Anne's Reviews > The Steam Tycoon

Golden Czermak takes you through this steampunk tale with a cast of colorful characters on both sides of the moral compass. Jesse Winthrope is the noble hero of this story… He wishes to better the world through the development of steam technology that will benefit all levels of society. Of course his rival, Lucas Frost, disagrees with how Jesse thinks and lives. Mr. Czermak does a superb job of embedding within the story real struggles that exist in our culture for so many people. Harsh prejudices and rifts between the social classes, as well as greed and lust for power all bring the sad reality that humanity doesn’t learn from its mistakes into this story. While I enjoy this author's talent for his use of descriptive language, at times I felt there were so many names and details that I had to go back through story to clarify things. For most of the book, it is as if you're reading two parallel stories that don’t converge until the second half of the book. Jesse's part of the story was filled with details and interactions that I believe are designed to guide the reader through the world that is created in this story and will serve as building blocks for future books. However, the parts of the story that take you on the journey of Jenny Boone and Aftershock were the more enjoyable pieces of the book. I did feel a bit rushed once all the major players meet toward the end of the book because that is when the pace of the story quickens. At the conclusion of The Steam Tycoon I felt that I wanted to know the characters a bit more and I am looking forward to the next part of this story.