Flash Gold by Lindsay Buroker |An Abundance of Books

Title: Flash Gold (Flash Gold series #1)

Author: Lindsay Buroker

Publisher: Self Published

Publication Date: March 29, 2011

Genre: Steampunk

Other books in the series:

Hunted (book #2)

Peacemaker (book #3)

How I Got It: I purchased it

Goodreads Summary:

Eighteen-year-old Kali McAlister enters her steam-powered "dogless sled" in a race, intending to win the thousand-dollar prize and escape remote Moose Hollow forever. The problem? Fortune seekers and airship pirates are after her for the secret to flash gold, her late father's alchemical masterpiece.

With her modified rifle and a pocketful of home-made smoke bombs, Kali wouldn't normally hide from a confrontation, but taking on a whole airship single-handedly is a daunting task. Unfortunately, the other racers won't assist her--they're too busy scheming ways to sabotage her unorthodox sled.

When a sword-slinging stranger shows up, wanting to hire on as her protector, she's sure he has ulterior motives, but he's the only one interested in helping her. The question is...why?

Details: an 18,000-word (75 page) steampunk novella set in the Yukon during the gold rush era.

***This book is currently free on Kindle***

Kali is a gifted mechanic but hides a terrible secret. Her father was a great alchemist but was disappointed that his half Han daughter didn't inherit either of her parent's magical abilities. Because of this he basically ignored her and never taught her how to make his greatest invention: an alchemical fuel and encoding source called Flash Gold. Kali has no idea how to make it and even if she did, no ability to do so. But nobody believes this. A spurned fiance (kicked out because she discovered he was a con man after the Flash Gold) made a point of telling every gangster he could that she had actual Flash Gold samples. Now Kali has a price on her head and multiple bad guys after her. All she wants is to build an airship and finally escape the frozen north and all of her bad memories.

The sled race is her chance, if she wins she could buy the supplies need to build her ship and leave. An over protective prostitute puts out an add for a body guard for Kali. In walks Cedar, a quiet man who isn't interested in her body or her Flash Gold, but he sure does like her weapon's modifications.

I was so disappointed that this was only a novella, I would have loved to have a longer book with Kali and Cedar. Buroker has created a great Steampunk world touched with magic, fantastic gizmos, and set in the Yukon at the beginning of the gold rush. Kali and Cedar are both quiet and rough around the edges, but have a fantastic repartee and chemistry. They made great partners and I wanted more. I tend to avoid self published books, editors are fabulous for a reason and I hate the stories that stumble or have horrible errors. Buroker seems to have hired an editor (if I understood her acknowledgments page) and it shows. This was a great read.

Verdict:

Flash Gold is a Steampunk novella with a wild west setting and is, pardon the pun, pure gold. I loved every moment with Kali and Cedar and promptly bought the other two novellas. Unlike other self published books, Flash Gold has been well edited, the story moved well and there were no glaring errors. I now politely demand that Buroker wright more for me, right now!