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Boneshaker (The Clockwork Century, #1)

Cherie Priest

Start date: October 1, 2013

Finish date: October 31, 2013

Discussion: 2013 Reads

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2013 Reads

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What Members Thought

Dec 27, 2010 Megan Christopher rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, on-kindle

I'm a sucker for steampunk. Ever since I discovered this fantasy aesthetic, which imagines worlds where technology took a detour in Victorian England, powered by steam and clockwork rather than oil and batteries, I've been in love with the romance of the subgenre. Add a little magic and a few dirigibles (no steampunk is complete without airships), and I'm yours.

I'm less enamored of the walking dead, but zombies of one form or another are fast becoming a staple of the genre. I blame Frankenstein, I'm a sucker for steampunk. Ever since I discovered this fantasy aesthetic, which imagines worlds where technology took a detour in Victorian England, powered by steam and clockwork rather than oil and batteries, I've been in love with the romance of the subgenre. Add a little magic and a few dirigibles (no steampunk is complete without airships), and I'm yours.

I'm less enamored of the walking dead, but zombies of one form or another are fast becoming a staple of the genre. I blame Frankenstein, myself, though in the novels I've read the zombification has less to do with someone raising the dead than people turning into something less than living. Whatever the reason, the idea that some sort of undead plague is one of the inevitable side effects of steampunk is the driving factor of Cherie Priest's Boneshaker.

The story begins some sixteen years after the titular Boneshaker - a driver-operated drill - burrowed into a volcano and released the Blight - a poisonous gas that can turn people into 'rotters.' The release of the Blight forced the city of Seattle to be walled up - with people and zombies alike trapped inside.

Life isn't much better for people on the Outskirts, who have to filter all water and frequently wear gas masks so as not to inhale the Blight fumes. One such woman is Briar Wilkes, a woman in her mid-thirties who lives with her disaffected teenage son Zeke in her childhood home. Her father, Maynard Wilkes, is dead before the start of the narrative, but is a looming presence nonetheless. Respected in the less savory parts of the city for his devotion to the law, his memory is tarnished by his part in the jailbreak that occurred just after the Blight.

Briar is also shunned due to her status as the widow of Leviticus "Levi" Blue, the designer and operator of the Boneshaker, the bastard responsible for the Blight. Only Zeke thinks there might have been something redeemable about his father, which sends him inside the walled city to get proof. Getting in is easier than getting out, and Briar is forced to go in after him, finding herself in a world where being Maynard Wilkes' girl has its advantages, and society is under the thumb of the mysterious Dr. Minnericht, who may or may not be her dead husband.

All in all it's an enjoyable read, with a good pace and plenty of zombie action for those who like that sort of thing. The book's weakness is its protagonists. Briar and Zeke share the role of point-of-view character with chapters alternating between them, but they're both rather 2-dimensional, passive stand-ins for the reader. Ultimately I didn't care about either of them, and was more invested in the supporting cast, particularly the one-armed barkeep Lucy O'Grunning, and ancient Native American princess Miss Angeline.

The plotting was strong and the 'twist' at the end, while not exactly shocking, was well-foreshadowed, so that I felt vindicated rather than disappointed at the reveal. Priest manages to maintain the suspicion throughout the novel, so that not until the climax are you really sure whether or not Dr. Minnericht and Levi Blue are one in the same. ...more

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Nov 03, 2011 Adrienne rated it it was ok

Shelves: steampunk, library, zombies, bookskype, seattle

I got what little enjoyment I did out of this book because of its setting. Since it takes place in an alternate Seattle, I could recognize a number of the places mentioned and was tempted to go explore the Denny area to try to figure out which house was being described. The actual story left something to be desired, though.

The book is told from two points of view, Briar's and her teenage son Zeke's. Briar's POV chapters were fine, but man was Zeke annoying. His motives were rather questionable, ...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Charlotte rated it it was ok

Shelves: bookskype

It's an enjoyable read, it just doesn't cover much new territory. My favorite part of it was the Seattle setting and the alternative Seattle history. Having lived there, I knew enough to be able to imagine all the buildings and fill in the history. I also appreciated having a story about the relationship between a mother and son. The journey of a mother to rescue her son made for an unusual plot motivator, particularly for a young adult book. Briar was a sympathetic main character with admirable ...more

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Jul 05, 2010 Jocelyn No rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, victorian-era, daddy-issues, steampunk, portland

This novel was good, and very atmospheric, but it dragged something awful. Loved the main character, loved the set up, felt like they spent the whole book running from place to place.

Overall, I'm glad I read it, and I'd recommend it to people who are into steampunk, or westerns, or victorian-age America, but I wouldn't re-read it. ...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Marianne rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, steampunk

Solid first book in a series which combines early America, steampunk, and zombies -- a mix that turns out to work pretty nicely. It's gritty, with lots of action and neat devices. And can you say pirate dirigible battle? No really, try to say that five times. ...more

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Apr 03, 2010 Andy rated it it was amazing

i thoroughly enjoyed this read! Never read Cherie Priest before, but found it engaging right from the beginning. Its a very cinematic feeling book and I would be surprised if it were optioned for a movie at some point!

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