This is the second book in the “Rebel Runaways” series from Dave Johnson, a former textile designer and lecturer who has written a series of popular historical time travel books. After the events of the first book, the Rebel Runaways have reconvened on the Scottish Isle, planning their next moves. They are now notorious across England, having been written about in books, and are on conflicting sides with Fotheringay and the government.
When the Rebels encounter the government ship “HMS Deception,” importing more slaves from Africa, they are quick to attack and take hold of the ship. With their airship towed by the ship, they sail the slaves back to Africa. There, Joshua is reunited with his family, whom he was taken from long ago, and he realizes that living on a different continent has forever changed him and that he could never return to the way of life of his African tribe. Upon returning to England, the Rebels make their way back to London, where each of them starts making plans for the future.
But before they can put any plans into action, they get wind of a trade union march in England being organized to protest against cruel working conditions. The Rebels are aware that the government has planned a lethal reception for them, and so they make plans to intervene. It’s a dangerous situation, as the government has ordered troops to find the Rebels and have them hanged for treason. The Rebels have to rely on their allies, their wit, and Jake’s latest inventions to have any chance at success.
This is a worthwhile sequel to the exciting historical adventure novel Freedom Skies. This book, like the original, is fast-paced and full of action, adventure, and wonderful dialogue. The characters continued to be developed in this novel, with several of them “coming of age” and making plans for their adult lives. It is especially wonderful to listen to Billy’s culinary endeavours, Jake’s continued invention discussions, and the women planning a fashion house in Paris. It feels as though the audience is growing up with these characters with each additional book.
The story also wrestles with some more serious topics, including slavery and the advent of workers’ unions. Joshua is an especially well-developed character in this book and has now become a household name with the Rebels. His reaction to seeing his family and homeland again is quite fascinating. The barbaric ways of his family tribe are now in great contrast to his current life, making the reunion with his family somewhat bittersweet.
Narrator Rachel Laurence returns with just as much enthusiasm and passion as in Book 2. She brings all the different characters and accents fully to life with well-placed comic relief and dramatic flair. This is definitely an audiobook where you don’t want to speed up the narration, as you may have trouble understanding some of the accents and may miss some crucial plot points as the story is very fast-paced.
The epilogue of the story gives the audience hints of what’s to come for the Rebels, and it’s quite exciting that each new installment in the series is taking place in different parts of the world! If you enjoy historical fantasy novels with memorable characters and a fast-paced narrative, then definitely give this series a try!
