Beth Cato Books In Order

Publication Order of Chefs of the Five Gods Books

Publication Order of Clockwork Dagger Books

Publication Order of Blood of Earth Books

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Anthologies

Author Beth Cato has written the “Clockwork Dagger Duology” series and the “Breath of Earth” series. There are both novels and short stories to the “Clockwork Dagger” series. She writes fantasy stories that contain elements of high fantasy, romance, steam punk, and adventure.

Cato has been a finalist for a Locus Award for “The Clockwork Dagger” (first novel category) in the year 2015 and for RT Reviewers’ Choice Finalist for “The Clockwork Crown”. “Wings of Sorrow and Bone” (which is a novella that she wrote) was nominated for a Nebula in the year 2016. “Final Flight” was listed on Library Journal’s best books of 2016 list.

She lives with her husband Jason (who loves hockey) and her son Nicholas (who is obsessed with numbers), and a cat Porom (that is canned ham sized). Beth Cato comes from Hanford, California; her and her family live in Arizona (in a city that is near Phoenix). Some of her writing influences include C.E. Murphy and Elizabeth Moon.

“The Clockwork Dagger” is the first novel in the “Clockwork Dagger” series and was released in the year 2014. Octavia Leander was orphaned when she was a child, and was doomed to grow up living on the streets. Miss Percival saved her from that and taught her how to be a medician. She has incredible powers and is about to go out on her first mission, which is to go and visit the cities that are suffering from the war.

The airship, that she travels on, has a lot of problems that are strange and disturbing. There is murder and Octavia’s own life is threatened. She gets caught up in all kinds of intrigue. The handsome steward may just be a Clockwork Daggers, an infamous group that are the Queen’s assassins and spies. Her cabin mate is also keeping some disturbing secrets. The danger is just getting started, and she finds out that the conspiracy on the ship may just go to the crown too.

Fans of the novel liked the world building that happened in the novel. It has well drawn characters and had quite a bit of action to keep things moving. It even has a murder mystery that was well done. This is for fans who enjoy both steam punk and epic fantasy lovers to try. The novel pulls readers in from the very first page, and makes readers want to figure out what happens next. These leads are strong, and not victims with people who care for them. Beth Cato is an author that knows how to write, having rendered both well drawn characters and world.

“The Clockwork Crown” is the second novel in the “Clockwork Dagger” series and was released in the year 2015. Octavia Leander has avoided assassination and capture (by a slim margin) and has gone on the run with someone named Alonzo Garrett. He gave up his career (and maybe his life, too)as a Clockwork Dagger to save her. They need find safety and some answers, something that may just get them killed. How did Octavia get so powerful? How come she is going through a transformation that has not been seen in anyone else in centuries?

The truth may lie where her ability to heal comes from, the Lady’s Tree. It is found in the Waste, which is in a rough and inhabitable territory that many moons ago was made barren and inhospitable by an maleficent spell that was cast over it. Only a select few tough souls have dared to go over it for the last century. The Waste has waged a war so that he can win its freedom from the royal court. Octavia’s powers will come in quite handy in their quest. She has to evade killers on a journey that takes her through this world nearing civil war; it has her linked up with some gremlin companions, unlikely allies to be sure.

Fans of the novel found this to be an awesome read, and it was even better than the first novel. There is excellent writing, a quick moving story, and a surprising plot that felt like a roller coaster ride. Some like the way that the main characters are not trying to be heroes, and that the romance had a slow burn and was believable. Some readers enjoyed the journey that Cato took them on, and found the ending to make things worthwhile; the characters helped to make things better. This novel was a great way to finish off a duology. Some found that the pacing was impeccable, but has a big scale to it. Fans are sad that there is no more to this series, finding that she is a great character, it is too bad Cato will not write more about her.

“Wings of Sorrow and Bone” is a novella in the “Clockwork Dagger” series and was released in the year 2015. This story stars Rivka Stout; who is in one of the “Clockwork Dagger” books, although, not for very long. After Rivka was rescued by Octavia from the slums in Caskentia, she is trying make a new life for herself in Tamarania. Since she is a blooming machinist, it is hard for her to blend in with proper society; she would be much better off tinkering on something with her tools that at some upscale party. One day, she finds the laboratory of Balthazar Cody (who is powerful). She even discovers that there is a plot that involves the chimera gremlins and Warriors (which is a violent Arena game). These innocent creatures are going to end up hurt (possibly worse) if Rivka does not find a way to stop Cody. To do so means that she will have to have the help of some unexpected friends.

Fans of the novella found this to be a fun and fast read, and Rivka to be an interesting character to star in a spin off series of her own. Readers will get trapped in the intriguing world of machine and magic. Some found that they really loved Rivka and hope that she gets a series of her own. The story has all kinds of events that make you feel different emotions while reading it. Some found that they wished there was more about this character as she goes through this world; feeling that it was too bad there was not a longer story about her.