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380th out of 1,207 books
—
6,935 voters
Ganymede (The Clockwork Century #4)
by
Cherie Priest (Goodreads Author)
The air pirate Andan Cly is going straight. Well, straighter. Although he’s happy to run alcohol guns wherever the money’s good, he doesn’t think the world needs more sap, or its increasingly ugly side-effects. But becoming legit is easier said than done, and Cly’s first legal gig—a supply run for the Seattle Underground—will be paid for by sap money.
New Orleans is not Cly...more
New Orleans is not Cly...more
Paperback, 349 pages
Published
September 27th 2011
by Tor Books
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9th out of 35 books
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138 voters
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There is no way for me to do a sensible, scholarly review of this book or any of the books in the Clockwork Century series. All I can say is that I loved this, and that Ms. Priest had me before Marie Laveau but I squealed in delight when she appeared. I'm thrilled with the gentle, low-key touch of romance as well as the breathless action, and just delighted to pieces with the whole book.
Mar 05, 2012
Tiyana White
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
lovers of steampunk and adventures
Ganymede is the fourth addition to the Clockwork Century universe, coming after Boneshaker, Clementine, and Dreadnought (in that order)**–-all of which are centered around a steampunk alternate history in which the American Civil War has carried on for nearly decades longer than in real life. The story follows two main characters: former lovers Andan Cly, the air pirate fans got to meet first in Boneshaker, and Josephine Early, a biracial prostitute and Union spy who is new to the series.
I'd do...more
I'd do...more
I really wish I was connecting with this series better. I like the setting a lot, and the alternate history is very well thought out. But even though the characters are well-rounded, I have trouble caring about them, and I feel like I should. It's like I enjoy the concept of these characters--brothel madam, her former lover-slash-air pilot, the Texas Ranger who showed up in the previous book...actually, I think I like him a lot. In general, this seems like a mismatch with the reader rather than...more
This is the most recent instalment in Cherie Priest’s Clockwork Century sequence, and like the prevoius ones it has a one-word title that refers to a big piece of advanced machinery – this time round it is a submarine, which has to be smuggled through the Confederate lines and handed over to the Union to give them an edge in the Civil War and hopefully end it (the American Civil War has been going on for decades in Priest’s alternative history universe). The Ganymede does not appear quite as cen...more
I'm a little conflicted about this installment in the "The Clockwork Century" series. The conflict comes in because though I enjoyed the story overall, love the setting of series,but I found it a bit dull. Maybe because there wasn't enough tension or conflict between characters or within the storyline. With the last novel "Dreadnought" with each turn of the page I felt as if I was being wound tighter and tighter and by the time we got to the climax of the story I was chewing my nails and on the...more
Long, long ago, I picked up a book that scared me. It was called
Boneshaker
.
This book scared me because it had the potential to be super-awesome. It had:
Zombies
Dirigibles
Steam and punk elements
Violence
Alternate history
Takes place in Seattle, where I was living at the time
I figured it couldn't be good, despite my infatuation with Whitechapel Gods . There was too much riding on it. On the whole, I loved it (even though, for some reason, I forgot to review it). I give it 4/6, due to obvious flaws...more
This book scared me because it had the potential to be super-awesome. It had:
Zombies
Dirigibles
Steam and punk elements
Violence
Alternate history
Takes place in Seattle, where I was living at the time
I figured it couldn't be good, despite my infatuation with Whitechapel Gods . There was too much riding on it. On the whole, I loved it (even though, for some reason, I forgot to review it). I give it 4/6, due to obvious flaws...more
I have read very little Steampunk and find the genre a bit peculiar, but after having read Ganymede, I will definitely have to explore the genre a little further in particular Priest's Clockwork Century series. Cherie Priest managed to weave a fascinating tale mixing in real, historical events and characters along with fictionalized elements to suit her needs. Set in an alternate prolonged Civil War timeline, the story centers around a prototype submarine called the Ganymede, that Josephine Earl...more
This book had a lot of potential and went almost nowhere with it. The premise is what sucked me in: The Clockwork Century, a time of steam and punks, and also zombies. Unfortunately, the zombies make a showing in the early pages of the book and then retreat into the night for the rest of it. Despite a late-game appearance by a zombie hunter who reveals what is causing them (in case, like me, you haven't read the other books in this universe), they never offer any real danger, or emotion, or horr...more
Pirates, prostitutes, and great sunken submarines, oh my. Cherie Priest reintroduces a handful of characters from Boneshaker and Dreadnought, resolves some lingering sexual tension between two of them and manages to bring the decades long Civil War to a ....well I won't say halt. More like a hiccup or a really tiny burp. ANyway, you have the Queen of voodo, yet more zombies (funny how they keep spreading--can anyone say BIOLOGICAL WEAPON?) a clever mixed race madam and her girls, a couple of tho...more
This was another book that I "stumbled over" when looking for something else. There is nothing at all wrong with the book but it is one of those times where I may be undervaluing it because I have not read the prior entries in this series. On occasion I'll stop and wait to get the first novel if I think the premise is interesting, but I grabbed this one just because I wanted something to read.
The author has done a nice job of imagining this parallel past. The technology bits are both firmly root...more
The author has done a nice job of imagining this parallel past. The technology bits are both firmly root...more
I very much enjoy the Clockwork Century books by Cherie Priest. So far, I have read all except the novella Clementine. Ganymede is not my favourite so far (that would be Dreadnought) but it's still a very good book.
Book structure/writing:
The book is told in 3rd person limited, following two protagonists in alternating chapters. I often have trouble reading such books in a decent amount of time, because each time the viewpoint changes I put the book down. Ganymede was no exception. I started read...more
Book structure/writing:
The book is told in 3rd person limited, following two protagonists in alternating chapters. I often have trouble reading such books in a decent amount of time, because each time the viewpoint changes I put the book down. Ganymede was no exception. I started read...more
As others have noted, this is not the best in the series but it's time well spent.
There are plenty of good ideas here, and some interesting characters are presented, if not fully developed.
The whole alternate culture is consistently presented in a way that makes us feel that of course this is the way it is, how could it be otherwise?
But I am starting to wonder about the walled-in gas in Seattle; is that really the most sensible way to deal with it?
We can't blame Priest for using the hoary ol...more
There are plenty of good ideas here, and some interesting characters are presented, if not fully developed.
The whole alternate culture is consistently presented in a way that makes us feel that of course this is the way it is, how could it be otherwise?
But I am starting to wonder about the walled-in gas in Seattle; is that really the most sensible way to deal with it?
We can't blame Priest for using the hoary ol...more
The gist of the story is that there's a submarine that the confederate supporters need to get out of New Orleans - this is an alternate universe story. Josephine, owner of a bordello, recruits an old flame to pilot it out. There's Texans, Voodoo Queens, Zombies and Pirates.
With all that going on, why did I get so bored? It wasn't the writing, Ms. Priest is descriptive and her writing flows easily. It was mostly the characters.
I couldn't bring myself to care about Josephine. I wanted to, she's a...more
With all that going on, why did I get so bored? It wasn't the writing, Ms. Priest is descriptive and her writing flows easily. It was mostly the characters.
I couldn't bring myself to care about Josephine. I wanted to, she's a...more
Andan Cly is a (mostly) retired pirate living in a blighted Seattle. Josephine Early is mixed-race madame in New Orleans. They used to be lovers, and now Josephine wants a favor from him for old time's sake. It's a biggie -- she wants him to pilot an experimental submarine through the Mississippi to the Union forces waiting in the Gulf. Andan and Josephine's challenges in this mission include an occupying Texian army intent on finding the sub themselves, a slow-growing zombie infestation, and th...more
drey’s thoughts:
I know I sometimes start things off with an assumption. Sometimes it’s valid, sometimes I just can’t count–which I guess is what happened when I thought Ganymede was the third Clockwork Century title… How did I miss Clementine??
Oh well. I’ll have to hunt that one down. The good news is, reading the Clockwork Century books in order isn’t an absolute requirement. Sure, you’ll get the backstory straighter than if you hadn’t, but Cherie Priest does such an excellent job at introduci...more
I know I sometimes start things off with an assumption. Sometimes it’s valid, sometimes I just can’t count–which I guess is what happened when I thought Ganymede was the third Clockwork Century title… How did I miss Clementine??
Oh well. I’ll have to hunt that one down. The good news is, reading the Clockwork Century books in order isn’t an absolute requirement. Sure, you’ll get the backstory straighter than if you hadn’t, but Cherie Priest does such an excellent job at introduci...more
Loved this one- maybe the best one in the series, or maybe my favorite because it's the most recent - not sure that it matters. Priest's penchant for writing strong but believable female characters is unequaled in anything I've read recently, with the possible exception of Connie Willis' Blackout/All Clear novels.
This time around, airship captain/slightly reforming air pirate Andan Cly has to fly across the country from Seattle to New Orleans to help an old friend who's sent a cable asking for...more
This time around, airship captain/slightly reforming air pirate Andan Cly has to fly across the country from Seattle to New Orleans to help an old friend who's sent a cable asking for...more
Well being the book reader that I am I do not always read series in order. The first book in this series that I read was Boneshaker, wonderful book, So when I found this one I failed to see that there was intervening books between the two of them I just sat down and devoured it.
Now reading it as a stand alone book it was wonderful, taking it in context I was happy to see that she was using some of her same characters in another book. Now as I went to post a review I find more, it is like Christm...more
Now reading it as a stand alone book it was wonderful, taking it in context I was happy to see that she was using some of her same characters in another book. Now as I went to post a review I find more, it is like Christm...more
I don't know if it's fair or not to say that Priest's Clockwork Century series follows a formula (I have not read Clementine yet.), but if it is a formula, it's an awesome one. Serious pioneer mentality characters+ZOMG ZOMBIES!!ONE!1+Badass Steampunk contraption=Your money's worth and then some. While being a quicker, sparser story than Boneshaker or Dreadnought, this is not to say that the story was lacking in any way. Indeed, the story has zero percent body fat. Everything is there for a reaso...more
I only have one more Cherie Priest title to read (listen to), and then I have read everything she now has in print. She is good! This book was printed in brown ink on a creamy white paper, which is a nice touch for which the publisher should be thanked. Priest has set up a follow-up story about 'rotters'/zombis in New Orleans that is already interesting for the conflict between the two partnered characters: one, a free person-of-color bordello madam and the other a Texian, which means he support...more
What is certain is this: On the afternoon of January 2, 1863, something appalling burst out from the basement and tore a trail of havoc from the house on Denny Hill to the central business district, and then back home again.
Few witnesses agree, and fewer still were granted a glimpse of the Incredible Bone-Shaking Drill Engine. Its course took it under the earth and down the hills, gouging up the land beneath the luxurious homes of wealthy mariners and shipping magnates, under the muddy flats whe...more
Few witnesses agree, and fewer still were granted a glimpse of the Incredible Bone-Shaking Drill Engine. Its course took it under the earth and down the hills, gouging up the land beneath the luxurious homes of wealthy mariners and shipping magnates, under the muddy flats whe...more
The third book in the fantastic Clockwork Century series does not disappoint. There are so many things to love about it. We get to see more of minor characters from the earlier books, in particular airship Captain Andan Cly. I love the way the overall story of the series (the part with zombies) happens mostly in the background of the books, as a B story to whatever is most important in the major character's life. I wish we saw more of Texas Ranger Korman, but I have hope for the future. (Argh, t...more
Grrrr...I have a love/hate relationship with reading a book in one sitting, staying up half the night to find out what happens in my favorite books. I thoroughly love immersing myself in someone's world for several hours--especially a world like Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century, which is an inventive, scary, and downright fun one for an 19th Century history nerd like me. I don't like feeling like I've missed something, though, which I invariably do after glancing at the clock at 9pm, then turni...more
The Clockwork Century books are among my favorite steampunk series. This book was very slow to get going for me, and it took a long time for the two main characters to come together. The book did irk me with the annoying 19th century cliche of "the harlot with a heart of gold"; too many books in that time period either use women as a doting mother or as a prostitute. Mind you, Priest is an excellent writer, and Josephine's character slowly grew on me. I really liked the male viewpoint, Cly, with...more
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This is apparently the 4th book in the "Clockwork Century" series, although you wouldn't know it from the book. It appears as though anything that is set in the world where Seattle is covered in poisonous gas means that it is in this series - which I'm fine with, but I just wouldn't call it a series.
I'm a fan of Priest... because I really liked her first book that I read, the Boneshaker. I've picked up all of her other books because I liked that book so much, including her semi-questionable vamp...more
I'm a fan of Priest... because I really liked her first book that I read, the Boneshaker. I've picked up all of her other books because I liked that book so much, including her semi-questionable vamp...more
I did myself a small disservice when I read this book; I picked it up off the shelf at the public library and did not consider whether I should backtrack and read the earlier novels in the series first.
Accordingly, although I enjoyed the book and particularly got a kick out of its last third, which is where most of the real action takes place, I could probably have enjoyed it much more if I had done myself a favor and noted that this is NUMBER FOUR of a series in which a great many details of th...more
Accordingly, although I enjoyed the book and particularly got a kick out of its last third, which is where most of the real action takes place, I could probably have enjoyed it much more if I had done myself a favor and noted that this is NUMBER FOUR of a series in which a great many details of th...more
In this his fourth installment of Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century series air pirate Adan Cly is called by his old flame Josephine Early to come to Texian occupied New Orleans to assist her with a strange piloting job, one that involves a lot more challenges than it first seems. This book features airships, steam-powered vehicles, zombis, strong women, rebels hidden in the bayou, and other delightful oddities.
Rather than write straight sequels, Priest tells new stories with new characters that...more
Rather than write straight sequels, Priest tells new stories with new characters that...more
“Ganymede was a prince of Greece-kidnapped by Zeus, and brought to Olympus on the back of an eagle. He became the cup-bearer of the gods (204).” This is a loose basis for the back story for the submarine Ganymede. It takes place in a fictionalized American Civil War, where Texas has taken over Louisiana and just run the pirates to ground. Enter Andan Cly, who has been hired by Josephine Early to bring out the hidden Ganymede to the Union side in order to change the fate of the war. Josephine is...more
Every Clockwork Century book has been better than the one before, in my view. Ganymede is no exception. It's got the requisite strong female lead, huge and mysterious steam-driven war machine, zombies, and very loosely interpreted American history. And it's got what keeps making the series more and more interesting to me - scope.
Ganymede continues the trend in addressing more and more of the larger political scene in this alternate America where the Civil War has dragged on for twenty years. And...more
Ganymede continues the trend in addressing more and more of the larger political scene in this alternate America where the Civil War has dragged on for twenty years. And...more
I'm a sucker for protagonists that share my name (or a variation thereof, in this case), so I was well hooked on this from the first page. A followup novel to the series that began with Boneshaker, Ganymede moves the action to New Orleans and settles more firmly into the extended Civil War. Josephine Early is a madam and a spy working for the equivalent of the Union, trying to retrieve something crucial to the war effort. This main plot merges with elements from the previous novels concerning ai...more
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CHERIE PRIEST is the author of twelve novels, including the steampunk pulp adventures Dreadnought and Boneshaker. Boneshaker was nominated for both the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award; it was a PNBA Award winner, and winner of the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. Cherie also wrote Fathom and the Eden Moore series from Tor (Macmillan), and her novellas Clementine, Dreadful Skin and Those...more
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