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The Red Hourglass: A Steampunk Adventure (Slaves of the New World Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Ashley Capes (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 112 ratings
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Escape isn’t the hardest challenge for a slave – it’s staying free afterwards.

Siblings Thomas and Mia find themselves fleeing across a desolate land, hounded by the monstrous sand-hog, a steam-powered war machine bent on recapturing them at all costs.

Thomas fears the worst. He knows the tyrannical King Williams seeks Mia and her mysterious powers of foresight, but it seems even her gift cannot save the day when the sand-hog corners them. It isn’t until they cross paths with a group of rebels and stumble across rumours of a lost airship that Thomas begins to wonder if there isn’t hope of escape after all...

A steampunk adventure set in a slowly dying land where magic clashes with steam and alchemy.
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  1. Book 1 of 3
    Slaves of the New World
  2. Print length
    226 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    July 27, 2017
  6. File size
    2150 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B074BTF1S6
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Close-Up Books (July 27, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 27, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2150 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 226 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 112 ratings

About the author

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Ashley Capes

Ashley Capes

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Ashley is an Australian novelist, poet & teacher. You might have read his epic fantasy 'The Bone Mask Trilogy' or maybe you're familiar with his other work, the fantasy/adventure series 'The Book of Never.' Either way, you can read more about his books and get access to giveaways and free books via his newsletter below :)

Ashley occasionally dabbles in film, is addicted to 80s cartoon shows and Studio Ghibli films, and finds himself constantly awed by the simple beauty of haiku. He is also convinced that 'Magnum PI' is one of the greatest TV shows ever.

Sign up to Ashley's newsletter for free books and news:

http://www.subscribepage.com/b5w1k0

Find out about Ashley's fiction:

http://www.cityofmasks.com/

Check out Ashley's poetry:

http://www.ashleycapes.com/

And follow him on twitter right here:

@Ash_Capes

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
112 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Douglas A.
5.0 out of 5 stars Action, Adventure, and Mystery; all in one book
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2022
Verified Purchase
The Red Hourglass is the first book in Ashley Cape’s new series “Slaves of the New World”. Brother and sister Thomas and Mia live in a ruined world, that has been ruined; violently. Debris suggests that this has happened more than once. In some ways their world is clever, creative, and capable of outstanding craftmanship, or at least was. That steam power is all they have is oddly curious. Why does society seem to be going backwards?
Thomas and Mia are escaped slaves fleeing a Tyrant pretender to the throne. A few generations ago a Williams (the king) somehow sized control of the slave trade and then the Throne, and now everyone is a slave and is marked with an hourglass. A society of slaves doesn’t progress but those societies around them do.
Thomas and Mia have special abilities. Mia has foresight and Thomas strength and a unique ability with metal. This of course makes them especially valuable to the king. They don’t want to be valuable to a Tyrant and have spent years trying to evade him. Along the way they get tantalizing clues about the abilities of past generations and a hint of who might know more about them, especially who their parents were.
I have a very short list of favorite authors and Ashley Capes is on it. His books are an easy yet engrossing read. I recommend this book and anything he writes.
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars sort of steampunk
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2019
Verified Purchase
Liked the story enough to reach out for book 2, but I doesn't have enough elements to have "Steampunk" in the title. The is an alchemist and a couple of steam powered vehicles but they are not central to the story. Maybe in book 2.
3 people found this helpful
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Mike Petri
5.0 out of 5 stars Slaves of the New World
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2023
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I like the adventure and intrigue involved in the story.
Can our hero’s find the answers they are looking for?
Are they going to be able to escape the slave masters?
What will the continuing adventures bring?
I’m reading on!
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2022
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Ok
One person found this helpful
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odee
4.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as I hoped
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2018
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The book was ok, just, a little hard to follow.
3 people found this helpful
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BarbaraSS
5.0 out of 5 stars Slaves have escaped!
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2022
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Mia and Thomas are escaped slaves and have been running for years. They are being hunted by the self called King of the land. Book 1 is a good start to this book series.
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Maddalena Tarallo
4.0 out of 5 stars A new adventure begins....
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2017
I’ve often reviewed the works of Australian author Ashley Capes, whose writing range goes from fantasy to magical mystery to (albeit mild) horror: this time he’s tackling another genre, steampunk – but with a touch of magic thrown into the mix.

The siblings Mia and Thomas are running from pursuers across a desert landscape: they just buried their deceased old protector and guide David, and their prospects look quite bleak, since over the horizon a dust cloud signals the approach of the hunters looking for them. Mia and Thomas are escaped slaves, the condition indicated by the hourglass tattoo on their arms: in this future or alternate history, slavery has returned – at least in Australia, so that the country has been isolated from the rest of the world because of this – and the siblings were the property of self-proclaimed King Williams, who wants them back because of their special gifts.

The clues in the narrative point to a classic steampunk background: steam-powered vehicles, the mention of airships (although this particular technology seems to have been lost by the ruling dynasty) and so on, and yet there are a few tantalizing mentions of a more advanced past, one that has now become more legend than actual memory. On top of that, however, there is magic: Mia shows a sort of precognitive ability, paired with her almost total blindness, and the knack of summoning a powerful creature with destructive powers; while later on Thomas discovers an affinity for steel, which he can bend or break with the sole strength of his muscles.

The world in which they move is an intriguing one: even though it’s not immediately mentioned, we soon understand the action is based in Australia – if the author’s origins were not an obvious clue, there is at one point a mention of an iron fountain shaped like a kangaroo to make this clear. The country appears different from the one we all know, the desert encroaching on the fewer livable spaces, red dust creeping forward like a tide that covers abandoned cities and chokes everything and everyone. It’s not clear what happened, but at some point major environmental and political upheavals must have combined to create the present situation, one that nobody in power seems to care about.

As the two siblings run for their life and freedom, while searching for answers about the past they seem not to remember – including the bewildering changes worked on them by the mysterious Alchemist, something they have no memory of, as well – we get to know this cruel, harsh world and its few islands of respite, like the colony established by former slaves on the shores of the ocean, or the rebel camp where a handful of fighters tries to subvert the rule of King Williams’ dynasty, or the freemen of the mangrove village no one seems to know about. I have to admit that these proved something of a frustration to me, because they were more like fleeting glimpses rather than deeper explorations of these enclaves, where I might have learned more about the past and the events that brought on the current situation. The same happens with King Williams’ capital city, a place of hard labor in the smoke-belching factories and of fear of terrible retribution for those who cross the ruler’s wishes: I would have loved to know more, and to see more than the quick peeks the novel afforded.

On the other hand, this is a story carried by motion, the constant, running motion of the two fugitives trying to stay at least one step ahead of their pursuers, so I understand how it would have been difficult to… stop and smell the roses, so to speak: still there is that nagging voice, asking for more, that is not so easily silenced. My hope is that the next installments in the series will shed more light on the whole scenario and bring about a few answers as well.

As an introduction to this world, The Red Hourglass is an intriguing offering that promises to develop into a quite exciting story, one whose follow-up I’m looking forward with great interest.
5 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars When slaves gain freedom
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2023
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This book i liked a lot. Quite a bit of suspense, and plenty of action! I hope they find their way to their dream!
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Top reviews from other countries

Karl Walde
5.0 out of 5 stars reasonably Good tale
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 5, 2024
Verified Purchase
I liked the way this story started in the middle of an adventure allowing the why and how to develop through the book. Probably not completely to my taste, but did leave me wanting to read the next book.
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A. Bant
3.0 out of 5 stars steampunk
Reviewed in Australia on October 8, 2022
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Interesting, fun, mainly suitable for young adults.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2022
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What a superb story the inventions and the characters all blend in slavery and freedom is very emotive I recommend it to all
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Martinus
2.0 out of 5 stars Unread
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 30, 2018
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Ultimately this did not appeal to me so I deleted it.
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