#40 Steel by Carrie Vaughn
After losing a vital fencing match, sixteen-year-old Jill can't help but question her devotion to the sport. Not even a trip to the Caribbean
beaches can cheer her up. Then she discovers a broken piece of an ancient, rusted blade buried in the beach. Against her will, Jill is transported to the past, and finds herself on the deck of a pirate ship, Diana. Not liking the sound of imprisonment, Jill agrees to join the crew and serve on the ship, but she can't help but wonder how she will ever get home.
Dragons, Greek mythology, werewolves, superheroes, and (in this case) pirates. Is there any geek genre that Carrie Vaughn will not tackle? Better known for her adult fiction, Steel is Vaughn's second young adult novel (the first being Voices of Dragons). The result is a nautical tale filled with plenty of swashbuckling, and adventure. Perhaps the most noticeable thing about Steel is the attention paid to the art of fencing, and the day to day life of pirates. The fencing scenes are filled with plenty of detail, giving it a feeling of authenticity. When it comes to the pirate lifestyle, Vaughn is not afraid to display the more every-day aspect of pirates (sword fighting is fun and all, but eventually you need to clean to ship), which also makes the story feel more authentic. The novel is filled with a handful of rather memorable characters, especially the strong and competent Captain Cooper. Steel moves at a solid steady pace and reads smoothly from start to finish, with a really suspenseful ending.
There's plenty to enjoy about Steel, but it's far from Vaughn's strongest work. Most of the books problem stem from a overall feeling of vagueness that plagues quite a bit of the novel. Yes, the nautical and fencing parts were great, but a lot of the novel seems to be drawn with too broad a strokes. This is the most obvious with the fantasy aspects of the novel. We're told about magic swords and blood magic, but these elements are never developed upon. The result is that they feel like token fantasy elements that are just thrown in to keep the story moving where it needs to go, which just seems sloppy. At times, I felt the same way about historical elements in the novel. Big issues like gender and race feel kind of glossed over. I think it's great that we have a tough female pirate captain (she was one of my favorite characters), but what does it mean to be a tough female pirate captain in an era where being a tough female captain isn't exactly a typical career path for women? This feeling of vagueness extends to characterization and results in relationships that never feel as deep as they should be. We have a light romance that's nice, kind of unnecessary. Also, the relationship between Jill and Cooper doesn't feel as well developed as we're lead to believe.
Steel may be a flawed novel, but it's ultimately far from a bad book. I'd recommend it for people looking for a light, fun read, especially if you're a fan of pirates and sword fights.
Rating: three and a half stars
Length: 291 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Similar books: L.A. Meyer's Bloody Jack Series, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by AVI
Next I will be reviewing Specials by Scott Westerfeld
xposted to temporaryworlds , bookish , and goodreads
beaches can cheer her up. Then she discovers a broken piece of an ancient, rusted blade buried in the beach. Against her will, Jill is transported to the past, and finds herself on the deck of a pirate ship, Diana. Not liking the sound of imprisonment, Jill agrees to join the crew and serve on the ship, but she can't help but wonder how she will ever get home.
Dragons, Greek mythology, werewolves, superheroes, and (in this case) pirates. Is there any geek genre that Carrie Vaughn will not tackle? Better known for her adult fiction, Steel is Vaughn's second young adult novel (the first being Voices of Dragons). The result is a nautical tale filled with plenty of swashbuckling, and adventure. Perhaps the most noticeable thing about Steel is the attention paid to the art of fencing, and the day to day life of pirates. The fencing scenes are filled with plenty of detail, giving it a feeling of authenticity. When it comes to the pirate lifestyle, Vaughn is not afraid to display the more every-day aspect of pirates (sword fighting is fun and all, but eventually you need to clean to ship), which also makes the story feel more authentic. The novel is filled with a handful of rather memorable characters, especially the strong and competent Captain Cooper. Steel moves at a solid steady pace and reads smoothly from start to finish, with a really suspenseful ending.
There's plenty to enjoy about Steel, but it's far from Vaughn's strongest work. Most of the books problem stem from a overall feeling of vagueness that plagues quite a bit of the novel. Yes, the nautical and fencing parts were great, but a lot of the novel seems to be drawn with too broad a strokes. This is the most obvious with the fantasy aspects of the novel. We're told about magic swords and blood magic, but these elements are never developed upon. The result is that they feel like token fantasy elements that are just thrown in to keep the story moving where it needs to go, which just seems sloppy. At times, I felt the same way about historical elements in the novel. Big issues like gender and race feel kind of glossed over. I think it's great that we have a tough female pirate captain (she was one of my favorite characters), but what does it mean to be a tough female pirate captain in an era where being a tough female captain isn't exactly a typical career path for women? This feeling of vagueness extends to characterization and results in relationships that never feel as deep as they should be. We have a light romance that's nice, kind of unnecessary. Also, the relationship between Jill and Cooper doesn't feel as well developed as we're lead to believe.
Steel may be a flawed novel, but it's ultimately far from a bad book. I'd recommend it for people looking for a light, fun read, especially if you're a fan of pirates and sword fights.
Rating: three and a half stars
Length: 291 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Similar books: L.A. Meyer's Bloody Jack Series, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by AVI
Next I will be reviewing Specials by Scott Westerfeld
xposted to temporaryworlds , bookish , and goodreads