Title: Arm of the Sphinx
(The Books of Babel – Book 2)
Author: Josiah Bancroft
Genre: Kafkaesque Steampunk
Pages: 448
Rating: 4 of 5
Future Release Date: 3/13/18 (though I’m pretty sure it has been previously released self-pub – thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free eARC)

The first book in this series, Senlin Ascends, was one of my favorite reads last year (review here). Senlin, now an aerial pirate captain of sorts, continues to search for his lost wife in the Kafkaesque “ringdoms” of the Tower of Babel. His mechanical-armed first mate, Edith Winters (a major secondary character from the first book), becomes at least as much of a main character as Senlin, and the other three members of his crew are sympathetically fleshed out as well.

As in the first book, the plot is a bit episodic, but builds toward a better understanding of the characters, the Tower, and, most importantly, the mysterious Sphinx whose name appears on most of the mechanical devices found in the tower. The narration continues to be light (but not farcical), and the worldbuilding and developing plot are fascinating.

Unfortunately for my personal enjoyment, some elements of the plot seem to be turning in directions that I really don’t like – highlight for *MILDLY SPOILER-Y SPECULATION*:

I can’t stand “I’m on a quest to rescue/return to my wife/lover but am going to go ahead and commit adultery along the way” stories, and we’re definitely headed that direction if nothing changes. Also, I’m not a fan of taking biblical stories/concepts and flipping them around to make God (or his analog) the evil tyrant and we might be heading in that direction.

*END MILDLY SPOILER-Y SPECULATION*

I’m more than willing to keep going with the series once the next book comes out, but I really hope it doesn’t go the direction I think it will.