THE OLYMPIAN AFFAIR - Jim Butcher

 We've finally got the second book (third book?) in Jim Butcher's The Cinder Spires series. I wasn't particularly impressed with the first book, but this is Jim Butcher - author of one of the most popular urban fantasy series ever with The Dresden Files! Surely he can recapture some of that magic (pun intended).

The surface is a deadly place for humans and for centuries the Cinder Spires has protected people from the dangers below. The aristocrats of the spires have seen to great scientific marvels, including air ships for trading among and protection from other spires.

But the end of individualism and freedom is looming as Spire Aurora, with a massive armada, is on the move to take control of all the skies. It is reported that they have a new weapon - one which could eliminate everyone in all the spires.  Only Spire Albion is willing (or foolish enough) to stand up against Aurora and its fleet. A showdown will take place at Spire Olympia and it may be the only opportunity to convince the other spires to stand up to Aurora.

I like the world that this is set in.  There's a lot going on here with questions about the surface and about some of the other life forms with the humans (there's at least one talking cat) and while this provides ample opportunity for future volumes (I am REALLY curious for the next book, given what happens to at least one major character here) it also means that this story doesn't touch on a lot. 

The summary of the story above is the grand overview, but the book is much more specific, following people (Captain Grimm, Lord Albion, Rafe Valesco, Gwen Lancaster, etc) who are pawns in the bigger event. This would be great if we actually got to know any of these people, but our familiarity with them, now through two books, is still mostly superficial. This book does do a better job of letting us in on who these people are than the first book, but I still don't know what drives Grimm. And this is surprising to me, given that Butcher's popular Dresden Files series is primarily character-driven.

The book starts quite slowly and picks up with action and energy and characters who are finally driven to DO something about half way through the novel. That second half is action-packed, thrill-a-minute story, the way we expect a Jim Butcher novel to be, and there are shades of the 'reluctant' hero in Grimm (I say 'reluctant' because he IS a Captain and set up to be hero material). But the surprise hero is Gwen and I really wish we'd gotten to know her better earlier in the book.

I can't really say what happened in the first half of the book.  It's a lot of set-up and a lot of people talking about being worried about what's to come. If you've read the description on the back of the book, you can probably skip the first 250-300 pages.

But ... talking cats.  For some, that alone will be a huge draw.  (John Scalzi's making bank on that right now.) For others, like myself, it's a tired trope.

Looking for a good book? The Olympian Affair by Jim Butcher is the long-awaited next book in his Cinder Spires series. There's more book than we need, but not enough story. But we're getting closer.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

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The Olympian Affair

author: Jim Butcher

series: The Cinder Spires #2

publisher: Ace

ISBN: 9780451466822

hardcover, 656 pages