The Guns Above, Robyn Bennis
The Guns Above, Robyn Bennis
1 Rating(s)
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The Guns Above
A Signal Airship Novel

Author: Robyn Bennis

Narrator: Kate Reading

Unabridged: 11 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/29/2017


Synopsis

"The audiobook was [a] great listen because of the superb narration. As always, Kate Reading nailed the performance, her voice being the perfect match for Josette's poise and strength." — The BiblioSanctum

Robyn Bennis’ THE GUNS ABOVE is an adventurous military fantasy debut about a nation's first female airship captain.

They say it’s not the fall that kills you.

For Josette Dupre, the Corps’ first female airship captain, it might just be a bullet in the back.

On top of patrolling the front lines, she must also contend with a crew who doubts her expertise, a new airship that is an untested deathtrap, and the foppish aristocrat Lord Bernat, a gambler and shameless flirt with the military know-how of a thimble. Bernat’s own secret assignment is to catalog her every moment of weakness and indecision.

So when the enemy makes an unprecedented move that could turn the tide of the war, can Josette deal with Bernat, rally her crew, and survive long enough to prove herself?

More praise for The Guns Above:

"Narrator Kate Reading's steady voice powers this exciting airship adventure...Reading also captures everyday life amid nations constantly at war, adrenaline-filled skirmishes and battles, and mind-numbing bureaucracy." — AudioFile Magazine

“Full of sass and terrific characters. Great storytelling. Loved it.” — Patricia Briggs

About Robyn Bennis

ROBYN BENNIS works in biotech but dreams of airships. She lives in Mountain View, CA, within sight of the historic Hangar One at Moffett Airfield. She is the author of the Signal Airship series, The Guns Above and By Fire Above.

About Kate Reading

Kate Reading is the recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards and has been named by AudioFile magazine as a “Voice of the Century,” as well as the Best Voice in Science Fiction & Fantasy in 2008 and 2009 and Best Voice in Biography & Culture in 2010. She has narrated works by such authors as Jane Austen, Robert Jordan, Edith Wharton, and Sophie Kinsella. Reading has performed at numerous theaters in Washington D.C. and received a Helen Hayes Award for her performance in Aunt Dan and Lemon. AudioFile magazine reports that, "With subtle control of characters and sense of pacing, Kate’s performances are a consistent pleasure."


Reviews

Goodreads review by Scott on October 07, 2017

A steampunk/military fantasy taking place in a WWI-esque setting. This starts out really well. The first scene sets up a good potential plot with a natural gravitas. From there unfortunately it never takes off. Things become predictable, simplistic and cliche reading like fantasy 101. There's also s......more

Goodreads review by wishforagiraffe on September 22, 2017

I deeply enjoyed this book. A magic-less (or exceptionally low magic) secondary world full of airships and muskets and trains, still dealing with issues of imperialism and sexism is very much "my kind of thing" and the fast pace and well developed main characters made it even better. It's a military......more

Goodreads review by Lisa on February 11, 2018

Review from Tenacious Reader:[URL not allowed] 3.5/5 Stars Overall, The Guns Above was an enjoyable steampunk adventure, with a strong female protagonist and airships and battles. Josette Dupre is an enjoyable protagonist who becomes the first female captain of an airship. Whethe......more

Goodreads review by Jessie Leigh on June 23, 2021

This book begins and ends with a literal bang. It's beyond fun. It's... sorrycanthelpit... explosively entertaining. It's a fast fantasy and steampunk read that feels like a historical fiction adventure a la Master and Commander but less stuffy and with more aerial battles. Napoleonic-era type warfa......more

Goodreads review by Jaclyn on May 01, 2017

The Guns Above is the start of a new series set in a steampunk type world. Josette Dupris has been part of the Air Signal Corp for years; however, as a woman she's never been able to move past a certain rank, and women are certainly never supposed to be involved in a battle. While Josette is no stra......more


Quotes

"Narrator Kate Reading's steady voice powers this exciting airship adventure." -AudioFile

"The Guns Above
was fast-paced high-flying adventure full of explosive action and intrepid personalities. The audiobook was also a great listen because of the superb narration. As always, Kate Reading nailed the performance, her voice being the perfect match for Josette’s poise and strength. This book is the best kind of escapism, especially if you’re a fan of military fantasy or speculative fiction with a nice steampunk flavor. I’ll be keeping my eye out for the second Signal Airship installment. Given all the groundwork completed here, I think the next one will be great." -Bibliosanctum


“Steampunky navy-in-the-air military tale full of sass and terrific characters. Great storytelling. Loved it.” —Patricia Briggs

“Marvelous, witty, gory AF, action-packed steampunk with exquisite attention to detail. Bennis's writing is incredible, her vocabulary impressive, and she honest to God made me believe you could build an airship from spare parts.”—New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Ann Aguirre

The Guns Above is a sharp, witty Ruritanian adventure full of flintlock rifles, plumed shakos, brass buttons... and airships! Taking place in an alternate mid-nineteenth-century Europe where dirigibles ply the smoky air over battlefields and women have been grudgingly admitted to the air corps,The Guns Above takes a clear-eyed, even cynical view of the 'glories' of war, complete with blood, shit, shattered limbs, and petty squabbles among the nobility. The aerial combat is gut-clenchingly realistic, the two viewpoint characters are well-drawn and as different as can be, and the action never stops. Hard women learn compassion, soft men learn bravery, and the fate of a nation depends on one rickety airship and its stalwart crew. A winner!” —David D. Levine, author of Arabella of Mars

“An engaging gunpowder adventure with a helping of witty Noel Coward dialogue and a touch of Joseph Heller.” —Tina Connolly, Nebula Award-nominated author of Ironskin

“Wonderfully adventurous and laudably detailed. Bennis paints airship battles so clearly you'd swear they were from memory.” —Becky Chambers, author of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

“Buckle in. The crew of the Mistral will take readers on adventures they won’t soon forget.” —Pip Ballantine, author of The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series

“Hold on to your goggles, Bennis' The Guns Above is a nonstop ride.” —Suzanne Lazear, author of The Aether Chronicles Series

“A fast-paced military fantasy, full of colourful characters and quirky humour that had me laughing throughout. Every fan of airships should read this.” —Marc Turner, author of Dragon Hunters

“Bennis's prose is wry and explosive!” —Lawrence Schoen, author of Barsk

“Entertaining from start to finish, laced with brash banter and characters full of grit, muscle, and heart.”—Jacqueline Koyanagi, author of Ascension

“Bennis writes a pleasing mix of banter and gritty battle scenes, combining both the adrenaline rush of combat and its horrifying results, and never indulging in too-sudden social victories that might cheapen the long struggle against embedded prejudice.” Publishers Weekly

“An exciting new world that will attract steampunk fans of all ages and leave them hoping for more.” Booklist

“An inventive military fantasy that will grab readers at the first page. Delightful, memorable characters make up Bennis’ debut, along with her concise, amusing storytelling. Without a doubt, Bennis’ latest is a highly entertaining read.”RT Book Reviews, four stars

“A fun blend of flintlock rifles, airships, military exercises, and wry commentary on both gender politics and 'military intelligence.' There’s enough whip-smart dialogue to make any reader laugh outloud, and readers who are mechanically inclined will love the detailed descriptions of gears, flight tests, and ballast.” —Fantasy Literature

“Delightfully dry whistle-past-the-graveyard humour, a soupçon of sarcasm, and an approach to military action that reminds me of nothing so much as Forrester’s Hornblower or Cornwell’s Sharpe novels—but with airships and female officers....The Guns Above is an immensely entertaining, fast-paced adventure.” —Liz Bourke, Tor.com

"Airships, kick-ass women, and military fiction with a hint of fantasy… I mean, really, what more could you want?" —Nerdophile

“Although The Guns Above may be author Robyn Bennis’ first published novel, it certainly reads as though she’s found her voice— and a great story to boot.” —Culturess