The Orb and the Airship by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt – That’s What I’m Talking About…

Audiobook review: The Orb and the Airship by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt

Woken from centuries of sleeping existence, an old man sets out with his new companions, a military trainee and an airship pirate, on an adventure that will change the world. Jenelle Leanne Schmidt’s gaslamp fantasy series wasn’t even on my radar, but I am grateful for the nudge a favored narrator gave me to give her classic-style swashbuckling adventure fantasy a try.

So yes, an old man- not human and imbued with magic- has held watch on his orb against the improbable day that wickedness will return to the world. He has drowsed for centuries, hoping for the day he will slip into eternal sleep and be spared this half-existence in his watch tower.

But, as life does, he is startled back to life when fresh-faced and eager youth come across him and his orb. They are on their way to school and leaving their isolated small-town home behind for the great wide world out there. Even with their limited knowledge, they know more than Dalmir who has been isolated for centuries. Dalmir needs to get caught up quickly because the evil he was meant to guard seems to be not as imprisoned as before.

The journey to the military school is not without incident because pirate captain Marik intercepts them. And, the adventure comes roaring into play. Fight scenes, heists, airship thrills, political intriguing, magic, and cunning crisscross among the story threads as the world of Turrum, the principal characters, and the situation is slowly unveiled in this opening book of the series.

The Orb and the Airship is called a gaslamp fantasy, but I wasn’t past the prologue and was thinking High Fantasy and, not just that, but in the style of the great classics. Oh, and then the steampunk vibes hit, cozy fantasy, and yes, this was a fabulous blend of all the above.

I loved the characters- good solid Grayden, mysterious Dalmir, larcenous, but loyal Marik and hearts to Beren the giant as this team grows as the adventures come.

Learning each other, getting in tough spots so trust and camaraderie grow, discovering the world and magic, fantastical beings, and the growing unease of the evil that his building throughout the book makes this an excellent intro that ends on a reverberating ominous sense of what is coming on their horizon.

Benjamin Fife had loads of characters to voice and a crew of central figures at the heart of them all. I never had trouble distinguishing who was who and picked up character and plot clues from his excellent narration and voices. This was a rip-roaring good tale, but even better with him lending it sound, fury, and voice.

And so, lovers of fantasy in most of its forms, there is something for you within the pages of this book and the audio telling of this tale. Old-style storytelling that left me nostalgic and anticipating the next installment. Don’t hesitate to tune in to the Turrim Archives.

My Ratings
Story: A
Narration: A+

Sophia Rose

About the Book:

A rogue airship captain. An ambitious youth. A clash of powers beyond their imagination.

With scholarships to a prestigious military school, Grayden and Wynn are thirsty for adventure. But the night before they leave, they discover the mysterious Dalmir and his arcane orb in the forsaken tower outside of town. The old man, who seems to have a wealth of knowledge of what came before and yet so little of the now, insists on accompanying them as they travel to the academy.

Meanwhile, all pirate Captain Marik wants is to keep to the skies, take his due, and care for his crew. Then, a straightforward pillaging mission on a ship of fresh academy students leads to betrayal from one of his own, and an unlikely friendship forged by necessity.

Yet, this new alliance stirs up ancient foes and a conflict too terrible to ignore. Despite Grayden’s inexperience and Marik’s skepticism, working together with Dalmir is their only option.

The fate of the world depends on it.

A clean gaslamp fantasy adventure filled with steadfast friendship, brotherhood, twisty politics, and epic airship battles.

Author: Jenelle Leanne Schmidt
Narrator: Benjamin Fife
Series: Turrim Archives #1
Genre: Gaslamp Fantasy
Audiobook Release Date: May 13, 2023
Publisher: self-published
Length: 11 hours 10 minutes
Source: Narrator
Audio Speed: 1.3x