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Richard Dee
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The Rocks of Aserol: A Horis Strongman Steampunk Adventure Kindle Edition

by Richard Dee (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 21 ratings

In Norlandia, a world of Steam and Clockwork, one man knows too much...

Horis Strongman, from the Ministry of Coal, discovers a secret, deep underground.

It could change the world, but anything that alters the balance of power will strike fear into the elite.

They want him and those around him silenced, by any means. He’s blamed for a disaster and forced to run for his life.

He has allies. Maloney, an ex-soldier with a mechanical arm and Grace, the chambermaid from his hotel.

There is nobody else he can trust.

They must keep him alive, to help him prove his innocence.

One thing is for certain. His life, and Norlandia itself, will never be the same again.

Read it now, then continue the adventure in the sequel, A New Life in Ventis.

“An old-fashioned adventure in the tradition of HG Wells and Jules Verne.” Amazon review.

"What an absolutely fantastic read. Every turn of the page fuelled my imagination."

"The good guys are likeable; the bad guys detestable, a damsel is in distress and the white knight is on his way to save her. What else could a reader want?"

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  1. Book 1 of 2
    Horis Strongman
  2. Print length
    278 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    September 25, 2017
  6. File size
    1.8 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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There are 2 books in this series.
This option includes 2 books.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Richard Dee's work:
"Fascinating lead character and intricately plotted."

"If you love sci-fi you will love this book."

"A great story, immersive, atmospheric, and very, very entertaining."

"Starts out fast and keeps going. A wonderful read." "While The Rocks of Aserol is undoubtedly an old-fashioned adventure in the tradition of HG Wells and Jules Verne, it is also clearly and quietly subversive. At every step along the way, the rulers and leaders of society are shown with their feet of clay, just as their religion of science is exposed for both its miraculous advances and its deadly costs."
"The Rocks of Aserol goes for the heroic adventure, romanticism of gorgeous "artisan" build machines, and nostalgia for a manners-driven bygone era. But author Richard Dee just as cleverly deconstructs all of that as he exposes and makes no apologies for the deadly costs of such progress. The characters begin as stock genre cutouts, but soon develop into well-rounded three dimensional people that you find yourself caring about, while the pace of the story is well-suited to the ups and downs of an old-fashioned adventure thriller. I wouldn't hesitate to give it four stars and to look forward to the sequel."

"The Rocks of Aserol is an entertaining read for lovers of steampunk, general adventures and conspiracy stories. The action is good and entertaining. The good guys are likeable; the bad guys detestable, a damsel is in distress and the white knight is on his way to save her. What else could a reader want?"

"Richard Dee has created a world that has everything I have come to expect from a steam-punk setting, with villains of questionable morality, intentions hidden behind a mask of politeness, and subtle intrigue and plots to keep you entertained. If you read in this genre and appreciate these qualities then you will find yourself satisfied by the dialogue, the attitudes, and the morality that is rich in these stories."

"The individual steam-punk elements that the author has created fit so perfectly into the world around them that I cannot help but be impressed. I took some time to think about this as I have read many stories in this genre full of fantastic devices. The reason which presented itself to me was that all of these devices, including steam-powered walking exo-suits, all had a purpose to be fulfilled in the world. These weren't fantastic for the sake of the rule of cool, they also had purpose, and you could see that they'd evolved mechanically alongside the world around them, which offers a depth to the setting that is sometimes missing in other novels in the same genre."

"The Rocks of Aserol is an entertaining read, full of intrigue, action, and a liberal dose of steampunk. It is well-written and immersive, with a love story full of romance and rescue."

Review

Praise for Richard Dee's work:
"Fascinating lead character and intricately plotted."

"If you love sci-fi you will love this book."

"A great story, immersive, atmospheric, and very, very entertaining."

"Starts out fast and keeps going. A wonderful read."

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B075XLKBF2
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ 4Star Scifi
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 25, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.8 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 278 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0995458109
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 2 ‏ : ‎ Horis Strongman
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 21 ratings

About the author

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Richard Dee

Richard Dee

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I’m Richard Dee and I’m from Brixham in Devon.

I write all kinds of speculative fiction, from Science Fiction and Steampunk to sci-fi crime and psychological thrillers.

Forty years at sea gave me the ideas, I just changed the names and set them in the future or in an alternative now.

All my work is fuelled by black coffee and homemade digestive biscuits.

You can keep up with me at https://richarddeescifi.co.uk/ where you’ll find free short stories, regular features on writing, book reviews and guest appearances from other great authors.

I can also be contacted at richarddeescifi@gmail.com

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
21 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Ian
    5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating Steampunk Reading
    Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    I’ve only read about ten steampunk novels to date, which I guess makes me a light reader of the genre. That said, this is by far the best one I’ve picked up. The author establishes a sense of period so convincingly in the opening chapters that I felt transported to his world, mind, body, and soul. You can barely go a paragraph without some devilishly clever steampunk device implicating itself into the story. The grimy, sooty, coal-infested cities of a steampunk age are felt no less viscerally. But for all the awesome world-building, you can’t have a great novel without great characters; they have to be even more alluring.

    I took immediately to the coal mining company’s representative, from whose perspective the story is told, Horis Strongman. On the surface he’s little more than a rule-abiding bureaucrat who has been chosen for the job because he’s expendable. Maybe so, but in character he’s surely not lacking. Seeing him move along his character arc from someone of total innocence at being chosen to be the company’s fall guy and to be implicated in a horrific mining accent to one where he slowly becomes aware of just how corrupt the company officials are that he works for is something to behold. There are forces at play so beyond Horis’s paygrade and understanding that there appears little chance of his ever getting to the root of things, especially when that conspiracy extends to the most powerful people in the country.

    Horis finds assistance in two very unlikely characters, a one-handed ex-military man now working at his hotel, and a fellow hotel clerk, a lovely Victorian-era woman who fancies him. Not much of a posse considering what they’re up against. Still the underdogs are as colorful and picaresque as the era itself.

    Follow them into a world of intrigue and corruption that seems surprisingly modern for this alternate-history piece. For those who need something more than ahead-of-its-time science and technology, considering we’re in the Victorian era, please note the dragons, referred to as drogans. Making this a bit of a fantasy/sci-fi hybrid. The mix is intoxicating fun in any case.

    Recommended for fans of Steampunk.
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  • Ray
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good after...
    Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    You’ll understand when you read this fine journey. What a great, believable journey this one was as well! Enjoy for yourself!
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  • Marc
    4.0 out of 5 stars a steampunk story with plenty of style
    Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2016
    The Rocks of Aserol is a steam-punk novel written by Richard Dee, which follows the adventure of an unfortunate civil servant as he becomes embroiled in a plot that is so much bigger than he can ever imagine. He must travel across the entire continent and risk being silenced the whole way for the good of king and country. Patriotism is all well and good until your country decides to sacrifice you and the people you care about for the good of the whole.

    Richard Dee has created a world that has everything I have come to expect from a steam-punk setting, with villains of questionable morality, intentions hidden behind a mask of politeness, and subtle intrigue and plots to keep you entertained. If you read in this genre and appreciate these qualities then you will find yourself satisfied by the dialogue, the attitudes, and the morality that is rich in these stories.

    The individual steam-punk elements that the author has created fit so perfectly into the world around them that I cannot help but me impressed. I took some time to think about this as I have read many stories in this genre full of fantastic devices. The reason which presented itself to me was that all of these devices, including steam-powered walking exo-suits, all had a purpose to be fulfilled in the world. These weren’t fantastic for the sake of the rule of cool, they also had purpose, and you could see that they’d evolved mechanically alongside the world around them, which offers a depth to the setting that is sometimes missing in other novels in the same genre.

    The villain of the story is a difficult man to class in terms of good or evil. I think it would be fair to say that he isn’t either. He is a man who, above all things, looks out for the good of his country. His place in the plot is to try and silence rumours about the Rocks of Aserol, and although this is bad news for the main characters, who don’t want to be silenced, his motivation isn’t for the sake of injuring them specifically, just keeping the secret. That being said he is given plenty of situations to prove his steely resolve, and this plotting chess-master style villain is a staple of the genre, and for very good reason.

    As mentioned previously the world-building aspect of this book are some of my favourites, and my second reason for this is that the world isn’t static. Many worlds I have read are amazingly detailed, but also hopelessly static and unchanging. In this book one of the main plot points is change, as the world discovers new resources and new technologies, and, with eerie symmetry with our own world, fight to control those resources. Richard’s world is constantly evolving in the book and I am eager to read more to watch what path the world takes.

    If I have one criticism about this book it is the passive main character. He began well enough, getting stuck into his duties despite unfamiliar circumstances. But after the first quarter of the book he was put in the back seat and did very little of use in the following story, being overruled by the soldiers who had more experience with what was happening. I personally feel that the main character should have been the doorman/soldier, as it felt that the author was having more fun writing him than the protagonist. Not every protagonist should be an action hero, but for those quieter more intellectual heroes, I think the story should have been altered to match, and give him moments to shine.

    To conclude I would say that this was a thoroughly enjoyable book, and if you are a fan of the steampunk genre then you can’t go wrong picking up this book. Although the story doesn’t stray far from traditional steampunk tropes this isn’t a bad thing at all and leaves this book a solid contribution to a growing genre.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Chris leach
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    What an absolutely fantastic read. Every turn of the page fuelled my imagination. Its just a shame that it had to end.
    Richard Dee has done it again.
    Report
  • Julia Neher
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very nice read
    Reviewed in Germany on February 3, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    At first, I was somewhat disappointed because of the slow start. Then I got drawn in and enjoyed the stroyline as well as the word building. I loved how from the start you get a feeling that something's not right which slowly buids up suspense. I bought the second volume an am looking forward to reading it.
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