The Olympian Affair

The Cinder Spires, Book 2

By: Jim Butcher

Narrated by: Euan Morton

An instant New York Times bestseller!

The fate of the Cinder Spires may be decided by crossed swords in the next exhilarating fantasy adventure from the author of the Dresden Files, in this New York Times bestselling series of noble families, swordplay, and airships.

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.

Critic reviews

Praise for The Olympian Affair
"Butcher’s long-awaited sequel to The Aeronaut’s Windlass is an exciting epic fantasy, set in the sky and filled with airships, magic, and the connections of blood and found family."—Library Journal

"Explosive. . . . Fans will find this is worth the wait."—Publishers Weekly

"Butcher’s fans will delight in the new characters and alternate Spires while enjoying favorites from the first book and will be eager for the next episode in the action-packed Cinder Spires series."—Booklist (starred review)

Praise for The Aeronaut's Windlass
“Great action scenes, a fascinating world, and characters of a sort I’ve never seen before....This is everything I’ve come to expect from Jim Butcher, but in a delightful new flavor.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Patrick Rothfuss

“Beware, fellow readers, herein lies adventure that will keep you from food or rest....Butcher proves yet again that he is an amazing storyteller.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Briggs

“This is Jim Butcher at his best, drawing a fully realized, richly detailed, and downright fun literary world....It’s steampunk meets magic with a dose of sci-fi for seasoning. Buy it and read it. You’ll be glad you did.”—New York Times bestselling author David Weber

“Butcher opens the imaginative Cinder Spires series with this sweeping fantastical epic....[It’s] a fascinating, adventurous, and intricate story. Butcher brings a fresh and exciting perspective to secondary-world steampunk, giving the reader a thrilling ride.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“With shifting points of view, short chapters, fast-paced action, and awesome battle scenes, the large cast of characters, elaborate world building, and intricate plot are revealed quickly and realized fully. It all reminds readers of when they first fell for Harry Dresden.”—Booklist (starred review)

“[Butcher] blends familiar steampunk and fantasy elements (airships, wizardry, and heroes from a monarch’s guard) in a fresh and wonderful way that results in a fantastic ride.”—Library Journal (starred review)

Wonderful return to this storyworld!

It was great to be back in this world but rust and rot there were a lot of on-page sex and sexual innuendos. A bit disappointing as this storyworld is brilliant without that and the first book wasn’t disrupted with that content. Still—a great return after a very long wait.

Worth the wait

I discovered Jim Butcher through Dresden & decided to give The Aeronauts Windlass I try. Have been anxiously awaiting the sequel & was not disappointed. I enjoy the world he’s created & the numerous characters (especially the cats). Euán Morton is an excellent narrator!! Looking forward to next book. Hopefully it won’t take as long to arrive. 🤞

Amazing, start to finish.

Had to force myself to take the book in junk and really enjoy every moment. After such a long wait the urge to listen in one sitting was overwhelming. I enjoy this release very very much and hope to not have to wait so long for the 3rd.

a new epic universe

I always love a well developed literary world and the layers of history and culture revieled in this book promises another multivolume masterpeice from JB. i fell in love with Dresden's world and it is fun drawing architypal parallels. I definitely recommend reading book 1.5 before this one.

Great book :)

Jim Butcher does a great job with world building books. Can’t wait for the next one.