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Boneshaker Fantasy Study - Kindle Version
MY REVIEW: PROS: Riveting charm fable; out of sight characters; thoroughly grabs the flavors of the steampunk and zombie subgenres. CONS: Some fairy tale elements might look to be cliche?, but that's dangerously little potatoes next to the entertainment value this story provides. BOTTOM LINE: This is an astonishing setting that demands more stories. I can't wait. Genre mash-ups are one of the dear pastimes of the blogosphere. ("Hey, wouldn't a steampunk zombie fable be outstanding?") The reality is that off-the-cuff statements like that are not certainly easy to pull off. Authors still have to fear about legendtelling, characterizations, drama, and an individual more elements that make up story -- and all towards the goal of generating something that has to be captivating at the same time. It's no small feat, to be sure. But damn, Cherie Priest makes it seem to be easy with her brand-new novel, Boneshaker. The fairy tale stems from a chain of events involving the Russian mission for gold during the American Civil War. Seattle experimenter Leviticus Blue is appointed to create a computer that will drill for gold through Alaskan ice. While examining his computer (dubbed the Boneshaker) something goes severely wrong: Seattle is incinerated as the Boneshaker slices out the landscape underneath the city. Worse still, the drilling has also unleashed a slow-spreading fumes that begins to turn people into zombies. An enclosure is thus erected around the city to keep the weighty "Blight" gas under cover while the survivors head for to the safer outpost. Year's later, Briar Wilkes (Blue's widow), who makes a mere living by employed in a factory, is still shunned by association. Her son, Zeke, not happiness with the family's prominence and his blackened family name, sets out to right the situation by clearing his father of any wrongdoing - and that means a trip back into the city, back into the Blight, and into the field of the undead. That's a good hook; a steampunk/zombie mash-up is immediately appealing. The challenge is whether it can last the length of a story. In short: really. Boneshaker simply pulls you in and doesn't let go. Here's why: * Boneshaker is all about the romance of science drama and the essence inherent in the genres it smashes together: o It's an charm book that moves hastily, puts the stars in relentless danger, and makes the reader anxious to see what happens next. o It's a steampunk romance, set in the 19th century during the Civil War (although that's happening in another place). Noted here is that the author bends hifairy tale a bit, but as she says in the afterward, that's the point of steampunk, isn't it? o It's a zombie epic as evidenced by the "rotters" that inhabit the walled-in city of Seattle. Strictly speaking, this legend element serves chiefly as another episode of world building, but it definitely holds up more than its fair share of nail-biting action. * The author simultaneously accomplishes magnificent feats with Boneshaker: o She incorporates the genre staples to a substantial degree; there's not just an blimp scene, there are numerous blimp scenes, and they're all as good as you'd hope they'd be. o She pays outstanding attention to detail -- for example, having the characters constantly stress about wearing their vapor masks; or the initial fiction background chapter -- without pushing the prose into fluff. o There's out of this world world building. One of the best examples is the underground nation that emerges from the disaster. * It's got strong characters o Briar Wilkes is a determined and persistent female flavor. Naturally, she tries to expose Zeke and follows him into the city. The part in which she gets ready to go gathering gas mask and gun) is reminiscent of Ripley in Aliens. Briar isn't messing anywhere. o Fifteen year-old Zeke is represented as an undisciplined, independent go-getter. No teen depression here, folks. Zeke Wilkes voluntarily makes the hazardous journey into the confined city of Seattle, birthplace to the Blight that changes customers into the roaming dead. Zombies, I say! * It's got a gutsy supporting cast: o Lucy O'Gunning - the resilient subterranean barkeep with a heart of gold and one (very) great arm. o Dr. Minnericht - the absolute and secret leader of the current underground community that matured after the loss of the city atop. o Jeremiah Swakhammer - a soldier of fortune who knows how to download around the Blight-infested city and cloudy underground caves. o Captin Cly - who adventure by rigid airship into and out of the city. o Angeline - A beloved member of the underground colony. * The family's hifiction incorporates fable that not only plays the "Whatever happened to...?" badge, but ups the ante by whirling it around and anywhere until you don't know which way it'll go. And you'll adore the way it goes. This is an astounding setting that demands more stories. I can't wait. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Want to get the book? Download Boneshaker eBook., or find all 2009 nebula award winners, |
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