The Iron Jackal

Mix together the swashbuckling of The Pirates of the Caribbean, a shade of fast shooting action and espionage--on horseback--of Michael Garrison's The Wild Wild West, and a bit of the personalities from Ocean's 11 (pick 1960 or 2001--it doesn't matter), and drop them all in a world with demons, magic, curses, and airships.

That would give you just a glimpse of what you can expect from The Iron Jackal, the third in Chris Wooding's Tales of the Ketty Jay. It's a fast, energetic ride, a swashbuckling adventure in a vividly colorful world full of heroes and villains, intrigue and mystery, and empires and exploration.

The Iron Jackal opens with Captain Frey and his crew finally catching a break. One heist later, Frey is romancing his old flame, his crew is awash in cash, and the world is their oyster. Naturally, it's a perfect place for everything to go pot.

Cursed, hunted, and with death scheduled in just a few days time, Frey and his crew are on a quest that will test their ingenuity, their sanity, and their loyalty to each other and the Ketty Jay.

I enjoyed it thoroughly. Wooding's characters are diverse, fully conceived, and vibrant, and he uses each scene not only to build the tension, but to build his cast's relevance to the story and to each other.

If you haven't read the first or second installments in the Tales of the Ketty Jay, you don't need to start from the beginning. Each stands alone and can be read without the others. That said, pick them up from the beginning, and enjoy a fantastic story, full of complex characters and creative plots.

The Iron Jackal was originally released in 2011 by Gollancz and has been rereleased this year by Titan. I gotta admit: as much as I enjoyed the book, I hated the cover. This is one book you do not want to judge by its cover.