Jack Cloudie [Hardcover]

"Jack Cloudie" is the 5th instalment in Hunt's Jackelian far future sort-of-steampunk sequence, and I found it one of the most enjoyable to date, a straightforward adventure epic with plenty of derring do which reminded me of Rider Haggard or (The Lost World) Conan Doyle crossed with CS Forrester's "Hornblower".

If you haven't read the previous volumes - The Court of the Air, The Kingdom Beyond the Waves, The Rise of the Iron Moon and Secrets of the Fire Sea - then a bit of background may help understand "Jack Cloudie". The time is thousands of years from now, at least one Ice Age having passed since our day, and the world is divided between states that both resemble, and differ from, our own. The most notable differences are in technology, with electricity having become dangerous and hard to control. Instead of computers, vast steam-driven "transaction engines" - sort of super Babbage machines - carry out computations, and sentient versions of them run in the "steammen", intelligent automatons who have their own "Free State".

Within this setting, Hunt's central focus is the Kingdom of Jackals, a distorted version of late 18th/ early 19th century England (not Britain) - a land of sturdy yeomen (and unspeakable slums) guarded against knavish foreign plots by its fleet of airships, which are manned by the "Jack Cloudies" of the title. There is a conscious echo of the John Bull self assurance of that age, the Jackelians viewing foreigners with suspicion, lauding Jackals as the home of democracy, and dwelling on the virtues of good honest beef.

This world gives Hunt a lot of scope for exploring different themes. Originally, Jackals was watched over and guarded by the mysterious "Court" of the first book, but that is gone now. In the last book there was an excursion to a distant island kingdom, threatened by an enemy from its past. In earlier volumes the world itself was under alien threat and there was even space and time travel. Those elements perhaps felt slightly grafted on to the basic theme. However, in "Jack Cloudie" things are calmer and less epic, and I think the book is all the better for that. The "calmness" is relative - the book features an aerial war between the southern empire of Casarabia (think sand, camels, court intrigue) and Jackals. Casarabia is ruled by the Sultan Eternal and practices a different kind of science from Jackals, its "womb mages" being masters of what we would call genetic engineering. Hitherto, the Sultan has not been able to field an airship fleet, giving Jackals a permanent military edge. Now, however, things have been evened up, and the Kingdom faces a deadly threat. A couple of Jackalian spies are therefore sent in an airship recovered from the breaker's yard, with a crew of jailbirds, to try and restore the status quo.

At the same time, Casarabia itself is beset by internal power struggles, not unconnected with the rise of the new technology. As these two strands come together, Hunt builds up to a revelation that shows there is real moral complexity to what is going on. Nobody emerges with much credit, with the survival of Jackals dependent, in the end, on the perpetuation of truly distasteful - one might even say evil practices by the womb mages. But would the alternative be even worse?

In short, this instalment is not only fun, but thought provoking and a fine addition to the sequence, and I hope that next year's The Deep Dark is as good.

All that said, I do have to say something about the cover. The previous books in this series have been graced by beautiful line drawings reflecting both the spirit of adventure in the stories and the pseudo Victorian setting. Now, we are presented with what seems like a stock image from the steam punk clip art disc, indistinguishable from every other book in the genre. It is ghastly, and doesn't come near near to doing this book justice. I do hope the publishers come to their senses on this and return to the previous style. (I also hope they publish a hardback edition, as it's next to impossible to keep the paperback in good condition as a book to keep - but maybe that's me being fussy). Anyway, don't be put off by the cover, do buy and read this book.

I love a great bit of Steampunk and striking out in a world of his own choosing Stephen returns with a brand new cast, a cracking lead and an overall arc that really is mind boggling. Add to this Stephen's own writing style that those who remember The Crown and the Dragon fell in love with, great prose alongside an I can do it attitude and it's a tale that really keeps on giving that sets the tone for future adventures.

All in this title was a hell of a lot of fun and with an extremely intelligent as well as gifted antihero in the lead it was one that takes the reader on a journey that few others would tread as the character could just as likely have ended up being detestable. For god, for the Sovereign and for Country provided that self-interest is looked after first. Cracking fun.

Thanks to his father's gambling debts, young Jack Keats finds himself on the streets trying to graft enough coin to keep him and his two younger brothers fed.

When a daring bank robbery goes awry, Jack narrowly escapes the scaffold on to be pressed into the Royal Aerostatical Navy. Assigned to the most useless airship in the fleet, serving under a captain who's is most probably mad, Jack seems to be bound for almost certain death in the far-away deserts of Cassarabia.

Meanwhile on the other side of the world, Omar ibn Barir, the slave of a rich merchant lord, is unexpectedly freed and enters into the service of the Caliph's military forces - just as war is brewing.

Two very similar young men prepare to face each other across senseless field of war. But is Omar the enemy, or is Jack's true nemesis the sickness at the heart of the Caliph's court? If Jack and his shipmates can discover what Cassarabia's aggressive new regime is trying to conceal, he might survive the most horrific of wars and clear his family's name. If not...

I have to admit that prior to picking up Jack Cloudie I hadn't read any of Stephen Hunt's previous novels. I'd heard his name mentioned around the Internet but I had never considered actively seeking out any of his work. What changed then? Why am I reviewing the fifth book in an ongoing series? Shortly after my last birthday at the end of July I was in my local bookshop and I spotted the cover for the book. A Victorian gentleman dressed to the nines with a top hat and cane. In the background, airships float in the evening sky. I have to admit I was intrigued and decided, on the strength of this cover, I'd give the book a go.

I am so glad I went with my gut and took a chance on this. Hunt's writing has a splendidly evocative feel about. I was quickly drawn in to the tale of escalating conflict between two warring nations on an alternate Earth. Jack Cloudie follows the forces of The Kingdom of the Jackals, think a steam-powered Victorian-era British Empire, in their war with the Cassarabians, an empire in the Middle East who favour biotechnology over the steam engine.

Caught in the middle of various political machinations the reader is introduced to Jack Keats and Omar ibn Barir. The two young men have been forced, due to circumstance, to grow up before their time. Each is trying hard to survive as events spiral out of control all around them. Initially there are two separate narrative strands that alternate, following each of the young men independently, but eventually the two meet as the novel hurtles toward an epic climax where the fate of nations will be decided.

The fantastical elements of this story are where the writing really excels. The Royal Aerostatical Navy airship, The Iron Partridge, is a great setting for Jack's induction into the military. The term `Jack Cloudie' is the nickname that refers to those that serve on the ship. Each of characters Keats comes into contact with is vividly realised. A personal favourite for me was John Oldcastle, who I believe appeared under a different guise in a number of previous novels.

Meanwhile Omar is introduced to the biologicks (bio-engineered creatures) created by the Cassarabians priesthood. Due to a lack of the resources the Jackals use the Cassarabians have been forced to develop their technology in a completely different way. The different biologick variants have been designed to do everything. They form the bodyguard for the Eternal Caliph, act as beasts of burden, even draw salt from sea water.

Jack Cloudie is real rollercoaster of a novel. Loads of fast paced action sprinkled with intelligent characterisation and memorable events. Stephen Hunt has created a fully realized world featuring some truly inventive ideas. The good news is that there are another four novels prior to Jack Cloudie set in the same shared universe that I can look forward to reading. The great news is that there is another book due for release in the future. This is a splendid, self-contained tale that was a delight to read.