The Cinder Spires Books in Order By Jim Butcher
Each creature had something it excelled at, he supposed. Humans could manage knots easily, and cats could do everything else.
― Jim Butcher, The Aeronaut’s Windlass
- The Aeronaut’s Windlass (2015)
- The Olympian Affair (Exp. 2023)
What is The Cinder Spires about?
The Cinder Spires is Jim Butcher’s latest dabble in a new series of books, with a new sub-genre of writing. The series are a steampunk fantasy series, heavily involving steampunk technologies, in a world of magical wars AND would you believe it, intelligent cats (by that I mean… to say the least, they can talk).
The series takes place on a world where humans live in huge arcologies that are 3,000 meters tall and two miles wide. These are what are known as “Spires” in the world. Spire Albion is the main setting of the first book (at least), and this is governed by a constitutional monarchy. In the world, their technology is based around these vat-grown crystals, and these allow them to create airships, generate electricity and to power energy based weapons.
While the first book came out in 2015 (8 years ago now!) The wait is nearly over with the second book due out in November 2023. There has been a lot of anticipation for the sequel, with a lot of people asking and wondering when or even IF the sequel will come out. But according to Jim Butcher’s homepage, you can see that the book is 100% finished. Now we just have to wait for release day, we can no longer blame Butcher for the delay in our continuing out adventure with The Cinder Spires.
Who is Jim Butcher?
Jim Butcher is an American author, born in Independence, Missouri in 1971. He is most well known for his fantasy works, The Dresden Files (which currently has 17 books published), Codex Alera (a finished fantasy book series of six books) and more recently Cinder Spires (with one book out currently). His interest in fantasy and sci/fi began when he was ill with strep throat as a child. Jim Butcher’s sisters introduced him to The Lord of the Rings and The Han Solo Adventures to help pass the time. He also claims that these authors were a source of inspiration, also amongst these are C. S. Lewis and Lloyd Alexander.
When he was a teenager, he wrote his first novel and set out to become a writer. At this time, Butcher was given the nickname Longshot. This was because usually only 3 in 1000 actually manage to get published, and of those select few, only 1 in 10 earn enough to take this profession on as full time. After a few failed attempts to get published, he was able to hit his stride with his Dresden Files (2000), a professional wizard in a modern-day Chicago.
The Order
The Aeronaut’s Windlass (2015)
The Cinder Spires #1
171,470 words, 630 pages, 70 chapters, 11hrs 30mins to read.
2,450 average words per chapter, 9 average pages per chapter
Published by Orbit
4.18 out of 5 on Goodreads
Since time immemorial, the Spires have sheltered humanity, towering for miles over the mist-shrouded surface of the world. Within their halls, aristocratic houses have ruled for generations, developing scientific marvels, fostering trade alliances, and building fleets of airships to keep the peace.
Captain Grimm commands the merchant ship, Predator. Fiercely loyal to Spire Albion, he has taken their side in the cold war with Spire Aurora, disrupting the enemy’s shipping lines by attacking their cargo vessels. But when the Predator is severely damaged in combat, leaving captain and crew grounded, Grimm is offered a proposition from the Spirearch of Albion—to join a team of agents on a vital mission in exchange for fully restoring Predator to its fighting glory.
And even as Grimm undertakes this dangerous task, he will learn that the conflict between the Spires is merely a premonition of things to come. Humanity’s ancient enemy, silent for more than ten thousand years, has begun to stir once more. And death will follow in its wake…
The Olympian Affair (Exp. 7th Nov. 2023)
The Cinder Spires #2
178,550 words, 656 pages, 11hrs 55mins to read
Published by Orbit
3.81 out of 5 on Goodreads
For centuries the Cinder Spires have safeguarded humanity, rising far above the deadly surface world. Within their halls, aristocratic houses rule, developing scientific marvels and building fleets of airships for defense and trade.
Now, the Spires hover on the brink of open war.
Everyone knows it’s coming. The guns of the great airship fleets that control the skies between the last bastions of humanity will soon speak in anger, and Spire Albion stands alone against the overwhelming might of Spire Aurora’s Armada and its new secret weapon–one capable of destroying the populations of entire Spires.
A trading summit at Spire Olympia provides an opportunity for the Spirearch, Lord Albion, to secure alliances that will shape the outcomes of the war, and to that end he dispatches privateer Captain Francis Madison Grimm and the crew of the AMS Predator to bolster the Spirearch’s diplomatic agents.
It will take daring, skill, and no small amount of showmanship to convince the world to stand with Spire Albion–assuming that it is not already too late.
It’s a tradition,” Grimm said. “Were traditions rational, they’d be procedures.”
― Jim Butcher, The Aeronaut’s Windlass
Overall
Fans of Jim Butcher’s work will love this series, while only one book is out, it is full of great potential, full of brilliant and lively characters and plot. It truly makes for a great read and one I am excited to see where it goes. And thankfully, the wait is nearly over for those of us who have already read The Aeronaut’s Windlass and a fan of Jim Butcher’s work, with the second book completed and due to hit the bookshops in the next few months!
If you have enjoyed any of Jim Butcher’s work and want to learn more about his or any other of his work, then feel free to check out his website. You will be able to find on the website’s homepage, a timeline of the progress of his next books.
Which one is your favourite or most looking forward to picking up next?
Let us know!
Happy reading!
The Cinder Spires Total Word Count
- Total words: 350,020 words
- Total pages: 1,286 pages
- Total reading time: 23hrs 20mins
More of the same, but different:
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Things to Note:
- Word count is an approximation.
- Amount of pages may differ due to different publications, font style and/or size etc.
- Time spent reading is generally an approximation based on the word count and the average reading time. The average reader will read 250 WPM (Words Per Minute).
- This is the original publisher of the books.
- The current Goodreads score at the time of writing.
- For more information on word lengths and what they mean, check out our handy guide here.
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