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Clementine

(The Clockwork Century #1.1)

Cherie Priest (Goodreads Author)

3.71 · Rating details · 4,139 ratings · 464 reviews

Maria Isabella Boyd’s success as a Confederate spy has made her too famous for further espionage work, and now her employment options are slim. Exiled, widowed, and on the brink of poverty…she reluctantly goes to work for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency in Chicago.

Adding insult to injury, her first big assignment is commissioned by the Union Army. In short, a feder ...more

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Hardcover, 201 pages

Published August 19th 2010 by Subterranean Press (first published 2010)

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· 4,139 ratings · 464 reviews

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May 20, 2010 Mir rated it liked it

Shelves: adventure, science-fiction, victorian

In an alternate America where the Civil War stretches on, a former Confederate spy turned Pinkerton agent and an escaped slave turned dirigible captain may be pursuing the man -- or are they both being tricked?

This book could have been a lot better with an extra few dozen pages. The characters and setting were interesting (although I was disappointed not to meet again with Briar and Ezekiel from the first volume), but the villains and their Evil Plot were introduced so late and briefly that it ...more

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Feb 13, 2014 Megan Baxter rated it liked it

Clementine is a slim book, a fun romp, but in some ways unsatisfying, and in others, a little...troublesome. Which is perhaps too much thought to put into a book that seems to be intended as brain candy and little more. But still, doubts remain. Can you really keep slavery as an aspect of life in the Southern states during the Civil War, and yet then try to make the pre-eminent Confederate spy's motives all about states rights, and give her absolutely no prejudices against an escaped black slave ...more

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Jun 07, 2010 Danielle The Book Huntress (Wants to Read More) rated it liked it

Recommends it for: alternate history/steampunk readers, multicultural speculative fiction readers

Shelves: steampunk, 2013-200s-club-challenge, alternate-history, detective-private-eye-sleuth, yearly-reading-challenge-2013, favorite-or-autobuy-author, spy, library-checkout, trailblazing-heroines, older-main-character

What kind of book is this? Is it science fiction, alternate history, steampunk, or just madcap adventure? All of the above.

Clementine is is part of the Clockwork Century series, and I admit I cheated and read these out of order, starting with this book. The storyline was a huge draw, honestly.

I'm a sucker for Westerns, especially with a heroine at the helm. Maria Isabella Boyd is on the wrong side of the Civil War, as far as I am concerned, but I don't like her any less. She's a complex woman wi What kind of book is this? Is it science fiction, alternate history, steampunk, or just madcap adventure? All of the above.

Clementine is is part of the Clockwork Century series, and I admit I cheated and read these out of order, starting with this book. The storyline was a huge draw, honestly.

I'm a sucker for Westerns, especially with a heroine at the helm. Maria Isabella Boyd is on the wrong side of the Civil War, as far as I am concerned, but I don't like her any less. She's a complex woman with her reasons for being a Rebel spy. Deep down, she's a decent human being. While I abhor slavery and all the injustice associated with it, it's a reminder that many on that side of the conflict weren't necessarily people who believed in the inferiority of black people and that they should stay slaves. Many believed in the right to maintain their way of life, and for their families. So, long story short, I still loved Maria despite her loyalties. When you're a young girl growing up, you often wish that Indiana Jones and The Lone Ranger had female counterparts. As a very grown-up girl, I still cherish the opportunity to read about larger-than-life heroines saving the day in a historical setting. Belle Boyd is for you if you are of a similar bent.

Similarly black children hear about the Civil War and think about how much it must have sucked to be deprived of your basics rights and to be treated as property. You want to hear about heroes with brown skin who fought for their own freedom and autonomy, and there are not enough stories about these heroes. It's disheartening to think that all blacks during that period were out of control of their own destinies and basically victims. Well, Captain Croggon Beauregard Hainey is for those kids. He's answerable to no man but himself. It's made him into an outlaw, but at least he can be treated as a man and not a 'boy' or property. He's steaming mad when a redheaded thief steals his very own hard-won airship. And he'll go to hell and back to get his Free Crow ship back. When he encounters Belle Boyd, they end up becoming temporary allies, because she's after the cargo on his ship, and he's after his ship himself. Maybe at one time they might have been enemies, but today is a different day. Hainey is a tough, fearless, strong-willed hero. Even when he does questionable things, I still rooted for him for his sheer force of will and determination.

Clementine is for adventure-loving readers who wonder about the 'what ifs', or how what happened could actually have been a little different then the way it's written in the history books. I probably missed a few key points, since I read this out of order. But it's not terribly hard to follow, overall. I get the idea that technology is more advanced than it would have been back in the actual period. It makes this sort of a low tech Steampunk Science Fiction, with an emphasis on the actual adventure. I really liked the idea of this book, more than the execution, to some extent. On the good side, I loved the manner in which Priest conveys this time period. I did feel like I was right there in the book as I read. My biggest issue with this book lies in the confusing descriptions of the workings and machinery of the hydrogen-driven airships. It was a little dry for my tastes. When descriptions get too technical, my eyes start to glaze. I could have done with a little less of that and more focus on the action and characters. However, I liked what was there. I also feel that more interaction between Captain Hainey and Belle could have enhanced the books. I'm not saying that Priest was going for a romantic entanglement, but the chemistry was certainly there, and I would like to see how that would have been handled in her alternate version of history. Maybe that will come along later. There's always that possibility. I can see the Captain and Belle meeting again someday. Not as enemies, but perhaps as allies once again.

I loved Dreadful Skin, so my bar for this author is set high. That's why I couldn't give this one a higher rating. At 3.5 stars, Clementine is an enjoyable book with larger-than-life main characters, despite its flaws. I'll be paying another visit to the Clockwork Century series in the near future. ...more

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Mar 01, 2011 Sandi rated it liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, 2011, audiobooks

Clementine is a novel set in Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century world. It was entertaining but not as good as Dreadnought. Heck, it wasn't even as good as Boneshaker. Fortunately, it bears no connection to either of those novels and you can go ahead and skip it if you want to.

I really like the production of this audiobook. I like how they used a female narrator for the female protagonist's chapters and a male narrator for the male protagonist's chapters. It really got to be a lot of fun when the ...more

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Apr 18, 2017 Cherie rated it really liked it

Shelves: series, published-since-2000

On the surface, the action in this story was a little too easy and the plot very simple, but I enjoyed it! It was fun.

I liked the characters, even if they were a little shallow. They had heart.

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Sep 09, 2011 Jo rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, 2011, sci-fi

My sister read and wrote a review of Clementine before I got to it, so I noticed things that she mentioned in her review that I wouldn't normally notice: It was a fast-paced book; it lacked the sharing of background and history that Boneshaker had; it could probably be called more superficial. But I don't mind. Sometimes, a slow, leisurely exploration of a new place or culture or universe is enjoyable, the way curling up in front of the fire with a cup of hot chocolate and a book on a snowy wint ...more

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May 05, 2019 Helen White rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, steampunk, series

Captain Hainey is chasing his stolen dirigible. While ex spy Maria Boyd is chasing him on behalf of her employers. Their paths cross in an unexpected fashion and action ensues. Excellent shoot em up steampunk.

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Oct 17, 2011 Ranting Dragon rated it really liked it

Shelves: jake

http://www.rantingdragon.com/clementi...

Cherie Priest has been called the “High Priestess of Steampunk” for good reason. Her Clockwork Century world is a well-constructed alternate history version of 19th century North America. I reviewed Boneshaker recently, and was eager to read the next installment. With Clementine, the only disappointment I felt was when it ended.

Clementine tells the tale of Captain Croggon Beauregard Hainey. A former slave and current air pirate, his airship—the Free Crow—h ...more

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Jul 08, 2014 Jack rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Well wasn't this just a rollicking good time? And honestly, I think that this is quite literally the ONLY time I have ever used the word "rollicking". But if there was ever a time and a place for the word, Clementine would be both.

I can honestly say that I am kicking myself for not starting this one MUCH sooner. I thoroughly enjoyed Cherie Priest's first "Clockwork Century" novel years ago when I first read it, and I really missed the boat when this first follow-up was released. Still, better la Well wasn't this just a rollicking good time? And honestly, I think that this is quite literally the ONLY time I have ever used the word "rollicking". But if there was ever a time and a place for the word, Clementine would be both.

I can honestly say that I am kicking myself for not starting this one MUCH sooner. I thoroughly enjoyed Cherie Priest's first "Clockwork Century" novel years ago when I first read it, and I really missed the boat when this first follow-up was released. Still, better late than never, right?

Where Boneshaker was the calculated wind up (world building and a somewhat self-contained story), Clementine is the fastball pitch...fast, spirited, and straight to the glove. No longer contained to the beleaguered city of Seattle, this tale travels across several midwestern states, and features a new pair of 3rd person protagonists. Prior knowledge of the events in Boneshaker, while not wholly necessary, will definitely enhance the experience, as several characters and events are heavily referenced.

While Boneshaker felt like a more methodical and evenly paced story, Clementine is essentially a sprint from start to finish. We are quickly introduced to the main characters and what their purposes are...and then it's off to the races. I am not sure if this is a longer novel than the first "Clockwork Century" release, but I know I finished it much more quickly. I think that is mostly due to the breakneck pace that is set early on. Which, in other novels can kinda be a distraction. But here it served the tale and didn't pull me out of the experience. In fact, the only negative thing I can say about the pace of the story is, whether by mistake or design, Maria Boyd isn't really given enough backstory to put her into a set context. She references some personal events in a roundabout, vague sort of way, but I would have liked to see more meat on that proverbial bone. Croggon Hainey fares slightly better, especially after having read Boneshaker recently (where he was a supporting character, but still had some backstory explained).

Aside from a murky past, Maria Boyd is a GREAT addition to the lexicon. She's wily, she's tough, and she knows how to get what she wants. She is definitely the kind of character you want to root for. I always found myself wondering how I'd react to her, in the various circumstances described in the book, and just that fact alone means that she made an impact. Croggon Hainey was no less enjoyable as a protagonist, especially since we are occasionally privy to how his mind works as he solves through problems. He's a violent man who doesn't always want to resort to violence, and it's fun to read.

My only other complaint, which is minor at best, is that since this is such a character driven action tale, the villains of the piece really don't stand out or get a chance to shine. We hear a bit about them here, a bit about them there, and then we meet them and BAM...the story is over. We are on a roller coaster through the whole book, which tends to distract from those kinds of details, but after finishing it, I would have liked to have known more about the antagonists. Especially Steen, who we learn is a monster through and through, but has such short face time that he hardly registers.

But make no mistake...I honestly can't praise this one enough. I literally started it last night, and finished it today (even with work and sleep!). I am now ready to start the third book in the series, and I expect the greatness to continue. ...more

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Sep 14, 2010 Angela rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sf, ebooks, steampunk

Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century series is rather refreshing in that the various books, thus far, don't follow the exact same set of characters. They're all set in the same universe, but the characters featured in each book are only tangentially related to each other. And things are slightly complicated by how the books in the series are not all exclusively with the same publisher. The main books in the series are via Tor, but Subterranean Press has the actual Book 2: Clementine.

Now, this one d ...more

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Aug 05, 2010 Kelly rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2010, steampunk

Following the adventures of Croggon Beauregard Hainey, airship captain and thief from last year's fantastic Boneshaker, as he tries to recover his beloved airship from the hands of the pirate who swiped her. Of course being that things are never as easy as simply stealing back the ship he rightfully stole in the first place, Maria Isabella Boyd, former spy and newest member of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, is hot on his trail.

"Why are you chasing the Clementine? What's on board that you want s

...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Beth Cato rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, in, historical, 2010, fiction, steampunk, clockwork-century

Boneshaker, Priest's first book of her Clock work Century series, set an awfully high standard. It used the background a steampunk-style Seattle overrun by noxious gas and zombies, all while the Civil War continues to ravage the rest of the United States well into the 1880s. Clementine takes place immediately after the first book, though following different characters across the country. While I enjoyed the setting, the emotional punch simply wasn't there. Part of the appeal of Boneshaker was th ...more

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Nov 15, 2010 Nicholas Karpuk rated it liked it

Hey, whaddya know, Priest actually improved upon her steampunk series in most of the ways that angered me in Boneshaker.

First of all, the story goes somewhere. It has characters who all want something other than to merely survive. There's a genuine thrust to the narrative.

The pacing goes along at a nice rate, the characters all have amusing back stories rather than just featuring a wide-eyed kid with a dark family history (the ultimate fantasy trope.)

What I still take issue with is Priest's di ...more

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Aug 03, 2010 Catherine Siemann rated it really liked it

Shelves: neovictorians-and-steampunk

Intriguing characters, solid world-building, and if you told me Priest had actually been in an airship battle, I'd believe you -- she does a wonderful job with describing the imagined. The novella length makes for a fairly condensed plot -- by the time we've gotten through the set-up, the book is nearly over. Also, perhaps this says something about my own limitations, but even in alternative history, I have trouble sympathizing with the Confederacy, and thus I found the heroine difficult to unde ...more

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Sep 09, 2010 Adam rated it liked it

Shelves: noir, spy-vs-spy, literature-disguised-as-science-fic, steampunkery

A fun adventure in Priest’s Clockwork Century a steam punk alternative history of the American Civil War (an underused idea since a war fought with gatling guns, ironclads, primitive submarines, and balloons should fire more steam punk imaginations).Pirates, Pinkertons, A woman confederate spy, escaped slaves, airship battles, and a doomsday weapon and the barest sketching of the historical background are along for entertaining a pulpy ride. I feel like I’m just getting tastes of this series so ...more

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Jun 19, 2010 Robert rated it it was amazing

As much fun as I had with Boneshaker, I enjoyed reading Clementine even more, and my expectations are sky high for Cherie Priest’s Dreadnought, the third volume in the Clockwork Century, which is scheduled for publication on September 28, 2010 via Tor...

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Jun 26, 2012 Christine rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, civil-war-and-slavery, minority-and-women-writers, zombies, fantasy-steampunk

Not as good as the first. It still is a good adventure read, but does call upon the reader to take a feel things on faith. I also disliked how Priest sidestepped the whole question of morality of North and South. Still, a good adventure read.

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May 01, 2015 Blodeuedd Finland marked it as dnf · review of another edition

I am sure I could have finished it, but, I want to read books that I actually enjoy so DNF

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Jan 12, 2016 Elevetha rated it liked it

Shelves: cogs-and-corsets, cons-spies-and-thievery, decent-enough, fantasy-sci-fi, of-course-i-ya, 2016

2.5 stars.

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Nov 01, 2017 C. Scott Kippen rated it it was ok

Shelves: alternate-history, steampunk, novella

Clementine is a steam-punk adventure set in Priest’s Clockwork Century. I have read only 220 pages of Boneshaker, so my exposure to that world was a bit limited. However, it was enough to want to read books in this universe. I enjoyed Boneshaker while I was reading it. The library just made me return it.

Clementine was an enjoyable read. It was quick, fun, and partially satisfying. And what I mean by partially satisfying is that while it was fun to read, there is not much meat on this bone. The c ...more

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Apr 15, 2021 Matt rated it really liked it

This one was probably my favorite of the short stories as it was most like the main stories rather than a tangentially related not really steampunk story like tanglefoot and Jacaranda. This was high adventure airship battles deadly secrets pirate captains and daring lady detectives.

The two narratives of the pirate airship Captain Croggon Hainey persuing his stolen craft and Maria Boyd’s mission from the Pinkertons to ensure the craft in question reaches its destination worked well the two very d ...more

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Nov 09, 2017 Anniken Haga rated it liked it

Shelves: 2017, audiobook, steampunk, zombies

On my quest to read all of Priest's works, I finally got my hands on ''Clementine'' - although as an audiobook.
I've wanted to read this book like forever!

Unfortunately, it didn't blow me away.
Not on its own because of the story, but for multiple reasons.
It was OK, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't what I hoped for.

Why I didn't like it.
This is an installment in one of my long time favorite series, but it's been a while since I read the main books in this series, and so I felt a few of the po ...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Maria rated it liked it

Shelves: steampunk

I bought Clementine because I had just finished reading Boneshaker, which I thought was a clever and original story that reinvented American history and offered a plausible alternative timeline in which the American Civil War never ended and drags on through internecine fighting and skirmishes. While I think much of Clementine captures elements of this originality, it was a touch disappointing, primarily because there wasn’t enough narrative to develop either of the main characters or their plac I bought Clementine because I had just finished reading Boneshaker, which I thought was a clever and original story that reinvented American history and offered a plausible alternative timeline in which the American Civil War never ended and drags on through internecine fighting and skirmishes. While I think much of Clementine captures elements of this originality, it was a touch disappointing, primarily because there wasn’t enough narrative to develop either of the main characters or their place in the textured history Priest has created for her Clockwork Century novels. I find that this novel can more appropriately be described as a novella, and it almost felt like a short story whose expansion was forced, with somewhat unsatisfying results. Although Priest’s narrative in this novel is adequate, the characters never become truly interesting and, as a result, I had trouble developing emotional attachment to them, as well as the desire to see them succeed. This book definitely adds to the Clockwork Century series, and is worth owning, but it simply never transcends the problem with the flat character development.

The reader first meets Captain Croggon Beauregard Hainey in Boneshaker: He’s a former slave who ‘liberated’ an airship from Confederate forces eight years before the start of the story and headed West with a crew of former slaves to make their way through piracy and smuggling of the highly addictive Yellow Sap. His airship, which he has rechristened the Free Crow, is stolen during Boneshaker by Felton Brink, who is using it to transport an important component for a superweapon being constructed in the North. Hainey takes this theft very personally—he stole the Free Crow fair and square, after all, and it’s a matter of personal honor. He’s not going to let Brink get away with renaming his ship Clementine and depriving him of his means of making a living.

Then the narrative shifts to Maria Isabella Boyd who, at nearly forty, has had too much success as a Confederate spy. Rather than retire her gracefully, however, the Confederate government sends her the dreaded “your services are no longer needed” letter, and leaves her to make her way as best as she can without a military pension, which is inexplicably withdrawn. Boyd is left with limited options for employment until she is hired by the Chicago-based Pinkerton National Detective Agency. Her boss knows she was a Confederate spy, but since his firm is no longer being given much work by the Union, he feels that the benefit of her particular skillset outweighs the potential for conflict of interest. For her first mission she is tasked with making sure that the airship Clementine makes it to Louisville, Kentucky. She isn’t told what’s on the ship, only that the ship has to make it to its destination by any means necessary, and if she can also capture Hainey, then she can turn him over to the Confederate authorities for extra consideration. Pinkerton isn’t necessarily aligned politically and, so long as she does the job she’s paid to do, he doesn’t really care what her political views are.

The story then alternates between Hainey and Boyd: Hainey, as he comes East from Seattle, and Boyd as she rushes West from Chicago. The two meet in the middle of a firefight in Kansas City and quickly discover they have common goals. Hainey doesn’t know where Brink is taking the Clementine, but he knows that its cargo will be used in the manufactory of a superweapon the Union plans to use to win the war. Boyd knows where the ship is heading, but was unaware of the weapon that will be used to destroy major Confederate cities in an effort to force the surrender of the South. The two decide to join forces to retrieve Hainey’s ship and prevent the Union from being successful.

As other reviewers have already pointed out, the story feels hurried and poorly developed, with a plot that feels thin and barely plausible. Cities are alluded to, but there is barely any mention of how the protracted civil war has restricted the westward expansion of the United States or how population growth has been changed. I assume that the American population would continue to grow, even given the ongoing civil war, and I can’t figure out where the populations are or why they would go in those directions. This created a disconnect with the characters: As a reader, I don’t understand why Boyd continues to be loyal to the South and its political goals, or who is buying the merchandise that Hainey is stealing and/or transporting. The story is action-filled and fast-paced, but it seems to be serving goals I can’t understand or support as a reader. In short, the story gives me few reasons to sympathize with or like these characters, and I just don’t care if they are successful.

Despite my complaints about the narrative, I enjoy Priest’s writing style, and I was entertained by the story. It’s all action-adventure, with nontraditional leading characters in an older heroine and black leading man. I appreciate that Priest resisted the urge to further muddle her novel with a romance, and the relationship between Hainey and Boyd remains properly focused on getting to Louisville so that they can go their separate ways. This is not to say that they don’t earn each other’s respect, because they do, but this story isn’t long enough for anything more sophisticated, like friendship, to develop. Because this story adds so little to the alternate history Priest has created, I would recommend that readers who are new to the Clockwork Century should focus on reading Boneshaker and Dreadnought first, and save this book for supplemental reading.
...more

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Jan 12, 2020 Emily rated it liked it

I was happy to travel more with Captain Croggon Beauregard Hainey as they set out to reclaim their precious airship, that they rightfully pirated years ago. We're introduced to Maria Boyde, an ex spy who after being turned away from her side of the civil war, still remains a woman not to be reckoned with as a fresh spy. I enjoyed how the story unfolded and the ending was satisfying ...more

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Jan 28, 2021 Joel rated it really liked it

Shelves: hard-copy, audiobooks

I blasted through this novel pretty quickly, and will admit I enjoyed it a lot more than I did Boneshaker, which I found to be a bit anemic, scattered, underutilized. Clementine (which I will admit I thought was book #2 in the series, since that's how audible had it listed) was a fun break from other novels - I don't think I'll be picking up Dreadnought immediately, but this has given me some reason to return to the series in the future. ...more

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Oct 18, 2017 Meg McGregor rated it liked it

Shelves: my-zombie-obsession

This book is part of The Clockwork Century series and I enjoyed it. It kept me reading and the ending was satisfactory, if a little hurried, in my opinion.

The reason I didn't give it four stars is because it was a much shorter book than others; resulting in the characters not being given the depth needed as in her previous novels. But it was still an interesting read and well worth my time!

I look forward to reading other books in the series.

Oh, you don't have to have read the previous books in t ...more

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Dec 09, 2013 Nathan rated it really liked it

Shelves: rated-4-star, read-2013, author-female, steam-punk

Fantasy Review Barn

The Clockwork Century was a five book series. Right? It is a completed series with five books. If I go to my library, get into the catalog, I can count the damn things. One, two, three, four, five. It is that easy and I would assume that like many series anything else involved with the series would be a throwaway story; short and only loosely connected.

So someone bring me the head of the marketing genius that hid the most entertaining story of the entire series as a special re Fantasy Review Barn

The Clockwork Century was a five book series. Right? It is a completed series with five books. If I go to my library, get into the catalog, I can count the damn things. One, two, three, four, five. It is that easy and I would assume that like many series anything else involved with the series would be a throwaway story; short and only loosely connected.

So someone bring me the head of the marketing genius that hid the most entertaining story of the entire series as a special release! Oh I was aware of Clementine, but as I didn’t have an e-reader at the time and the special print run was running in the ‘way more than I would pay’ range I assumed I could safely skip it. And to be fair, nothing happened in this book that was a required plot thread for understanding later books (though outside of Boneshaker, the same could be said of most the series). But still, I would have loved to meet Maria when I should have met her, several years ago when I first read Boneshaker!

I was expecting a short story; instead I got a short book. (200 pages counts as a novel, I even asked important people to verify that). But damn was it fun.

This was a fast paced chase, nothing more, but well-crafted and entertaining throughout. New Pinkerton agent Maria is sent to chase down and stop former slave current air pirate Captain Hainey, who himself is chasing down the thief who took off with his rightfully stolen ship. Eventually their paths cross and their goals are modified as the full extent of events surrounding the situation are brought out.

Priest has always managed to pull me into to her stories because she writes some of the most entertaining people on page. I knew to expect awesomeness from Maria due to her role in Fiddlehead and wasn’t disappointed. Morally ambiguous is a rough term, while she isn’t afraid to take a shot she is a good person. The smartest person in the book, and possibly the most dangerous. Hainey is amazing, I would almost forget he is a pirate looking for vengeance; I just want to hang out with him when the whole chase is done.

Recommended for fans of the series, but wouldn’t be a good starting place; events in Boneshaker are still probably need for the set up, but it could safely be read at any time after that. Outside of Dreadnaught this is the most ‘steampunk’ of the series, the airship chase showed how fun that could be (and I couldn’t help but grin when Hainey finally lifted up the much talked about Rattler).

Proof that less can sometimes be more, this book stripped away all the unnecessary stuff and gave a very tight and very fun story back. Damn good.

4 Stars

...more

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Aug 04, 2010 R.K. rated it really liked it

Taking place after Boneshaker, Clementine is a short story about Captain Croggon Beauregard Hainey and his crew chasing after his stolen airship The Free Crow now named Clementine by it's kidnappers transporting a deadly cargo across the US meanwhile Pinkerton National Detective Agency has sent Confederate Spy and new Agent Marie Isabella Boyd after the Clementine since any bridges she previous had have now been burned.

At a shy 200 pages, this short story expands on the universe Boneshaker intro Taking place after Boneshaker, Clementine is a short story about Captain Croggon Beauregard Hainey and his crew chasing after his stolen airship The Free Crow now named Clementine by it's kidnappers transporting a deadly cargo across the US meanwhile Pinkerton National Detective Agency has sent Confederate Spy and new Agent Marie Isabella Boyd after the Clementine since any bridges she previous had have now been burned.

At a shy 200 pages, this short story expands on the universe Boneshaker introduced. The Civil War is still on. Airships rule the skies and scientists have been up to obviously no good. The book starts off with Hainey trying to bash The Free Crow out of the sky with his unnamed ship (and continues to be unnamed until it's given up the ghost).

Unfortunately, Hainey does not get his wish and continues to bounce across the United States on a collision course with Boyd. Each chapter is aptly named for the characters in it. Hainey and Boyd, their plot and their polar opposite beliefs alternate chapters until both plots merge just in time for Hainey and Co. decide turnabout is fair play and steal another airship right out of the Docks at Kansas City and high tail it after slow moving Free Crow to a Sanitarium in Louisville, Kentucky. Even though his fate was spell out in Boneshaker, Minnericht's plans continue on without him with the construction of a simple and destructive weapon.

While Clementine was fun to read, I found the chapbook entitled Tanglefoot was a more interesting read at 50 pages or less since it delves into the science behind this alt. universe. The characters in Tanglefoot are introduced in Clementine but were only footnotes towards the end of Clementine. The best part is the two page introduction of where this alt. Clockwork Century Universe started. I hope the introduction finds it's way into the next novel since it really set the tone for me.

Tanglefoot is a short story about an aging inventor and his young helper in the same Louisville, Kentucky Sanitarium from the Clementine's final scenes. If you enjoy reading novels in chronological order,Tenderfoot should be read first before Clementine.

The plot is fairly straightforward: What happens when a boy's creation gets a mind of it's own. No, it does not involve Krusty and a Malibu Stacy.

Instead, it is a fun and horrifying merge between steampunk and mythical themes. ...more

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Feb 21, 2011 Tracy Riva rated it really liked it

Shelves: steampunk, intrigue, alternate-reality, ebook, second-in-series, civil-war, clockwork-century, dirigible

Clementine
by Cherie Priest
copyright 2010 by Cherie Priest, published by Subterranean Press, PO Box 190106, Burton, MI 48519 http://www.subterraneanpress.com ISBN 978-1-59606-366-2 available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble for $4.99 for the eBook

Clementine is the second installment set in Cherie Priest’s “Clockwork Century” world. It is a world where the American Civil War still continues, great and terrible machines are being made and the city of Seattle, Washington is walled in and quarantined. Clementine
by Cherie Priest
copyright 2010 by Cherie Priest, published by Subterranean Press, PO Box 190106, Burton, MI 48519 http://www.subterraneanpress.com ISBN 978-1-59606-366-2 available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble for $4.99 for the eBook

Clementine is the second installment set in Cherie Priest’s “Clockwork Century” world. It is a world where the American Civil War still continues, great and terrible machines are being made and the city of Seattle, Washington is walled in and quarantined.

Clementine picks up the story of Croggon Hainey, a runaway slave who years before stole a Union war dirigible he renamed the Clementine. The Clementine is stolen so Hainey sets off in another stolen airship to try to recapture the Clementine and a race across the country, from Seattle, Washington to Louisville, Kentucky is on.

As Hainey races to recapture the Clementine, Maria Isabella Boyd, better known as “Belle” Boyd, a former Confederate spy has just gone to work for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, her job, to make sure the Clementine makes it safely to her destination. She’s given the information that Hainey, a man wanted by the Confederacy Belle used to serve, is hot on the Clementine's tail. Belle is given a free hand to deal with Hainey any way she wants, including turning him over to her former pals within the Confederate Army.

Clementine is a really good read, although I didn’t like it as much as the first Clockwork Century novel Boneshaker. There is plenty of action in Clementine, but I didn’t feel as though there was enough tension in the book. It’s there in places, but it builds and releases coming to only a moderate climax at the end of the book. I personally prefer novels that continue to build their tension throughout the book without any of the periodic drop-offs that I experienced while reading Clementine.

I really enjoyed the characters in Clementine and the interplay that takes place between them. I was already slightly acquainted with Croggon Hainey through Boneshaker. To me he is the Civil War equivalent of a Rambo, rushing in guns blazing saying to hell with the consequences. He knows he wants his ship back and he’ll run over anyone or anything that gets in his way.

Clementine is worth the time it takes to read it. It’s relatively short. It’s fun and it’s a definite must read if you are a fan of Priest and her Clockwork Century world.
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Apr 20, 2013 Anelis rated it it was ok

Shelves: reviewed, steampunk

Clementine is a good example of an "I_DESPERATELY_WANT_TO_BE_A_MOVIE" book.

Let me back up a bit.

Each art-form uses a different medium for a certain reason. Not all movies can be books, not all comics can be made into movies, not all poems can fit into a song, not all paintings can be interpreted as a poem. The basis of making art is finding the most appropriate medium that can help you best express and communicate your idea, story and feelings. Some mediums are affordable, like writing, and som Clementine is a good example of an "I_DESPERATELY_WANT_TO_BE_A_MOVIE" book.

Let me back up a bit.

Each art-form uses a different medium for a certain reason. Not all movies can be books, not all comics can be made into movies, not all poems can fit into a song, not all paintings can be interpreted as a poem. The basis of making art is finding the most appropriate medium that can help you best express and communicate your idea, story and feelings. Some mediums are affordable, like writing, and some are not, like film-making. This fact, coupled with the film and television overexposure we experience daily in our culture, has led to us usually visualizing a creative idea in our mind as a scene from a future movie. We think in moving pictures as easily as we think in words, but that "little" nudge has, at least in my opinion, proved out to be quite significant.

These two facts [the affordability of the written word and our mass media induced inclination to visualize some projects as movie exerts] usually flourish in the untrained newbie writer. This is puzzling because not only Cherie Priest isn't new to this but she has proven with her previous novel, Boneshaker that she's not a bad writer either.

So what happened here? Why is this novel written like a draft of a movie script? Was Priest just bored? Why is the prose significantly worse than Boneshaker? Are these things related somehow?

Of course I have no answer. I can speculate that since Cherie Priest wanted to publish this under a different publishing house and had a word count limit, maybe decided to try something new, change the style and pace, change the feeling and mood because maybe, just maybe, she thought that this novel could be considered as a side-note addition to The Clockwork Century series and not an actual installment. A fan-fiction written by the original author, a cool draft that never really got polished, a fanzine in the clockwork universe, a book that was never meant to be taken seriously....a cop-out.

It is quite possible that I'm wrong in my speculations but I can't find another way to justify this abrupt drop in the quality of the prose and the general plot and narration of the book.

I have to say though, that it would make a kick ass action film that I would really be eager to watch [...but not read]. ...more

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About Cherie Priest

Cherie Priest

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Cherie Priest is the author of two dozen books and novellas, most recently The Toll, The Family Plot, The Agony House, and the Philip K. Dick Award nominee Maplecroft; but she is perhaps best known for the steampunk pulp adventures of the Clockwork Century, beginning with Boneshaker. Her works have been nominated for the Hugo and Nebula awards for science fiction, and have won the Locus Award (amo ...more