The Falling Machine (The Society of Steam, Book One) [Paperback]

Andrew P. Mayer (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 24, 2011 | Series: The Society of Steam (Book 1)

In 1880 women aren't allowed to vote, much less dress up in a costume and fight crime...

But twenty-year-old socialite Sarah Stanton still dreams of becoming a hero. Her opportunity arrives in tragedy when the leader of the Society of Paragons, New York's greatest team of gentlemen adventurers, is murdered right before her eyes. To uncover the truth behind the assassination, Sarah joins forces with the amazing mechanical man known as The Automaton. Together they unmask a conspiracy at the heart of the Paragons that reveals the world of heroes and high-society is built on a crumbling foundation of greed and lies. When Sarah comes face to face with the megalomaniacal villain behind the murder, she must discover if she has the courage to sacrifice her life of privilege and save her clockwork friend.

The Falling Machine (The Society of Steam, Book One) takes place in a Victorian New York powered by the discovery of Fortified Steam, a substance that allows ordinary men to wield extraordinary abilities, and grant powers that can corrupt gentlemen of great moral strength. The secret behind this amazing substance is something that wicked brutes will gladly kill for and one that Sarah must try and protect, no matter what the cost.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Andrew P. Mayer's The Falling Machine enjoys the promise of a glorious conceit that the book delivers on—steampunk superheroes in Gilded Age New York City. The first of Mayer's Society of Steam trilogy, this book offers cocked-eyed adventure and the high camp of steampunk wrapped around a story of moral choice, family loyalty and the ultimate question of who gets to be counted as a person. A ripping yarn that strikes all the right notes, The Falling Machine will delight and entertain you." --Jay Lake, Campbell Award winning author of Mainspring and Green

"If Stan Lee had lived in the 1880s, this is the book he would have written—steampunk superheroes. Filled with larger than life characters, cliffhanger action, and ingenious gadgets so richly realized you'll feel the steam hissing from them, at its heart, it's a two-fisted meditation on the mythic glories of heroism and the tragic frailties of the heroes themselves." --Clay & Susan Griffith, authors of The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire Book 1)

About the Author

Andrew P. Mayer is the author of a short comic story titled "Om Nom Nom" published by Dark Horse Comics. The story was anthologized in Myspace Dark Horse Presents Anthology #3 and in New Creepy Anthology. He currently works as a game designer, workin with a number of different companies developing games for Facebook.

Previously he worked as a game designer and creative director for Sony Psygnosis, the Cartoon Network, and PlayFirst Games. Visit Andrew at andrewpmayer.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 285 pages
• Publisher: Pyr (May 24, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1616143754
• ISBN-13: 978-1616143756
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Andrew Mayer currently lives high atop Potrero Hill in San Francisco, California. He often stares out across the city and wonders just how it is that no matter how far he goes he always ends up back here.

When he isn't dreaming up new worlds of his own, he works as a Digital Media Strategist, helping people to create and recreate their own interactive realities.

His most recent novel is "Power Under Pressure", the final volume in his Steampunk superhero trilogy, The Society of Steam.

He posts his thoughts on writing and media at www.andrewpmayer.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Slow Pace and Distracting Errors Interfere with Story August 24, 2011

By A B Adams

Format:Paperback

Several reviewers have already commented on THE FALLING MACHINE's slow pace, and I agree in particular with someone's statement that it reads too much like an intended comic book. That might sound strange considering the appeal for most readers will be the Victorian superhero scenario. I, too, was drawn in by that concept. That said, it was Justin Gerard's cover art that caught my attention, with the book itself falling short of its expectation. This may speak to the need for the visual side of the superhero genre. However, with or without the illustrations, many superhero stories succeed by merit of their complex characters, whereas THE FALLING MACHINE resorts too comfortably to stereotypes. None of the old men are any better than the sum of their steampunk costumes, and the villains--crucial to any superhero story--are all but invisible throughout.

What I haven't seen mentioned yet is something that proved highly distracting, which was the book's large amount of typos--usually missing words or spelling errors. Whether or not these were the author's original errors, the fact that so many exist in the published book (I'd say one every two pages or so) isn't a great advertisement for the publisher. Though a minor consideration in a stronger, more established work, something like this can be a death sentence for a debut novel, especially when combined with its other weaknesses. For me, these included a lack of perspective (never seeing or understanding the things that seemed most interesting), a plot that progressed far too slowly, and untapped potential in a setting and era that should have provided as much historical, atmospheric, and psychological context as some reviewers have claimed they did.

While I may have read the sequel if it had belonged to this volume, I don't care enough about the story now to go out and get the rest of it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Steampunk + Superheroes = Fantastic debut June 15, 2011

By Josh Smith

Format:Paperback

I'll be honest. I didn't research this book before I bought it. I knew nothing of the author, or the plot, or any other significant details. I picked it up on a whim on my last visit to the bookstore. And somehow, it turned out to be one of the better novels I've read this year.

The story goes like this (spoiler free!): Sarah Stanton, daughter of one of the leaders of the Paragons, a group of heroes that protect New York City, witnesses the murder of one of the founders of the same group, and becomes embroiled in a large scale plot that deals with themes of betrayal, aging, and the advent of technology, and the dangers and wonders that come with it. Also, last but not least, it muses on what really makes a hero, beyond a mask and fancy leather costume. The story manages to be easy to follow and fun, while addressing topics that can get pretty heavy.

This is one of the best concepts for a steampunk novel I've ever seen. I've always wanted to like this genre more than the novels I've read in it have allowed me to. But too many of them get caught up in reveling in their own creativity, wanting to put their ideas for cool, weird technology in the forefront and putting character development and story into the proverbial caboose.

But this novel never falls into that trap. It's tight, consistent, and uses the setting and genre as frosting on the cake. The focus is always on the story, which never really has a slow point that made me want to stop reading. That's when you know you have a good novel on your hands.

Seriously. If you've wanted to like Steampunk, enjoy the idea of superheroes in the 1880s, or just love a novel with vivid characters and a beautiful, creative world, get this book.

You'll be glad you did. Now to wait until November to read the second one...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother February 13, 2012

By P. Boynton

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The author needs to become more skilled at characterization and plot, not to mention if you are going to do steampunk, you should not be writing in a modern mindset, with modern mannerisms.
If is a boring book, that simply go set in the steampunk milieu.