I am told J.P. Wagner covered a lot of ground and a lot of topics in the course of his career as a journalist. Having 'been there, done that' myself, I suspect it left him with an appreciation for a broad range of interests.

That certainly appears to be the case in his first published novel, "Railroad Rising: The Black Powder Rebellion." Fantasy, action and adventure, swords and sorcery? Check, check, check. Steampunk, royal court intrigue, love story? Check them all off as well.

The story follows the adventures of Cartog, a young nobleman far down in the line-of-succession, and far-removed from any prospect of inheritance. Accompanied only by Yakor, his faithful retainer and a formidable master-of-arms, Cartog has set off on a journey to find his fortune elsewhere and make his own way in the world, perhaps as a mercenary.

They ride into a small town seeking employment ... but instead find themselves in the midst of a what appears to be an uprising and attempted kidnapping. This is the first of a series of events that will involve Cartog and Yakor in a growing conflict and circle of enemies, as well as a growing prospect for advancement and circle of friends. It could lead to great fortune in the long term, or death in the short term.

"Railroad Rising" was an easy read and enjoyable enough, with a straightforward story line and simple characters. But I have to agree with other LibraryThing Early reviewers who thought it could have used some editing, and some polishing to the story and characters.

And we might have gotten some of that, had it not been for circumstances far removed from the realm of Cragmor, in our own real and mundane world ... "Sadly," we read in the book's postscript, "J.P. Wagner passed away in 2015, before the publication of 'Railroad Rising.'" It is something I read with regret as I finished this book ... I was looking forward to Wagner's NEXT book.
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NOTE: I received a free e-copy of this work through LibraryThing in exchange for a review. ( )

A great pity. Throughout the book, I was thinking that this was clearly a first book and desperately needed a couple more edit passes - good setting, great concepts, wooden characters and dialog. I kept framing my review as "I'm really looking forward to his next book!". Then in the afterword I learned that J. P. Wagner died before this book was published. I'm sorry his family(?), publisher(?), whoever thought it would be better to release this book without finishing it. I'd rather have seen a finished, polished book, even if it wasn't wholly J. P.'s, than this half-finished, so nearly good book. Steampunk magic is a great concept - a world where magic is an established thing and railroads and gliders are just beginning to be used (and hot air balloons, which the protagonist apparently largely invents). The problems were rather repetitious (the king might not like him now! Figure out some way to placate him!), the characters were rather simplistic though nicely drawn (Yakor was incredibly useful as infodump, but an interesting person as well; Addy was totally one-dimensional. Didn't she have any ambitions, or was she simply happy to suddenly be getting married to this guy she'd known for whole weeks?), and the ending was extremely facile - the king kept face and Carrtog was no longer under any threat. Too easy. As was the end to the kidnapping. And most of the rest of Carrtog's problems... It was almost fun to read, but I really wish someone had done a bit more polishing. ( )

I couldn't make it through this book. So much exposition. An overly-perfect protagonist. A painfully obvious romantic interest. I just couldn't read through yet another straight white male being the chosen one. ( )

Review copy

On the surface Railroad Rising: The Black Powder Rebellion seems like it could be a lot of fun. Part fantasy, part adventure, part steampunk, magic, even a touch of romance. What's not to like?

There were a number of things I enjoyed in this work. For example, the story is solid. A magician, named Cartogg, and his armsman come to the aid of the king when he is ambushed at the opening of a railway he has had built for his people. Cartogg proves himself worthy and is soon in the service of the king.

It's a good thing the king has Cartogg, since the rebels have magicians of their own. Aside from magic, the magician also shows an aptitude for steam engines and gliders and soon incorporates both into the king's arsenal.

My biggest problems with Railroad Rising: The Black Powder Rebellion was its repetitiveness. Again and again, throughout the story, Cartogg is worried that he will lose favor with the king and the possible consequences of such an occurrence. I can understand his feelings, but not the author's need to remind us incessantly.

The writing is capable, but I found the storytelling to be lackluster. What strengths there were in this book were found in the relationships between the characters. In the end, I'm glad I read Railroad Rising: The Black Powder Rebellion, but if there is a sequel I don't think I'd be likely to go there.

Railroad Rising: The Black Powder Rebellion is available as an e-book from EDGE-Lite, an imprint of Hades Publictions, Inc.

Railroad Rising: The Black Powder Rebellion has been published posthumously, as the author passed away in 2015, my condolences to his family and friends. ( )

This was a fast read and the fantasy and slight steam punk elements kept it interesting enough to continue. There were a couple of downsides. Some scenarios get repetitive, both from the trial and error of developing new machines as well as some characters who seem capable of only one type of behavior. I would also have liked to see more context for some events mentioned only in passing, such as prior wars, to better explain the actions of some of the present-day characters. Overall, a nice and fast escape.