspects Stug of doing something wicked with the children of families he houses as a slum landlord she becomes embroiled in the workings of the Fair Folk.

There is plenty here to enjoy, I wish Sebold had done more with the flying machine (although I'm guessing she's setting that up for next time) and the plot charges you along without you really noticing. Until the last few pages are gripped and released.

Overall - Thoroughly entertaining steampunk

Exceeds expectations!

This book is just pure fun. Eveline Duchen has been orphaned and left to fend for herself on London’s gritty streets. She’s made a life for herself, of sorts – but that’s abruptly turned on its head when a grasping government agent plucks her out of her situation and places her in a school for female spies. Of course, he’s got an agenda. He believes that her uncle was a researcher into the use of Etheric sciences, and that Evvie might’ve inherited an ability that can be harnessed for the use of the British Empire. Little does he know that the real researcher was Evvie’s mother, and that Eveline has no mechanical or magical ability to speak of.

However, she’s got plenty of smarts – and with the help of her new friend Beth; she might even be able to figure out who – if anyone – she can trust.
The tale mixes magic and faerie lore with steampunk elements in a way that I found reminiscent of M.K. Hobson. This book is a must for her fans, as well as fans of Gail Carriger, Leanna Hieber and even Kage Baker’s ‘Nell Gwynne’ stories. It’s got fast-paced action, some good twists and turns, and although it’s got a super-attractive, enigmatic Chinese tutor, it avoids tired romance tropes. Like I said, it’s a fun, quick read – with a bit of the feminism and anti-colonialist sentiment that’s de rigueur for any entry into the steampunk genre.

My one quibble: from the title, I expected a Chinese setting. We don’t get to China until 87% of the way through the book, and it’s only a very brief visit (speedy airship travel is convenient). There aren’t even any well-developed regular Chinese characters in the book. Maybe this aspect will be further expanded on in some sequels (it’s a nice opening), but as it stands, in no way was the Chinese trip necessary to the plot, and the brief scene in Shanghai felt quickly sketched out.

However, the London setting felt vivid, the characters’ ‘voices’ were convincing, and even the villains were reasonably well-drawn, with believable motivations (always a good thing). I’d definitely like to seek out Sebold’s two previous books.

Copy provided by NetGalley & Solaris books; in return for an honest review.

4.5/5
Babylon Steel is a debut work of a British author Gaie Sebold and as far as genres go, - difficult to slide in a certain slot. It's a fantasy, but there are portals which allow all sorts of creatures to travel from world to world, so maybe it's sci-fi as well, but what's important, - it's a fantastic book!

Babylon is one of those heroines we rarely see in fiction - she is a brothel owner, she participates in the trade, she is very comfortable in her own sexuality and she is a good fighter being an ex-mercenary and all that...

Scalentine, the planet she lives on has many portals and a lot of visitors from many worlds, it's a trade planet really. Babylon's crew reflects the various riff-raff you can meet on such planet - there are elves, green giants with superb culinary skills, there is a gruff and attractive were-creature sheriff and many many more.

Babylon herself not only works in the brothel and looks after her crew, she occasionally helps out people with her mercenary skills - she works as a sort of a private detective, and when a client asks her to find a missing girl from a rich and powerful family, she agrees to do so because A) she would never leave an innocent girl in trouble on the rough streets of Scalentine, B) the brothel is behind on paying tax and she needs the money urgently.

The book itself is split between Babylon's colourful past and present. The reason for it becomes known when her past catches up with present, and Babylon has to deal with everything at once - old prophecies involving the missing girl and old enemies which need to be vanquished once and for all.

The prose is colourful and beautiful, the characters jump from the pages of the book and grab your attention straight away. The plot separation on to past and present was a stroke of genius. The book becomes a puzzle which slowly assembles itself and at last you can see the whole picture.

To give you a slight spoiler, Babylon is way more than she seems. She might even be an ex-avatar of a once powerful goddess...

I recommend it to both sci-fi and fantasy lovers, and to everyone who wants to try something new. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Fun, adventurous Steampunk

The British Empire is on the rise, The (fairy) Folk on the wane but the Empire desires all. Caught in an act of deception by the implacable Mr Holmforth, Evvie is offered a stark choice: transportation to the colonies, or an education – and utter commitment to Her Majesty’s Service – at Miss Cairngrim’s harsh school for female spies.

Sebold is engaging writer, strong characters and nice world building rolled into a rollicking plot and this, the 1st in a new series, does not disappoint. For Eveline Duchen (aka Sparrow) is a wonderful character to spend time with and shines amongst a cast of inventors and spies, greedy business men and nasty predators, stern teachers and half Fae wanderers. The world building is deft, with research imbuing the story rather that weighing it down and is used to bat away the blindness most Steampunk has toward the Victorian era and the British Empire. Fun though in its maturity and the large female cast are downright refreshing. China and London shine (although more China please) and there are airships and new-fangled contraptions that jostle up against a tantalising magical cast.

If anything, it suffers a bit from setup as the plot’s pacing seems to become a bit unfocused in the latter part which is such a shame after its strong start. Still it thoroughly whets the appetite for more and that can only be a good thing.½

Babylon Steel is a former mercenary turned madam and now runs a brothel in a place called Scalentine, a world of portals which draws many disparate characters from the other planes it connects to. Babylon is happy in her work but has not been that great at keeping on top of the accounts so, with a large tax bill to pay, reluctantly agrees to a job from the mysterious Darask Fain. He wants her to find a missing heiress who was due to be married in a few days. Did the girl vanish willingly to avoid an unwanted marriage or is foul play involved? It's up to Babylon to find out and she hasn't got long to do it to earn the pay-day she needs. There's also a second thread to this book that runs concurrently with the investigation which supplies the back-story of Babylon from her early beginnings to where she is now. It's a past that finally catches up to her during the search for the missing girl and it's fairly obvious that it's not going to end well for someone.

There's an interesting set of characters, from the tough but likeable female lead through her crew at the Red Lantern brothel (A long-time friend and mercenary companion who provides security, a Fey with limited magical ability, a troll who does the cooking and the S&M loving twins that reside in the basement) to Bitternut, the chief of police and were-creature, who provides an obvious romantic interest for Babylon and a few other secondary characters that may make an appearance in later books in the series. The world-building is also handled well. Scalentine provides a more than adequate setting for the bulk of the action and there is plenty of scope for expansion with the mysterious portals providing links to other planes. So with all the ingredients in place for an enjoyable fantasy novel it's a shame that it doesn't quite hit the mark for me and it's quite difficult to pin down exactly why this is. Despite being over 400 pages it would normally be a book that I would get through in a couple of days or three but it never once felt like a couldn't put it down type of read. Maybe it's because it has an urban fantasy type feel but with a high fantasy setting that throws me off a little. It's not a bad book by any means and hopefully the rating reflects this and as it is also a debut novel then hopefully there is room for improvement and I'm more than willing to give a sequel a try at some point.½

This was a strange book, at first i had a hard time to figure what it reminded me of, first I thought of Mos Eisley, then of Ankh-Morphok ... but finally i got it, it was Sigil, a place in the D&D cosmology. With that as a frame for the action everything went smother. The writing is of an average standard, good plot, not totally stereotypic characters ... but there is one real fail, and that is the erotica part ... when you write about a whore house you need to do one of two things, preferably just ignore the sex part and use the readers imagination, or, and this is seldom successful, write really really good sex scenes. You should not do as this author, use crude language to supplement the lame action. Had those scenes been edited out this book would probably get an another star...

Eveline Duchen Evvie Duchen, sharp Evvie, Evvie the sparrow, a spry little fringe-dweller alone in the crowd of them, always scraping for a crumb, always with one eye open for a bigger bird, or a cat, or a cruel boy with a stone is introduced to us whilst she is casing a posh house for a possible burglary. She is working for a female Fagin figure and feels it is much better to con and steal than it would be to sell her body. How she ended up being an orphan and street urchin means that certain gentlemen in the British government have taken an interest in her, and her education, and how she can affect the fate of the British empire, and the world.

A good blend of Dickens (you can’t help but compare to Oliver Twist), Folk tales (always nice to see Chinese trickster foxes), spy schools and a light steampunkness - there are steam hansoms, airships (of course) and the plot revolves around “Etheric science”. However the steampunk is very much a background, a plot device for sure, but this story is much more a character journey and the character is really engaging. What was really refreshing for me was that there were poor people in this & Sebold manages to turn a story that is basically about a 15 year old girl going to boarding school into an enthralling read. There are few off notes (although I think the ending felt a little too neat) and I’d really recommend this to anyone, whether you’re a fan of steampunk or not. There are hints that this is a world that the author may visit again in the future and if she does I’d be willing to revisit too even though I’m still hoping for another Babylon Steel book….

Overall – Intelligent & fun steampunk. Worth a visit.

Rollicking good fantasy

Babylon Steel, tough ex-mercenary and owner of the exclusive Scarlet Lantern brothel is tempted away to a city on the verge of civil war to act as a bodyguard/spy for the most explosive local candidate who is just trying to being peace.

Sequel in the fantastic fantasy adventure series with the hugely engaging, refreshingly modern, kick-ass Babylon Steel whose money troubles drag her into fun adventure, this time outside her home portal city of Scalatine. The pacing is spot on and this time round the plot fits together very nicely and since Sebold's characters are superb I had a lot of fun.

It does take place away so lack of the old cast but the world of portals is fun to explore and nicely linked to the previous book, whilst managing to standalone. I do recommend you read them in order though, for full effect.

I am really looking forward to next one, future plots have been teasingly displayed and I love spending time there. Recommended to all lovers of fantasy and adventure.½