Steal the Sky [Dramatized Adaptation]

The Scorched Continent, Book 1

By: Megan E. O'Keefe

Narrated by: full cast, Terence Aselford, Chris Genebach, Alyssa Wilmoth, David Jourdan, Dawn Ursula, Colleen Delany, Christopher Walker, Kimberly Gilbert, Nora Achrati, Lily Beacon, Sasha Olinick

Detan Honding, a wanted conman of noble birth and ignoble tongue, has found himself in the oasis city of Aransa. He and his trusted companion Tibs may have pulled off one too many cons against the city’s elite and need to make a quick escape. They set their sights on their biggest heist yet - the gorgeous airship of the exiled commodore Thratia.

But in the middle of his scheme, a face changer known as a doppel starts murdering key members of Aransa’s government. The sudden paranoia makes Detan’s plans of stealing Thratia’s ship that much harder. And with this sudden power vacuum, Thratia can solidify her power and wreak havoc against the Empire. But the doppel isn’t working for Thratia and has her own intentions. Did Detan accidentally walk into a revolution and a crusade? He has to be careful - there’s a reason most people think he’s dead. And if his dangerous secret gets revealed, he has a lot more to worry about than a stolen airship.

Performed by Terence Aselford, Chris Genebach, Alyssa Wilmoth, David Jourdan, Dawn Ursula, Colleen Delany, Christopher Walker, Kimberly Gilbert, Nora Achrati, Lily Beacon, Sasha Olinick, Nanette Savard, Yasmin Tuazon, Scott McCormick, Bradley Smith, Jacob Yeh, Lynette Rathnam, Chris Stinson, Ken Jackson, Richard Rohan, Michael John Casey, Carolyn Kashner, Rose Elizabeth Supan, Mort Shelby, Dylan Lynch.

©2016 Megan E. O'Keefe (P)2017 Graphic Audio, LLC

Hm…

Hm

No sure what to make of this one… I listened to both the book as well as the full cast version, and both, hm, leave me, hm uninterested.

I think it’s maybe the too many things this material isn’t quite
- it isn’t quite adult, but also not young adult - it’s kind of very young adult or older young adult? That need not be a bad thing, but it’s just making the listener wonder how serious to take this
- So yes, it isn’t quite serious and not quite funny either
- It’s not Dune by any stretch of the imagination, and not game of thrones or similar in any way
- The main male character is probably supposed to be “swashbuckling”… but in all honesty, he’s not womanizing or “scoundrely” enough
- The material is maybe too lively for the single narrator version - but it’s not action + dialogue-driven enough to really work in the full cast version

Overall, nice world-sketching and a sympathetic effort - but I don’t know if I’m going to shell out for the next volumes (these were free).

Low on swashbuckling, even lower on steampunk

A world with flying ships and magical vapors should have been chock full of gadgets, swashbuckling, and larger than life characters. This was a low octane political conspiracy that spent virtually all of its time on the ground. The few scenes that happened in the air might as well have been on an ordinary naval vessel.

The core concept, of global conflict over a Dune-like magical essence, mined from the ground and used to power everything from ships, to wine, to people, was interesting. The scorched earth and native, Fremen-like people, were also interesting. And I love me some buddy buddy, roguish MCs, ala Firefly.

But, the concept’s potential was let down in the execution. This was a YA level story, with zero sex, a smattering of F bombs, minimal emotional impact, and in desperate need better action and dialogue.
This graphic audio format was nearly half the length of the traditional book, making it easier to forgive the merry go round ride. I may move on, but probably only when the next two books are offered on sale.