Aboard the Unstoppable Aerostat Fenris (The Steam and Steel Chronicles) [Kindle Edition]

Cameron Chapman (Author)

Book Description

When war breaks out in the Russian Empire, airship captain Stig Rayner has little choice but to bring along the teenage girl he found hiding out in his hangar as he flees the opening skirmishes. He has every intention of just dropping her off in the next port, when he picks up his cargo.

Isabelle Feeney Hemsworth has different ideas. Rayner could be her ticket out of the Empire. If she could just get back to London, where her brother still lives, then maybe she can finally get off the streets.

Aboard the Unstoppable Aerostat Fenris follows Isabelle and Stig from the East as they set out to deliver mysterious—and possibly dangerous—cargo to Iceland, before returning her to England.

Book One of The Steam and Steel Chronicles, Aboard the Unstoppable Aerostat Fenris details the adventures of Miss Isabelle Feeney Hemsworth and Captain Stig Rayner in an alternate steampunk Edwardian age.

Product Details

• File Size: 267 KB
• Print Length: 58 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Untime Press (February 2, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004M18Y9M
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #334,535 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A mixed review for a mixed tale May 17, 2011

By Emilie P. Bush

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This review I originally wrote for the Steampunk Chronicle on line. e.p.b.

I'm a fan of Indy Publishers. As I am one, I feel obligated to find and review other independent authors in Steampunk. Cameron Chapman's story - Aboard the Unstoppable Aerostat Fenris - has caught my attention, but I'm still not sure how to score this one.
I hope you noticed that I didn't call it a Steampunk novel, because it's not. It's more like the first quarter of a great Steampunk epic, both in length and in quality. The story follows Isabelle, an older teen street urchin who has been orphaned in Eastern Europe. She fends for herself fairly well, but longs to head back to London, the last known location of her older brother, where she hoped to find a better life. Isabelle escapes her life in the East when she joins company with an "I'm flying solo and I like it that way" type of airship captain - Stig Rayner. They pick up a shady cargo heading for Iceland (the hope being that Isabelle can be dropped off on the way in London).
At this point, I'm seeing some pretty conventional tropes bubbling to the surface: ship in a storm, sky pirates, May-December onboard romance, etc. But Cameron Chapman throws in a few really tasty and novel ideas as well: lusty sirens, and a bizarre creature that has a seemingly telepathic link with Isabelle being my favorites.
Sadly, like a toddler dropping the toy in hand when a new toy is presented, these interesting threads are dropped as quickly as they are found, which is really disappointing. In the end - and I was surprised it was the end of "book one", `cause it was just getting good, I felt a little cheated. And I mean this in the best possible way. There needed to be more. I wanted more. And it seems that Ms. Chapman provides more with "book" number two (almost equally short in word count), released just a month after Aboard the Unstoppable Aerostat Fenris. Will I read part two? Sure. She hooked me.
I have some high hopes for this second installment - The Great Healion Race. I am hoping her writing has had a chance to mature just a bit. For now, I am willing to look past some of the modern turns of phrase in her "Steampunk Edwardian age", as I am interested in watching Cameron Chapman's stories grow and evolve.

Review by Emilie P. Bush.
CoalCitySteam.com
Author of Chenda and the Airship Brofman and NEW in 2011 The Gospel According to Verdu.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars stig and isabelle ... steampunk heroes or victims? November 26, 2011

By Paranormal Fan

Format:Kindle Edition

things to like about this novella...
1. alternating 1st P POV between waif Isabelle and aerostat Fenris.
2. how they meet up and how their friend/crush relationship develops is intriguing and compelling.
3. siren mythology. classic sirens here folks. cool.
4. a technological marvel sounded promising.
5. main plot line was resolved by the end.
6. character driven adventure storyline.

things i didnt like...
1. novella length... more please.
2. not enough done with the technological marvel.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent start to a series September 6, 2011

By Blue Hue

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have to question some of the criticisms I've read about this story and others like it being "too short" or "incompete". A number of authors are publishing their novels in parts, or writing novellas or even short stories as part of what is, or will be, a novel-length story or series. I mean, what do you expect for 99 cents?

As for Ms. Chapman's story, I very much enjoyed what I've read so far and look forward to more in this series. If she chooses to publish the whole story of Isabel and Stig in 4 or 5 parts or even more, I will happily pay 99 cents apiece and consider it a bargain.

This is a touching romance in a steampunk setting with an interesting premise and likeable characters. Highly recommended.

More About the Author

Cameron Chapman is a professional blogger and author, who writes both fiction (including The Steam and Steel Chronicles) and non-fiction (including The Smashing Idea Book). Her upcoming works include additional steampunk novellas and novels, as well as a new paranormal romance series. She lives in northern New England.