Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Review: Boneshaker


The Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
Clockwork Century #1
Tor Books – September 29, 2009
416 pages, Adult fiction
Facebook: Yes

Twitter: @cmpriest

Read what this book is about here.
Source: Louisville Free Public Library
              
I wanted to learn more about the steam punk genre since I had a few for review. I wanted to be fair with my review since these were new books. I asked a friend who was really big into Steam punk and she gave me a whole list of books to read so that I can become familiar with the genre, and there’s a huge variety in the recommendation. When I feel comfortable with the genre, I will move on the review books that I have.
With Boneshaker, I can’t say if I’m more impressed with the work or the author, but either way I am so glad that I took the time to read this one. It was a great starting place for those who are new to the steam punk craze that is slowly growing. I can’t tell you if this is a typical steampunk. But, I can say that it grabbed my attention from the beginning. I found myself immersed in the story and it was really hard to put this book down. It was over before I knew and it was sad to leave this Seattle.
I’m not sure what Seattle was really like in the 1800’s/early 1900’s. That may have put me at an advantage to be able to just enjoy the story. It was easy to imagine what Seattle was like post-blight. There is enough detail that when Blue is walking around the outskirts, it becomes more of visual experience. The Outskirts seems to be a very dark and hard place to live. But the walled city isn’t much better.  I could almost feel myself struggling for breath walking through this desolate city.
As far as the characters go, it is obvious that Priest took the time to develop her characters into three dimensional people. At the end, when everything has been resolved, I still felt as though we have only scratched the surface for the characters. I was (am) certain that they continued on with their lives, walking and growing in the place that they call home.  I can’t really talk about the “steampunk” qualities of the book as if they were a separate entity. It was one package with this story. The machines played their part in making this story come to life.
Though this is not the first steampunk book that I’ve read, it has changed my mind about this genre and I look forward to reading more.
 Recommendation:  If you like zombies, evil scientist greedy for more power, awesome characters who triumph over depressing circumstances then you’ll love  Boneshaker.
What’s next? Clementine
 Always Shine,
Starr K

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