Review: 141. Ganymede by Cherie Priest...

I love Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century series, and couldn't wait to get my hands on book number three four, Ganymede!

Title: Ganymede (Clockwork Century #4)
Author: Cherie Priest
ISBN-13: 9780765329462
Paperback: 346 pages
Publisher: Tor, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Tor

drey's thoughts:
I know I sometimes start things off with an assumption. Sometimes it's valid, sometimes I just can't count--which I guess is what happened when I thought Ganymede was the third Clockwork Century title... How did I miss Clementine??

Oh well. I'll have to hunt that one down. The good news is, reading the Clockwork Century books in order isn't an absolute requirement. Sure, you'll get the backstory straighter than if you hadn't, but Cherie Priest does such an excellent job at introducing new characters and plots that you won't realize you've missed anything... I'll let you know if that holds true once I've gone back upstream and read Clementine!

In Ganymede, former air pirate Andan Cly heads to New Orleans to help out an old friend. Josephine Early is a madam, Union spy, and has ties to the local rebellion. She's also looking for someone to pilot a Confederate submarine lying to the Northern forces waiting in the Gulf. All while avoiding the Confederate and Texian armies, and the local version of Seattle's rotters... Yes, the dead are alive in New Orleans (heh).

The story is entertaining, the characters interesting, I love Huey's enthusiasm for all things techie, and I want more of Josephine and the Ranger. I love this world Cherie Priest has created for us. Where's the next one? *grin*

drey's rating: Excellent!

Have you read Ganymede or any of the Clockwork Century books? What did you think?

Review: 107. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare...

I couldn't wait to get to Clockwork Angel, but it took me a while to finally get around to picking it up from the library...

Title: Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices #1)
Author: Cassandra Clare
ISBN-13: 9781416975861
Hardcover: 476 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2010
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Waukesha Public Library  

drey's thoughts:  
I enjoyed Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series, and LOVED Clockwork Angel's cover. I meant to pick it up when it came out, but finally (yay!) got it. I guess I was waiting till it got closer to the release for Clockwork Prince...

Clockwork Angel is the story of Tessa Gray and how she gets involved with a group of Nephilim--the Shadowhunters. When her aunt dies, Tessa's brother sends for her to join him in London. Unbeknownst to her, she's got powers. Where from, she has no clue. But once in London she's kidnapped and forced to learn to manifest it. When she finds out that it's all so she can be married to The Magister, she decides to escape.

And runs right into the arms of the Shadowhunters. Will is gorgeous and utterly rude. Jem is handsome and nice. You know who she's attracted to then, right? But never mind that. The story is crazy busy with intrigue, nefarious plots, and clockwork automatons--who has time for romance? *wink*

Clockwork Angel is a fabulous book with characters you'd love (to love and hate) and a story you can't put down. A must for those who love young adult steampunk!

drey's rating: Excellent!

Have you read Clockwork Angel? What did you think?

Review: 68. The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge...

I picked this out because the cover called to me. There's such a haunting look to the cover girl that I had to find out what she's all about...

Title: The Iron Thorn (Iron Codex #1)
Author: Caitlin Kittredge
ISBN-13: 9780385738293
Hardcover: 492 pages
Publisher: Random House, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Waukesha Public Library

drey's thoughts:
Caitlin Kittredge's The Iron Thorn is a YA steampunk/horror/fantasy set in the city of Lovecraft, where the Engine grinds all to dust and the necrovirus is blamed for the rampant madness and fantastical creatures that roam the nights. Aoife Grayson is about to turn sixteen, and everyone's watching to see if she'll succumb to the madness as her mother and brother did. Even her best friend Cal.

Then Aoife receives a letter from her brother Conrad, telling her to go to their father's estate in Arkham. So she sets off--Cal in tow--to find her brother.

I really enjoyed this first in Kittredge's Iron Codex series. There are airships and clockworks; faeries, elves, and ghouls; hideously scary monsters; and adventure galore along with the requisite time constraint. The world is fascinating, the storytelling crisp and descriptive. And of course, the numerous references to Lovecraft and Arkham tickled my fancy. Not because I've read his works (shame on me!), but because I've played Arkham Horror so many times that the monsters that show up remind me of the game. Yes, I'm a geek...

In addition to the above, I like Aoife. She's brave (going off to find her brother) yet scared (of succumbing to the madness, or failing in her quest), honorable (stands by her friends), and honest. And when she finds out she might've made a mistake, she sets off to set things right. What's not to like?

I am looking forward to the sequel--there is a sequel, right?

drey's rating: Excellent!

Review: 65. The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook...

I have to admit I was slightly hesitant to pick up The Iron Duke even though I'd heard it was good. But I don't normally associate steampunk with half-naked men like this has one on the cover... I'm glad I finally read it though, it's fabulous!

Title: The Iron Duke (The Iron Seas)
Author: Meljean Brook
ISBN-13: 9780425236673
Paperback: 378 pages
Publisher: Penguin Group, 2010
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Waukesha Public Library

drey's thoughts:
I must be on a roll with my reading, or maybe I'm just plumb lucky! But I'm not complaining, oh no... *grin*

The Iron Duke of the title, Rhys Trahearn is a hero--the hero actually, who freed England from the Horde. I never quite got what the Horde were or where they came from, only that they controlled the population by implanting nanoagents that they could then control with frequencies emitted by short-range towers. All emotions are controlled by the Horde... I guess you're effectively an android then, or something like it.

The world is completely interesting--there are bounders (those who've returned to England from the New World, and aren't infected), buggers, bugs, zombies, airships, and clockwork devices, all populating this Victorian England setting. I am amazed at how Meljean Brook makes everything work together, and so well at that.

Mina Wentworth was born during the Horde occupation, and while she's the daughter of a Peer, she's still frowned upon and spat on, all because of the Horde blood in her. She's a detective, which puts food on the table, and her work puts her and the Iron Duke together when a body's found on his lawn. Trying to identify the victim eventually takes them to the Admiralty, where their source is murdered. Next thing you know, Mina and Rhys are chasing down rumors of a doomsday weapon across the Channel, and racing against time to take it down before it reaches England's shores.

I like Mina and Rhys. She's stubborn, opinionated and sarcastic. Having dealt with a lifetime of hatred, she's got a pretty thick skin. And she cannot believe that Rhys would--no, could--want her. She doesn't let the crap get to her, and she doesn't let anyone off the hook, whether they're peasant or titled. Scum is scum, after all.

The Iron Duke is a captivating story that just works. The romance & mystery, the technology & history--they all play a part without one element overshadowing another. And all the parts make up a whole that you'll need to check out.

drey's rating: Excellent!

Review: 55. Dreadnought by Cherie Priest...

I really enjoyed reading Cherie Priest's Boneshaker about a month ago, and remembered to check for Dreadnought at the library...

Title: Dreadnought (Clockwork Century series)
Author: Cherie Priest
ISBN-13: 9780765325785
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Tor, 2010
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Waukesha Public Library

drey's thoughts:
Dreadnought is another Cherie Priest steampunk novel with a strong woman protagonist. Mercy Lynch is a nurse at the Robertson Hospital in Richmond, Virginia in 1867. She's just found out that her husband is dead when her father summons her out to Seattle. With nothing left for her in Virginia, Mercy packs her meager belongings and heads out to see him before he dies.

The adventure starts pretty much as soon as Mercy leaves. She's in the frontline of the war, and has to try to stay ahead of the fighting--or at least survive any firefights she's caught in.

I really liked Mercy. She's strong and brave--you'd have to be to head from Virginia to Washington all by yourself in the middle of the Civil War! She doesn't take flak from anyone, and she tries to not let anything faze her. She's also willing to lend a hand to those in need, regardless of whether they're in gray or blue.

The storyline moves from one situation to the next pretty smoothly, and you won't believe the shenanigans that Mercy gets involved in. When the only way out West is on the train fronted by the dreaded engine Dreadnought, she finds that there is definitely more than meets the eye--in the soldiers, the passengers, and the lone Ranger who gets on the train.

Will Mercy make it to Seattle? You'll have to read Dreadnought and find out...

drey's rating: Excellent! This steampunk tale is full of mystery and adventure!

Have you read Cherie Priest's Dreadnought? What did you think?

Review: 41. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest...

I wanted to read more steampunk this year, and I'm ashamed to say I've only gotten to Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan so far... Sad, too, as I'm liking this genre--what I've read of it, anyway!

Title: Boneshaker (Clockwork Century #1)
Author: Cherie Priest
ISBN-13: 9780765318411
eBook
Publisher: Tor, 2009
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Purchased

drey's thoughts:
Set during the Civil War, Cherie Priest's Boneshaker is an alternate-history steampunk tale with wit, adventure, and zombies. Yup, zombies. They call 'em rotters, but you can't miss the shambling, moaning, tear-your-flesh-off, used-to-be-people, zombies...

Briar Wilkes was widowed sixteen years ago, when the world as they knew it went to heck in a hand-basket. She's shunned by her neighbors and coworkers, as they think that her husband caused the calamity that brought about the gas. The gas that turns those it touches into rotters. So Briar keeps to herself, and away from everybody. Until her son Ezekiel decides to prove that his father was innocent, and runs into the walled-off, gas-filled portion of the city...

I like Briar. She's stubborn and persuasive, and the fact that she's a mother out to save her son contributes nicely to the story. She doesn't always make the best decisions, but she's motivated by her son's safety, and worries about what he'll find. Along the way, she learns that you can't always be beholden to those who hold you responsible for actions that weren't yours.

Zeke's story is a little lighter than Briar's, and focuses more on the adventure. There are rotters! And more rotters! And a crazy inventor who could be his father! But is he? Or is he not?

You'll be stuck with this book until you find out if Briar and Zeke survive their excursion into the city, and whether the elusive and crazy Dr. Minnericht is Zeke's father...

drey's rating: 4/5 Excellent! Boneshaker has an engrossing fast-paced plotline, intriguing characters, and believable world-building. You won't go wrong with this as an introduction to the steampunk genre. I'm off to get the next Clockwork Century novel, Dreadnought.

Challenge: New Author, Steampunk

Review: 28. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld...

I really enjoyed Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series, and love the cover of Leviathan. So. What else was there to do but pick it up and read it?

Title: Leviathan (Leviathan #1)
Author: Scott Westerfeld
ISBN-13: 9781416971740
eBook
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2010
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Purchased

drey's thoughts:
Scott Westerfeld's world in Leviathan is something like Star Wars vs. Darwin experimentalism, set during the beginning of World War I. The Archduke Ferdinand and his wife are assassinated, and his heir Aleksandar is whisked off into a machine that brings to mind the AT-AT (but with only two legs), hopefully towards safety.

At the same time Deryn Sharp is masquerading as a boy, so she can train to be a airman with the British Air Service. Only thing is, she's not quite going to be in an airplane... Instead she's on a huge floating whale that's kinda like a blimp that's alive (or is it a blimp that's a whale?).

The Darwinists use animals and biology and the ecosystem, and the Clankers use machines. And it looks like they're headed towards a showdown as countries draw sides in the aftermath of the assassination. So what happens when Aleks and Deryn meet in the remote mountains in Switzerland?

Character: Deryn and Aleks are two very different teens. One's fighting convention so she can do what she loves, and the other has his entire world turned upside down when his parents are killed. But both are likable teens. They're smart and sassy and funny and honest, and handle adversity pretty darn unbelievably well for teenagers... I think I like 'em! *grin*

Pace & Plot: Leviathan starts on a good pace, and moves at a good clip. There's a lot of ground to cover, after all, and with two storylines to boot. The plot doesn't veer too far from history, even if WWI never saw flying whales or giant two-legged machines. And there's lots to keep you interested as you turn the pages to see how Aleks and Deryn fare.

drey's rating: 4/5 Excellent: This is my first steampunk novel, and I loved it! I can't wait to pick up Behemoth!

Have you read Leviathan? What did you think?

2011 challenge: Steampunk

Review: 146. Cold Magic by Kate Elliott...

Noticed this one because I thought the cover was cool... Finally got my hands on a copy, and inhaled it!

Title: Cold Magic (Spiritwalker #1)
Author: Kate Elliott
ISBN-13: 9780316080859
Paperback: 502 pages
Publisher: Orbit, 2010
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Waukesha Public Library (inter-library loan)

drey's thoughts:
In this tale set in an alternate universe where Rome hasn't quite disappeared with the gladiators yet, the Industrial Revolution is threatening to unravel the control that the mages and princes have wrought on the people. Catherine Hassi Barahal and her cousin Beatrice are young women studying at the university when Catherine is summarily dispatched with her new husband to one of the mage houses, where everything she knows about herself is challenged and found wanting.

With a death sentence on her head, she runs away to try and warn her cousin Bee, even as she wonders if Bee has always known that her father, really wasn't. What follows is a classic fantasy adventure story, with new characters popping up every so often, danger threatening at every turn, twists and turns to make you dizzy, and a love interest who isn't showing much love or interest...

There was quite a bit in the book that I didn't think really contributed to the story--these were the pages my brain skimmed over--but overall, Kate Elliot has woven a story that I liked enough to want to read more of. Especially to find out what, exactly, Cat is.


drey's rating: 3.5/5 Very Good

Challenges: 100+, Support your Local Library