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?