Sequel focuses more on character and interpersonal scheming so Josette and Bernie’s banter remains excellent. But there’s very little plot and a lot of filler (especially for Kember’s storyline.) ★★

Sometimes you want a book to deliver on all fronts: strong characters, engaging story, gripping action, and a world that is both fantastic but also almost believable. I’m happy to say that By Fire Above, the second book in the Signal Airships series by Robyn Bennis, is all of these things. Taking place soon after events in the first novel, The Guns Above, we find our hard as nails airship captain and her crew taking some forced but much needed shore leave as they await the delivery of parts and luftgas for their ship, the Mistral. This sets up an opportunity for the author to have her character engage in a bout of character building that, to be honest, I found lacking in the first book. Not only do we learn more about Bernat via his brother, Roland, but we even get to see Captain Josette Dupre letting her guard down for a short time as she becomes involved with said brother. In the interests of full disclosure, I received a free copy of By Fire Above from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

By Fire Above captures much of the gritty realism of the first book in the series, but in smaller doses, and even then not really until the climatic finish. This isn’t a bad thing, though, because it allows the characters to take a respite from battle. This calm before the storm that is the latter part of the book is needed to inject a sense of normalcy into the characters’ lives and to ground them; no one can operate in the grisly theater of war without a break of some sort. Which is all well and fine, but that’s not why I started reading this book. Fortunately, Bennis moves on in the right amount of time, I felt. The next part of the book gets things moving again, right back into the war and back to Durum, the town Dupree once called home but which was taken by the enemy in The Guns Above.

This book really doesn’t miss a beat from the first one. It’s got more of the same gritty realism, the same bloody fight scenes, and the same tough as all get-out characters kicking ass. We also get to delve more into the mother/daughter relationship between Josette and her mother, as well as the toll the war has begun to take on Lord Bernat, who remains a dainty to some extent but who also bears the mental scars of many battles now. The Mistral remains an amazing yet deadly (to her enemies, but to her crew as well) machine of war and the crew are as resolute and daring as ever.

The only question I have about this series at this time is when is the next book coming out?

I’m giving By Fire Above a solid four rockets. The only reason it fell short of five is because of a storyline involving a certain first officer that, in my mind, didn’t play out especially well. I think the author could have spent more time developing the plot there. Instead it comes across as a way to keep certain other characters busy while events unfold in Durum. I’m intentionally being vague on this, but you’ll see what I mean when you read the book for yourself.

Quick & Dirty: Highly entertaining airship/wartime drama with two strong yet immature characters that add humor to the story.

The Review:
By Fire Above by Robyn Bennis is the second novel in the Signal Airship series. If you are a fan of steampunk fantasy then you will want to pick up this book which is set in a fantasy world where warfare is conducted on the ground and in the air with airships (not planes). I would almost liken this to if the Civil War was fought with airships because the technology doesn’t seem quite as advanced to compare this to World War I. They’ve just barely begun to weld rifles but they still mostly use muskets. I would highly recommend reading By Guns Below first because that story is the opening salvo into this war fought with a woman airship pilot and By Fire Above continues a storyline faced in the first book.

The world that Josette and Bernat live in has pretty much always been at war for one reason or another for a very long time. In the first book, Josette’s hometown has been taken over by the Vins and in this book Josette wants to liberate her hometown no matter what it takes. By Fire Above continues right after the battle in By Guns Below. Josette is trying to get her crew medical help and fix up her ship when words comes that she must fly to the capital to show off her technological marvel of an airship (even though her ship still needs major work!). Through a series of adventurous mishaps that I’m still not entirely sure how Josette’s crew survived, the Mistral and her crew finally get some valued down time on the ground. Josette and Kember still have to deal with sexism in the military but it isn’t such a big part of the story like the first book.

Josette makes some major moves while in the capital. She dates Roland, Bernat’s brother and heir to their parents’ wealth, and with his help is able to get the appropriate work done on the Mistral. Josette uses the pull that she gets from knowing Roland in order to appeal to the royal leader to fight for Durum which has been left for the enemies. Josette won’t take no for an answer and practically give Bernat and Roland heart attacks with the way she composes herself in front of royalty. When Josette is able to return to the front lines, she must deal with a town overrun by the enemy, deception, treachery and a missing airship.

By Fire Above is told through many different points of views in the third person. The POVs jump around especially when dealing with Josette and Bernat. The story also closely follows Ensign Kember while she is on Mistral when Josette is dealing with things on the ground in Durum. Let’s just say the craziness ensues and you will never guess what Josette will do next.

I really enjoy the relationship that Josette and Bernat have developed. They seem weirdly attracted to one another even though Bernat has professed his love of Josette’s mother and Josette is now dating Roland, Bernat’s handsome brother. They are like two teenaged kids bickering and their often-juvenile behavior is hilarious. At least, I like the banter between these two stubborn characters.

Overall, if you like wartime novels with a bit of steampunk elements and witty but juvenile behavior between the two main characters than you may want to check out the Signal Airship series. I really hope there is a sequel because I want to know where the story goes next especially in relation to the war going on and Josette’s newfound knowledge. I’m also really looking forward to what’s next in Josette’s and Bernat’s immature relationship.

Anyone who enjoyed The Guns Above, the first in the Signal Airship series, will enjoy this second installment. The wit and, though neither of them would ever admit it, affection between Josette and Bernat continues, the escapades both military and civilian are all there, plus airships, obviously. Josette and Bernat both get some great character development. Josette deals with how love makes people act, Bernat's polish and annoying noble habits fade the more he's exposed to the citizenry. Ensign Kember grapples with the meaning of responsibility. All of them are relatable people trying their best.

The mechanics of airship flight are suitably explained but still somewhat obscure, such that decisions made by characters all make sense (or don't), but there's no way I could actually tell you how the airships work. And I'm perfectly ok with that level of verisimilitude.

The war hasn't progressed much, but I'm reasonably sure that's actually a theme of the book rather than a lack of plot initiative. I'm sorta hoping that eventually our protagonists will incite rebellion on both sides of the war against the nobility, I think it would fit in fairly well with some groundwork that's been laid already.

I'd recommend this book for folks who are looking for quick dialogue, fast paced plot, anyone who likes steampunk, and fans of ensemble casts.

Robyn Bennis provides an very valiant tale in By Fire Above when Josette Dupre of the the airship Mistral Bernat Hinkal, and the rest of the crew seek to liberate Durum with the aid of a untrained battalion of troops. But the opposition is greater and better trained than forecast, so Josette is forced to improvise and then improvise even more when her second-in-command absconds with er ship and betrayal breaks forth in the Resistance. Another fun read in a Napoleonic-time steampunk fantasy with airships and cannons!

3.5 stars

Josette and crew head to the capital for some much needed rest and refitting, but they find that both are in short supply. Between hoarding quartermasters, skyrocketing supply prices and oblivious nobles, Josette has her work cut out for her if she wants to push the army towards retaking Durum.

While I loved the first book's steampunk nature and its go-go-go plot, this installation in the signal airship series took a while to find its rhythm. The crew spends an eternity in Kuchin gallivanting with the nobility, and there's a lot of will-they-won't-they between Josette and Bernat's older brother Roland. Ensign Kember's POV, while climatic in the final third of the book, bogs down the first half when we see her. Happily, when it picks up into the last 30%, it's a nonstop predicament of terror and deadly situations, where Murphy's law is in full effect with every decision that is made.

The final twists aren't terribly shocking or surprising, but overall this was an enjoyable read. There were a lot of lovely parallels between Josette's war and the ones fought in real Earth, particularly about loyalty to own's country, the reasons wars are fought and who benefits from those wars.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

I was unable to complete this book, and therefore will not post a review. Thank you for the chance to read it.

By Fire Above by Robyn Bennis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved The Guns Above and was excited when By Fire Above came out. While I enjoyed the book I felt it was not up to the standard set by book one. This time Josette Dupre spends more time on the ground than in the air. First it is politics, something that she fails at in spite of the help Lord Bernat and his older brother give her. All of this was rather slow and while interesting I just kept wanting Josette back in the air. The real action did not start until the very last part of the book. There once again the story took off and was hard to put down. Josette and Bernat are both interesting characters and it is fun to see more of their backstory and history. Bernat is changing and becoming a much nicer character. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next Signal Airship book.

In this sequel to The Guns Above, Robyn Bemis continues the steampunk adventures of a woman airship captain. Once again, Josette Dupree, captain of His Majesty’s Signal Airship Mistral, along with her intrepid crew and not-so-intrepid supercargo, aristocrat Lord Bernat Hinkal, have been given an impossible mission: with glamorous but woefully inadequate repairs to the airship, she is to play a largely ceremonial role at the capital city. None of the real damage the airship sustained in the last batter has been repaired, including the “steamjack” engines. The bags are filled not with expensive, inert luftgas but explosive “flammable air,” a very bad combination with an engine apt to throw off sparks. Needless to say, Josette is unprepared for the courtly intrigues into which she is suddenly propelled (and with which Bernat, who grew up in such a milieu, is happy to reverse roles and become her guide). In the air, conducting a battle in three dimensions, Josette is as cunning as she is courageous. But thrown into the viper’s nest of courtiers or forced to face her own romantic feelings for Bernat’s brother, she finds herself all too fallible.

Josette has no intention of becoming a trophy hero and soon maneuvers to lead a mission to free the border state where her estranged mother (and Bernat’s lover) lives. From there, one mishap after another balloons (excuse the pun) into disaster.

As in the first adventure, I was impressed by the detailed construction of the airships, as well as the scientific (hooray for physics and chemistry!), mathematical, and engineering principles involved, as well as the strategies when battles are fought in three dimensions (up/down as well as side/side and forward/backward). The action sequences were breathtaking. My reservation, as before, pertains to the creation of a political geography so akin to Western Europe that it made no sense to not use the actual nationalities and thereby avoid reader confusion with made-up names and cultures. That reservation aside, I heartily recommend the series and hope to see more Josette’s unfolding stories (and I expect to see her, like Horatio Hornblower, become admiral one day).

One of my favorite under the radar books last year was The Guns Above by Robyn Bennis so it's not a stretch to say that I've been anxiously awaiting the sequel, By Fire Above. It was everything I wanted it to be. It started up a bit slow because Josette needed a crash course in royal politics from Lord Bernat (aka Bernie) but it quickly morphed into the fast-paced adventure novel I was anticipating as the crew of the Mistral take part in a plan to retake the city of Durum. I was on the edge of my seat reading the last half of this book. It about gave me a heart attack but I couldn't put it down!

There's a lot of praise I could heap on this book because it really was brilliant but the thing that pleased me the most was how much the characters have grown in such a short period of time. Josette is finally becoming comfortable in her role as the captain and it’s obvious to why the crew of the Mistral trusts and willingly follows her. I think the one character whose arc surprised me the most was Bernie. I enjoyed his character in the first book but I adored him in this book! He's still a bit foppish and ridiculous but he is the perfect foil to Josette's character! And can we talk about the banter between those two? Because OMG! This book has some A+ banter. Bernie totally stole the show for me this time around.

This series is the best kind of military fantasy and I've enjoyed the heck out of it! It's the perfect balance of steampunk and military adventure in my eyes. While I still enjoyed the science of the airships and the descriptions of the tech, my favorite part of this book was the airship battles. They were brutal and chaotic and absolutely perfectly paced. They are seriously perfect. The combination of interesting characters, Napoleonic warfare, and airships made for a great story and I'm intrigued to see what will happen next! I need a book three so badly!

I enjoyed the first novel in this steampunk series, and By Fire Above offers an interesting follow. While it does not repeat the situations of the first, it is both true to the feel and holds similar themes. The characters retain their personalities, even Bernie who continues to be an amusing idiot at times but an endearing one. It’s rife with dangerous battles and perilous escapades. In fact, you’re tossed into the thick of it from the start with the Mistral limping to port heavily damaged after a battle.

The original cast has some replacements due to the costs of war, and others, like Kemper, step into a larger role. Kemper’s mettle is tested in ways no ensign should have to endure. Both her gender and the biased first officer assigned to the Mistral set her in positions where no decision is a good one. She’s only one example of a crew member stepping up, if the main one, and it’s nice to see the possibilities expanding. This is especially true because of how Kemper makes independent decisions, knowing what Dupre would do, but sometimes choosing her own way.

Don’t mistake my appreciation for Kemper’s story as a sign Captain Dupre has been pushed to the side, however. She and Bernie remain the main stage for a story that begins with the illogical nature of court and politics, and ends up with betrayal in the wind. There is trouble no matter where Dupre sets her feet.

Take a moment to imagine Captain Dupre at court. Yes, it is every bit as problematic and amusing as you think. It is taken one step further by the rivalry between Bernie and his brother, who is the heir by order of birth, not value…at least according to Bernie. Interestingly, Dupre and Bernie are not set up as a potential couple, though they’re mired in each other’s love life. They have a strong bond in any case. Otherwise, Dupre would not have been able to tolerate him at all, especially as he tries to educate her on negotiating the contrary loyalties and personalities found in politics.

Bernie is true to his nature. He’s still full of himself, lacking a true sense of ship-life, and bewildered by the crew’s treatment of him. At the same time, he’s loyal to a fault and willing to take risks no one of his station should be. Despite his character flaws, I can’t help but like him.

The novel has a good number of startling twists, all of which are grounded in what we know. This is even true for the last twist, one which caused me a little annoyance, not because it wasn’t true to the characters, but because I disagreed with the captain’s choice. I was involved with the characters and engaged by the tale all the way through. This is not an airbrushed version of war, maintaining the foot soldier viewpoint. This meant there were a good number of hard spots to manage, but I appreciate the realism over a prettified version where no one is ever hurt or makes the wrong call.

Ultimately, By Fire Above is a solid sequel to the first, offering a look at prejudice and bias from several perspectives, and not always the ones you’d expect, either. The story is strong, the underlying themes are incorporated well, and the characters are delightful and annoying in turn, just as they should be.

P.S. I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The 4-star review below was posted to Every Day Should Be Tuesday, Amazon, and Goodreads on 5/15/18:

Bennis wrote one of my favorite books last year with The Guns Above. By Fire Above may not quite reach those same lofty heights, but it is one h*ck of a sequel. As before, By Fire Above is one equal part terrific action set pieces, pure hilarity, and deep military SF that is no more leery of meditating on duty and honor than it is of a little blood and thunder.

Fresh off the explosive events of the first book, Josette has a newfound fame as an airship captain and a very badly damaged airship. Rather than send her straight back to the front, the powers that be decide she would better serve the war effort doing flyovers to impress the nobility.

This leads to a slow first half. The Guns Above started slowly as well, but the care in setting up the fragility of an airship paid off when things heated up in the second half. The slow start here is neither as necessary nor as effective. And, frankly, Bennis is better at skewering the military than the aristocracy. Which is not to say that Bennis doesn’t get some good shots in.

“‘Then it seems to me,’ Josette said, once she was reasonably convinced that the animal was under control, ‘that the dogs are doing all the work. Why are we here at all? Do the Duke’s hounds not know the way home?’
‘You’re missing a critical component,’ Roland said, laughing. ‘After the hounds have done all the work, we take the carcass away, before they can eat it.’
She wrinkled her nose. ‘This is truly the perfect sport for the aristocracy.’”

By Fire above is still dang funny. Once again, this is Josette and Bernat’s show, although, as the cover suggests, Bernat arguably leaps to the forefront. Bernat has to come to grips with a brother who might take his title and his airship captain (“No, he will be Marquis because of an accident of birth. As a commoner, you couldn’t possibly understand how frustrating that is.”). He also has to come to grips with his new life as a man of violence and with the toll the war is taking on his wardrobe (“How many suits must this damnable war take from me before it’s finally sated?”). Josette has to come to grips with a new nickname—the Shark—and a growing legend:
“The stories say you’re ten feet tall.”
“As usual, the stories are just about half right.”
And she has to come to grips with her fraught relationship with her mother.

The narrative once again returns to Josette’s hometown of Durum, this time with the goal of liberating it from the Vins. After the big pitched battle that ended The Guns Above, Bennis shifts focus to an insurgency. A bloody, bloody insurgency, the sort that results in 70 soldiers poisoned to death and a couple hundred townspeople killed in retribution. “But for every one the Vins hang, another three rise up. Seems to be a certain . . . ornery streak to people from Durum, if you don’t mind me saying so, sir.”

With Josette and Bernat on the ground working to liberate Durum, it’s a more grounded story (I got puns!). Which is something new, and well done, but it’s the airship battles that really make the Signal Airship series great. Josette does wind up doing “the exact [dang] opposite of her job,” after all. We get some airship battles, but not enough, and not nearly enough with Josette at the helm (Ensign Kember steps into a more prominent role here, and a new, incompetent first officer is added.)

These are really, really good military SF books. Blood and thunder is getting as rare these days as serious consideration of duty and honor. Bennis is shy of neither, but keeps the wry tongue and black humor proper to military science.

“It’s amazing what the fear of being thought afraid will do to an ambitious company captain.”

“The morality of inflicting pain and death was one thing, but having the captain mad at you was another entirely.”

“They behaved rudely, got drunk as fast as they could, made inappropriate advances, and invented all sorts of improbable stories that exaggerated their own personal heroism. In other words, they had at last become proper Garnian soldiers.”

By Fire Above is another kickbutt “hard steampunky” yarn. It is only the aforementioned slow start and one decision at the end—that I can’t talk about without getting way into spoiler territory—that keep it from the 5-star rating The Guns Above earned.

Disclosure: I received a copy of By Fire Above from the publisher.

I don't even know where to start with this review, I loved The Guns Above last year so I was pretty excited to receive this book in the mail a few weeks ago and was honestly a little surprised by how much it exceeded my expectations. By Fire Above by Robyn Bennis was a fast-paced adventure full of nearly nonstop action and adventure that I was unable to put down once I had started reading. I'm normally not a huge fan of military fiction but this is the second piece of military fiction by Robyn Bennis that I've really enjoyed reading.

There was a lot to enjoy in this book but I think the one thing that surpised and pleased me the most was how much the characters have matured and grown in such a short period of time. Josette has really grown into her role as the captain and it's obvious why the crew of the Mistral trusts here so much and why she was named the first female airship captain in the history of the Air Signal Corp. I think the one character whose growth surprised me the most was Lord Bernat. While he will probably always be a bit foppish and ridiculous, I found him to be a much more likable character this time around and feel like he actually proves his worth in this book.

My favorite book of the The Guns Above was the amazingly detailed airship battles we got and I think I would once again say that that is my favorite part  of this book as well. Robyn Bennis does a fantastic job describing these chaotic and brutal battles with great detail without slowing down the pace of the story at all. I honestly felt like I was sittign on the edge of my seat all night long reading as the story jumped from action to action.

This is definitely a book I would recommend to just about anyone looking for something to read, though I would strongly suggest that everyone reads The Guns Above before reading By Fire Above -- it will save everyone a lot of confusion! I already can't wait for the next book in the series to come out and I can only hope that Robyn Bennis is around for a long time to give us plenty more amazing books to read in the future.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Steampunk is extremely popular in my library. The first book of this series has done well and this book will be purchased and added.

A rollicking addition to a fast-paced steampunk adventure, Bennis' "By Fire Above" combines quippy dialog, strong female characters, and a rich backstory. I had a hard time getting in to it, but could see its appeal for fans of Terry Pratchett, Jim Hines, and Gail Carriger.

In a world where technological advancements could mean life or death, strong woman and analytical thinkers prevale. War, political machinations and greed are prevalent so inventions, and not the magical sort, are what makes this world turn. This is not your typical magically enhanced steampunk but mechanical and scientific in nature.

Bennis is extremely descriptive and imaginative in naming and describing specific pieces of the Airship, making it a very slow start. But, this one of those stories best described as a snow balls rolling down the hill picking up size and velocity as it goes.

I received this ARC copy of By Fire Above from Macmillan-Tor/Forge - Tor Books. This is my honest and voluntary review. By Fire Above is set for publication May 15, 2018.

My Rating: 3.5 stars
Written by: Robyn Bennis
Series: Signal Airship (Book 2)
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication Date: May 15, 2018
ISBN-10: 0765388790
ISBN-13: 978-0765388797
Genre: Scifi

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The second book in Bennis's Signal Airship series is even stronger than the first book, beginning at a fast clip that continues all the way through. What I love about these books is that they approach steampunk from a military standpoint; even with some fantastical elements, the airships feel realistic and the technological advantages and disadvantages of the vessels play a major role throughout.

<i>By Fire Above</i> isn't all about battle, though. Courtly political machinations also play a vital part--as does a brother of the foppish, delightfully obnoxious Lord Bernat. The romantic element is mild, and the banter is fantastic with a dry, British feel. I especially appreciated the difficulties the airship crew has in acquiring supplies for necessary repairs. That's an incredibly realistic element that I've become aware of in my own period historical research.

I highly recommend this book for readers who love steampunk, but I also hope flintlock fantasy readers of authors like Brian McClellan and Django Wexler will take a look. I know I'm already eager for the next book.

I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review


When I requested this book I wasn’t aware that it is the second one in a series. So I needed to read that one first. Honestly this book was an okay read for me but the thing is there are only a few genres that I don’t like to read and steampunk is one of them. This book belonging to that genre was another thing I wasn’t aware I expected a more sci-fi story. This teaches me that check my request more carefully next time. Anyway I read the books and they were okay. Started out a bit too slow for my taste but by the end of the book it had a pretty great storyline. I enjoyed the characeters and their connections.
The problem wasn’t only that the story starts out slow but also the writing is so descriptive regarding the technology that a lot of times it lost me and sometimes even confused me a bit. I understand when someone wants to establish a great world and background for their story but you have to be careful with the balance.
The book has an interesting storyline and if you like these type of books then a great world building and fantastic characters. Unfortunately this is not my jam. So while I finished the book I don’t think I’m going to continue with the series.

I loved Bennis's first book in this series, and I'm so glad I got a chance to read the second. Truly marvelous writing and story.

This was a well crafted military novel that keeps you interested and turning pages. I has never read any other stories of the series and therein lie my issues with this book. The author does little to explain the world that is the focus of the story. He also does not explain very well how the airships are built and held together. The terminology used is vague and seemingly sometimes made up.