Kalindi MacNeil's father was a British serviceman who was
sent to India. Now she's come to the bleak island in the
Hebrides where he grew up. She takes shelter in an
abandoned fisherman's hut. All in this world is not the
same as our own: Liverpool has been destroyed in war with
Russians and Hapsburgs, while technology runs along some
different lines. SKIES OF GOLD is the latest in a series
called the Ether Chronicles.
Kali never learned to cook daal - there were too many
devices to study and take apart. Now she's fueling a
clockwork cooker with sods of peat. At night however, over
the hooting of owls, she hears a mechanical humming, coming
from the north of the island. When she investigates the
next day, she discovers that she's not alone as she'd
thought. A man stands in front of her, unafraid of her
pistol, and she falls, revealing that she has a mechanical
leg, normally hidden by modestly long skirts. Fletcher
gives no explanations, but a few days later he shows up at
her door with a brace of rabbits. He's marveling at
Kali's ingenuity, and hasn't had company in a long while.
Yet when the girl finds a crashed British airship on the
moor, she realises that Fletcher is a Man O' War, a captain
of the crafts that pursue the endless Mechanical War. What
is he doing alone and lost?
Liverpool as a port city was targeted during the war and we
see the destruction through the characters' eyes. Fletcher
has been technically adapted to work with the airship. For
all that his reactions come across as very natural and he
quickly gains sympathy. Much of the story is taken up with
the two lonely people getting to know each other and
reliving their eventful lives. The outside world is bound
to intrude however; peace can't last.
This is a Robinson Crusoe story and it's well written as
such. In this we get the war at third hand; as memories
rather than happening to the characters. The action only
occurs late in the book. Kali is an admirable young woman,
who has engineered her own prosthesis and her own
survival. This story becomes an adult romance and I can
only say, good for her! SKIES OF GOLD might be better for
those who have read the previous works by Zoe Archer but if
you enjoy this one, you'll certainly want to read more of
the romantic adventure series.
Two Lonely Hearts...
Kalindi MacNeil survived the devastating enemy airship
attack that obliterated Liverpool, but even her engineering
skills can't seem to repair her broken heart. Seeking to put
her life back together, Kali retreats to a desolate,
deserted island–only to discover she's not alone.
Captain Fletcher Adams, an elite man/machine hybrid, a Man
O' War, crashed his battle–damaged airship into this
deserted island after Liverpool, never expecting to survive
the wreck. But survive he did.
One Desire...
Believing he is nothing but a living weapon, Fletcher is
wary of his new–found companion–a pretty,
damaged, but determined young woman. Together they are
stranded on the deserted island, and it is only a matter of
time until desire gets the best of both of them. Soon Kali
and Fletcher find they may be just what the other needed.
But a danger from beyond the island puts them to the test.
Will it rip them apart or bond their hearts forever?
© 2003-2025 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy