Railroad!: Volume 1

Rodger Dodger

By: Tonia Brown

Narrated by: JoBe Cerny

Length: 4 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Railroad is a fast pace steampunk story of gadgetry, gunplay and grit.Join us as we follow the strange stand-alone train known as the Sleipnir; eight cars of free traveling steam powered might. Able to lay her own tracks, as well as pick them up again, the train is a marvelous feat of engineering, and as an unbound entity she can travel anywhere her master desires. The only trouble is the trouble she attracts. Her owner and creator, one Professor Hieronymus J. Dittmeyer, can't seem to help but catch the attention of all manner of odd characters, including an undead conductor and a ghostly guardian. But even the most well intending ghost just isn't enough to keep trouble from the tracks. From run of the mill outlaws, to world-class super villains, the crew of the Sleipnir needs hands-on protecting and they need it fast!

Enter Rodger Dodger, dead-eye marksman and all around vexed soul. Dodger finds he is inexplicably drawn to the Sleipnir and her crazy crew, though he is reluctant to return to the work of a gunslinger after a dreadful history of bloodshed and violence. At the request of a restless spirit, Dodger takes on the work, straps on the biggest guns this side of the Mississippi and soon finds his life will never be the same again. (Which is just fine with him because he didn't like the one he had anyways.)

On a train that can go anywhere, anything is bound to happen!

©2011 Tonia Brown (P)2014 Tonia Brown

Slow start but totally worth it!

Rodger Dodger is a man with a past, a past he rather not have to explain. Hieronymous Dittmeyer is the creator of the fabulous train Sleipnir. It puts down tracts of it’s own, letting them travel wherever they wish. Dittmeyer recently lost his Security Specialist and he’s looking to hire a replacement. Dodger (aka Carpenter) was the only one foolish enough to answer the ad.

This book starts off a little slow, being a bit of an info dump on the fancy train and her occupants. Still, there was enough steampunk awesomeness there to keep me interested and I am very glad I continued on with this book. the story gets good, really good. I do believe I am now hooked on the series, which is awesome since there is something like a dozen of these books.

Professor Dittmeyer is something of a brilliant ditz, being one of those brainiac types that can get lost in the details of whatever he is focused on. He has a mechanical assistant he created that brings drinks and snacks when asked. Then there is the chief engineer and driver Ched. Now you might say Ched was a zombie, but only if you wanted to be subjected to his dry, cutting humor. He was one of my favorite characters, often being the one to cut to the heart of something.

There was really only 1 female character and we see her way at the end of the book. When she finally arrives on scene, the first thing we learn about her are her looks. Basically, she is a sexual object from the beginning. There are glimpses that she is more, but then back to her sexy looks. We had very little of her but I still hope the author chooses to do more with her and perhaps balance the gender ratio in future installments; tossing in a token estrogen is not enough.

The ending is set up perfectly for the next adventure and I am definitely looking forward to that. There are bigger story arcs to explore, and it appears each character has a few secrets that need uncovering.

The Narration: JoBe Cerny did a very good job. He was a great choice for the voice of Dodger, giving his character that gruff wild west wanderer voice. Also, I loved his voice for the undead Ched and the mechanical manservant.

Railroad! Comes to life!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. The story clips along faster than a speeding locomotive with an inventive and clever narrative. People who love steampunk, The Wild Wild West and science fiction with a western slant will find the book a lot of FUN! I've read all of the released stories in this series and find them a pleasure to read. Listening to them on my morning commute brought a smile to my face as well as reminding me how imaginative the writer is. Don't dwell on the science (hey, it's steampunk, kids) just go along for the ride. You'll be smiling for the entire trip.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Railroad!: Volume 1?

Roger's first encounter with this improbable train and the first gunslinging action is well crafted and exciting. From there, the pace does not let up.

What does JoBe Cerny bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Cerny and Farmer do an excellent job at narrating the story, changing voices and via some nice production values, a few voice effects make the listening experience almost like watching a film. My only criticism is Cherny's voice for Ched, one of the oddest characters in the story. Without spoiling it for the listener, finding the right voice for this fellow has got to be tough. He's, shall we say, very special, and due to his particular affliction would be difficult to understand even if he was standing right in front of you. Not off putting, but I did need to listen carefully to catch all of Ched's dialog.

Who was the most memorable character of Railroad!: Volume 1 and why?

For me, it's Ched. He's the engineer of this spectacular train, has some of the best asides in the entire series and is a well thought out character. His "pickled" state tickles me to no end.

Any additional comments?

This review was written by Susan's husband, Terry Tyson. She's the one with the Audible account which she graciously allows me to download audiobooks for my frequent commutes and business travels.

Too much detail in the technology.

I have never read a Steampunk book, but I'm familiar with the concept. Frankly, the problems I had with this story had nothing to do with the Steampunk aspect, but with the pacing of the book. The first third of the book only briefly introduces the characters and describes - in detail - the Sleipnir. While the train and all the other tech sounds really neat, there was just too much attention paid to describe it. Thus, the characters didn't get interesting until the bandits attack. By then, I was bored and struggled to finish the story.

JoBe Cerny and did an excellent job. He had the right attitude and pacing to keep the story lively when the written work stopped holding up its end of the bargain. His characters were distinct and showed more character than was written. Example, Ched sounded as disgusting as the text described him. Julia Farmer also did a great job and deserves some recognition for her small role.

Too much detail in the technology.

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

I look forward to hearing the rest of this ...

This was my first Steampunk anything! It is fast paced for a first time listener – I had to start it over a second time just to make sure I was clear on what was happening. The thing that popped into my head was “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” type feeling I had when I heard the narrator begin with the story line.

I enjoyed the gruffness of Carpenter (Rodger Dodger) and his many questions about the train as it helped to describe what was going on. Professor Hieronymus J. Dittmeyer, Ph.D., M.D. was excellent as an eccentric professor and inventor. Ched, I’m not sure about but I took him as a possible zombie or perhaps in the same shape as the group of train robbers – enhanced!

The inventions in this story were fantastic. They were clearly described and important to the storyline. Everything was described in a rich vocabulary and visually stimulating. The brief glimpse into Rodger Dodger was enlightening and thought evoking.

Rodger Dodger’s time in the military and later as a gun slinger was interesting and very poignant as it provided a keen insight into the man. Bringing in Lalayna and Boone were an interesting touch, pushing Dodger onto the path of his destiny.

The character and plot development was strong and flowed nicely together.

I look forward to hearing the rest of this adventure!

The narrator, JoBe Cerny did an excellent job of making the story seem surreal. He was difficult to understand when he was Ched but by making him a little difficult to understand one can gleam and that perhaps Ched is unique and when he speaks, he is one you need to stop and heed. Seems he knows more than he lets on and the narrator helps portray this accurately.

Julia Farmer did an excellent job as LaLayna. Definitely the mistress of seduction and innocence all rolled into one with a hint of a deep hidden dark personality with other things going on.

I enjoyed the book, the reading and look forward to more.

There were no issues with the production, everything went smoothly.

Audiobook provided for review by the author.

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Great Steampunk Rail Adventure

What made the experience of listening to Railroad!: Volume 1 the most enjoyable?

The different voices employed by the narrator for each of the characters, giving them all that extra bit of personality.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I'm quite partial to eccentric scientists, so clearly Professor Hieronymus J. Dittmeyer because of his innate quirkiness.

Which scene was your favorite?

I didn't really have a favorite scene persay, rather I found myself enjoying the sum of the scenes in combination with one another.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No, but I do not believe that was the goal, so it's not particularly harsh criticism.

Any additional comments?

I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed the science that went behind all the machinery and the train. The narrator was fantastic with the voices even for Ched who was slightly hard to understand but still managed to get across. I will likely peruse later entries in this series on the strength of this opener.

Railroad! bk 1

Any additional comments?

This book was fast moving yet some of the conversations were WAY too long and repetitive.I'm not sure if this is a YA book,but it would really be appreciated by that crowd.
Dodger is applying for a job.It turns out to be a very non traditional job,but does he really want it and all the 'stuff' that goes along with it.We get to meet some interesting characters and encounter some cool gadgetry.
JoBe Cerny was a fine narrator for this book as was Julia Fammer.They gave life to each character.
was gifted a copy through Audioblast for an honest review.

Great story, but I had trouble with the narration.

What did you like best about Railroad!: Volume 1? What did you like least?

I liked that it was more "steam" than "punk". Too often, the genre can get caught up in characters that don't matter for reasons that don't matter. Here, we have the gruff Dodger and the hyper-intellectual Dittmeyer, and they are well written and enjoyable. There was a little too much focus on the train at first, but it did help set the stage.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the easy communication between characters, as well as the detail in technological description of the Sleipnir.

What didn’t you like about JoBe Cerny’s performance?

I thought the pacing was odd, adding pauses where there shouldn't be any, almost as if a box of commas had fallen onto the copy he was reading. I also thought the accents ascribed to the characters were not maintained, sometimes carrying from one character to the next. Dodger occasionally had an English accent, and Dittmeyer's English accent sounded more New England to me. His vocal transitions were very well done, so I was able to tell each character from the other quite easily, but overall it was a difficult listen simply due to the odd pacing.

Was Railroad!: Volume 1 worth the listening time?

The story itself was fun, but this was not an enjoyable listen for me.

Any additional comments?

The pacing issues I describe could have simply been an editing issue, either on the part of the text or the post production of the reading. Either way, I wish more attention had been paid.

A light and pleasant listen

This is a nice, light entertainment, the first volume in a serial novel. I think it has some characteristics of the old-fashioned Western serial movies. It's set in the Old West, but one that has more in common with "The Wild, Wild West" than with "Tombstone".

I was interested in this book because it has a train in it, albeit a very unusual train, one that doesn't need conventional tracks. It has a bit of the paranormal, with a ghost, dog-men, a possible zombie(?). It has a wacky genius professor, a clockwork butler, and a Hero With A Past. A Heroine shows up near the end of this volume too.

This isn't the sort of thing I usually spend much time on, so I don't plan to pick up the other volumes, but I don't regret listening to this.

The narrator is earnest and tries really hard. His pronunciation of Sleipnir slides around a little, and there are a few infelicities in his pacing, but I'll give him A for effort.

I got this audiobook for free in return for an honest review. This is my honest opinion. If you like this sort of Crazy West steampunk-y story, you'll like this book.

Great beginning!

This is a great start to a very interesting tale. I look forward to the rest of the series. I couldn't put it down.

Surprisngly Refreshing

Based on others reviews, I was reluctant when I chose this audible book. However, the quirky characters carried to the story through an amusing experience. I enjoyed the steampunk world with a troubled protagonist who even though he was living it, didn't believe in what he was seeing and hearing. The humor made the story a joy to listen to as the wit was tossed here and fro. I look forward to listening to more enjoyable books from this author.