I was not immediately drawn to this book. I didn’t look at it out of the corner of my eye with longing as I read another book (book lovers will totally understand what I mean). I didn’t stroke its cover when I walked past it or flip through the pages when I happened to pick it up. I read it because my nephew recommended it to me – he is 13 by the way.
This book didn’t grab me straight away when I began to read it, either, but I am glad I kept going. It was a good read. That sounds blah and blasé but I’m not sure how else to describe it.
The plot was original, for me anyway – an alternate world of Seattle where a catastrophic event caused by a person the main characters’ family has released a toxic, zombie making gas which has been contained behind a massive wall. The wall surrounds most of downtown Seattle.
The characters were engaging – I won’t go into them all but one of the two main characters is a woman, Briar Wilkes, who is just trying to bring up her son in very difficult circumstances and gets sucked into an adventure she doesn’t want to have. She is easy to connect with and relate to.
The setting/place was well written and well developed. The feel of Seattle, where it is set, was correct – grey and drizzling days.
I don’t know. I’m not sure what it was about the book that just didn’t absolutely thrill me. It is worth reading, especially if you like sci fi and fantasy. It is worth giving to your teen reader – lots of moral fibre in the adventure here. It is worth passing on once you have read it if you like to re-gift books. You know when David doesn’t much like a movie and Margaret thinks it’s great and they both give it a 3.5? This book is that movie – and I am David and Margaret in the same body. No– I don’t have a dual personality but ... well, let’s just leave that there for now.
The interesting part for me was all the stuff I learned that surrounds this book. First of all, I never knew there was a bicycle called a ‘Boneshaker’. It was one of those old ones with the huge front wheel which was made out of wood. It was the first bike with pedals. It was the precursor of the Penny-farthing. Not pertinent to the book but interesting all the same.
The other interesting thing I found out about is the literature sub-genre call ‘Steampunk’. It is a sub-genre of Science Fiction, one which is defined by using alternate histories of real places, usually set in a 19th century-type world. This genre sets stories in the past with a view of current technology as something of the future – things like dirigibles, early computers, and early weaponry. It is right alongside Cyberpunk, with a few key differences. And this genre has been around since the 80’s – where have I been??
Steampunk comes from writers whose heroes are the likes of Jules Verne, H G Wells and Mary Shelley. I have read some books which this movement have claimed as it own –Mervyn Peake’s trilogy Gormenghast, Mortal Engines and Infernal Devices by Philip Reeve. I have seen movies that belong to this genre too – The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen being one. There are website devoted to Steampunk – www.steampunk.com and www.steampunkworkshop.com. There is fashion and Art called Steampunk. There are Steampunk groups and Steampunk tree houses. There are Steampunk events and Steampunk conventions. There is Steampunk music.
I am impressed and I can’t wait to explore this all a little further. I will read another Steampunk book to get an even better feel for the genre. And, I will let you know what I think about that book as well, as soon as I know what it is and read it.
In the meantime, Boneshaker is probably a very good place to start. It is an engaging, fun book with lots of great characters. If you have trouble imagining the ‘look’ of the book just put Steampunk in your search engine of choice and click on Images. You will get a much better idea of the atmosphere of the story and probably enjoy it more.
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