Captured on a virtual suicide mission as a punishment for a military mistake, Sam Smith - a fighter for the small nation of Icrises his entire adult life - overhears crucial evidence that an attack on his homeland is being planned. But he now languishes under lock and key: how can he escape to get this crucial intelligence home - before it is too late? A steampunk story for young adults, this debut novel by a young author includes the classic elements of a sci-fi tale in an age of different technology - the hand-to-hand fighting between fleets of aerial battleships (aerships), the war chiefs building their alliances between besieged cities, and the terrifying arrival of the monstrous Mindweaver. This is a steampunk vision, in all its sweat, gunpowder and balloons. It is a world where soldiers leap across chasms in the air to take the enemy. and where men like Sam are tested to the limit - and beyond.