Boneshaker

About a month ago when I couldn't come up with any new books I wanted to read, I started looking up steampunk novels, I figured if I like steampunk clothing, wouldn't books be even better? I found a nice list at http://www.sflare.com/archives/ten-steampunk-novels-you-ought-to-read/ and that helped get me into that genre. I'll post later about what I thought about some of the books on the list, but for now, here's a review on a random steampunk book I found in the lovely Gold Room (sci-fi and fantasy) at Powell's.

Boneshaker is a zombie steampunk novel by Cherie Priest, published in 2009. It's set around the Civil War era, in the city of Seattle which is half destroyed by a machine called the "Boneshaker" and whose after-effects left thousands of citizens as nothing more than mindless walking corpses. A giant wall seals off the contaminated part of town, letting it crumble and decay. On the other side of the wall, the widow of the man who created the "Boneshaker" is trying to raise her son Ezekiel until one day, the teen decides to go into the old city and look for evidence that would possibly prove his father's innocence.

I'll admit, it took me a little while to really get into this book but by the time I was halfway through, I couldn't put it down and ended up reading late into the night to finish it. The setting is dark and often times rather depressing, you can visualize how bleak and miserable that city is and it gets to you a little. I live near Seattle and I know how overcast and dreary the weather can be, so that just added to how I visualized the setting. Other than that, the story is well put together, with many fantastic adventure elements, like pirates, airships, underground tunnels and of course, rotting zombies who chase after the characters in mindless hordes, wanting only to tear them to shreds and only being stopped by the forceful removal of limbs or heads.

This is a nice combination of steampunk and zombies, it's not so technical that it makes your mind spin like some steampunk works, there's just enough for it to seem like sci-fi while not being over the top and unrealistic. I'd suggest this to anyone interested in steampunk books, this is a nice, gradual introduction into the genre, one that will hopefully leave readers eager to read more books like it.

Boneshaker - 4 out of 5 stars