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Available
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Publication
Tor Books (2009), Edition: First Edition, Paperback, 416 pages
Description
Fiction. Science Fiction. Historical Fiction. HTML: Cherie Priest's long-awaited steampunk debut, Boneshaker, opens in the early days of the Civil War when rumors of gold in the frozen Klondike brought hordes of newcomers to the Pacific Northwest. Anxious to compete, Russian prospectors commissioned inventor Leviticus Blue to create a great machine that could mine through Alaska's ice. Thus was Dr. Blue's Incredible Bone-Shaking Drill Engine born. But on its first test run the Boneshaker went terribly awry, destroying several blocks of downtown Seattle and unearthing a subterranean vein of blight gas that turned anyone who breathed it into the living dead. Now it is sixteen years later, and a wall has been built to enclose the devastated and toxic city. Just beyond it lives Blue's widow, Briar Wilkes. Life is hard with a ruined reputation and a teenaged boy to support, but she and Ezekiel are managing. Until Ezekiel undertakes a secret crusade to rewrite history. His quest will take him under the wall and into a city teeming with ravenous undead, air pirates, criminal overlords, and heavily armed refugees. And only Briar can bring him out alive..… (more)
Media reviews
Overall, Priest has created a terrific story that will please endless science fiction fans in search of a thrill.
Priest’s latest, very simply rocks: It’s not only the steampunk adventure you’ve been waiting for, it’s the steampunk adventure you can give to friends of yours who wonder what the hell’s up with all those Victorian overcoats and goggles.
It's full of buckle and has swash to spare, and the characters are likable and the prose is fun. This is a hoot from start to finish, pure mad adventure.
User reviews
LibraryThing member clfisha
Stunning Steampunk
You could almost play Steampunk bingo wih this book its got everthing; airships, pirates, zombies, mad scientists and even madder machines, underground warrens, beer of dubious quality and many different types of goggles. An adventure story of city within a city, walled to stop
It wasn't quite what I expected, a story of family, of seeking lost answers, of a mother tracking a wayward son but to be honest it was still brilliant. A page turner, swapping between the two protagonists, timeline uncertain to keep the tension. I loved Briar (a strong female character woohoo!) but every other character was great too. The world building is perfect, a broken Seattle lost in the midst of the American civil war, a literal criminal overlord and a fantatsic use of Steampunk and Victoriana tropes. The pacing is well done and if I had to be picky its got a slightly clunky exposition start and an obvious ending.. but one is forgivable and the other a perfect fit so who cares right? The actual book too deserves a mention, being in lovely sepia font with cute goggles to start each chapter. It's a nice touch.
It really doesn't get much better than this. Highly recommend.
You could almost play Steampunk bingo wih this book its got everthing; airships, pirates, zombies, mad scientists and even madder machines, underground warrens, beer of dubious quality and many different types of goggles. An adventure story of city within a city, walled to stop
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the putrid, zombie creating gas after Leviticus Blues Incredible Bone-Shaking Machine drilled a murderous hole through the city. It wasn't quite what I expected, a story of family, of seeking lost answers, of a mother tracking a wayward son but to be honest it was still brilliant. A page turner, swapping between the two protagonists, timeline uncertain to keep the tension. I loved Briar (a strong female character woohoo!) but every other character was great too. The world building is perfect, a broken Seattle lost in the midst of the American civil war, a literal criminal overlord and a fantatsic use of Steampunk and Victoriana tropes. The pacing is well done and if I had to be picky its got a slightly clunky exposition start and an obvious ending.. but one is forgivable and the other a perfect fit so who cares right? The actual book too deserves a mention, being in lovely sepia font with cute goggles to start each chapter. It's a nice touch.
It really doesn't get much better than this. Highly recommend.
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LibraryThing member paradoxosalpha
I noted the positive press regarding Boneshaker when it first came out, and I had meant to get around to reading it at some point. Almost a decade later, I tipped my daughter off to it, since she was developing an interest in steampunk. She read it and liked it a lot, and so insisted that I read it
It was all right, but I don't know that I'll go on to the sequels. The basic adventure story, exploring the ruined city and meeting its denizens, was just fine. Airship battles are fun, but I'm not terribly entertained by zombie swarms. The plot resolution with its final reveal was pretty satisfying, and made sense out of some of the protagonist's earlier behavior. While the author apologizes for/defends her historical and geographic inaccuracies in an appended note, nevertheless I think that the story might offer extra enjoyment for those more familiar with the 21st-century city of Seattle.
I got the impression that the story as originally drafted may have started more in media res, but that the preliminary exposition was grafted on in order to accommodate a less sophisticated readership. On the other hand, the whole book has more than a little YA about it, and that may just have been the plan all along. I guess I can see why this book is considered exemplary in its sub-genre, but it wasn't such a stand-out read for me.
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in my turn. Set in the late 19th century, it concerns a woman pursuing her runaway son into a walled-off Seattle, Washington full of poison gas and zombies. It was all right, but I don't know that I'll go on to the sequels. The basic adventure story, exploring the ruined city and meeting its denizens, was just fine. Airship battles are fun, but I'm not terribly entertained by zombie swarms. The plot resolution with its final reveal was pretty satisfying, and made sense out of some of the protagonist's earlier behavior. While the author apologizes for/defends her historical and geographic inaccuracies in an appended note, nevertheless I think that the story might offer extra enjoyment for those more familiar with the 21st-century city of Seattle.
I got the impression that the story as originally drafted may have started more in media res, but that the preliminary exposition was grafted on in order to accommodate a less sophisticated readership. On the other hand, the whole book has more than a little YA about it, and that may just have been the plan all along. I guess I can see why this book is considered exemplary in its sub-genre, but it wasn't such a stand-out read for me.
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LibraryThing member bell7
In this alternate history set in 19th century Seattle, Leviticus Blue created a massive machine called the Boneshaker, which dug below the city banks and released a cloud of gas that turned those who breathed it into "rotters." Fifteen years after the incident, Levi's wife Briar and her son,
After years of reading fantasy, I've gotten pretty good at suspending disbelief, which you really need to do to get into this steampunk/zombie story. If you can, it's a fun premise and I enjoyed the re-imagining of Seattle and American history. The world-building was well done and the writing moves along quickly. I wanted a little more to happen in terms of the story as some revelations were not all that surprising, but overall it was a fun ride and I'd be willing to read more by this author. 4 stars.
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Ezekiel, deal with the censure of their neighbors for being related to Levi and to Maynard Wilkes, Briar's husband who infamously let inmates free to get them away from the gas. When Ezekiel sneaks into the now walled-off Seattle, filled with the poisonous gas and the rotters, determined to clear his grandfather's and father's names, an earthquake leaves him stranded on the inside. Briar is determined to find him and enters the city after him.After years of reading fantasy, I've gotten pretty good at suspending disbelief, which you really need to do to get into this steampunk/zombie story. If you can, it's a fun premise and I enjoyed the re-imagining of Seattle and American history. The world-building was well done and the writing moves along quickly. I wanted a little more to happen in terms of the story as some revelations were not all that surprising, but overall it was a fun ride and I'd be willing to read more by this author. 4 stars.
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LibraryThing member lisabee
I thought the idea of this book was great. The reality of the book? Not so much.
The characters were wooden, boring, and showed very little connection to one another. The plot should have left me excited and spellbound, but instead left me bored and annoyed.
Zombies + Steampunk should = FUN. But in
The characters were wooden, boring, and showed very little connection to one another. The plot should have left me excited and spellbound, but instead left me bored and annoyed.
Zombies + Steampunk should = FUN. But in
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this case, there was very little fun to be had. Show Less
LibraryThing member ownlittleworld
An alternate-history novel based in the late 1800's with destruction, adventure, dirigibles, sky pirates, a mad inventor, AND zombies? COUNT ME IN. A book just as fascinating as its cover. You guys, Boneshaker was so much more than I expected! Such a brilliantly imaginative tale with flair and
To start it all off, let me just talk about the appearance of the book. The cover is so lovely in person. A beautiful mix of art and design, all while giving a hint to what the story will hold within. And the pages - toned to a light sepia color with brown font, giving it that aged look and feel. The only thing it was missing was the musty smell that can only gather with time. (Though I settled for the new book smell!) From the start you can tell that every detail was doted upon in the process...much like the writing style. Which I absolutely fell in love with. Wonderfully descriptive and engaging; I could envision everything as if I was watching it unfold right before my eyes.
Boneshaker begins with a journalistic piece from a one, Hale Quarter. A young journalist who sets the ground work and describes the events leading up to creation of the terrible Bone-Shaking Drilling Machine at the hand of Dr. Leviticus "Levi" Blue. A single man and machine responsible for a disaster that caused most of downtown Seattle to cave in on itself, while bringing disease and terror in the form of a toxic substance known as The Blight.
While the early days of the Civil War were taking place, the Russians were looking for a way to drill trough the icy Klondike where a fortune of gold supposedly awaited any man who dared. After many had tried and failed, esteemed inventor Leviticus Blue won a contest offering him 100,000 rubles and six months to build a machine strong enough to penetrate the buried vein of gold. But being the smart man that he is, Levi finished well before the deadline. During an unannounced test run on the afternoon of January 2, 1863, the Earth shook under the vast central business district of the Seattle streets. The foundations of four major banks were ground to oblivion, taking with it hundreds of innocent bystanders.
However, no one could predict the kind of destruction that would follow. The streets were in an upheaval sure, but what was worse was the mysterious gas leaking from the tunnels created by the monstrous machine. Slow and sickly, the odorless and colorless gas crept along inch by inch poisoning all those who were nearest. Temporary measurements were taken until a city wide evacuation was the only way to survive. One by one the plans to contain the gas failed. Thousands of people fell ill and thousands more after. Simple barriers were not enough to hold it until, approximately one year later, the entire downtown area of Seattle was surrounded by an incredible 200 foot high brick and stone wall.
The story begins sixteen years later with Briar Wilkes (formerly Briar Blue) and her son Ezekiel "Zeke" Wilkes. The two live in the Outskirts just beyond the wall but not so far from it that they can forget it ever happened. Due to the endless plague the Blight reigns upon the city, the water has been poisoned and must be boiled and treated for 17 hours at the factory in Puget Sound where Briar works. Day after day she works to provide for her and her son, trying ever so hard to leave behind the tarnished legacy of her dead husband. But it's not so easy. Who can forget the man that changed all their lives? Zeke, having never met his father, is forced to rely on the horrid stories passed from one person to the next since his mother refuses to relay the truth or any information to satiate his growing curiosity.
But one day, Zeke decides he's had enough. He determines to make his way inside The Wall, back to a home he never knew and clear his father of the terrible crimes that have plagued their family for 16 years. If only he can get his hands on the papers the Russians sent demanding Dr. Blue do an early test run, if they even existed, then it would all be over. Provisions in hand, Zeke sets off through the underground tunnels that run up through the downtown. But he never expected just how bad the Blight had infected the city...or its undead inhabitants.
After hours spent fretting with worry and guilt, Briar does the only thing a mother could do - she sets off after him. After nearly beating information from Rector, a boy up to no good and a friend of her son, Briar sets off for the same exact tunnels Zeke allegedly took. But as she waits near the entrance, an earthquake shatters all means of hope and escape for her only son. Now that the option of going under is taken away, Briar is left with but one other choice: Over. Seeking the help from the air captains and sky pirates, Briar is led to Andan Cly, captain of the Naamah Darling, who just so happens to be in debt to the Wilkes family.
Flying high and dropping into the city, Briar is led by survival instincts and using all means necessary to find her son. But what surprised her the most was not how much the city has been polluted, but the fact that there were people living there. The dead and undead alike. What kind of trouble lies beyond the wall? Can Briar do it alone? Will she be able to survive the the Blight and the creatures it created? Can she outlast the rotters, the undead who feast on flesh and feel no pain? More importantly, will she find her son alive?
...Those are questions you will have to answer yourself! :)
Seriously, I cannot begin to describe how imaginative and ingenious this tale is. Once you start you won't want to stop until you reach the very end. And then you'll just want more. Boneshaker is totally unique in its vision of combining very real, albeit altered, history and science fiction. Trust me when I say that I am not really a big fan of zombies or anything related, but this story would not have been the same nor quite as exciting without them.
Same goes for each and every character. Without them the story wouldn't have the same warmth and purpose as I felt while reading. Briar is a no nonsense type of woman with admirable qualities, surviving on what little she can afford and wanting what's best for her son. The people she meets only fuel her desire to continue on and provide a shining light in the darkness.
Overall consensus: There's so much more I could tell you about the story but I'll just leave you with the words: Exciting, original, intense, unique, and satisfying. Being that this is my first outing with Cherie Priest, I can conclude that it will not be the last. If books like Boneshaker are what I have to look forward to in the steampunk genre, then count me in because I'm not going anywhere!
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grit.To start it all off, let me just talk about the appearance of the book. The cover is so lovely in person. A beautiful mix of art and design, all while giving a hint to what the story will hold within. And the pages - toned to a light sepia color with brown font, giving it that aged look and feel. The only thing it was missing was the musty smell that can only gather with time. (Though I settled for the new book smell!) From the start you can tell that every detail was doted upon in the process...much like the writing style. Which I absolutely fell in love with. Wonderfully descriptive and engaging; I could envision everything as if I was watching it unfold right before my eyes.
Boneshaker begins with a journalistic piece from a one, Hale Quarter. A young journalist who sets the ground work and describes the events leading up to creation of the terrible Bone-Shaking Drilling Machine at the hand of Dr. Leviticus "Levi" Blue. A single man and machine responsible for a disaster that caused most of downtown Seattle to cave in on itself, while bringing disease and terror in the form of a toxic substance known as The Blight.
While the early days of the Civil War were taking place, the Russians were looking for a way to drill trough the icy Klondike where a fortune of gold supposedly awaited any man who dared. After many had tried and failed, esteemed inventor Leviticus Blue won a contest offering him 100,000 rubles and six months to build a machine strong enough to penetrate the buried vein of gold. But being the smart man that he is, Levi finished well before the deadline. During an unannounced test run on the afternoon of January 2, 1863, the Earth shook under the vast central business district of the Seattle streets. The foundations of four major banks were ground to oblivion, taking with it hundreds of innocent bystanders.
However, no one could predict the kind of destruction that would follow. The streets were in an upheaval sure, but what was worse was the mysterious gas leaking from the tunnels created by the monstrous machine. Slow and sickly, the odorless and colorless gas crept along inch by inch poisoning all those who were nearest. Temporary measurements were taken until a city wide evacuation was the only way to survive. One by one the plans to contain the gas failed. Thousands of people fell ill and thousands more after. Simple barriers were not enough to hold it until, approximately one year later, the entire downtown area of Seattle was surrounded by an incredible 200 foot high brick and stone wall.
The story begins sixteen years later with Briar Wilkes (formerly Briar Blue) and her son Ezekiel "Zeke" Wilkes. The two live in the Outskirts just beyond the wall but not so far from it that they can forget it ever happened. Due to the endless plague the Blight reigns upon the city, the water has been poisoned and must be boiled and treated for 17 hours at the factory in Puget Sound where Briar works. Day after day she works to provide for her and her son, trying ever so hard to leave behind the tarnished legacy of her dead husband. But it's not so easy. Who can forget the man that changed all their lives? Zeke, having never met his father, is forced to rely on the horrid stories passed from one person to the next since his mother refuses to relay the truth or any information to satiate his growing curiosity.
But one day, Zeke decides he's had enough. He determines to make his way inside The Wall, back to a home he never knew and clear his father of the terrible crimes that have plagued their family for 16 years. If only he can get his hands on the papers the Russians sent demanding Dr. Blue do an early test run, if they even existed, then it would all be over. Provisions in hand, Zeke sets off through the underground tunnels that run up through the downtown. But he never expected just how bad the Blight had infected the city...or its undead inhabitants.
After hours spent fretting with worry and guilt, Briar does the only thing a mother could do - she sets off after him. After nearly beating information from Rector, a boy up to no good and a friend of her son, Briar sets off for the same exact tunnels Zeke allegedly took. But as she waits near the entrance, an earthquake shatters all means of hope and escape for her only son. Now that the option of going under is taken away, Briar is left with but one other choice: Over. Seeking the help from the air captains and sky pirates, Briar is led to Andan Cly, captain of the Naamah Darling, who just so happens to be in debt to the Wilkes family.
Flying high and dropping into the city, Briar is led by survival instincts and using all means necessary to find her son. But what surprised her the most was not how much the city has been polluted, but the fact that there were people living there. The dead and undead alike. What kind of trouble lies beyond the wall? Can Briar do it alone? Will she be able to survive the the Blight and the creatures it created? Can she outlast the rotters, the undead who feast on flesh and feel no pain? More importantly, will she find her son alive?
...Those are questions you will have to answer yourself! :)
Seriously, I cannot begin to describe how imaginative and ingenious this tale is. Once you start you won't want to stop until you reach the very end. And then you'll just want more. Boneshaker is totally unique in its vision of combining very real, albeit altered, history and science fiction. Trust me when I say that I am not really a big fan of zombies or anything related, but this story would not have been the same nor quite as exciting without them.
Same goes for each and every character. Without them the story wouldn't have the same warmth and purpose as I felt while reading. Briar is a no nonsense type of woman with admirable qualities, surviving on what little she can afford and wanting what's best for her son. The people she meets only fuel her desire to continue on and provide a shining light in the darkness.
Overall consensus: There's so much more I could tell you about the story but I'll just leave you with the words: Exciting, original, intense, unique, and satisfying. Being that this is my first outing with Cherie Priest, I can conclude that it will not be the last. If books like Boneshaker are what I have to look forward to in the steampunk genre, then count me in because I'm not going anywhere!
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LibraryThing member MarmotandWombat
I liked Boneshaker well enough, and found it a good read in general. I did want to like it more though, being a fan of alternate history and steampunk. The premise is interesting and the book is paced well, but I wasn't *quite* able to connect with the characters, get to know them, and care about
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their fates. Overall, I recommend it as a good bit of "brain candy" and a relaxing read. 3/5 rating Show Less
LibraryThing member beserene
By all that is steampunk, I swear I loved this book. I'm not saying it's perfect, but I loved it just the same. Really, the only issue I had with it was that the end lacked the drama that one expected, given the set up, but it still made sense with the novel as a whole... and that's all I will say
As to the good stuff, Priest's 'Boneshaker' gives you airships, goggles, a half-abandoned walled city, zombies, boiler-driven machines, an antagonist reminiscent of Dr. Loveless -- and I mean that in a good way -- a heroine with sense in her head (refreshing) and a young man's coming-of-age-style adventure. What more could you possibly want? What more could you possibly fit in here?
Priest is one of the best of the newer fantasy authors on the scene anyway, but every tight detail of this adventure further convinced me of her wicked coolness. The descriptions here are taut and satisfying -- the reader can practically feel the sluggish stickiness of the Blight gas, the annoying rub of mask straps, the gloom of the sun-starved city. The characters are, if you will forgive me, real characters, and each one is more badass or more endearing (as appropriate) than the last. The story moves along at a solid clip, neither rushed nor strained. The best part, though, is that when you break away from reading the novel, you find yourself glancing over your shoulder, opening windows, and otherwise feeling haunted. I didn't have to go to bed with a flashlight -- this was no mere creep-factor, but a genuine sense that this adventuresome book clings to you, as only the best reads can.
I'm not sure what "rollicking" really means, but I think this is it. Read it.
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about that.As to the good stuff, Priest's 'Boneshaker' gives you airships, goggles, a half-abandoned walled city, zombies, boiler-driven machines, an antagonist reminiscent of Dr. Loveless -- and I mean that in a good way -- a heroine with sense in her head (refreshing) and a young man's coming-of-age-style adventure. What more could you possibly want? What more could you possibly fit in here?
Priest is one of the best of the newer fantasy authors on the scene anyway, but every tight detail of this adventure further convinced me of her wicked coolness. The descriptions here are taut and satisfying -- the reader can practically feel the sluggish stickiness of the Blight gas, the annoying rub of mask straps, the gloom of the sun-starved city. The characters are, if you will forgive me, real characters, and each one is more badass or more endearing (as appropriate) than the last. The story moves along at a solid clip, neither rushed nor strained. The best part, though, is that when you break away from reading the novel, you find yourself glancing over your shoulder, opening windows, and otherwise feeling haunted. I didn't have to go to bed with a flashlight -- this was no mere creep-factor, but a genuine sense that this adventuresome book clings to you, as only the best reads can.
I'm not sure what "rollicking" really means, but I think this is it. Read it.
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LibraryThing member kkisser
Boneshaker is a story about a son who goes in search for the truth about his dead father and his mother who goes after him inside the enclosed part of Seattle which is full of hidden dangers and zombies.
The story was nicely imagined and designed of post-apocalyptic view of Seattle in the 1890s and
For all the work that Cherie Priest put into the creation of the world, I had hopped that she would have spent more time on the rest of her characters, such as the villains of the story. The meeting of the main villain seemed rushed and not fully developed, nor the threat that he imposed to others in the walled in city. And then the story rushed to an ending with an epilogue that didn't add anything to the story.
The story is enjoyable, though the ending is a bit of disappointment and as it may be turned into a series, I really left with a need to know more. I think it works betters as self contained story that should have been flushed out more, not a serial.
The story was nicely imagined and designed of post-apocalyptic view of Seattle in the 1890s and
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the workings of an inner city surviving with zombies. And not too many science fiction books feature a 35 year old heroine who kicks butt.For all the work that Cherie Priest put into the creation of the world, I had hopped that she would have spent more time on the rest of her characters, such as the villains of the story. The meeting of the main villain seemed rushed and not fully developed, nor the threat that he imposed to others in the walled in city. And then the story rushed to an ending with an epilogue that didn't add anything to the story.
The story is enjoyable, though the ending is a bit of disappointment and as it may be turned into a series, I really left with a need to know more. I think it works betters as self contained story that should have been flushed out more, not a serial.
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LibraryThing member TomVeal
That Boneshaker is a Hugo Award nominee testifies to its appeal to a significant fraction of science fiction fans. The appeal is certainly discernible: The book is packed with the mildly distorted history and technological anachronism that have made "steampunk" a popular subgenre. It doesn't,
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however, strike me as a novel that will be remembered and read ten years from now. The setting, characters and plot are bizarre enough to hold one's interest for a day, but they are not truly creative. Worse, the big revelation at the end of the heroine's dark secret is a revelation only because the author brazenly cheats the reader out of information that should have been available by about page 20. Show Less
LibraryThing member Jefficus
Get ready for the steam-punk zombie apocalypse
It's been sixteen years since an experiment gone awry turned Klondike-era Seattle into a walled prison for zombies and degenerates, while the survivors huddle together on the outskirts, clinging to a hard-scrabble existence. But when Zeke Wilkes, son of
On the surface, this appears to be a delicious genre-blending adventure - steam punk with zombies - but while it delivers on the mash up, I found it weak on the engagement, and by the half way point, when all hell seems to be breaking loose for our heroes, I found myself still indifferent to their plight. I just didn't care about Zeke or his mother. One struck me as a whiny teen with too much entitlement and not too little agency for me to look past his shortcomings, while the other was mired so deeply in her own self-recriminations that I found myself agreeing with her. It is all her fault. In the end I got bored enough to put the book down, and I haven't had the urge to go back to finish it, so I won't.
The prose is competent but lacks subtlety or elegance. So if zombies do it for you, or annoying protagonists are your thing, then this might just be your ticket. But it isn't mine.
It's been sixteen years since an experiment gone awry turned Klondike-era Seattle into a walled prison for zombies and degenerates, while the survivors huddle together on the outskirts, clinging to a hard-scrabble existence. But when Zeke Wilkes, son of
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the man responsible for it all, comes of age, he cannot accept the story of his father's crimes. So when Zeke runs away to the zombie zone in search of the truth, his mother Briar risks everything to go in after him, but neither one of them is prepared for the truths that await them inside.On the surface, this appears to be a delicious genre-blending adventure - steam punk with zombies - but while it delivers on the mash up, I found it weak on the engagement, and by the half way point, when all hell seems to be breaking loose for our heroes, I found myself still indifferent to their plight. I just didn't care about Zeke or his mother. One struck me as a whiny teen with too much entitlement and not too little agency for me to look past his shortcomings, while the other was mired so deeply in her own self-recriminations that I found myself agreeing with her. It is all her fault. In the end I got bored enough to put the book down, and I haven't had the urge to go back to finish it, so I won't.
The prose is competent but lacks subtlety or elegance. So if zombies do it for you, or annoying protagonists are your thing, then this might just be your ticket. But it isn't mine.
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LibraryThing member andreablythe
After a catastrophic accident caused by an experimental drilling machine, a poisonous gas begins to leak into the city of Seattle, causing all those who breathe it to rise as the living dead. The city is walled off and abandoned, until Zeke Blue enters the city with a desire to rewrite history, and
Boneshaker not only has an awesome cover, but is a fantastic read. Furthermore, while it combines two of my favorite things (steampunk and zombies), the storyline is totally addictive and the characters totally believable. The result was that I was totally absorbed in the book and could not think of doing anything else until I finished it, at which point I was promptly upset that it was over.
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his mother is forced to follow after him in a rescue attempt.Boneshaker not only has an awesome cover, but is a fantastic read. Furthermore, while it combines two of my favorite things (steampunk and zombies), the storyline is totally addictive and the characters totally believable. The result was that I was totally absorbed in the book and could not think of doing anything else until I finished it, at which point I was promptly upset that it was over.
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LibraryThing member kougogo
The alternate-history steampunk Seattle Priest creates is pretty badass - zombies, pirates, poisonous gas, etc. And the set-up between her protagonists, the mother son duo of Briar and Zeke, is rich with dramatic potential. But it turns out that Briar and Zeke aren't really interesting characters -
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they just have interesting things happen to them. The pay-off lacks any proverbial oomph. Show Less
LibraryThing member luisbaars
This was the first steampunk novel that I've read and my main reaction was "meh". What I couldn't wrap my head around was the fact that the characters in the book could make mechanical arms, complicated air filtration systems, and various methods of sealing good air vs. bad air, but they couldn't
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plug up a hole in the ground. I'm not sure if this a weakness of just this novel or steampunk novels in general. I would have found it more realistic if someone in the book was trying to fix the problem, no matter how difficult it seemed. All of the characters seemed to be missing something specifically because they weren't asking the important questions. As a result, I really couldn't connect with the Briar, Zeke, Swakhammer, or anyone else. If something were to happen to any of them, I don't think that I would have really cared. In my opinion, this problem kept a good book from being a great book. Show Less
LibraryThing member tlockney
I don't know what to say about this book. It was enjoyable enough to finish and to keep it above the one star rating, but I can't quite see why it has gotten the attention it has. Maybe the zombie-steampunk genre just isn't my thing.
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
I was quite looking forward to Boneshaker by Cherie Priest, a steam punk fantasy that takes place in an alternative Seattle, but unfortunately I was left a little flat by this book. I can’t quite put my finger on what was missing but I was never totally drawn into the story and often found myself
This is the tale of a mother’s search for her sixteen year old son who has entered the blighted part of Seattle on a quest to clear his father’s name. Sixteen years ago her husband, scientist/inventor Leviticus Blue was testing an advanced drill when he released a poisonous gas that either killed people outright or turned them into shambling zombie-like creatures. A twenty foot wall was built around the blighted area but some residents remained behind the walls, learned how to survive and nefarious dealings are being conducted with the outside world. This strange inner city is now being run by the mysterious Dr. Minnericht who many people believe is actually Dr. Blue.
This book has all the ingredients that I usually love and no one was more surprised in the resulting “meh” feeling it left me with than myself. Perhaps it was simply the wrong book at the wrong time, but I certainly don’t feel inclined to follow up with this trilogy and will probably drop the remaining two from my wish list.
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flipping the pages and counting how many chapters I had left to read.This is the tale of a mother’s search for her sixteen year old son who has entered the blighted part of Seattle on a quest to clear his father’s name. Sixteen years ago her husband, scientist/inventor Leviticus Blue was testing an advanced drill when he released a poisonous gas that either killed people outright or turned them into shambling zombie-like creatures. A twenty foot wall was built around the blighted area but some residents remained behind the walls, learned how to survive and nefarious dealings are being conducted with the outside world. This strange inner city is now being run by the mysterious Dr. Minnericht who many people believe is actually Dr. Blue.
This book has all the ingredients that I usually love and no one was more surprised in the resulting “meh” feeling it left me with than myself. Perhaps it was simply the wrong book at the wrong time, but I certainly don’t feel inclined to follow up with this trilogy and will probably drop the remaining two from my wish list.
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LibraryThing member titania86
In the 1860’s, the Russians look for a way to drill into the ice in the Klondike where there is supposed to be gold because they don’t possess the technology. To generate interest, they create a contest with a cash prize for the person who can create a machine that will access the gold for
When I first heard about this book, I was so excited! Steampunk, dirigibles, zombies, mad scientists, and alternate history: what’s not to like? I was not disappointed at all when I finally got to read it. Although the history is altered a bit to suit the story, I didn’t really notice the changes. This is partly due to the fact that I’m not a huge history buff, but part of it is because of Cherie Priest’s superb writing. Her style flows incredibly well, drawing the reader into the book. The details that she includes really bring the characters and setting to life. The Victorian era in post-Boneshaker Seattle isn’t what one would expect, but for good reason. The people who live in the Outskirts (outside of the wall from the Blight filled city) struggle to survive and make a living and feel isolated from the world as a whole. The writing also excels in fleshing out each character so they feel like real people.
Briar Wilkes is my favorite character in the novel. She’s a tough as nails, no nonsense woman who will go through, under, or over any obstacle to get to her boy. Discrimination or condescension from others has no affect on her and she does what needs to be done. Her life is made very difficult because of her involvement with Leviticus, the destroyer of Seattle, and a lesser person would have broken or given up. Briar is admirable and stretches herself to her limits. I enjoyed the chapters that were from her point of view much more than the chapters in Zeke’s. On each chapter header there is either a pair of goggles or a lantern to indicate who is the focus of the chapter (goggles for Briar and the lantern for Zeke). Zeke is a typical teenager, which is the reason for most of my annoyance with him. He’s kind of annoying and thinks it’s such a great idea to go into a city rife with zombies, poisonous gas, and criminals in order to wander around aimlessly and try to find where his parents used to live for some indeterminate evidence to clear his father’s name. With Briar’s narrative, more is known than just Zeke’s view about who to trust and who to be wary of and we see Zeke make wrong decisions about this at least a few times. It’s kind of frustrating, but in general, he’s a smart and industrious character.
Boneshaker is a fast paced, fun read. Even though the zombies aren’t the focus of the book, they still remain a constant danger that the characters always need to be aware of, giving the narrative that little dose of adrenaline and horror. I would recommend this book to fans of steampunk, alternate histories, and science fiction in general.
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them. Leviticus Blue from Seattle is the lucky inventor that wins for his Incredible Bone-Shaking Drill Engine. When he tests the machine, he tears through the city’s underground (and pausing at the banks) and returns home. Unbeknownst to him, his path through the city has caved in, leaving countless injured or dead. On top of that, it released a gas called the Blight from the earth that turns normal people into flesh eating zombies. Sixteen years later, after the city has been evacuated and walled up, Briar Wilkes is still dealing with the consequences of her late husband’s folly. Her teenage son, Zeke, convinced of his father’s innocence, goes into the abandoned city to clear his father’s name. Briar tries to follow him into the city, but his way in and out caved in after an earthquake. How can she get in the city to save her son? Is he even still alive? When I first heard about this book, I was so excited! Steampunk, dirigibles, zombies, mad scientists, and alternate history: what’s not to like? I was not disappointed at all when I finally got to read it. Although the history is altered a bit to suit the story, I didn’t really notice the changes. This is partly due to the fact that I’m not a huge history buff, but part of it is because of Cherie Priest’s superb writing. Her style flows incredibly well, drawing the reader into the book. The details that she includes really bring the characters and setting to life. The Victorian era in post-Boneshaker Seattle isn’t what one would expect, but for good reason. The people who live in the Outskirts (outside of the wall from the Blight filled city) struggle to survive and make a living and feel isolated from the world as a whole. The writing also excels in fleshing out each character so they feel like real people.
Briar Wilkes is my favorite character in the novel. She’s a tough as nails, no nonsense woman who will go through, under, or over any obstacle to get to her boy. Discrimination or condescension from others has no affect on her and she does what needs to be done. Her life is made very difficult because of her involvement with Leviticus, the destroyer of Seattle, and a lesser person would have broken or given up. Briar is admirable and stretches herself to her limits. I enjoyed the chapters that were from her point of view much more than the chapters in Zeke’s. On each chapter header there is either a pair of goggles or a lantern to indicate who is the focus of the chapter (goggles for Briar and the lantern for Zeke). Zeke is a typical teenager, which is the reason for most of my annoyance with him. He’s kind of annoying and thinks it’s such a great idea to go into a city rife with zombies, poisonous gas, and criminals in order to wander around aimlessly and try to find where his parents used to live for some indeterminate evidence to clear his father’s name. With Briar’s narrative, more is known than just Zeke’s view about who to trust and who to be wary of and we see Zeke make wrong decisions about this at least a few times. It’s kind of frustrating, but in general, he’s a smart and industrious character.
Boneshaker is a fast paced, fun read. Even though the zombies aren’t the focus of the book, they still remain a constant danger that the characters always need to be aware of, giving the narrative that little dose of adrenaline and horror. I would recommend this book to fans of steampunk, alternate histories, and science fiction in general.
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LibraryThing member cmbohn
Themes: fate, family, prejudice, zombies!, steampunk
Setting: alternate Seattle, 1860s
This is put forward by many as a steampunk teen classic. Maybe so, but it just didn't do it for me. I did enjoy it, but it wasn't the amazing, take-your-breath-away sort of book I was hoping for.
Seattle has become
Except that here they are called rotters, and they are in a part of the town that is walled up. A poisonous gas still escapes, which means that it's not safe to be over the wall (apart from the zombies, and that's bad enough) in case the gas gets you and makes you a rotter too.
It's a bit complicated, but the main story revolves around Briar, the daughter of a folk hero who saved several prisoners from the gas outbreak before being killed, and the wife of the guy who caused the mess in the first place. Her son Zeke has never been told anything about his father or his grandfather. And now he's a rebellious teen, and he's ready to find out more for himself. He decides the only way to get answers is to go into the walled city himself.
It's not pretty. Briar sets off after him, but seems to be one step behind. Both of them are befriended by mysterious folks, but in this horrible place, who can you trust? And will they stay alive long enough to be reunited and get home?
You kind of know that it will have a happy ending that way, but ----
SPOILERS AHEAD!!
But that's as far as it goes. Yes, they get out and they kill the bad guy, but the zombies are still hungry and there are just as many as ever. And the gas is still there, and the city is still in just as much danger, and Briar and Zeke are just sort of hanging at the end of the story. And that's how it ends.
SPOILERS OVER!!
So I didn't really enjoy this one. I wanted a better resolution at the ending. The rotters were extremely gross and convincing as zombies, but there are so many holes in this story. It just wasn't for me. I know it has some major fans, so take that rating as my own feelings and if it sounds intriguing, judge it for yourself. 3 stars.
Setting: alternate Seattle, 1860s
This is put forward by many as a steampunk teen classic. Maybe so, but it just didn't do it for me. I did enjoy it, but it wasn't the amazing, take-your-breath-away sort of book I was hoping for.
Seattle has become
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a sort of no man's land, cut off from most of the country. The Civil War is still raging, and Washington is still a territory, and the Russians haven't agreed to sell Alaska yet. And then somebody (all right, Leviticus Blue) has created a machine that caused a huge explosion resulting in - zombies.Except that here they are called rotters, and they are in a part of the town that is walled up. A poisonous gas still escapes, which means that it's not safe to be over the wall (apart from the zombies, and that's bad enough) in case the gas gets you and makes you a rotter too.
It's a bit complicated, but the main story revolves around Briar, the daughter of a folk hero who saved several prisoners from the gas outbreak before being killed, and the wife of the guy who caused the mess in the first place. Her son Zeke has never been told anything about his father or his grandfather. And now he's a rebellious teen, and he's ready to find out more for himself. He decides the only way to get answers is to go into the walled city himself.
It's not pretty. Briar sets off after him, but seems to be one step behind. Both of them are befriended by mysterious folks, but in this horrible place, who can you trust? And will they stay alive long enough to be reunited and get home?
You kind of know that it will have a happy ending that way, but ----
SPOILERS AHEAD!!
But that's as far as it goes. Yes, they get out and they kill the bad guy, but the zombies are still hungry and there are just as many as ever. And the gas is still there, and the city is still in just as much danger, and Briar and Zeke are just sort of hanging at the end of the story. And that's how it ends.
SPOILERS OVER!!
So I didn't really enjoy this one. I wanted a better resolution at the ending. The rotters were extremely gross and convincing as zombies, but there are so many holes in this story. It just wasn't for me. I know it has some major fans, so take that rating as my own feelings and if it sounds intriguing, judge it for yourself. 3 stars.
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LibraryThing member leduck
Oh, Cherie Priest, I swear, it's me and not you!
You wrote a well-crafted steampunk novel that was exciting and interesting and well executed. Alas, I didn't really care about it and forcing the book open seemed like a chore.
It's odd really, because I thought the setting was well done; the
I even kind of want to read sequels, and yet I really did not connect or get emotionally invested in any way. Is this a product of my mood, or phase in life, or perhaps the two of us just don't have chemistry in some inexplicable, but fundamental and immutable way?
I have seldom felt such apathy over a book I enjoyed so much.
You wrote a well-crafted steampunk novel that was exciting and interesting and well executed. Alas, I didn't really care about it and forcing the book open seemed like a chore.
It's odd really, because I thought the setting was well done; the
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characters were interesting; the plot and climax were satisfying. And yet, I never connected with or cared about the characters particularly, even with strong female characters.I even kind of want to read sequels, and yet I really did not connect or get emotionally invested in any way. Is this a product of my mood, or phase in life, or perhaps the two of us just don't have chemistry in some inexplicable, but fundamental and immutable way?
I have seldom felt such apathy over a book I enjoyed so much.
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LibraryThing member tnt-tek
Cherie Priest has earned much acclaim for her novel Boneshaker and I am not sure why. It's not an offensively bad book, the premise is very interesting and the setting could have catapulted the narrative into action adventure greatness. But it lacks punch. It never gives you that extra gear that
Boneshaker promises peril and sacrifice but Priest pulls her punches. I never honestly believed that Briar would not find her son, or that they'd even be placed in serious jeopardy for any reason. The protagonists are saved from discomfort at every turn. They are never placed in a situation where they'd have to reach beyond their limits to cope with the horror of their surroundings. This despite the fact that the surroundings are teeming with horrors.
The setting, while original and interesting, leaves us to wonder why anyone would live in such a place. There was no plausible motive given for anyone to remain in such an inhospitable environment. Despite the conflict deriving much of its power from the hell on earth backdrop, the most emotion that could be rended from its inhabitants was some griping about having to wear gas masks.
I'm not totally familiar with this conventions of steampunk but the dialog seemed flat to my ears. Politeness and platitudes appeared to be the order of the period and aside from the the antagonists sidekick (I can't even remember his name he appears so infrequently), all the characters sounded almost exactly the same.
With a little better setup for the inhabitants of the doomed city, and a little less skittishness on the part of the author in trying to save her characters from harm, this book could have been great. Instead it's a tepid pile of near-misses. I would be interested in revisiting this world in the up-coming sequels, but only if Priest can kick it up a notch.
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pulls you in and makes you turn the page. I have seen the problem arise in many books, writing like a reader. The reader doesn't want the protagonist to be hurt, feel pain, or find themselves in a predicament of uncertain resolution. It's the writer who has to push the story into those uncomfortable areas and let the reader suffer with the characters.Boneshaker promises peril and sacrifice but Priest pulls her punches. I never honestly believed that Briar would not find her son, or that they'd even be placed in serious jeopardy for any reason. The protagonists are saved from discomfort at every turn. They are never placed in a situation where they'd have to reach beyond their limits to cope with the horror of their surroundings. This despite the fact that the surroundings are teeming with horrors.
The setting, while original and interesting, leaves us to wonder why anyone would live in such a place. There was no plausible motive given for anyone to remain in such an inhospitable environment. Despite the conflict deriving much of its power from the hell on earth backdrop, the most emotion that could be rended from its inhabitants was some griping about having to wear gas masks.
I'm not totally familiar with this conventions of steampunk but the dialog seemed flat to my ears. Politeness and platitudes appeared to be the order of the period and aside from the the antagonists sidekick (I can't even remember his name he appears so infrequently), all the characters sounded almost exactly the same.
With a little better setup for the inhabitants of the doomed city, and a little less skittishness on the part of the author in trying to save her characters from harm, this book could have been great. Instead it's a tepid pile of near-misses. I would be interested in revisiting this world in the up-coming sequels, but only if Priest can kick it up a notch.
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LibraryThing member PghDragonMan
Zombies and Pirates and Steampunk, oh my!
Boneshaker, by Cherie Priest, goes a long way to explaining why the Grunge / Goth music scene is so big in the US Northwest. In this version of a mid-nineteenth century that never was, Seattle, while waiting to be admitted to Statehood during the Civil War
Sixteen years or so after “The Blight” has been released, Zeke, our young hero and son of Levi Blue, decides to sneak back into the walled city to prove his father did not deliberately sink the bans and release the gas. His mother follows to rescue Zeke and is both helped and hindered along the way by aerial pirates.
The story has a nicely developed flow to it and enough action to keep any adrenaline based reader happy. The lines between the good guys and the bad guys gets mighty muddy at times, but the real evil dudes are easy to spot. Kudus to Ms. Priest for her characters’ dialogs; exceptionally well done storytelling.
With all this going for it, Boneshaker is a great summer read! Four and a half stars and I want to read more of Cherie Priest’s work.
Boneshaker, by Cherie Priest, goes a long way to explaining why the Grunge / Goth music scene is so big in the US Northwest. In this version of a mid-nineteenth century that never was, Seattle, while waiting to be admitted to Statehood during the Civil War
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Era, became a bigger boom town than actually it did, thanks in part to the Alaska Gold Rush being historically relocated. An eccentric inventor (is there any other kind in this genre?) puts together a steam operated drill at the request of the Russian government, to enable easy mining through the permafrost. During an early test, again at the request of the Russians, things go awry (no surprise here either) and the professor, Dr. Leviticus “Levi” Blue, sinks the town’s banks and unleashes a deadly (surprise!) gas cloud that turns the people killed by the gas into zombies.Sixteen years or so after “The Blight” has been released, Zeke, our young hero and son of Levi Blue, decides to sneak back into the walled city to prove his father did not deliberately sink the bans and release the gas. His mother follows to rescue Zeke and is both helped and hindered along the way by aerial pirates.
The story has a nicely developed flow to it and enough action to keep any adrenaline based reader happy. The lines between the good guys and the bad guys gets mighty muddy at times, but the real evil dudes are easy to spot. Kudus to Ms. Priest for her characters’ dialogs; exceptionally well done storytelling.
With all this going for it, Boneshaker is a great summer read! Four and a half stars and I want to read more of Cherie Priest’s work.
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LibraryThing member kvrfan
I picked up this book--my first steampunk novel--thinking it would be a lot of fun. What a disappointment it turned out to be. Not only was it not much fun, but more than a steampunk story, it turned out to be more about zombies.
Zombies! I'm really getting tired of zombies. Zombies are being so
And Boneshaker proved to have to no other way to redeem it. The characters were hardly compelling. The story takes place in an alternative-history Seattle where an outlandish machine called the Boneshaker--invented to assist goldmining efforts in the Klondike--has been used to tear up the downtown in an brutal multi-bank robbery. As an unintended side-effect, the Boneshaker has torn a rift in the earth, releasing a zombifying gas called the Blight. Escaping for their lives, escapees have since isolated downtown Seattle by ringing it with a 200-foot wall, for the gas is apparently heavier-than-air. Some health folks (along with a megalomaniacal villian) have chosen to stay in the walled-off city along the zombies, and we meet some of them. But with none of them are we ever given a sense of character as to what would have had them make such a choice. Furthermore, the villain seems only villainous for villainy's sake. And the protagonists have motivations of hardly any more depth.
The prose is penny-dreadful. Unlike what one of the blurbs says recommending the book, it is not taut. Instead, we have too many passages like these:
As soon as Squiddy was gone, Lucy turned to Briar and said, "Are you ready?"
"I'm ready," she promised. "Lead the way."
In front of her, Lucy was battling her arm to make her mask stay in place. Briar offered, "Can I help you with that?"
"Maybe that'd be a good idea."
Briar adjusted the other woman's mask until it settled firmly and buckled behind her ears. She noticed that Lucy had traded the one-hour model she'd sported for a more substantial mask. "It's not sticking in your hair or anything, is it?"
This is not taut writing. This is padding needing an editor.
In another instance, we're told that a character "didn't look so hot." C'mon, Cherie, that's lazy prose! You can express yourself in a better phrase than that. Why make such an effort recreating life in mid-19th century America if you're going to use such 20th-century colloquialisms as "didn't look so hot"?
The final thing that bothers me is that, while I'm willing to engage in the whimsy of a steampunk world, as long as that world supposes to exist on this planet, it still needs to abide by the laws of physics. The Blight, for instsnce, is obviously a heavier-than-air gas, or a wall wouldn't be able to hold it in. And yet, those living their lives out in the walled city do so predominantly underground! Underground would be the worst place for survival in Blight-world, as a heavier-than-air gas would seek the lowest spot to settle.
And here I'm also brought back to those zombies. In numerous places, the decrepitude of their flesh is emphasized to us. Indeed, the characters can step on prone, inert zombies and their bodies essentially crumble. And yet, when the zombies are on the chase, they seem to have superhuman strength, busting through doors and such. Wouldn't oak and iron be impervious to crumbling flesh?
I only ask of steampunkers the same thing I ask of any writer: weave me a world, but make it behave according to come consistent law. A story can be filled with the fantastic, but that doesn't mean that it has to be arbitrary.
Zombies! I'm really getting tired of zombies. Zombies are being so
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overdone in popular culture that, unless a storyteller has a new way of portraying them (e.g. the "fast" zombies of "28 Days Later"), they just become a tired convention.And Boneshaker proved to have to no other way to redeem it. The characters were hardly compelling. The story takes place in an alternative-history Seattle where an outlandish machine called the Boneshaker--invented to assist goldmining efforts in the Klondike--has been used to tear up the downtown in an brutal multi-bank robbery. As an unintended side-effect, the Boneshaker has torn a rift in the earth, releasing a zombifying gas called the Blight. Escaping for their lives, escapees have since isolated downtown Seattle by ringing it with a 200-foot wall, for the gas is apparently heavier-than-air. Some health folks (along with a megalomaniacal villian) have chosen to stay in the walled-off city along the zombies, and we meet some of them. But with none of them are we ever given a sense of character as to what would have had them make such a choice. Furthermore, the villain seems only villainous for villainy's sake. And the protagonists have motivations of hardly any more depth.
The prose is penny-dreadful. Unlike what one of the blurbs says recommending the book, it is not taut. Instead, we have too many passages like these:
As soon as Squiddy was gone, Lucy turned to Briar and said, "Are you ready?"
"I'm ready," she promised. "Lead the way."
In front of her, Lucy was battling her arm to make her mask stay in place. Briar offered, "Can I help you with that?"
"Maybe that'd be a good idea."
Briar adjusted the other woman's mask until it settled firmly and buckled behind her ears. She noticed that Lucy had traded the one-hour model she'd sported for a more substantial mask. "It's not sticking in your hair or anything, is it?"
This is not taut writing. This is padding needing an editor.
In another instance, we're told that a character "didn't look so hot." C'mon, Cherie, that's lazy prose! You can express yourself in a better phrase than that. Why make such an effort recreating life in mid-19th century America if you're going to use such 20th-century colloquialisms as "didn't look so hot"?
The final thing that bothers me is that, while I'm willing to engage in the whimsy of a steampunk world, as long as that world supposes to exist on this planet, it still needs to abide by the laws of physics. The Blight, for instsnce, is obviously a heavier-than-air gas, or a wall wouldn't be able to hold it in. And yet, those living their lives out in the walled city do so predominantly underground! Underground would be the worst place for survival in Blight-world, as a heavier-than-air gas would seek the lowest spot to settle.
And here I'm also brought back to those zombies. In numerous places, the decrepitude of their flesh is emphasized to us. Indeed, the characters can step on prone, inert zombies and their bodies essentially crumble. And yet, when the zombies are on the chase, they seem to have superhuman strength, busting through doors and such. Wouldn't oak and iron be impervious to crumbling flesh?
I only ask of steampunkers the same thing I ask of any writer: weave me a world, but make it behave according to come consistent law. A story can be filled with the fantastic, but that doesn't mean that it has to be arbitrary.
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LibraryThing member callmecayce
I'd started this book ages ago, but never got into it (probably due to an excessive number of library books I had checked out). But I picked it back up and immediately fell in love with it. I'm a huge fan of Priest's work and Boneshaker totally didn't disappoint. I wasn't sure what to make of the
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characters at first, but as soon as they returned behind the wall, I knew. The characters and plot are strong, and I really loved the relationship between mother and son. The steampunk elements are exquisitely woven throughout the 1800s setting of Seattle. I liked the addition of zombies (it took me a moment to realize that's what Priest meant, which was amusing) and I thought the story had a strong, fast pace that made it fun. I can't wait to read the next book, which I think own somewhere. Show Less
LibraryThing member randalrh
The last line of the author's note: "I realize this story is a bit of a twisted stretch, but honestly--isn't that what steampunk is for?" With that caveat, this is a great book. To give her credit, the stretching is in the entire setting; the logic of the story within the setting holds together
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fairly well with only a couple of coincidental nudges. I don't really care for zombies, probably because they don't make logical, only visceral, sense, and I could complain a bit about the technological disparities. However, I liked this book anyway, and if you're a fan of zombies and/or brass fittings, you'll probably love it. Show Less
LibraryThing member iHalo
An alternate history science fiction novel set in Seattle in 1879; Boneshaker is the story of the Wilkes/Blue family. Leviticus Blue, an inventor and Briar’s husband creates a huge drill that will enable the Russians to mine gold beneath the permafrost in Alaska, unfortunately Leviticus tests the
Air pirates, unsavory characters, danger and adventure- what’s not to like? The zombies. I found that the zombies were an unnecessary component to the story and it could have been a really great book without them. Couldn’t there just be poisonous gas and the dangers of warring dwellers within the walls of the city? I thought that the book was good, but could have been better. I enjoyed it, apart from the zombie stuff- that I know is really popular right now, but I felt it really cheapened the story somehow. Almost as if the zombies were an afterthought in order to appeal to fans of zombie fiction as well as fans of steampunk. There were good action scenes, interesting characters and best of all- no romance. Briar Wilkes is a strong female protagonist, and I always like a strong female protagonist. Overall, I did enjoy the book a fun read and I would recommend it to those that are fans of the genre.
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‘Boneshaker’ before it is ready and cuts a catastrophic swath underneath downtown Seattle causing structures to collapse and sink into the ground. The Boneshaker also pierces a vein of poisonous gas that is released, killing all those exposed to it- or worse turning them into zombies. In an effort to control the heavy poisonous gas, an enormous wall is erected around the downtown core of Seattle and most inhabitants’ leave to live outside the wall. Briar and Ezekiel Wilkes, Leviticus Blue’s widow and son live on the outskirts outside the wall as outcasts much maligned for the deeds of Leviticus. Ezekiel gets it into his head one day to find information about his father and ventures back beyond the wall into the ruins of Seattle, an area scourged by zombies, air pirates, and other unsavory individuals- not too mention that the poisonous gas is still present. Of course, Briar must go after him and Boneshaker is the story of their adventures and mysteries solved within the walled city. The two are helped by some dwellers due to the memory of Maynard Wilkes, Briar’s grandfather who is something of a folk hero to the denizens of the walled in city.Air pirates, unsavory characters, danger and adventure- what’s not to like? The zombies. I found that the zombies were an unnecessary component to the story and it could have been a really great book without them. Couldn’t there just be poisonous gas and the dangers of warring dwellers within the walls of the city? I thought that the book was good, but could have been better. I enjoyed it, apart from the zombie stuff- that I know is really popular right now, but I felt it really cheapened the story somehow. Almost as if the zombies were an afterthought in order to appeal to fans of zombie fiction as well as fans of steampunk. There were good action scenes, interesting characters and best of all- no romance. Briar Wilkes is a strong female protagonist, and I always like a strong female protagonist. Overall, I did enjoy the book a fun read and I would recommend it to those that are fans of the genre.
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LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
I knew when I saw this book I had to have it. So buy it I did, and as soon as I picked it up and started reading, I fell in love. It's so quirky that it instantly appealed. And when I was finished with it, I wanted more. So I'm particularly grateful that there are rumors of more books set in this
The author has managed to create a world that the reader can actually believe in, the mark of a good steampunk, sci-fi, or alternate history writer. For example, to be really honest, I don't normally like books (or movies) featuring flesh-eating zombies, but here in this world it works, because they are an after effect of the blight. They are a constant danger, and the book wouldn't be the same without them. Gas masks are essential for life in this world, and she never eases up on this point. Priest set her novel during the time of the Civil War, complete with airships and hot-air balloons, and she has included some real people and real places so the reader feels a bit more grounded while reading the novel. The atmosphere is dark and gloomy, and people spend a lot of time underground, and I never lost track that this was Seattle (one of my favorite cities), albeit some time ago. And then there's the lemon sap, the drug of choice which a lot of people are making money on. Even the book's print is unique, giving you a feel that you're reading something from that era. And at its core, this book is really about a mom searching for her son, a storyline that is wholly believable.
The characters are also awesome; the villain of this book is one Dr. Minnericht, who tinkers with technology and holds the residents of downtown Seattle in his clutches. One of my favorite characters is Lucy, who has a robotic arm and runs an underground saloon called Maynard's. Then there's Swakhammer, who wears full body armor as protection against the Rotters (zombies). Even the characters you don't meet in person are great: Maynard Wilkes, for example, is a lawman who is revered both inside and outside of the gates, and there's Leviticus Blue, husband of Briar and father to Zeke (who both tell the story from their alternating points of view) , who started the whole mess in the first place.
Cherie Priest has written an outstanding book here, and I can't wait for the new additions to the series to start rolling off the presses. Highly recommended for people who enjoy alternate history, or science fiction or steampunk. Or, if you're like me, and you just like quirky things very much away from the norm, you'll love this one.
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alternate-history world, and hopefully they'll be this good. The author has managed to create a world that the reader can actually believe in, the mark of a good steampunk, sci-fi, or alternate history writer. For example, to be really honest, I don't normally like books (or movies) featuring flesh-eating zombies, but here in this world it works, because they are an after effect of the blight. They are a constant danger, and the book wouldn't be the same without them. Gas masks are essential for life in this world, and she never eases up on this point. Priest set her novel during the time of the Civil War, complete with airships and hot-air balloons, and she has included some real people and real places so the reader feels a bit more grounded while reading the novel. The atmosphere is dark and gloomy, and people spend a lot of time underground, and I never lost track that this was Seattle (one of my favorite cities), albeit some time ago. And then there's the lemon sap, the drug of choice which a lot of people are making money on. Even the book's print is unique, giving you a feel that you're reading something from that era. And at its core, this book is really about a mom searching for her son, a storyline that is wholly believable.
The characters are also awesome; the villain of this book is one Dr. Minnericht, who tinkers with technology and holds the residents of downtown Seattle in his clutches. One of my favorite characters is Lucy, who has a robotic arm and runs an underground saloon called Maynard's. Then there's Swakhammer, who wears full body armor as protection against the Rotters (zombies). Even the characters you don't meet in person are great: Maynard Wilkes, for example, is a lawman who is revered both inside and outside of the gates, and there's Leviticus Blue, husband of Briar and father to Zeke (who both tell the story from their alternating points of view) , who started the whole mess in the first place.
Cherie Priest has written an outstanding book here, and I can't wait for the new additions to the series to start rolling off the presses. Highly recommended for people who enjoy alternate history, or science fiction or steampunk. Or, if you're like me, and you just like quirky things very much away from the norm, you'll love this one.
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Awards
Hugo Award (Nominee — Novel — 2010)
Nebula Award (Nominee — Novel — 2009)
Locus Award (Finalist — Science Fiction Novel — 2010)
Chesley Award (Nominee — 2010)
SF Site Reader's Choice (2009)
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award (Winner — 2010)
Green Mountain Book Award (Nominee — 2013)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Nominee — Teen — 2013)
Original publication date
2009-09-29
Physical description
416 p.; 8.3 inches
ISBN
0765318415 / 9780765318411
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