BOOK REVIEW: Steal the Sky by Megan E O’Keefe ★★★☆☆

Detan Honding, a wanted conman of noble birth and ignoble tongue, has found himself in the oasis city of Aransa. He and his trusted companion Tibs may have pulled off one too many cons against the city’s elite and need to make a quick escape. They set their sights on their biggest heist yet—the gorgeous airship of the exiled commodore Thratia.

But in the middle of his scheme, a face changer known as a doppel starts murdering key members of Aransa’s government. The sudden paranoia makes Detan’s plans of stealing Thratia’s ship that much harder. But the doppel isn’t working for Thratia and has her own intentions.

O’Keefe’s debut novel Steal the Sky, part of a Scorched Continent Novel, tells the story of two likeable rogues, a vengeful doppelganger and a corrupt empire in an epic steampunk adventure.

The world building, creating the scorched continent and city of Aransa was beautifully done, capturing the blistering heat in a city known for mining a gas substance called Selium. It’s a hot, sweltering empire, known for its harsh executions for Aransa’s criminals; they can choose to die by the axe, or to ‘walk the Black; letting the scorching sun of the obsidian desert kill them in a matter of minutes.

For a debut, the author style of writing was easy to follow, having a show me rather than tell me aspect and had witty dialogues. The characters were defined by their looks, mannerisms and style of speech rather than their thoughts and goals. The protagonist Detan Honding, a noble-born conman, is not your average hero. He reminded me of Jack Sparrow, in his lofty mannerisms. His partner in crime Tibs is a likeable sidekick but at times did steal Detan’s thunder. The ex-commodore Thratia is a ruthless woman who lusts for power and Pelkia the doppel seeks justice. Watch Captain Ripka Leshe seemed a bit washed out and sort of became a ‘love interest’ for Detan. I do hope her character is more concrete in the next book.

The story heavily revolves around a substance called selium. The problem is I don’t think O’Keefe explained it well enough (because I sure as hell didn’t understand it). Upon reflection, I think it’s a substance that’s lighter than air and it’s used to fly sky ships. On the other hand, some people are sensitive (aka sel sensitive) to this substance and can use it in different ways, through locating or even to disguise their appearance. The sel sensitives are hunted, taken to labs by the Valathean “whitecoats to enhance their powers. I feel that the author took random points, scrambled it into a thing and just presented it unclearly into the book. I don’t know, maybe I just can’t get my head around it.

This led to my unenthusiastic self who’s reluctant to pick up the book. Not only that but I felt I was reading mini storylines that didn’t stitch together. The plot seemed to be all over the place. Think of it like a TV script and each chapter like an episode. For example, in one chapter Detan and Tibs stole some clothes at the baths. This didn’t tie in with the main storyline, thus, it became a filler scene and used for entertainment. I’m still trying to figure out what actually happened in the end.

Now I’m not saying this book is terrible. Some parts were unclear, but I think those points will be made clear when O’Keefe writes the next book, which I will read. So yes, I do recommend this book to all those who love sky ships and adventure, with a hint of swords and sorcery.

Rating 3.5/5
Publishers: Angry Robot
Publication Date: January 5th 2016
Genre: Steampunk/Science Fiction/Adventure