Boneshaker

Executive Summary: A surprisingly fun and quick read that has me rethinking this whole “steampunk” thing.

Full Review
When the novel was described to me as “Steampunk and Zombies, What's not to love?” my reaction was “Ugh. All of the above?”

I just don't “get” steampunk. And I'm certainly not big on the whole zombie craze. I've had this book for awhile from Humble Bundle 2, but wasn't planning to read it anytime soon.

I was pleasantly surprised. This is why I try to always read the monthly Sword & Laser pick. It's not always a winner, but you never know until you give it a shot.

Now that I've finished, I feel like the whole zombie thing is overblown. That might disappoint the zombie fans out there, but for me it was a good development. S&L member Sandi likened it to the threat of wild animals in a wilderness setting, and I think that's the perfect way to describe it.

Really if not for the poisonous gas that turns you to zombies and crazy contraptions, this book would be a western. I will say the crazy contraptions were pretty cool. Is that the appeal of Steampunk? If so, I can get behind that. I've always thought it was just an excuse to wear top hats, goggles or a monocle.

The story has 2 main POVs, Brier and her son Zeke. The book is full of several strong and interesting female characters in fact, which is always a pleasant development in genre fiction.

Zeke runs off to the walled off part of the city full of poison gas, zombies and dangerous people. Brier chases after in an effort to save her son from peril.

Add in a mad scientist, crazy contraptions, airships, pirates, and other shady characters and you've got a pretty fun and light read that had me eager to see what would happen next.

I hope to find time to read other books by Ms. Priest, and has me more interested in giving other steampunk books a shot in the future.