By Chris Wooding
We rejoin the dysfunctional crew of the Ketty Jay at as low a point as they have ever been, reduced to stealing the petty cash box from a seemingly defenceless orphanage and failing even in that, so when they run into a Grist, captain of the Storm Dog and the offer of a quick adventure into hostile territory to retrieve a valuable artefact in return for a big payday and possibly some fame and glory, despite their reservations they're not really in any position to turn it down. Needless to say, nothing goes according to plan and it isn't long until the mis-matched crew run headlong into an adventure of their own.
Having read Retribution Falls it only took about two paragraphs to slip easily into this story. The crew of the Ketty Jay are all there like old friends and yes, they're up to their necks in trouble from the first page. The opening action comes on thick and fast with thrills and spills and edge of your seat flying antics and the dialogue crackles with joshing good humour and great sarcasm as the crew banters back and forth. This aspect of Wooding's writing, the banter, the inter-relationships between the crew and the way they riff off of one another to cover their true feelings is what drives these stories on. They are tremendous characters and their motivations - both individually and collectively - are, no matter the plot, the action or the mystery, what really keeps us interested as the story moves forward. Each has their own personal bête noire to deal with and Wooding reveals a little more of each character as we go deeper into the story but these little set-ups all pay off nicely and as they bond more closely as a crew, in places, it makes for some genuinely touching moments.
But this is an action adventure story, and all the elements that made the first book so good are there in spades. The world is detailed and vibrant, the plot is complex and intriguing and of course there are gunfights, and dog fights, sword fights and aerial battles, deals and double-crosses, all of it wrapped in some terrific humour that, at times, had me laughing out loud. In particular, the ongoing battle of wills between the highly strung pilot Harkins and Slag, the ships cat, is positively inspired.
It's not without it's faults though. Being a sequel it inevitably lacks the freshness of the first book and the plot, while perfectly serviceable, isn't as absorbing as it could have been, giving the feeling that it's mainly there as a vehicle for stringing together the - admittedly terrific - set pieces. Also, while they are tremendous, the cast of characters is pretty much the same as before, the only lasting new introduction being Osric Smult, the Whispermonger, who's appearance, albeit brief, leaves a lasting impression and I feel sure that we'll be seeing more of him in future books.
But don't let any of that put you off, Black Lung Captain is another tour de force from Mr Wooding and deserves to put this series in front of an even bigger audience, reading brilliantly as as a standalone novel just as much as it does a sequel. I loved it, and so will you, and the sooner someone buys the rights and makes a rip-snorting action-adventure film of it, the better as far as I'm concerned.
Go buy a copy, and enjoy!
Black Lung Captain is published by Gollancz and is available from Play.com, Blackwell and all good book stores.
Chris Wooding's website is here.