Skyships over Innsmouth is an adventure horror story with an m/m romance. The dynamic is that roughly half of it focuses on the romance and half on the horror. (Although, to be honest, I didn't find the horror bits scary at all.) The world the characters live in is a dystopian one - 23 years after everyone suddenly lost their memory along with their ability to really function and even speak, and the world is now being slowly reclaimed by a steampunk culture, looking for survivors. The characters of the story are going to Innsmouth for that very reason, and also hope to gain some goods or knowledge along the way. Sadly, what they find was probably best left alone though.

Skyships over Innsmouth somehow has a short story feel, despite being actually quite long. The author has done a good job of showing and not telling, but something else is missing there, and I can't quite put my finger on it. Things do develop quite fast and it feels like the plot is manufactured just so the author could tell it all. Speaking of the plot, I can see where it was going and why - it's very Lovecraftian - but it's also kind of ridiculous. The main conspiracy by side characters is also very simplistic. All of it has more of a 'fan-fiction feel' rather than a 'book feel', if you know what I mean. Not that there's anything wrong with fan-fiction at all, but it all has its place, and that's rarely on the shelves of bookstores, at the very least without a lot of editing.

The book had a few nicely set grotesque scenes, I can give you that - but we're talking one or two. Then again, I think I might just not be the target audience for this book. However, I found myself skipping to get to the end just so I could finish it. I think this author has potential to write great stories, but this is not one of them - yet.

I thank the publisher for a free copy of the ebook through NetGalley in exchange to an honest review. It has not affected my opinion.

I am not familiar with the Lovecraft stories on which this story is based and so this book was quite new for me. I enjoyed the first part of the book because it had a great build up but then I think the story lost the tension and eeriness, as the book began to focus on the two men. I think the two men were just 'too stupid to live' and their actions were irritating. They didnt act like two people desparate to escape, rather they behaved as if they were strolling round a park. Instead of running for their lives they took a detour and actully found times for romantic eye gazing. Very tiresome and I think this detracted from the story.

I really enjoyed Malia as a character. She was a bad ass, strong leading character with echoes of Sigourney Weaver on Alien. The aspects of the story about her were quite gripping especially in contrast with the two male characters. All in all it was an okay read.

Copy provided by DSP via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Review: SKYSHIPS OVER INNSMOUTH by Susan Laine

A gently heartwarming yet frightening Lovecraftian tale of the future, SKYSHIPS OVER INNSMOUTH is set 23 years after the "Cataclysm," when all humans unaccountably lost their memories, and subsequently moral fiber. In the first years, many books were burned for fuel, but eventually the younger people realized books contained knowledge of the past, and how to utilize machines. So libraries were preserved and protected, and younger individuals retaught themselves to read.

Scout airships explore the "New wilderness" to locate resources and survivors, each containing a pilot and a scholar. Pilot Dev and Scholar Shay have been a team for about 3 winters (and each desires to deepen the relationship but holds back). Exploring the seemingly completely abandoned community of Innsmouth uncovers the truth about the Cataclysm, betrayal, memory recovery, and a potential future of oppression for humans.