Review: A Matter of Execution by Nicholas & Olivia Atwater

A Matter of Execution by Nicholas & Olivia Atwater

Timy reviews A Matter of Execution, a prequel novella in the Tales of the Iron Rose steampunk fantasy series by Nicholas & Olivia Atwater.

About the Book
Series:Tales of the Iron Rose #0
Genre:Fantasy, Steampunk, Adventure
Publisher:Self-Published
Date of Publishing:October 21, 2021
Trigger Warnings:racism, slurs
Page count:142

Possible fit for The Sound of Madness Reading Challenge 2024 prompts:

Joker prompt that goes with anything: Now We Are Free

Anywhere Away From HereKiss My Ass
HandwrittenYou Are My Home
PsychoSummer Jam
AddictedNew Song
The MysticSay It
Queen of KingsThe Legend of Mother Swan
Accidentally in LoveThrough Glass
White FlagRoad to Joy
Sob StoryGive That Wolf a Banana
Always HalloweenKill Your Conscience
TherapyGhosts & Monsters
Low LifeChasing Stars
Book Blurb
A Matter of Execution by Nicholas & Olivia Atwater

Nicholas and Olivia Atwater entertain in this “rollicking and deeply satisfying steampunk adventure” (Jacquelyn Benson), which acts as an introductory prequel novella to the Tales of the Iron Rose.

The Ebon Warden is about to execute the wrong goblin.

The Ebon Warden has sentenced Captain William Blair to hang for another goblin’s crime. Thankfully, he’s got his sharp wits, his loyal crew, and a long history of dubious behaviour on his side. When the man who’s supposed to hang next to Wil offers his help, however, the crew of the Iron Rose is unexpectedly drawn into local politics. Soon, the stakes are far higher than any one goblin… and the only way out of a dreadful disaster is to steal from the Ebon Warden herself.

Quote of the Book
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Song of the Book

I’m very much into these kind of alternative rock bands, like Once Monsters (mainly because Spotify makes me listen to them a lot…) but anyway, I kind of knew that mood I was looking for when picking a song for A Matter of Execution, but the bands I had in mind didn’t have songs that quite fit. So then I came to Once Monsters (have a couple of their songs on my liked playlist, apparently) and decided to take a look as a last resort (I was about to give up), and then I saw the title Lion’s Den and knew that was going to be it. I like the lyrics too, though maybe it doesn’t fit perfectly, but I mean…this story is set in a city named Lyonesse. Do I need to say more?

Review

I’m not going to admit how long has this novella been sitting on my Kindle. In my defense, I always meant to get to it one day. Since this is a prequel novella (you are not required to read it before the novel, but I mean, it’s a good entry point to get acquainted with the characters), I was highly motivated to finally get to it by the fact that the first book is coming out soon. Well that, and guilt, because it took me so long. And also curiosity, because the Atwaters are part of my crew (pun absolutely intended) and so far I enjoyed the books I’ve read by Olivia Atwater. I had a feeling, that A Matter of Execution is going to be just as much fun (or more) as she teamed up with her husband. I usually avoid mentioning existing relationships with the authors whose books I’m reviewing to ensure objectivity, but since Olivia is part of my blogging team, I guess that’s out of the window. That said, even though I have a friendship with them, I’ll try to be as objective as I can in my review.

Another item of housekeeping before I actually get to the review. I started this novella twice. First, in audiobook (which is excellently narrated by Nicholas Atwater himself), but it was at a busy time when I couldn’t pay attention to it, and I generally find it hard to listen to fantasy books (except when it’s a reread), especially when I intend to review. So I had to put it aside the first time until I could actually give it the attention it deserves. That said, if you are into audiobooks, I highly recommend that format.

A Matter of Execution at its heart is a heist story, which gives us a good opportunity to get a feel for the characters. Now, the thing is, that the Atwaters worked with a fairly big cast of characters, especially if we consider that it’s only 142 pages long (and so I won’t go too deeply into the plot). We have William Blair’s crew for starters, the stranger he teams up with to wriggle out of their respective executions, the nobles of Lyonesse who attend the party (which is the main setting of the story) and the four wardens. At first it took me a while to get everyone sorted out in my head, but it has to be said that all the important characters are well rounded out and have very clear characteristics and personalities – the crew, especially are very easy to like.

I connected with Wil very early on, as I loved his “voice” the kind of humor that comes through the writing, it’s something that really appealed to me – but then I wasn’t very surprised, because, as I said, I know the authors and their personalities really shined through the pages. But I also connected with him because as a goblin, people automatically dismiss him and discriminate him and I know all too well what it feels like being different from everyone else. And how it feels like when people only see the outside, and not the person underneath the surface.

A Matter of Execution is a fast paced novella, especially once they hit the party, and events kick off in earnest. Due to the length and the pace, there aren’t that many opportunities for detailed worldbuilding, which I sometimes missed. Especially in the beginning, when being new to this world, I felt like I was missing details about the Imperium, the Oath and later the wardens of Lyonesse, or the backstory of the characters to get a full understanding about them. Maybe because we get mentions of events that happened in the past but we don’t really have context for them? I don’t know, it was something that gave me a bit of a start in the beginning. But upon finishing the novella, I understand why it was necessary to add these details.

Eventually, it didn’t stop me from enjoying the book, and it did have some really cool stuff going on – like the airships for a starter and the way the wardens can control aether (aethermancy is a type of magic where they can manipulate the aether to do different things like providing lighting, enhancing weapons, etc.). I’m not quite sure how the Tuath Dé and faries came into the mix (did I mention, there are a LOT of things going on here?), nor could I get the main gods (?) they worship sorted out (there just wasn’t enough time for that on top of everything) but it definitely caught my interest and makes me want to dive deeper into this world. Not least because of the found family feeling that comes through the crew which I just love.

If you are looking for a bite sized steampunk adventure with fun characters and high stakes, don’t look any further. A Matter of Execution will whet your appetite for more.

And talking about more, the first full length novel in Tales of the Iron Rose, Echoes of the Imperium will be out soon, and if you’d like an ARC copy, don’t look any further: NetGalley US, NetGalley UK

Our Judgement
They Shall Be Remembered - 4.5 Crowns

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