I am a passionate enough fan of Jasper Fforde's that I paid extra to get this one shipped from England instead of waiting for the US release next spriI am a passionate enough fan of Jasper Fforde's that I paid extra to get this one shipped from England instead of waiting for the US release next spring. Fforde went through a slack period a few years back and virtually disappeared after years of publishing a book a year, and as frustrating as that was for me as a reader, I hoped it meant he was recharging and getting back into his groove. This standalone novel seems to be Fforde testing the waters as he heads into whatever his career will be next, and it was worth the trouble it took to get. (Actually it came a week earlier than I expected, so it was a really nice surprise and some excellent Sunday reading.)
The story is typical of Fforde, with its bizarre worldbuilding, throwaway references (again with the megafauna!) and complete obliviousness of the characters to how strange their world is. Early Riser posits an Earth locked in near-perpetual Winter, in which the entire human race hibernates through the sixteen weeks the world is drowned in snow and ice. All except for the few who stay awake, some out of moral principle, some out of contrariness, and some because it's their job. Charlie Worthing is new to that job, and is immediately out of his depth when he encounters a nightwalker--someone who failed to wake from hibernation and is now brain-dead, exhibiting only a few tics of human behavior--and gets tangled up in the woman's fate. There's a lot of over-the-top wackiness and some great reversals of character that I did not see coming. It's one of the more unusual zombie books out there, I think, the more so because the zombies are not an environmental hazard, but are central to the book's theme of human nature and dignity.
My one complaint is that in structure and in the nature of its main character, Early Riser treads the same ground that Fforde's earlier novel Shades of Grey did: there's the weirdly dystopian society, a mystery pertaining to a shadowy government entity, a somewhat clueless hero, and an abrasive heroine. Fforde does a good job making the two distinct--reading Shades of Grey didn't make me capable of sussing out the secret of Early Riser--but there's enough of a sameness that I couldn't quite love it on first reading. I suspect more readings will raise my rating.
Overall, though, I found the characters compelling and was attached enough to the secondary characters that Worthing's solution at the end was moving. This was definitely a book worth waiting for, and I don't even resent it for not being the sequel to Shades of Grey. I have no idea how many other of Fforde's fans are somewhat impatiently chewing the furniture waiting for that one, but I maintain my hope that he'll someday get around to it. ...more
Re-read 1/29/24: I've lived in India now for over a year, and I have been meaning to get back to this book to see if I got anything right about what iRe-read 1/29/24: I've lived in India now for over a year, and I have been meaning to get back to this book to see if I got anything right about what it feels like to actually be here. I think I managed it, though Kolkata (Calcutta) is about as far from Kochi, where I live, as it's possible to be and still be in the same country. The weather is mostly as I described it, and it is a beautiful country.
I am, nevertheless, not as satisfied with the book as I am with others I've written, and that's because of spoilers: (view spoiler)[I absolutely do not agree with Daphne's decision at the end, to want to stay in India and give up on her dream of serving under Wellington and becoming the most famous Bounder of all time. I was twice Daphne's age when I wrote this, and holy crap was it hard to give her the happy ending demanded by the narrative, because all I could think was that there was no reason she couldn't be patient for a few years and then retire and get married. I'm too much of a pragmatist. (hide spoiler)]
In the absolute sense, though, I think this book works very well. The book I'm writing now is set in Fantasy India, where I'm drawing explicitly on my experiences in Kochi, and it's a lot of fun. Indians in general have no experience with fantasy literature, and when I explain what I write I get a lot of blank stares, so it's unlikely any of my friends here will ever read it, but I like to think I've paid an acceptable tribute to this land I'm growing to love.
Also, Daphne never did return except in passing mention. Weird.
Read 8/16/17: There were two different versions of Wondering Sight, and Daphne St. Clair was in both of them. She was irrepressible, adventurous, and desperate to serve in the Army's War Office, the organization that oversees Extraordinaries in their military service during the Napoleonic War. She was also five feet tall and (apparently) chubby, no one anyone would take seriously. And, at the end of Wondering Sight, she discovered a weakness that she feared would keep her from serving on the battlefield.
In Abounding Might, her fears are realized. Responsible for a man's death, Daphne--who is still required by law to serve four years with the War Office--is banished to India to transport the Governor-General's wife and children to and from England. But this is Daphne, and it's impossible for her not to fall into adventure.
I wrote 70,000 words of this book, two false starts, before realizing I had the wrong story. It was tedious and frustrating and I was incredibly discouraged. I can't remember now what got me thinking in the right direction, but Daphne needed a story, and that kept me going. Captain Phineas Fletcher, who was in not only the original version of Wondering Sight but in the two false starts of this book, was a motivating factor as well. I really wanted a Discerner as a main character so I could explore the talent of empathy, which has always fascinated me. Once I found the right story, it practically wrote itself.
I hope I have sufficiently conveyed my love of India and its rich culture. It's difficult writing about the colonial era, even the years before the British Raj dominated the subcontinent, and showing India through the eyes of a European woman doesn't begin to convey what India is actually like for its own people. So I tried to make it clear that Daphne, who comes to love India herself, is still alien there, and however much she respects the country and its people, her experience is still that of an outsider.
The next book's main character is introduced here, in keeping with my policy of at least referring to the new protagonist in previous books. I tried very hard to get Elinor Ramsay back into the story, but her involvement disappeared with the second of the failed attempts. It seems the Army and the Navy, in my world at least, don't mingle very well. But as I expect Daphne to continue to make appearances in future books, because I cannot keep her from Bounding in wherever she wants, I have hope that Elinor will find a way in as well....more
This book kept coming up on my recommendations, so when I was surrounded by books and couldn't choose which one to read next, I opted for this one. "WThis book kept coming up on my recommendations, so when I was surrounded by books and couldn't choose which one to read next, I opted for this one. "What if the Axis powers won World War II?" is arguably the most popular turning point for alternate histories, and Dick handles it brilliantly. The West Coast is controlled by the Japanese, the East by Germany; Africa has been genocidally cleansed; Hitler's dead, but his key adviser-goons are still in control.
The story veers between several different characters, each of whom provides a different perspective on the world they inhabit (1960 or thereabouts). The one who really fascinated me, I can't remember his name off-hand (this is not the kind of book where I remember all the names), is an antiquities dealer who flatters and is obsequious to his Japanese customers. He's not a nice person, and his kowtowing makes him even less attractive, but he has a moment of standing up for his culture that made me proud. I also really liked Juliana, whose journey to see "the man in the high castle" provides momentum in a story that is mostly static.
The ending is compelling: (view spoiler)[the I Ching reveals that the real world is the one described in the Grasshopper novel, "our" reality (hide spoiler)]. I'm not a huge fan of Philip K. Dick--or, more accurately, I've loved some of his books and been befuddled by others--but this was an impressive, enjoyable book....more
It's hard for me to say why this book didn't really work. The alternate-history setting is interesting, though not as well defined as I would have likIt's hard for me to say why this book didn't really work. The alternate-history setting is interesting, though not as well defined as I would have liked. The magic is solely in the form of Things of Power, which interests me, particularly the "doors" which are portals between two places. The main character, Mina, has a door that leads to a private stronghold buried deep somewhere in the mountains, and who doesn't dream of that? Houghton's also very good with the seamanship and there's always a good sense of what it's like to be at sea.
At the top of what dissatisfied me is the awkward and in some cases poor characterization. A lot of what we know about everyone, we know because Mina tells us so, not because we see it in the depiction of these characters. Mina's mother and sister are particular victims of this problem; her mother is secretary of state and supposedly powerful, but what we see of her is a whiny, weak, uncontrolled woman whose behavior toward her children simply doesn't translate into what a secretary of state needs to be. Her sister Charlotte...I started out thinking she was developmentally delayed, then that she was a slut, and on page 169 it's confirmed that no, she's just an opium addict. Houghton gives more attention to Mina's crew, who attain a little more individuality, but only Rohad comes across as truly unique.
Mina's character isn't that much better. She's a 104-year-old woman who's trapped in the body of a 10-year-old, so presumably she knows how men and women relate to one another (and she's got a sister who's been impregnated more than once) and yet she can't figure out why Rohad wishes she was physically ten years older than she is? She's supposed to be this experienced intelligence agent (I assume that's what she is) and yet a wizened old fisherman gets the better of her? I never really warmed to her, and I think that made it hard for me to stay connected to the book.
The writing craft is better than average, though I think the structure of the plot suffers because some things are fully explained later than they should be and are insufficiently foreshadowed beforehand. And this book *really* needed another editorial pass, starting with italicizing the ships' names. Two errors on the first page...not a good sign. There's a lot of potential here, and I see that the author intends this to be the first book in a series; a second volume, now that the world and the main character have been established, might be an improvement.
I received this review copy through First Reads....more
I wasn't as excited about the last two books in the series, despite my enjoyment of the characters, because I signed up for Napoleonic War alternate hI wasn't as excited about the last two books in the series, despite my enjoyment of the characters, because I signed up for Napoleonic War alternate history fiction and wasn't as interested in Laurence and Temeraire's wandering around Australia and the Americas. This was a welcome return (at least half of it was) to the War, and Napoleon's aggression on Russia.
The first half, though, is a digression into Japan which I also enjoyed because I like reading about Japanese culture in the 19th century, and Novik succeeds in making her alternate history reflect some of the isolationism of that time. Unfortunately, she also gives Laurence amnesia (he loses eight years of his memory), which struck me as sort of unnecessary to the plot. It effectively resets his relationship with Temeraire, since they've only been together for five years, so we're treated to the poignancy of Laurence having to build a new relationship with his best friend and discover everything, good and bad, that happened to him during that time. (Okay. I admit to being amused at his momentary belief that he's Emily Roland's father.) But that's really all it does, increase the tension in sort of a gimmicky way. It's a relief when his memory begins to come back.
My other problem is the one I've had since book six, which is that the plot has become a series of short adventures strung together like beads, none of which are long enough to support a full novel and each of which is only tenuously connected to the other. This book has two sections, the first being the escape from Japan and the second being Laurence's mission to bring hundreds of dragons from China to bolster the Russian army. Yes, they're connected, but very loosely, and I find I'm dissatisfied with stories that are less plot than mere connected events.
So why four stars? Because, as usual, Novik's characters are superb and her story, irrespective of my complaints about how it's structured, is exciting. We see old friends and make new ones--I didn't think I'd like General Chu much, but he ended up being one of my favorites. And Iskierka, who drove me crazy when she first appeared and now just makes me laugh, makes the first part of the story really interesting. I look forward to finding out what comes out of her and Temeraire's egg--her matter-of-fact revelation that she's carrying it was wonderful. As usual, the relationship between Laurence and Temeraire carries the story in places where it might otherwise sag. And Novik ends the novel in a way that left me eager for the next volume, something I couldn't say about either of the two previous ones. Complaints aside, I liked it very much....more
This third and final volume in the Milkweed Triptych was enjoyable, but ultimately a disappointment. Tregillis continues to deliver on the fast-paced This third and final volume in the Milkweed Triptych was enjoyable, but ultimately a disappointment. Tregillis continues to deliver on the fast-paced action, and handles the rewriting of the timeline of Bitter Seeds and The Coldest War well. With two Raybould Marshes running around, his decision to make Old Marsh's perspective first person and Young Marsh's third person kept the two narratives clearly separate. Some of the suspense is lost when it becomes clear that this "new" timeline is our actual history, which presumably isn't going to be obliterated by Eidolons, but the internal suspense (such as Liv and the baby heading off to doomed Coventry for safety) keeps the story moving.
It's the ending I object to, in which all the loose ends are tied up and Gretel finally receives her just reward: (view spoiler)[She's not killed, but marooned on a barren island by Marsh and Marsh with her wires cut off, and left with an ongoing supply of food so she'll live a long life in torment, without being able to use her power. (hide spoiler)]. It's said more than once that Gretel is evil, but aside from those assertions I don't see much evidence for her being anything but criminally insane. In particular, the interludes where we get inside her head reveal that she's completely doolally and focused entirely on creating a reality in which Young Marsh falls in love with her. Her attempts to kill Liv and Agnes are evil, but I'm not sure a person with her type of insanity can really be said to be evil. She is definitely not in the same class as von Westarp, who murdered and tortured children to achieve his goals in perfect sanity, and I don't even think she's in the same class as the necrophiliac Reinhardt, who burned a dozen kids out of vengeance. Gretel, like von Westarp's other children, needed to die to prevent the apocalypse; the two Marshes' justice for her is nothing more than personal vengeance, and it makes them less than heroic. What's unfortunate is that it fits with their personalities, so my question is, why should I have any respect for either of them?
I'm no less a fan of Tregillis's work because of this book, but I hope his next novel is less disappointing for not being part of an otherwise very satisfying trilogy....more
Reread 9/15/22, in audio: The audiobook narrator didn't do this book any favors; her range is narrow, and most of the ancillary characters and some ofReread 9/15/22, in audio: The audiobook narrator didn't do this book any favors; her range is narrow, and most of the ancillary characters and some of the secondary ones sound the same. I was more conscious of the weird disconnect between the first, oh, ten chapters and the rest of the book. Those chapters set the scene for a very different novel than unfolds after (view spoiler)[Jennifer discovers she's the Last Dragonslayer (hide spoiler)], and it was...let's stick with weird, shall we? Weird how all the setup with Kazam disappears after that spoiler. But Fforde pulls it together, and by the time the final confrontation with the last dragon comes about, I was completely engaged, since I'd forgotten how it ends.
I'm sort of in a position where audiobooks are easier to read than print now, so despite my indifference to the audiobook narrator, I'm probably going to continue listening. (This is because the fourth Kazam book just came out, and it's been long enough that, as I said, I don't remember much of what happened in the series.)
Read 1/3/13: Jasper Fforde's first young adult novel has all the hallmarks of his books for adults while still being aimed at a younger audience; the story is shorter and more focused, the main characters are teens, and you will find no Jack Schitts here. 15-year-old Jennifer Strange runs a magicians' employment agency called Kazam in a time when magic is at the ebb and people are turning more to technology to solve their problems. Jennifer's problems are more complex; her boss has disappeared, her employees are at each others' throats, and a prophecy that the last dragon will die at the hands of the Last Dragonslayer in just a few days has dumped that problem in her lap as well. (view spoiler)[Because it turns out she's the Last Dragonslayer. (hide spoiler)]
I never felt Jennifer was really 15 years old. Granted, she's had a great deal of responsibility in her young life, but she talks and acts like...well, like Thursday Next. I think if I cared about the distinction between YA and adult novels, this would have bothered me more. As it is, I point it out because it's one of only a few flaws in the story. The plot is well-paced and the repercussions of Jennifer assuming her new role all make sense. Fforde is good at pointing out human flaws, especially greed, and putting Jennifer at odds with her king makes for good conflict.
One tiny thing that cracked me up was the marzipan. Fforde always has one element in his novels that is totally bizarre and totally taken for granted by the characters. In Thursday Next, it's illegal cheese; here, marzipan is a dangerous drug that might as well be angel dust. Things like "Police broke up a dangerous marzipan smuggling ring" just amuse me all out of proportion. But then, I already don't like marzipan.
I'm looking forward to the next books in the series, though I resent them a tiny wee bit for not being sequels to Shades of Grey. Any new Jasper Fforde novel is a lovely surprise....more
I love the Thursday Next series, but wasn't as fond of this one. Probably I'll like it better the next time I read it, but I'm not sure; the ending seI love the Thursday Next series, but wasn't as fond of this one. Probably I'll like it better the next time I read it, but I'm not sure; the ending seemed a little contrived, or at the very least rushed. Although Fforde sets up the denouement throughout the book, the fact that it involves not only new characters but also a hitherto unknown organization makes it feel forced.
Aside from this, the storyline with Thursday's son Friday trying to change his destiny was really good. I especially liked their visits to the Man-Child, who's living in an altered-time zone and therefore sees things differently. Cheese is still outlawed, Landen is still disgustingly* good-tempered and attractive, and stupidity is still a commodity that has to be parceled out, so overall I'd say this book is a good addition to the series.
*and by disgustingly, I of course mean that every female and a bunch of the male readers want to be married to him....more
I hate it when I read a book that's beautifully written, but has a clumsy plot. I was seduced by the writing while I was reading it, and it wasn't untI hate it when I read a book that's beautifully written, but has a clumsy plot. I was seduced by the writing while I was reading it, and it wasn't until after I finished that I started realizing how many problems I had with it. In this alternate history/SF world, people's guilt over their mistakes or crimes manifests as animals that are emotionally or psychically attached to them, sort of like having an albatross hung around your neck, except living and not so corpsey. This was interesting to me, since becoming a Zoo is all about feeling guilt and not about whether you're really culpable of whatever you feel guilty about. Zinzi gained her Sloth because her brother died over something she did, which makes sense (her whole background makes sense, even). But she went to prison for it, convicted either of murder or manslaughter, and that doesn't fit at all with her memories of the event. It bugged me that this was never explained, because it made her prison time (an important part of how she's treated in the book) seem irrational.
Mostly I felt like I wasn't getting the right kind of clues about where the story was going. The book starts with one of Zinzi's clients (she specializes in finding lost things) being gruesomely murdered, and because the crime scene is described in such detail, and Zinzi herself is temporarily suspected of doing it, it seems like finding the murderer, or finding out why the woman was killed, is what the plot will be about. But it isn't. The story immediately veers away into a missing-persons' investigation, and then *that's* derailed by a return to the murder, which is important after all. But the murder thing is just a distraction from the missing-person story, which is still the important one, except that it's really a cover for something else. The whole plot felt like it was there to give the beautiful writing a framework to hang on.
And boy, is this beautiful. Beukes is amazing at describing places and characterizing people. Even when I didn't like her characters, and even when I thought their motivations were unrealistic, I was still impressed by how easy it was to envision everything that was going on. One of the most elegant and horrifying moments is when Zinzi and her supplier/employer/loan shark pull an email scam on a sweet, generous couple. Zinzi's job is normally to write the emails, but if a potential victim insists on meeting the orphan/rape victim/lost tribal princess, she has to play that role in person. It was sickening and infuriating not only for what it was, but because Beukes did an amazing job in showing how easy it was for Zinzi and her boss to take advantage of innocents.
Once again I'm not sure how to rate a book like this. I know I gave it way more credit, and stuck with it to the end, because I'm a sucker for really good writing. But that's the same as saying I didn't like the plot. So I'd give it 2.5 stars if I could, but I'll mark it up rather than down....more
This book begins twenty years after the end of Bitter Seeds, which was something of a surprise to me--I'd sort of expected it to pick right up from whThis book begins twenty years after the end of Bitter Seeds, which was something of a surprise to me--I'd sort of expected it to pick right up from where that one ended. But the time jump makes a lot of other things possible, both in advancing the plot and in creating a different kind of tension. Twenty years down the road, in the alternate future that develops from the psychic experiments of the Reichsbehoerde and the English warlocks' tampering with evil cosmic forces, Russia has become a world power, America never got over the Depression, and Britain's resources have been completely drained from having to fight the Commies unaided. Twenty years down the road, Will and Marsh's situations have changed: Will has dried out, cleaned up, and married an amazing woman; Marsh and Liv's marriage has completely fallen apart; and for both of them, Milkweed is just a bad memory. But since Klaus and his insane, precognitive sister Gretel are still alive, they can't stay free of that memory for long.
A twenty-year gap between novels is normally frustrating to me, but Tregillis did a good job of extrapolating that future from the stuff he set up in the first book. It's painful to see what's happened to everyone, but not unexpected. I found myself in much greater sympathy with Will than before, and I liked him best of all in the first book, so that was a nice surprise. Gretel is every bit as bitchy and evil as before, but now we get to see some of how her precognitive ability works--through her past self "remembering" stuff she experiences in the future. It turns out that knowing this just makes her seem even more bitchy and evil, particularly when she makes friends with Liv, gets her to confide in her...it's the moment where Marsh might be most justified in killing Gretel, and his reason for not doing so is the only one that could stop him throttling her.
I finished the book full of excitement for the next one. Tregillis's use of tension, and his orchestration of events, meant that the unhappiness of his characters and the sheer wrongness of the world allowed Gretel's final solution to be not only logical, but an exciting prelude to the conclusion of the series. I sincerely hope it's not going to take another gazillion years* for it to be published.
*Yes, I realize it's only been two years since Bitter Seeds came out. To me it feels more like five. Which in literary time might as well be a gazillion....more
I don't think I appreciated Christopher Golden's contribution to the Hellboy series until I read this--an unrelated, illustrated novel, but one that cI don't think I appreciated Christopher Golden's contribution to the Hellboy series until I read this--an unrelated, illustrated novel, but one that clearly shows how Mignola and Golden make a good creative team. It felt a little too much like a movie for me to fully enjoy it as a book, but it's a good story in a dramatic setting, and I liked it very much....more
Appallingly bloody and depressing--and given my reading preferences, that's saying a lot.Appallingly bloody and depressing--and given my reading preferences, that's saying a lot....more
I went into this knowing that it was a very early example of steampunk fiction, so if the science/steampunkiness was lacking, I wasn't going to mark iI went into this knowing that it was a very early example of steampunk fiction, so if the science/steampunkiness was lacking, I wasn't going to mark it down for that. And it turned out that the science/steampunkiness was very good! Lots of clockwork things and people, and you can tell that Jeter came out of the same primordial puddle as Tim Powers. The plot was also pretty good. It was the characters that killed it for me.
Basically, the hero, George, is a gormless panty-waisted wuss of the first order, complete with spine of jelly and brain of pudding. He spends most of the book stumbling into all sorts of trouble because he can't learn from the past. I can understand him being out of his depth at first, but he continues to be confused and useless whenever something weird happens. I was also frustrated that his adventure was a long series of misunderstandings in which he could never explain the truth. When it happens to Bertie Wooster, it's funny, because Bertie at least tries to act on his own initiative, but George is just as dumb as a bag of hammers. And this is more or less the entirety of the story--George stumbles into a situation in which he is either accused of something he didn't do, or is manipulated by someone else, and hilarity doesn't ensue.
There's a bit of authorial manipulation near the end, when we learn (view spoiler)[that Sir Charles, who's been a major antagonist for most of the book, is actually one of the good guys. In at least two instances, if he'd really been a good guy, he would have behaved very differently than he did, but then we couldn't have had the big reveal at the end. I don't have any respect for this kind of story manipulation. (hide spoiler)]. Between this and George's complete wussiness, I couldn't enjoy the book, though I'm not enough turned off that I won't read any of Jeter's other books if I happen upon them....more
I really wish I was connecting with this series better. I like the setting a lot, and the alternate history is very well thought out. But even though I really wish I was connecting with this series better. I like the setting a lot, and the alternate history is very well thought out. But even though the characters are well-rounded, I have trouble caring about them, and I feel like I should. It's like I enjoy the concept of these characters--brothel madam, her former lover-slash-air pilot, the Texas Ranger who showed up in the previous book...actually, I think I like him a lot. In general, this seems like a mismatch with the reader rather than a criticism of the book. Four stars for the setting and craft, three for not liking the characters, and I'm rounding up because I admire what Priest is doing here....more
I had a hard time deciding how to rate this. Cherie Priest has a beautiful writing style and her alternate-history world interests me. I especially liI had a hard time deciding how to rate this. Cherie Priest has a beautiful writing style and her alternate-history world interests me. I especially like the idea that the Civil War has stretched on for twenty-plus years, with all its implications. Mercy, the protagonist, is a Confederate nurse whose husband died in Andersonville (a Confederate POW camp for Union soldiers), and her perspective of the Union as the wrong side makes for a great story. "Wrong side," not "bad guys," because there are plenty of good guys on both sides of the divide. The story of the rotters, begun in Boneshaker, expands beyond Seattle as a division of Mexican soldiers goes missing in northern Texas, only to reappear as a growing horde of ravenous undead. The scene where the rotters attack the train Mercy is traveling on is deliciously horrible and creepy. Priest's skill with description and world-building is superb, as usual.
On the other hand, this felt very much like a string of events rather than a real plot. Mercy has to travel from Richmond, Virginia, to Seattle in Washington Territory, to answer her estranged father's plea for her presence. That's a lot of ground to cover when you can't fly there directly, and the changing war front means the route is even more circuitous than usual. But the story doesn't really begin until Mercy boards the war-engine Dreadnought, which happens more than a third of the way through; her earlier journey is a series of stops and short journeys by dirigible and train, providing color and background but nothing in terms of plot development. In most other books, this would have been tedious; I like Priest's writing enough that I was willing to stick with it, and the rest of the book made up for any flaws in the beginning....more
I'm always in the mood for a good alternate-history novel, and one with steampunk underpinnings is even better. Sixteen years ago, in Washington TerriI'm always in the mood for a good alternate-history novel, and one with steampunk underpinnings is even better. Sixteen years ago, in Washington Territory, possibly-mad scientist Leviticus Blue built a machine to break the Alaskan ice to reach the gold underneath. Instead, the Boneshaker tore Seattle apart and ruptured some underground seam that began leaking poisonous, heavy yellow gas. The gas can kill you, but what's worse is that it doesn't let you stay dead. The survivors built an enormous wall around most of downtown Seattle to keep the undead, and the gas, at bay, but life on the frontier didn't get any easier. It's worse for Briar Wilkes, Blue's widow, and her son Ezekiel (Zeke), born after Blue's death; many believe Blue's disaster was intentional, and Briar was (and is) suspected of complicity. Zeke has never believed it, and sneaks into the walled-off city to prove it, and Briar has to follow to get him back alive.
I love that this is a story about a mother and son and their relationship. Through most of the book, chapters alternate between Briar's and Zeke's point of view, and Priest handles the alternating viewpoints very well. I never felt impatient at being forced to sit through one person's part of the story when I wanted to see what the other was doing. All the secondary characters were interesting, too; I liked it when someone from the beginning of the story showed up later, especially Andan Cly and the Princess. It's also a very exciting story, mostly because the zombies ("rotters") crank up the tension as Briar and Zeke try to find their answers. The rotters are your basic nouveau zombies, super-fast and super-strong, but the story isn't about them, so they don't need to be innovative. The scenes where Briar or Zeke are running away from them are very tense.
The plot is well-defined and well-paced, so it's a good story, but I think what makes it excellent is Priest's worldbuilding. She's changed a number of historical details (the Civil War has lasted for 20 years and is still going on; gold was discovered much earlier, so settlement and development are accelerated) to support the story she wants to tell, but she's given a lot of thought to the rationale for and the consequences of those changes. The Civil War, for example, has lasted so long because the South has railroads and an infrastructure that better supports their military. And the scenes in Seattle are simply creepy; it's like late-Victorian London with its pea-souper fogs, with dozens of Rippers around every corner. The descriptions are evocative enough that I'd have liked it even if the characters and story weren't as good as they are. Excellent beginning to a series....more
The Bookman is a steampunk/alternate history chock-full of literary characters--so full that it's surprising the book isn't overwhelmed by them. The pThe Bookman is a steampunk/alternate history chock-full of literary characters--so full that it's surprising the book isn't overwhelmed by them. The premise: sometime in the very early 16th century, lizard-like aliens were discovered on a remote Caribbean island, and proceeded to conquer most of the western world. As the story opens, they've been ruling Great Britain for a couple of centuries, long enough that most people just accept Les Lezards as their masters. All this is background, though, because the story is about a young man called Orphan (because he's, you know, an orphan) and his marine biologist girlfriend Lucy. (She studies the whales who swim in the Thames. This is my favorite reality-change in the whole book.) When Lucy is killed by a terrorist attack, Orphan turns his life into a hunt for the mysterious attacker--the Bookman.
There's a lot to like about this novel, though I think the sheer overabundance of literary references may overwhelm some readers. Tidhar does a good job of integrating all of those characters out of literature, mainly by not having them play the roles they do in their own stories; Irene Adler is chief of police, Moriarty the Prime Minister. Tidhar's writing style is engaging, and in general this book feels like a Jules Verne novel written in contemporary prose.
Unfortunately, as much as I enjoyed the background, I never warmed to the central plot. Orphan's quest is centered on his love for Lucy, his grief at her death, and his hope to get her back somehow, but since she dies very early in the book, she isn't much more than a handful of characteristics to the reader. Orphan cares way more about her than I did, so I didn't care about what motivated him, and by extension I didn't care that much about his quest or its outcome. It probably didn't help that Orphan is a character type (idealistic young man with mysterious past) that I don't generally care about either.
Oddly, I think I'd like the sequel, Camera Obscura, better, now that Orphan's quest objectives in The Bookman have been resolved. The big question that's always danced around here is--why on Earth are the English so passive about being ruled by intelligent lizards? Anglo-Saxons accepting the Normans, yeah, but lizards? I'd like to see this question answered....more
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