Wolves of the Northern Rift by Jon Messenger
Crimson Tree Publishing © 2015
Kindle Edition
Steampunk Fantasy
Reviewed by Leah
On GoodReads, they have a rating system involving stars. One star means 'did not like' while two stars means 'it was okay.' For me, this is a two star book. Because of me.
This was pretty much my first foray into the steampunk genre, but it wasn't a memorable journey and so I must say that this genre is not for me. That is not a criticism on the book, just the fact that it is a personal preference.
Summary:
In a kingdom that fears magic above everything else, the Royal Inquisitors are on the hunt for anything that may have drifted in from the Rift. Devoted to science and innovation, Inquisitor Simon Whitlock lives in a kingdom that has no patience for what they cannot understand. Knowing full well his duty and obligations, Simon travels from place to place looking for magical abominations, dragging along his friend, Luthor Strong, the apothecary.
When the town of Haversham reports werewolves haunting its tundra homeland, Simon is skeptical. Experience has taught him that reports are typically exaggerated, and humans often prove to be behind the monsters people see. Yet, a strange mystery awaits Simon and Luthor on the frozen wastelands. It seems that the werewolves are very much real, and have a very decided grudge against one man in particular. All too soon, Haversham proves to Inquisitor Whitlock that not all is as it seems, and some monsters are more dangerous than others.
Initial Thoughts:
I'd never gotten into steampunk, but when this book kept getting talked about around me, I knew I would have to find out for myself what was going on. It is a decision I do not regret, as it was a learning experience. One in which I learned that I do not enjoy steampunk settings much and the balance of the fantasy and the mechanical aspects of this world did not interest me much.
Characters:
Simon Whitlock is cunning, confident, and a bit of an idiot sometimes. At times, Simon was a condescending prat. If there is a fault to be given to any character, that would be his. The most frustrating part of this was that he had every right to be condescending. He was surrounded by people who were inferior to him in ability and wit. At times, Simon made the book. Other times, he was the reason I can't rate it above 'it was okay.' I think he's a very hit-or-miss kind of character for that reason.
Don't get me wrong, he's intelligent and witty which made him a smart, cohesive main character. There were very few things you wanted to yell at him for during the course of the novel. Yet, he also reminded me too much of Sherlock Holmes. (The forever-calm, less passionate novel/short story version, not the fun Robert Downey Jr. version.) In that way, whatever Simon is working on is always the focal point of the story, and any personal characteristics are left by the wayside. I guess what I'm trying to say is that there is no feeling of having the 'whole' story as opposed to having the 'conflict resolved' … if that makes any sense.
Also much like a character in Sherlock Holmes, we are given Luthor Strong. Except, his character more closely resembles the Dr. Watson played by Jude Law instead of the very placid portrayal given by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He's responsive, useful, and has a few tricks of his own up his sleeves. Luthor, in my opinion, was a far more worthy character than his counterpart. Where Simon acts out of his need to solve the case, Luthor acts with a much greater motive: to help. Luthor wants to help the werewolves, he wants to help Haversham, and he most especially wants to help Simon. All the while, he has to do his best to help himself. The dynamics of Luthor's character were much more intriguing than what Simon offered, I think.
Of course there are more characters, but I feel to expand on any of them would sort of spoil the book. As I am unwilling to do that, we'll just move on…
Plot & Setting:
Okay, so here's the thing about Steampunk: you HAVE to get the setting right. Habits, mannerism, dress, technology, etc. And Wolves delivered on that front.
Given that we get one city and a frozen tundra as our setting, one wouldn't expect that a lot could be done with that. Wolves sees your skepticism and raises you frozen hell! Keeping in mind the things that would be most likely to occur in a city stuck in a frozen wasteland, the author produced a realistic, practical way in which the people survived the obstacle known as the elements. Whether it be convenient tunnels beneath the city that were far more alive than the upper streets, or the need to unthaw the doors that led out of the city, it was everything you expected to happen in a city that sees more snow than sun.
The setting here was very properly portrayed and led to a realistic view of the city of Haversham.
Now let's talk plot. It was intriguing and full of potential. Without giving away spoilers, there's not much I can say. Yet, the way in which Simon and Luthor work to uncover all of the mysteries Haversham has to offer is a journey in itself. There were elements of the plot I enjoyed a great deal, but they were spread out so far that the momentum of one point was often diluted before it met up with its brethren. Though the plot in itself had a solid foundation, the pacing for it could have used some work.
Writing Style:
Other than the setting of a Steampunk, there's one other element that must be represented: writing in the style of the era. Jon Messenger also accomplishes this, but not in a way that induced me to want to continue. Honestly, this is my real barb as far as Steampunk goes. I do not like books that prattle on and on about details that hold no use to the plot. Unfortunately, in the Victorian Era, where Steampunk derives its roots, novels were often written with an excess amount of detail. They didn't trust their readers to use such nuisance things like imaginations, so the writers of that time gave them every detail so that they might see it as the author envisioned and in no other way. While the author does not pay us that great a disservice, to keep with the era, there were excessive, useless details shared with the readers. And while I appreciate that he kept to his genre and expressed it well enough, I know that it is not to my taste. So this is a case of: it's me, not the author.
Overall Opinion/Rant Column:
As far as the book itself goes, it just wasn't for me. While I love my paranormal, I couldn't get past the excessive detail enough to like the book itself. That simply means that this genre is not for me, and is not a reflection on the quality of the book in itself.
However …
And this is a BIG one …
What IS a reflection on this book is the very poor editing job that it received. Personally, I am tired of having to point this out every time I read a CTP book. When I read a book from either Clean Teen or Crimson Tree Publishing, my first thought upon noticing SEVERAL errors should not be that 'this is standard fare from this company.' That is unacceptable. And while it has no bearing on this book, the fact that I found so many simple problems is enough for me to want to scream.
At this point, I am just going to point it out at the end of every review where I find issues such as these and hope that this company realizes that it needs a few more editors on staff before they publish. Or they need to give the books more time before their signing date and release date in order to do a proper job of it. This is no reflection on the people devoting their lives to giving their readers stories, but quality must come before quantity or speed. As a business, this needs to be a requirement. *End of Rant*
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