“The Sauder Diaries – By Any Other Name”
From the Test Readers
“…I don’t want to -read- about Hans Sauder, I want to -be- Hans Sauder!” — D.Roberts
“I liked the whole book. I rushed read the end because I *wanted* to know how it ended and it was a satisfying ending. I want to re-read it which is also a really good sign” — F.Messer
“Dang fine piece of writing! I’m hooked… more please!” — J.Farrel
“I’m very impressed with your writing. It swept me up right away and I immediately felt invested in your characters. It was a great intro. Your description blends nicely with the narrative. You have good sentence structure and flow. The protagonist is immediately both interesting and likeable. I also particularly enjoyed the doctor. Technically, some of the best writing that I’ve reviewed.” — C.Boudreau
“Grand story well spun!” — W.Gallant
From the Public
5/5 stars … I’ve only read the first few chapters, but it immediately grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let go. Fabulous writing. The imagery is fantastic. I recommend it 100%!! — Nikayan @ Amazon.com
5/5 stars … From the first page, the writing captured my attention. The imagery, the characters, the situations and technology…it all seemed so real, as though this world could have really existed. Even though it is set in the past, the characters and culture don’t have the feeling of being outdated or out of touch. It’s an excellent book; I absolutely recommend it. — Britt.O @ Amazon.com
5/5 stars … So, I woke up an hour ago to finish reading the book because I got to a point where I couldn’t tear my eyes off it and had to go to sleep. It was a very good read! Haven’t felt invested in a book for a while there. I fully recommend it. — FoundMyKey @ Amazon.com
5/5 stars … I have been waiting a long time for a story like this. love the story, love the characters! I can’t wait to get to the end, but I don’t want this fantastic ride to end! — Gnaeus @ Amazon.com
5/5 stars … From start to finish ‘The Sauder Diaries – By Any Other Name’ is a romping ride. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but all readers will find elements of; Fantasy, Epic Sci-Fiction, Steampunk, and a solid dose of Alternative History within these pages. With lots of action, serious character development, a romance, and vivid descriptions of the setting, this is a winner! The main character, Hans Sauder has a depth that is so readily apparent within the first two chapters, that I could not help but compare this hot new novel to many of the recent works of much more established writers. You see the Hans evolve as a person far more within ‘By Any Other Name’ than I can claim for most of the characters in ‘A Game of Thrones’.
— Read the rest from M.Jenkins @ Amazon5/5 stars … Being a history teacher myself, I am notoriously picky when it comes to the books I read. The Sauder Diaries defied my skepticism at every turn – and won the duel, hands down. Romance, warfare, intrigue, humor, and espionage were all interwoven with meticulous attention. Historical and mechanical detail nails down every scene with credible believability, yet is never off-putting for those who might not be history buffs, or a mechanical mind.
If I had known at the outset what a gem of a book this would be, I would have gladly paid more than the current asking price. This tale is an absolute gem, and I look forward to the promised sequel with school-girlish impatience. Highly recommend it! — Read the rest from Angela @ Goodreads
4/5 stars … Sauder Diaries: By Any Other Name reminds me of a cross between Jules Verne, Herman Melville and Robert E. Howard. There’s action, adventure, and (very frustrating) romance. The characters are charming and diverse, and there are some truly terrific battle sequences…
Also, bonus points to Vaillancourt for writing one of the most infuriating romance subplots of all time. And I mean that in a good way.
I had a blast reading By Any Other Name and am eagerly looking forward to the sequel. — Read the rest from Daniel Swensen @ Goodreads
5/5 stars … Michel Vaillancourt has got his genre pretty much completely wrapped up. Not that I’ve ever been a big reader of Steampunk, but as a lover of both adventure and Victorian fiction I thoroughly appreciated the way that the author uses Steampunk’s idiosyncrasies, it’s blending of modern technological advances with Victorian sensibilities to create a narrative that’s not just delightfully old-school in its feel but also one that explores the disjunct of those two thing through its central characters, to ultimately make some subtle comments on the lack of social freedom that comes with social status (a central theme of many Victorian novels)…
It’s so great to read a modern book labelling itself as “Victoriana” that actually seems to be influenced by the types of ideas and stories one usually sees in Victorian novels. Furthermore, this book is just a wonderful mix of romance, adventure and world-building (without needing to obsessively detail that aspect) and an absolute must-read for anyone who loves those things but wants a bit more intriguing depth and character interplay to go alongside ye pirate adventuring. Everything is setup nicely for book 2 which, one can hope, will be equally awesome. I can’t wait! — Read the rest from Alex @ GoodReads
(Blogpost, No Rating) I have never been a fan of mathematics. Science and engineering have never been fields that my teachers in early life ever recommended I pursue. But … I am an avid student of both, for the fun of it. Concepts — such as EMIPALE, mentioned in the book, which creates local resistance to Earth’s natural magnetic field generating lift — are music to my mind. Keep educating us in such a natural way!
A bit of foreign language (one of my hobbies) is tastefully sprinkled here and there in Sauder Diaries, such as the Italian phrase, “Divertente, sì?” Nice.
Now, my husband Michael, who is a Social Studies major and a history nerd, enjoys most the fact that the stories is set in 1888 after the Crimean War ended but with a complete twist. From a ceasefire due to a stalemate, the war ends in a surrender with Europe divided between Allied and Russian Imperial borders … — Read the rest from Suzanne Bowen @ tmcnet.com
4/5 stars … After a wee bit of a slow start, this swashbuckling tale of an upper crust Englishman who gets kidnapped by some air pirates sails off on a magnificent adventure! A few minor errors that can be tweaked in later versions do not detract from this at all. My only complaint was that the ending was a tad rushed. Thus I knocked it down to 4 stars instead of 5. That aside, I am still waiting for the sequel. The author had best hurry before I ship him some highly caffeinated toddlers. — Tim Baer @ Goodreads
5/5 stars … “Superb steampunk adventure”
Utterly absorbing. A story of honour and adventure.
Stylistically, works brilliantly that each chapter begins with an extract from Hans’s diary, followed by the rollicking adventures.
It’s a fine line to balance the harsh consequences of actions with hope and mercy. “By Any Other Name” does this well.
It’s part coming-of-age, part quest … and opens the door to a series that I hope we get many more of. The characters are complicated and appealing. The world is vivid. — Jenny Schwartz @ Amazon