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The Inexplicables
(The Clockwork Century #4)
by
Rector “Wreck ’em” Sherman was orphaned as a toddler in the Blight of 1863, but that was years ago. Wreck has grown up, and on his eighteenth birthday, he’ll be cast out out of the orphanage.
And Wreck’s problems aren’t merely about finding a home. He’s been quietly breaking the cardinal rule of any good drug dealer and dipping into his own supply of the sap he sells. He’s ...more
And Wreck’s problems aren’t merely about finding a home. He’s been quietly breaking the cardinal rule of any good drug dealer and dipping into his own supply of the sap he sells. He’s ...more
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Start your review of The Inexplicables (The Clockwork Century, #4)
The Goonies meets The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and stages an Intervention.
In her "Acknowledgments," Priest notes that this is likely "the last book I write in Seattle." It's an small bit of foreshadowing for a story that reads a little like a love note to the lost teens of the city, an expression of their conditions and their struggles for direction.
Set in an alternate 1880, Seattle has been walled off from the world for almost twenty years, ever since The Blight, a noxious substance that turns ...more
In her "Acknowledgments," Priest notes that this is likely "the last book I write in Seattle." It's an small bit of foreshadowing for a story that reads a little like a love note to the lost teens of the city, an expression of their conditions and their struggles for direction.
Set in an alternate 1880, Seattle has been walled off from the world for almost twenty years, ever since The Blight, a noxious substance that turns ...more
The Battle for Seattle! In this, what is so far the last Clockwork Century book, we see many of our old friends and are introduced to a couple of new ones in what is a fine finale for one of the finest steampunk series! All kinds of crazy crap happens (because of course it does) and we also get a loving, intimate look at the city itself, and her people. There's airships, dynamite, zombies, people Making Do, and young men finding their place in the world! Also: Inexplicables. (What they are will
...more
I sat down last night to read one chapter before getting some other stuff done, and wound up reading the remaining 3/4 of the book. As with the other books in the series, this was engaging, thrilling, fun. Like the characters in the book, I've become somewhat inured to these particular zombies. Priest seems to realize that, and provides new threats. If I have any complaint, it's that the action at the end of the book seemed a little rushed and distant. That said, the POV character wasn't on the
...more
This book in the series reads more as a young adult genre book as the main characters except for one Indian Princess are young adult ages. Rector has finally been kicked out of the orphanage he grew up in but was using as a place to lay his head while he dealt and used the drug "sap". Sap will actually turn an excessive user into a zombie but it seems that like is so bleak that the drug users are beyond caring. He goes to the only place he can think of, the enclosed Seattle where the zombie cris
...more
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)
The Inexplicables is the fourth book I've now read in Cherie Priest's remarkable "Clockwork Century" steampunk series, and in fact a quote from one of my earlier reviews ended up making the front cover of this one; and that surprised and delighted me but also felt very natural, because this is one of my fa ...more
The Inexplicables is the fourth book I've now read in Cherie Priest's remarkable "Clockwork Century" steampunk series, and in fact a quote from one of my earlier reviews ended up making the front cover of this one; and that surprised and delighted me but also felt very natural, because this is one of my fa ...more
*cue sing-song falsetto*
Awesome!
*ok, done singing now*
Once again Cherie Priest delivers a fully realized world, full of fully fleshed-out people (well, except for the zombies...), fully engaging my imagination.
In this book a young man we'd met briefly several books earlier in the Clockwork Century series, Rector "Wreck'em" Sherman is kicked out of the orphanage that he'd called home since the age of 2. Or at least the assumption was that he was about 2 at the time he was dropped off. Know one kn ...more
Awesome!
*ok, done singing now*
Once again Cherie Priest delivers a fully realized world, full of fully fleshed-out people (well, except for the zombies...), fully engaging my imagination.
In this book a young man we'd met briefly several books earlier in the Clockwork Century series, Rector "Wreck'em" Sherman is kicked out of the orphanage that he'd called home since the age of 2. Or at least the assumption was that he was about 2 at the time he was dropped off. Know one kn ...more
Dec 02, 2012
Larou
added it
This is either the fifth or the fourth book (depending on whether you count Clementine in or not) in Cherie Priest’s Clockwork Century series, and it differs from the previous ones in several aspects. The most obvious one is that it is the first that is not named after a piece of machinery, but instead after living beings (which do not even play that much of a central part in the novel). Another difference (or really several, but they belong together) is that it is the first that does not have a
...more
2 Stars
In a nut shell, this is by far the weakest of the series, and the only one that I did not love. Rector could not carry the story for me, nor could the truth behind the Inexplicables.
This is probably my biggest disappointment read of 2012 as I am a huge Cherie Priest fan, and I love this series. I wanted to love it, I was barely able to finish it...
Until next time!
In a nut shell, this is by far the weakest of the series, and the only one that I did not love. Rector could not carry the story for me, nor could the truth behind the Inexplicables.
This is probably my biggest disappointment read of 2012 as I am a huge Cherie Priest fan, and I love this series. I wanted to love it, I was barely able to finish it...
Until next time!
It is a good entry in the series. I like the use of Bigfoot.
First posted here
'The Inexplicables' is the forth full length entry in the 'Clockwork Century' series, an alternate American history. In this alternate world the Civil War has been going for twenty years, with Texas on their own and the south freeing their own slaves to continue the war. In the first book of the series, 'Boneshaker', we learn that a gassy blight was released in Seattle, leading to the requisite steampunk zombies. A wall was set up to keep the blight in, but a lucrative side busi ...more
'The Inexplicables' is the forth full length entry in the 'Clockwork Century' series, an alternate American history. In this alternate world the Civil War has been going for twenty years, with Texas on their own and the south freeing their own slaves to continue the war. In the first book of the series, 'Boneshaker', we learn that a gassy blight was released in Seattle, leading to the requisite steampunk zombies. A wall was set up to keep the blight in, but a lucrative side busi ...more
I guess you could read this book without reading Boneshaker first, but it's better when you have more information about the Outskirts, the wall, the city itself and those inside. I would suggest reading all four before this one, but Boneshaker is the one with the strongest connection.
Rector Sherman is turning eighteen and has to leave the Home (the orphanage). The only thing he has any control of is the time of his leaving. He decides that two in the morning is good time as any. He almost emptie ...more
Rector Sherman is turning eighteen and has to leave the Home (the orphanage). The only thing he has any control of is the time of his leaving. He decides that two in the morning is good time as any. He almost emptie ...more
A really mediocre read in Cherie Priest's CLockwork Century series. One thing I'm always amazed at is how a good writer can take a premise that sounds a little silly from the outside, and turn it into something believable and engaging. That never happens with this novel, and without the willing suspension of disbelief "The Inexplicables" is a hard pill to swallow. Some of the characters from the past novels return, some that I like but none that I love, and the walled-in Seattle setting are the
...more
There is something about the tone of Priest's books. It pulls me into another world, and wraps me up in a feeling of both kinship and wonder. I "get" the people she writes. They vividly remind me of the people I grew up with in a small working class town. I also share their sense of awe at the changing landscape around them. Great war machines, burgeoning scientific discoveries. They're all as fantastical as they are worrisome, and I'm hooked. I'll follow my comrades along any journey, willing t
...more
Damn if she doesn't keep getting better and better. Loved the return to Seattle, and the conflicted protagonist. Not quite as colorful as Ganymede, her last, but still a complete pleasure. Only complaint: over too soon. (as per usual- too good to put down.)
...more
Not the best of the series, but still a good read. Seemed to lack the scope of the other books, but did a good job of explaining the current state and value of Seattle.
This steampunk horrorish Western is another wonderful work by Cherie Priest. Readers get to follow Rector as he is dismissed from his orphanage, seeks solace in obtaining "sap" (an honestly depicted addiction to heroin or an opioid from the addict's viewpoint), and ends up within the walls of contaminated Seattle (at least read Boneshaker--the initial book in the series--if this reference is obtuse). Readers become reacquainted with Houjin, Zeke, the Princess, and other beloved characters from e
...more
Yess!! One thing I love about this series is that it takes a minor character, even one mentioned briefly in the first book, and it brings them to life as it follows their life. I knew I would enjoy the book, but didn't expect how much I'd like "Red".
I was also happy that we were back in the heart of blight Seattle, my favorite place. I could read on and on about it, but it was a fresh take on an outsider's perspective. All my favorite characters were back and the world had really developed. My ...more
I was also happy that we were back in the heart of blight Seattle, my favorite place. I could read on and on about it, but it was a fresh take on an outsider's perspective. All my favorite characters were back and the world had really developed. My ...more
The story looks away from the grand drama of the American Civil War in the age of Steam Punk to consider a single junky. Only – twist! It turns out we haven’t looked away at all. He has a part to play. It involves sasquatches, the big water tower in Volunteer Park, and explosives.
I enjoyed reading it, but if there was a little deeper level, I didn’t find it.
I enjoyed reading it, but if there was a little deeper level, I didn’t find it.
Definitely not my favorite in the series. I feel like this should have just been a novella focusing on Zeke, Huey & Angeline: this story could have been told without the new unlikable character considering the first half of the book was mostly just introducing him.
Every incarnation of this series is improved over the last. One of the most layered and interesting series I've read. All of the characters are wonderful.
...more
Having all the stories meeting up is fun to see how the world meshes.
In this volume of her A Clockwork Century series, Priest takes us back to Seattle, the setting of the first book in the series, Boneshaker. It's a welcome return, both to the setting, and to the characters from the first book. As an added bonus for those who enjoy this series, there's also mention of the events of Dreadnought and Ganymede. And we get to see how Dreadnought's main character Mercy Lynch has settled into the walled city of Seattle.
There's always the danger when an author revisits ...more
There's always the danger when an author revisits ...more
Nov 03, 2015
Brendan Coster
rated it
it was ok
Recommends it for:
Steampunk Zombie Enthusiasts
Recommended to Brendan Coster by:
NYPL
I'm not quite sure why I keep reading these. Probably boils down to there being a lot of SP stories but a dearth of actual novels, with a solid % of those novels being horrible YA stuff. FYI, there's spoiler hints throughout this -- it's not too bad, but it's enough for a discerning person to pick up the gist...
1) Horrible consistency with the Gas, seems to rip some metal objects apart within days if not hours, yet other things seems to last in the gas for 18 years and keep working? There's no " ...more
1) Horrible consistency with the Gas, seems to rip some metal objects apart within days if not hours, yet other things seems to last in the gas for 18 years and keep working? There's no " ...more
This book is a bit rough. If you hadn't read the rest of Cherie Priest's "Clockwork Century" series, I don't think it would really be a very good read. It is a classic "middle book" but it doesn't really even move the whole series forward the way, say, "Dreadnought," did.
Its main reason for existence seems to be to provide a return to the late 1800's zombie plagued and blighted Seattle of "Boneshaker," the first book in this series. We get to see Zeke, the protagonist of that book, from the vie ...more
Its main reason for existence seems to be to provide a return to the late 1800's zombie plagued and blighted Seattle of "Boneshaker," the first book in this series. We get to see Zeke, the protagonist of that book, from the vie ...more
May 01, 2020
Jennifer Wheeler
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
home-library,
fantasy,
sci-fi,
young-adult,
zombies,
historical-fiction,
steampunk,
alternate-history
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This book was not as exciting as the previous three entries to the Clockwork Century. There's not a lot going on in the plot, as least not directly. Unlike "Boneshaker" it's not a tale of terror and lacks the awe of a new world; unlike "Dreadnaught" and "Ganymede" it lacks the sense of adventure that made those two installments exciting. What Priest has done with "The Inexplicables" is create something of a stage-setter for further work in the series, which promises to have plenty of material to
...more
The Inexplicables is the fifth book in Cherie Priest’s CLOCKWORK CENTURY series. This one returns to its roots, the walled, Blight-ridden city of Seattle. It’s 1881, and the American Civil War is still going on. Eighteen years earlier, a powerful mining device tapped into a vein of gas deep into the earth, and the gas spilled out into Seattle, killing most people and turning them into “rotters” or zombies. The source of the outbreak (downtown Seattle) was walled off and abandoned, but some brave
...more
Cherie Priest just gets better and better and has written a fast paced and moving fifth book in The Clockwork Century series, an alternate history of Civil War era late 19th century America. Priest has more developed characters and the story has greater depth than previous novels in the series. In The Inexplicables we clearly see that most people are neither fully good nor fully bad but are, instead, a mixed bag. We also see that some are driven by substances that override the normal internal ch
...more
So the latest book in the Clockwork Century series. I enjoyed it. I bought the book at a signing with Cherie Priest so I actually heard her talk about it quite a bit before reading it. That probably influenced my reading of it a bit. I expected the main character, Rector, to be more of a drug addict, or at least for that aspect of his character to be more important than it was in the book. But I didn't find Rector to be unlikable, just realistic. It was nice getting to see more of Seattle and th
...more
...Priest delivered another strong volume in the Clockwork Century series. Like the previous volumes The Inexplicables is a fast, fun read. People who loved the previous books will want to pick up this one. Personally I get the feeling that Priest is steadily working towards a resolution of the overarching story but I don't think we'll see it in the next novel Fiddlehead, which is scheduled for release in November 2013 and will have Belle Boyd as the main character. Readers who have read Clement
...more
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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
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The Clockwork Century
(6 books)
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“I think I like you just fine, Red. Half the men in this city would be god-awful horrified at the thought of a woman working alongside ’em, much less a woman of my years. But you didn’t even think twice about it—just assumed I was along for the working. I like that.” Huey sighed. “He’s not noble. He’s lazy.” “Lazy, noble, I don’t care.”
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“Swakhammer bid Rector good-bye, telling him to stay out of trouble. Rector wondered why everyone always told him that, since it never did a bit of good. Maybe they were all just optimists. Up”
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