Recommended book which is well-written and will be enoyable fans of the author. Enoyable book and will look forward to more.

I have a disclosure to make. It’s impossible for me to objective with Jim Butcher. I’ll start this review with a story that many who have visited the store have already heard.

Years ago, I had the absolute worst year of my life while I was still in the Air Force. Like, I’m still going to therapy for it. To make it through, I escaped into a number of fantasy books, and when things stabilized enough, I reached out to several of those authors. Exactly one responded, Butcher. He sent me a long, thoughtful, and incredibly kind email at a pivotal low point in my life.

Attached to the email was a word document with the first draft of The Aeronaut’s Windlass. It was full of typos and mistakes, and I read it voraciously. One day, I hope to have the opportunity to get Butcher to sign a printout of the email to put up on my wall.

All of that preamble aside, The Olympian Affair is the sequel to that book. Even before getting the advance reader copy, I knew I was going to enjoy it. I was pleasantly surprised to find out how much.

It’s common in science fiction for a story to take a genre and lift it, genre expectations and all, into space. Firefly is a Western… but in space. Star Trek is Lewis and Clark… but in space. Star Wars is World War II, but in space. The Cinder Spires do the opposite. Butcher takes a space opera, with the ensemble cast and intricately woven plotlines and spaceship battles and drops them all into a unique fantasy world.

The Cinder Spires are giant pillars of stone that tower above a perilous mist-covered, monster-infested world. For safety, humanity (and sentient cats) have clambered up above the mist to the safety of the skies, and use crystal-powered airships to get from spire to spire.

The first book rips open a political rift between the two most politically important spires, and this one dives deep into the power vacuum that follows. Plots are made, backs are stabbed, duels are fought, ships exchange cannonballs and magical lasers far above the misty death far below.

Honestly, even if I weren’t already a Butcher fanboy, this book may be the one to push me the rest of the way there. The characters are remarkably deep, the political intrigue is nuanced and clever, and the women aren’t two-dimensional. I know that last point is redundant, but it’s worth hanging a lantern on.

Overall, this may be my favorite Jim Butcher book yet.

Thank you, Jim Butcher, for returning your talents to the Cinder Spires series. The Olympian Affair added more depth to the adventures begun in the Aeronaut's Windlass. Featuring exciting sword battles, the action is nonstop, the scenes are set with incredible details, and the characters are well developed. I enjoyed every page!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for access to a free e-ARC!

Just wow! It has been a loooong wait for this book, but Jim Butcher delivered with the second book of the series. Often when there is such a long time between installments, the characters do not have the same endearing qualities, but The Olympian Affair picks up the characters right where Aeronaunt's Windlass leaves off and the result is wonderful. Can't wait for the next one!!

I remember when the Aeronaut's Windlass (Book 1) came out in 2015, and I was annoyed that it was not another Dresden Files. What's a windlass? Who cares? Why is Jim Butcher personally making my life sadder?
Of course, then I read it. It was clever, charming, and fun. It had romance, gallantry, skullduggery, and excellent steampunk world-building! Who doesn't like oversized cats running their own fiefdoms and commenting on the inefficacy of human methods?

And then there was nothing. (So then I went and read the Codex Alera series, because honestly, Butcher does third person, multi-pov fantasy very well.)

Set two years after the events of book 1, our heroes (and antagonists) are largely where we expect them to be, still engaged in a cold war between Spire Albion and Spire Aurora. Steampunk England, I mean Spire Albion, is still engaged in privateering against Steampunk Spain, but open war is on the horizon. Something is absolutely decimating colonies, leaving no survivors. Meanwhile, on Spire Olympia, there is in international diplomatic summit, where Spire Albion needs to win more allies to hope to withstand Spire Aurora. Unfortunately, despite the neutral ground and forum-setting, Spire Aurora's intent is anything but diplomatic.

Our antagonists are on a road that requires an enormous level of commitment and some are having second thoughts. Our cadets are finally getting to be real seasoned adults making harrowing decisions. Captain Grimm is finally getting some...background explanation. Ahem. And I really enjoyed the addition of Abigail Hinton, Bayard's scandalous long-term partner. This book also gives more insight into why humanity has fled the surface and lives in floating cities in the clouds, and I'm here for it.

Eight years later, I was not expecting book 2. But God in Heaven (TM), age improves this one. Book 1 was fun. Book 2 is more exciting, with higher stakes, deeper character development, and plenty of satisfying gambits. Did I see the "twists" coming? Yes. Did that make them any less enjoyable? NO. We have more cats, more war crimes, more espionage! I suspect this series might be at least 5 books, and I really hope that we don't have to wait another 8 years for Book 3.

The long-awaited follow-up to The Aeronaut's Windlass satisfies fans' desires for more of the complex characters, harrowing adventures, and heroic battles of the first installment. And with giddy anticipation, I am happy to report that there was not a resolution to many of the conflicts, but rather a tease for more to come in the epilogue by the author! I am overjoyed with this news and fully with my whole heart recommend this adventure to anyone who enjoys a story that fills your senses with new worlds and strange creatures and delightfully funny dialogue - mainly from the self-important Prince of the Silent Paws, Rowl, a cat with as much weight and significance to the story as any of the primary characters. I love Rowl, as many fans do, and fully enjoyed every scene he was in. The duels made me hold my breath in anticipation of the outcome of each, with satisfyingly spectacular end, and I felt like I was on the decks with the crew during airship battles. Such a fun read! I have to stress, however, that I listened tot he audiobook of the Aeronaut's Windlass, which gave voice to the characters throughout my reading of The Olympian Affair. My sincere hope is that the same narrator, Euan Morton, will tackle the second installment because it truly would not be the same without him.

I read The Aeronaut's Windlass when it first came out in 2015 and loved it, so I was thrilled to see the second book would be coming out in 2023. I had to re-read the first book to refresh my memory. This is a feature, not a flaw. The Olympian Affair picks up where The Aeronaut's Windlass left off. Each character has distinct qualities and talents to bring to the adventure. The characters are on separate missions giving each different information and sometimes conflicting views that adds to the complexity of story. I keep re-reading the sections with the talking cats, the personalities are so spot on. The pace is brisk and the steampunk world building is fascinating. This is not the end of the series. Hopefully the wait for the next one will be shorter.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

Have you always wanted to join the Jim Butcher fan club but never knew where to start, well start here! This is a very different vibe than his famous series but still just fabulously written!

This is a fantastic follow-up to the Aeronaut's Windlass. The characters are split up more than they were in the first book and this gives them equal chance to grow and change. The cats remain the best characters, as they should be. I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series!

I have eagerly awaited this book since 2018 when I finished The Aeronaut’s Windlass so it was with a bit of trepidation that I started this. Could it be as good? Would I even remember the story? Happily- yes and yes! My favorite steampunk characters ever were back with a vengeance! Rowl, the best talking cat character ever must help Bridget and Benedict negotiate a treaty with the tribe of Fenli (a new cat character) in order to get vital intelligence. Abigail and Bayard are at a diplomatic meeting in Olympia trying to avoid a duel with huge diplomatic implications. Grimm , Gwen, Miss Folly and Master Ferus are there to assist. Cavendish is trying to take over the Spires for Aurora with some assistance from Calliope. Good men find they are working for the wrong side - do they side with loyalty or honor?
Please Jim Butcher- keep this series going!! A little faster perhaps?! Loved it!
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!!! My opinions are my own