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Carrie Vaughn

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Steel Paperback – March 13, 2012

by Carrie Vaughn (Author)

4.1 103 ratings

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A mysterious broken sword transports a modern teen through time to the deck of a pirate ship. Stranded in the past, and surrounded by strangers, she is forced to sign on as crew. But a pirate's life is bloody and brief, and as she learns about the dark magic that brought her there, she forms a desperate scheme to get home—one that risks everything in a duel to the death with a villainous pirate captain!

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Throughly enjoyable” — Kirkus Reviews

“Vivid period details add to the appeal of this unusual swashbuckler.” — ALA Booklist

“This unique story should have broad appeal.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

About the Author

Carrie Vaughn survived her air force brat childhood and managed to put down roots in Colorado. Her first book, Kitty and the Midnight Hour, launched a popular series of novels about a werewolf named Kitty who hosts a talk-radio advice show. She is also the author of Voices of Dragons, her debut novel for teen readers. Ms. Vaughn lives in Colorado.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperTeen; Reprint edition (March 13, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0061956503
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0061956508
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 - 17 years
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 800L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 8 - 9
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.34 x 0.78 x 8.03 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,798,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #447 in Teen & Young Adult Pirate Action & Adventure
- #1,037 in Teen & Young Adult Time Travel Fiction
- #2,559 in Teen & Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy

Customer Reviews:
4.1 103 ratings

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Carrie Vaughn

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Carrie Vaughn is the author more than twenty novels and over a hundred short stories. She's best known for her New York Times bestselling series of novels about a werewolf named Kitty who hosts a talk radio advice show for the supernaturally disadvantaged. In 2018, she won the Philip K. Dick Award for Bannerless, a post-apocalyptic murder mystery. She's published over 20 novels and 100 short stories, two of which have been finalists for the Hugo Award. She's a contributor to the Wild Cards series of shared world superhero books edited by George R. R. Martin and a graduate of the Odyssey Fantasy Writing Workshop.

An Air Force brat, she survived her nomadic childhood and managed to put down roots in Boulder, Colorado, where she collects hobbies.

Visit her at www.carrievaughn.com

For writing advice and essays, check out her Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/carrievaughn

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5

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silvergray

Loved this story.

Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2011

Verified Purchase

Jill was written beautifully. She didn't do the "oh-no-i'm-in-a-weird-situation-now-i-must-panic-and-think-im-crazy-and-make-sure-all-the-other-characters-think-I'm-nuts-for-200-pages" thing. Which I appreciated.

The pirate life was a bit idealized but in a way that keeps the essence of what it was like. (Not that I was I pirate back then and I would know, or anything... ) Let me give examples of what I mean: The author never goes into detail about where and how Jill goes to the bathroom. But she does make you feel like you're on a pirate ship by showing how they would go about their daily duties. Killing isn't done constantly, sickness and disease on the ship aren't "common" in this world, rather the author uses these things as individual story elements to emphasize a point.

It's a great adventure story with a smart lead, and it makes you want to read up more on the way things were.

5 stars

I want a sequel!

Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2013

Verified Purchase

Who can resist a story full of cheeky pirates and sword flailing adventure? I was a little hesitant about this story at first, because I generally don't like time travel stories, but Carrie Vaughn rocks this fun pirate story. Steel is a great story with a strong female lead who takes things as they come, even when she is tossed onto a pirate ship centuries before her time.

Jill is a champion fencer, but when she loses the most important match of her career, her world changes in more ways than one. After the loss, her parents decide to take a trip to the Caribbean to lift her spirits and get her out of her room. While on vacation, though, she refuses to pull out of her funk. When she finds the rusted, corroded tip of a rapier on the beach, she feels inexplicably drawn to the sword fragment. Her pull to the sword makes her take it with her on a boat ride with her parents. When she accidentally falls overboard, she and the sword are transported back in time to a pirate ship where the sword tip is more than just a cool artifact- it is the object of a deadly feud between the Diana's Captain Marjory Cooper and her nemesis, Captain Blane.

Aboard the Diana, Jill gets a quick lesson in pirate life. She is forced to swear an oath to the ship or be put in the gallows. When she chooses to sign the oath, she becomes part of the crew- most of which involves endless scrubbing of the deck and seriously hard work. At first she is terrified of the crew and their fearless female captain, but quickly she begins to see they are more of a family. At one point, they even take over a slave ship and deliver the slaves to safety. Jill grew up thinking all pirates were thieves and self-serving, but she quickly finds out there is more to the story. Despite her desire to get back home in any way possible, Jill begins to care for her crew and captain.

But the issue of the broken rapier still exists. Captain Cooper tells Jill it is the piece of Captain Blane's sword she threw in the ocean. Blane used the evil and mystical sword to try and form a pirate empire in the Atlantic- one that would ensure terror and evil controlled the sea and no one would escape. When she defeated Blane, she destroyed the sword, but now that the piece has come back, Blane is chasing the Diana in a murderous effort to reclaim it. Jill must help the crew of the Diana defeat Blane, but ultimately, Jill must find her way home. Will Blane's defeat help her get home or is she stuck on this pirate ship forever?

I love when historical fiction brings strong messages with an exciting story, and that is exactly what Vaughn did with Steel. She showed a world where women should have been second-class citizens, but instead they were captains of mighty ships and revered like any other fair and just captain. On the ship itself, Jill became an equal to the other men (although it required a little time and proof that she was worthy of their respect). This is a strong book with strong characters who I would be proud to share with my students, male and female alike. In fact, although the main character is a girl, this is a great book for both boys and girls. Nothing about it is "girlie" and who doesn't love a girl who fences anyway?!

The language is moderate and there are no inappropriate circumstances. The violence is limited and not overt or gruesome. This is a great book for any high skilled 6-7th grader through a high school student. It has great characters and plenty of action to keep anyone hooked. While it would certainly appeal to a kid who enjoys pirate stories (Pirates of the Caribbean wholeheartedly included) it also would appeal to someone who knows nothing of pirate lore. Vaughn knocked it out of the park with this fun adventure, and I can't wait to see what she does next!

Helpful

Hannah McBride

The Irish Banana Review

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2011

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I wasn't sure what exactly I was expecting when I started Steel, but I don't think it was this. Let me start by saying the cover is stunning breathtaking and while everyone knows not the judge a book by its cover, we all do it. Including me.

Steel is a very appropriate summer read. It has the Bahamas, pirates, adventure at sea, and a decent female lead. I was fascinated by how much I learned about piracy and sword fighting/fencing while reading. Carrie Vaughn doesn't glamorize pirate life: it's smelly, sweaty, and a lot of hard work for a few days of action. I have to commend her for not trying to make this tale a sweeping romance with a lot of flowery scenery, which it could have easily been. She has clearly done her homework on fencing, using the terminology frequently, but not so much as to confuse the reader. I appreciate that.

Unfortunately, the book had its drawbacks. Several times Vaughn used a single sentence to sum up what she should have described over several pages. Instead of explaining the ways the sails were hoisted or how the dynamics of the ship worked when the crew was setting sail, she would sum it up with one sentence. This happened several times. It was almost like being told a story from an actual person: When telling a story, a person won't go into the heavy details, but I want these details when I'm reading a book. Another 50 pages of fleshing out these scenes would have gone a long way, in my opinion.

I also felt like Jill was a weak heroine. She tried to be strong, but I just could not connect with her. I couldn't find that spark that would make me adore her. She was pretty, but bland.

Please don't get me wrong: Steel is a fun book that I did enjoy. I just feel like it is more appropriate for the younger YA readers. The romance hinted about in the tagline is really more of a middle school crush that barely lasts past two pages. Blink and you miss it. If you're reading this book hoping for a romance on the high seas, you'll be disappointed. If you're looking for a carefree adventure you can read on the beach on sunny afternoon, this is your book.

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Amazon Customer

An entertaining young adult novel

Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2011

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Carrie Vaughn was an author I stumbled onto without knowing what I was getting into. I was at Borders, perusing the fantasy/ science fiction section and picked up one of the 'Kitty Norville' books. I bought it because it sounded like a good summer read and then I bought every single other book Carrie Vaughn has ever written. She has a fresh voice. Her story lines are unique. There are dark moments and then there are bright. shining moments. The action scenes are edge-of-your-seat good. 'Steel' was definitely a young adult novel, but it kept up with Vaughn's reputation- she can keep your attention to the extent that you will stay up until midnight reading even though you need to wake up at 5am the following morning- totally worth it!

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Top reviews from other countries

Nicole (The Bibliophile Chronicles)

A swashbuckling tale of revenge, romance and pirates from the author of the Kitty Norville series!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 1, 2014

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Synopsis:

Teenager Jill is on holiday with her family in the Bahamas. She’s fed up because she lost her last fencing tournament. Not wishing to participate on family activities she takes a wander along the beach, only to discover a broken piece of rapier buried in the sand. Jill keeps the shard and somehow transports her back to a time of pirates and magic. Coerced into joining the crew of the Diana, Jill must figure out how to survive amongst a bunch of pirates, as well as find a way back home.

Review:

I love pirate stories, there’s something about them that’s always so fascinating. As a child I read Treasure Island and Celia Rees’ Pirates! over and over. This is a great pirate story - a coming of age tale, about a young girl looking for her place in the world. On the outset, Jill is not the most likable heroine,she’s a moody teenager and tends to spend her time complaining. This is slightly off putting, but none the less I still rooted for her and she becomes much more likable she learns her place among the crew and fights for her survival, she becomes a very strong protagonist, one who actually fights for her crew mates.

Carrie Vaughn provides an incredible amount of detail about the world of sailing and I really enjoyed that aspect. Jill learning how the sails and things work, having to scrub the deck and work as part of the crew are really interesting aspects of the novel. I would have liked more detail on the magical aspects of the story, the time travel and the magic sword felt a little unexplained.

Steel has everything you could ask for in a young adult novel. It has a strong heroine, plenty of fighting and danger, and a touch of romance - which I've not really mentioned, but is ever present. It’s quite a short story, and so I felt I didn't get very much time to connect with the characters - at under three hundred pages, I would have loved more information about the other crew members, such as Abe - the quartermaster who was previously a slave, or Jenks - the first mate who is marooned. I really loved the captain of the Diana, pirate Queen Marjory Cooper and would absolutely love to know her back story. She’s a great character, a fearless lady pirate, and probably my favourite in the story. Despite it being a short book, it’s a highly enjoyable story, it’s fun and interesting, and while it’s not completely historically accurate, it gives a great insight into 18th century pirates in the Caribbean.