Steeple is the sequel to Barricade, book 2 in the Kenstibec series.
Kenstibec was created as an invulnerable, artificial life form, designed to build a better world for humanity. That didn’t work out. A war between people and the Ficials laid waste to the world, and left Kenstibec mortal as any man.
Now, determined to recover his Ficial strength, he sets out on an insane mission to climb the battered remnant of a vast skyscraper – a dark, man-made mountain that rises all the way to a broiling wall of toxic cloud.
A prize awaits him at the summit, but it’s going to be another long journey – chased by cannibals and attack drones, through crawlspaces and lift shafts, up the crumbling edifice of man’s last great monument to greed.
REVIEWS
“The books are billed as worthy successors to Richard Morgan’s Altered Carbon, which is a big claim… and again in the second book that claim holds up…well judged moments of humour and tragedy, with a similarly fast-paced, hugely enjoyable narrative pace to the first book. Brilliant.” – Forbidden Planet International BEST OF 2015 SELECTION
“The action is tense, the violence gruesome but compelling and the science fiction engaging. In other words, it’s every bit as good as its predecessor.” – The Sun (4 Stars)
“Steeple is a short, thrilling read. I had my nose glued to it and finished it in a day. It is thoroughly exhilarating, its dystopia as dark as can be but lit by the fantastic writing, tight structure, edge-of-seat action sequences and the deliciously warped humour. At times it is surprisingly emotional and touching. I really enjoyed Barricade but if anything Steeple is even better!” – forwinternights
“After the success of his debut novel, Barricade, Jon Wallace secures his position as a relevant voice in sci-fi with this fight for survival between the few remaining humans on earth and the artificial intelligence that they created.” – Big Issue North
“Steeple is a gung-ho, fast-paced romp of a page-turner that simply gallops through an end-of-world dystopia, and is laced with occasional, dry, black humour. It’s fantastic stuff. A thriller, but with good SF underpinning.” – concatenation.org
“Jon Wallace’s imagination has shown me that if the sky’s the limit, Kenstibec will find a way to bust through it.” – Fantasy Book Review
“Steeple is a pretty much perfect follow-up, it does everything a sequel should — broadens the story, the world and its people without re-treading old ground while keeping the voice and more importantly moving things forward. Read Barricade and then read this, you will not be disappointed.” – sfbook.com
“as was the case with “Barricade”, the biggest problem with “Steeple” is the wait that you have to endure once you’re done with it. Next one, please?” – upcoming4.me
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