[Book Review] The Olympian Affair

The Olympian Affair (Cinder Spires #2) / Jim Butcher 

Previously Reviewed:

It's been a long haul waiting for book two, and one that I didn't think was going to end.  In 2016, I described book one as an "air-ship filled rollicking adventure that brings to mind a mash-up of Shakespeare and The Princess Bride.  We have heroics, tempers, swashbuckling, dastardly villains, battles of wits, revenge, and maybe a little true love on the side.  This tome drops you into the story from page one and seems much shorter than its 750 pages."

So where are we in 2023?

Before reading this, I strongly advise you reread book one.  The cast is large, the book thick, and the two main warring governments are Spire Albion and Spire Aurora, so if you're like me and names blend together, remind yourself of who everyone is and the stage that has been set.

The Olympian Affair is a story of the maneuvering and politics after the war has started but before it has become an Official Political Fact, there's still a chance of heading things off or of making such a strong show that it stops in it's tracks, but the wheels are spinning.  The stakes are high and the outlook grim.

Many of things The Aeronaut's Windlass did well, The Olympian Affair continued.  The world building in particular stands out.  Details are revealed and expanded through the journey, shown through the experiences of the characters be it the familiar or the unusual.  Additionally, the world building directly supports and influences the narrative to good end.

The story solidly delivers intrigue, ship battles, and drama.

Where things fell short for me was the characters themselves.  I found most of them nearly interchangeable, the main characters are nearly all tall, well muscled, and exceptionally competent or noticeably short, well muscled, and exceptionally competent.  If female, prodigious curves are often mentioned.  If you want to read a story for strongly muscular women specifically, you should find this of interest.  Except for the Etherealists who dramatically stand out due to their various quirks, I had an easier time tracking secondary characters for their more distinctive details.

Here's where I also have to walk back part of my love for book one.  I delighted in Rowl in The Aeronaut's Windlass.  Unfortunately, and this might be too much of a good thing, we get a lot of Rowl... and a lot of Rowl bouncing off a younger version of himself in the form of a kitten who joins the party.  One cat that is being politely humored lends itself to some fun comedy, two cats with the same level of ego actively trying to undercut/show up the other while also needing to be politely humored is a lot.

Frustrations with characters aside, the story delivers on adventure and peril, and I cannot stress my appreciation for the world building in service of the story itself.  There is clearly another book coming, and there are far deeper mysteries to be uncovered in the lead up to the conclusion.

Advance Reader Copy courtesy of Ace (Penguin RandomHouse) in exchange for an honest review; changes may exist between galley and the final edition.

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