"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
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"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
“Narrator Kate Reading’s steady voice powers this exciting airship adventure…Reading portrays Dupre’s subtle humor and steely strength..Reading also captures everyday life amid nations constantly at war, adrenaline-filled skirmishes and battles, and mind-numbing bureaucracy.”
— AudioFile“Kate Reading’s skilled narration brings to life Josette’s commanding voice and sarcastic slings aimed at Lord Bernat, who replies with aristocratic snobbery and hides his uncle’s assignment to spy on her. Shouted battle instructions, whispers from cloudbound ships, and high-pitched squeaks from the crew add to the rip-roaring skirmishes.”
— Library Journal (audio review)“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.”
— BiblioSanctum (audio review)“Bennis’ latest is 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. Lord Bernat’s likable, pompous charm is a nice contrast to Josette’s blunt aloofness. Both characters are delightfully appealing. The depiction of war and battle is done with credible detail, adding good tension to a cleverly crafted plot.”
— RT Book Reviews (4 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 LiteratureAn engaging gunpowder adventure with a helping of witty Noel Coward dialogue and a touch of Joseph Heller.
— Tina Connolly, Nebula Award-nominated author of IronskinBennis’s prose is wry and explosive!
— Lawrence Schoen, author of Barsk"Narrator Kate Reading's steady voice powers this exciting airship adventure.
— AudioFileThe 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.
— BibliosanctumSteampunky navy-in-the-air military tale full of sass and terrific characters. Great storytelling. Loved it.
— Patricia BriggsMarvelous, 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“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 IronskinWonderfully 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 PlanetBuckle 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 seriesHold on to your goggles, Bennis' The Guns Above is a nonstop ride.
— Suzanne Lazear, author of The Aether Chronicles SeriesA 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 BarskEntertaining from start to finish, laced with brash banter and characters full of grit, muscle, and heart.
— Jacqueline Koyanagi, author of AscensionBennis 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 WeeklyAn exciting new world that will attract steampunk fans of all ages and leave them hoping for more.
— BooklistAn 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 LiteratureDelightfully 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.comAirships, kick-ass women, and military fiction with a hint of fantasy… I mean, really, what more could you want?
— NerdophileAlthough 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.
— CulturessRobyn Bennis works in biotech but dreams of airships. She lives in California 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.
Kate Reading, named an AudioFile Golden Voice, has recorded hundreds of audiobooks across many genres, over a thirty–year plus career and won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. Among other awards, she has been recognized as an AudioFile Magazine Voice of the Century, Narrator of the Year, Best Voice in Science Fiction and Fantasy, and winner of an Publisher’s Weekly’s Listen-Up Award. She records at her home studio, Madison Productions, Inc., in Maryland.