The Aeronaut's Windlass

Prologue

Spire Albion, Habble Morning, House Lancaster



Gwendolyn Margaret Elizabeth Lancaster, said Mother in a firm, cross voice, you will cease this nonsense at once.

Now, Mother, Gwendolyn replied absently, we have discussed the matter at length upon multiple occasions. She frowned down at the gauntlet upon her left hand and rotated her wrist slightly. The number three strap is too tight, Sarah. The crystal is digging into my palm.

Just a moment, miss. Sarah bent nearer the gauntlet s fastenings, eyeing them over the rims of her spectacles. She made a series of quick, deft adjustments and asked, Is that better?

Gwendolyn tried the motion again and smiled. Excellent. Thank you, Sarah.

Of course, miss, Sarah said. She began to smile but glanced aside at Mother and schooled her expression into soberly appropriate diffidence.

There has been no discussion, Mother said, folding her arms. Discussion implies discourse. You have simply pretended I wasn t in the room when I broached the subject.

Gwendolyn turned to smile sweetly. Mother, we can have this conversation again if you wish, but I have not altered my intentions in the least. I will not attend Lady Hadshaw s Finishing Academy.

I would be more than pleased to see you enter the Etheric Engineering Academy along with

Oh! Gwendolyn said, rolling her eyes. I ve been working with those systems in the testing shop since I could walk, and I m quite sure I will go mad if I have to endure two years worth of introductory courses.

Mother shook her head. Gwendolyn, you cannot possibly think that

A martial arts enthusiast whose résumé includes a long list of skills rendered obsolete at least two hundred years ago, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher turned to writing as a career because anything else probably would have driven him insane. He lives mostly inside his own head so that he can write down the conversation of his imaginary friends, but his head can generally be found in Independence, Missouri. Jim is the author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera novels, and the Cinder Spires series, which began with The Aeronaut’s Windlass.

So Jim Butcher is writing futuristic dystopian steampunk? You had me at Jim Butcher, actually. But the rest is cool too....Great action scenes, a fascinating world, and characters of a sort I've never seen before. Yup. This is everything I ve come to expect from Jim Butcher, but in a delightful new flavor. #1 New York Times bestselling author Patrick Rothfuss
 
Wow. Just wow. Beware fellow readers, herein lies adventure that will keep you from food or rest It is as if Jules Verne, H. Rider Haggard, Patrick O Brien and...well, Jim Butcher all got together and wrote a book. Steampunk done very, very right. Butcher proves yet again that he is an amazing storyteller. #1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Briggs
 
This is Jim Butcher at his best, drawing a fully realized, richly detailed, and downright fun literary world where fearless aeronauts ride the aether, brilliant wizards struggle with doorknobs, and a thirty-pound feline warrior keeps a pet human named Little Mouse. It s steampunk meets magic with a dose of sci-fi for seasoning. Buy it and read it. You ll be glad you did. New York Times bestselling author David Weber
 
Butcher opens the imaginative Cinder Spires series with this sweeping fantastical epic...[It's] a fascinating, adventurous, and intricate story. Butcher brings a fresh and exciting perspective to secondary-world steampunk, giving the reader a thrilling ride. Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
Butcher, the bestselling author of the Dresden Files, now launches the Cinder Spires, a new epic fantasy, steampunk hybrid series that has shades of both Naomi Novik and Cherie Priest...With shifting points of view, short chapters, fast-paced action, and awesome battle scenes, the large cast of characters, elaborate world building, and intricate plot are revealed quickly and realized fully. It all reminds readers of when they first fell for Harry Dresden. Booklist (starred review)
 
[Butcher] blends