Steampunk Adventure in the Yukon: Flash Gold by Lindsay Buroker (2011)

Smashwords / Amazon / Author’s Site

4/5 stars

Description:
Eighteen-year-old Kali McAlister wants to leave Moose Hollow forever. She enters a 3-day dog sled race to win the grand prize of a thousand dollars with her steam-powered “dogless” contraption.

While that’s already a lot of pressure–bandits, treasure seekers, and airship pirates are out to sabotage her race as they want to steal her father’s alchemical secret–the flash gold.

Review:
This is an enjoyable adventure novella. The steampunk creations fit well with the Yukon gold rush setting and adds a rich flavour to a fast-paced race and chase plot.

Kali is a fun heroine–she’s got moxie and a host of creative bombs and modified weapons. Her gadgeteer genius skills would make Tony Stark jealous. Most of her interaction with others take the form of banter and gunfire, which makes her my kind of lady.

She’s accompanied by Cedar, a mysterious sword-slinging bodyguard, and the dynamic between the two characters is brilliant. They don’t know what to make of each other, but they still manage to fight off bandits and saboteurs while dodging airborne harpoon attacks.

My only complaint is that it just feels like the beginning of an even bigger adventure, as some of the details are more like hints that teases the reader. The world of steampunk Yukon with Kali and Cedar is rich and promising–calling for a full-length novel. I suppose that’s more praise than complaint, because I’d be the first in line to read any sequels that Buroker releases next.

Review blogs such as the Fantasy Book Critic and SFBook Reviews have recently covered Buroker’s other work, Encrypted, and gave it very positive reviews. The Scattering will also be reviewing Encrypted in August. There’s a reason why her books are making waves in the blogosphere–she writes great SF and is definitely a new author to watch.

Other reviews of Flash Gold: Mythik Imagination, Reading the Paranormal.

You might like this if you like…
Steampunk, Jack London, YA with no vampires or paranormals, a good old 3-day sled race with an army of thugs ready to harpoon you

P.S. Lindsay Buroker over at her E-book Endeavors blog has some great posts about e-publishing and marketing. It’s a great site for anyone who’s interested in seeing how authors are doing it right in the new publishing age.