Book Review: The Owl in the Labyrinth by Hûw Steer
The Third Bird Does Not Disappoint!
If I’m counting the days correctly, I’ve been waiting five years for this series conclusion!
Huw Steer is an indie author inspiration in more ways than one. He publishes a weekly blog, in which he often mentions his new projects and publications. His short stories are regularly picked up by various fantasy periodicals. His debut fantasy novel, The Blackbird And The Ghost, became a semi-finalist in the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO). This directly led me to write my own fantasy debut (Stranger Back Home) which also became a SPFBO semi-finalist.
The Beginning
Blackbird introduced us to The Boiling Seas, a magnificent world of ancient civilizations, treasure-filled ruins, and long-forgotten magics ripe for discovery. The scenes in the first book would have well-suited an Indiana Jones script–nay, they could have improved some of the recent scripts. And the main character, Tal Wenlock (the Blackbird), was the perfect avatar of the endearing rogue archetype.
Little did I expect that this book was just the beginning of a trilogy, and that Tal was only the first of three endearing rogues!
The “Birds”
Steer’s sequel, Nightingale’s Sword, focused on Tal’s sister, a sexy swashbuckler named Lily (the Nightingale). And her swordplay shone the brightest on board a dirigible airship. The fusion of magic and technology in this book began to drive the series into a steampunk atmosphere, which served the mystique of the Boiling Seas rather well.
And finally, we come to The Owl In The Labyrinth. Our Owl is named Max, and although she was introduced in the first book, this third book is where she embraces a main storyline to call her own.
If Tal were a lockpicking, trap-disarming rogue, and Lily a pirating, sword-swinging rogue, then Maximilian is a researcher rogue. She’s a Professor Otto, a Captain Nemo, and a Phineas Fogg, all wrapped up in one. And to answer your next question: Yes, her scenes would make a great Jules Verne script!
The Boiling Seas
Ever since we were first introduced to this world, one basic element has stood in stark contrast to the world in which we know: the seas are boiling hot. Why? And how? And perhaps most intriguingly, what could lie beneath such a mystery?
I won’t give any of that away. But this book will. And the answers are so much fun to discover.
Huw Steer has proven himself with the creativity and vision to build a fascinating environment, populate it with unique and endearing characters, and throw them into a compelling quest for magical discovery. The Boiling Seas combines the best elements of treasure hunting and dungeon delving, steampunk and sci-fi, mystery and mayhem. Dive in, but don’t forget your breathing apparatus and heat sinks!
