First of all, I loved this book. I’m not a big fantasy/steampunk person, but the plot behind this book was amazing! To start off, I don’t usually like prologues, but the one here beautifully set up the world in the book by showing the day of “the Great Storm,” when Espers, people with super powers, were created.

In the world created by Egan Brass, there are a handful of good Espers who train at the Institute and set out to stop the bad. Now, there’s a new storm coming because the bad Espers aren’t just getting out of hand, they’re joining up to do so! Right away, chapter one starts with action, and I just didn’t want to stop reading from there. The characters are witty and humorous, Nathan is my personal favorite, and I felt their characterization was really well done.

The array of different powers by the Espers was also very well-written. Perfect score on my radar!
( )

The 'Esper Files' by Egan Brass is a Steam Punk Mystery novel featuring beings with peculiar Psionic abilities, which range from teleportation to the ability to replicate the power of another Esper, whatever that may be.

The story follows Nathan, a highly skilled Esper and operative of The Institute, a place created for the safety of other Espers. When the infamous Baron captures a young Esper by the code name Siren, the race is on for Nathan and his colleagues to come to his rescue.

Various perspectives are explored in this novel. We see through the eyes of Nathan, The Baron, Shadow (a ruthless assassin,) as well as those of The Siren and his sister Freya. Each accounts their personal experience as The Baron plots to steal all power for himself.

Nathan provides the main perspective, lending a thrilling and at times sarcastically witty feel to events. The setting of old time London really suited the storyline and its Victorian like super-thugs. I felt a strong connection to the characters, particularly to Cyrus (The Siren) as I am on the Autistic Spectrum myself.

The Institute members act as one, a true family, which seems to be a central theme to this book. Other obvious themes include the corruption of power and greed to individuals. A fascinating tale of strange abilities being used for both good and evil, of family, and drama.

A worthwhile read. 5/5 stars. ( )

This is a book that immediately appealed to me because it contains a bit of paranormal, steampunk, fantasy, mystery and suspense, and I was not disappointed. The premise is unique - that people basically received paranormal abilities due to an explosion of a machine demonstrating electromagnetic energy. Each of the characters in the book were very well-drawn and I enjoyed the fast pace and atmospheric setting. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys these genres. You will be pleasantly surprised by what an enjoyable and well-written book this is. ( )

This steampunk novel, set in Victorian London, starts with a person named The Professor demonstrating a new energy machine. The major consequence of its untimely explosion is that twenty percent of the world's population have had their latent mental or psychic abilities suddenly awakened. They have become Espers.

Fast forward a number of years. The Professor runs what looks like a private school, but is actually a place where young people who are Espers can be with others like them without fear of being hunted and feared. There is a young child, nicknamed The Siren, with a singing voice that is not to be believed. With his voice, he can reach into a person's soul, and cause feelings of joy, sadness or any other emotion. If a nefarious person is able to plant mind control instructions at such a moment of emotional openness, the proverbial sky is the limit.

An extremely shadowy figure called The Baron wants The Siren (his real name is Cyrus) no matter what. A trio of murderous harpies are sent to get him. His adoptive parents are murdered, but Freya, his sister, escapes by unleashing some pent-up abilities of her own. Back in the day, The Professor and The Baron were colleagues.

Freya takes matters into her own hands when she and The Professor (and the other "good guys") don't share the same timetable for attacking The Baron's private estate to rescue Cyrus. She is captured, and nearly murdered, by a group of teenage Espers who agree to do anything The Baron wants.

The Baron makes his mind control move during a special performance by The Siren. Is there any way to "jam" his voice, or otherwise stop The Baron, once and for all? Is there going to be a sequel?

This is an excellent piece of writing. It has everything a person could want; a shadowy villain, plenty of action, strange mental abilities and murderous harpies. This will certainly keep the reader entertained. ( )

Espers were people with supernatural abilities. They came about when a professor created a machine that blew up causing 20% of the population to become Espers. Each one has a special ability such as turning their body to iron, spewing fire from their hand, teleportation or turning everything into ice to name a few. While most Espers use their powers for good, some were evil. Nathan and James were operatives of The Institute which was created as a safe place for Espers. They had the job of finding and stopping the evil Espers as well as their mastermind.

I was pleasantly surprised by this fast-paced supernatural fantasy. I honestly didn't expect to like it as much as I did. The idea of Espers was quite interesting. Not just the way they came to be but the abilities they had as well. While we do meet many characters this story Nathan is the main character. He was able to take on the abilities of others which was very draining for him. He was quite a likable fellow who was funny and sarcastic at times. However, this story was about Espers - the good and bad - with the characters just pulling the story together.

If you like action-packed supernatural fantasies, you should read Esper Files.

Please note that I received a complimentary copy but am reviewing it on my own as I do with everything I read. Not because I was asked to. ( )