Boneshaker Audiobook By Cherie Priest cover art

Boneshaker

A Novel of the Clockwork Century

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Boneshaker

By: Cherie Priest
Narrated by: Wil Wheaton, Kate Reading
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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.

Alternate History Steampunk

Critic reviews

“Cherie Priest wove a story so convincing, so evocative, so terrifying that I read this book with the doors locked and a gun on my lap. Boneshaker is a steampunk menagerie of thrills and horror.” —Mario Acevedo, bestselling author of Jailbait Zombie

“This exquisitely imaginative steampunk adventure is a joy to read! My favourite of Cherie's books.” —Cassandra Clare, bestselling author of the Mortal Instruments trilogy

“Everything you'd want in such a volume and much more.... 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.” —Cory Doctorow, bestselling author of Little Brother

“Boneshaker is without a doubt Cherie Priest's breakthrough work: this hollering, stamping, crackling thing is the best fun you'll have with a book all year.” —Warren Ellis, bestselling author of Crooked Little Vein

“A gorgeously grim world of deadly gasses, mysterious machines, zeppelin pirates, and a relentless plague of zombies. With Boneshaker, Priest is geared up to begin her reign as the Queen of Steampunk.” —Mark Henry, Author of Road Trip of the Living Dead

“A rip-snorting adventure in the best tradition of a penny dreadful. Priest has crafted a novel of exquisite prose and thrilling twists, populated by folk heroes and dastardly villains, zombies and air pirates, incredible machines and a heroine who'll have you cheering. Boneshaker is the definitive steampunk story, absolutely unique and one hell of a fun read.” —Caitlin Kittredge, author of the Nocturne City novels

“A marvelous book, crammed with readerly pleasures--zombies, pirates, cracking adventures, historical conceits and characters that make you wish you could linger inside it long after turning the final page. Cherie Priest is one of my favorite fantasists.” —Kelly Link, acclaimed author of Magic for Beginners

“If Jules Verne and George Romero got together to rewrite American history it might go something like this. I loved it. I want more.” —Mike Mignola, bestselling author of Hellboy

“If the Wild Wild West had been written by Mark Twain with the assistance of Jules Verne and Bram Stoker, it still couldn't be as fabulous and fantastical as Boneshaker. Cherie Priest has penned a rousing adventure tale that breathes a roaring soul and thundering heart into the glittering skin of Steampunk. Stylish, taut, and wonderful, it's a literary ride you must not miss!” —Kat Richardson, bestselling author of Greywalker

“A steampunk-zombie-airship adventure of rollicking pace and sweeping proportions, full of wonderfully gnarly details. This book is made of irresistible…. It totally pushed all my buttons.” —Scott Westerfeld, bestselling author of Uglies and Peeps

All stars
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Cherie Priest's Boneshaker is well-told, well-narrated, and despite the zombie gore, manages to tell a rather sweet story about mothers and sons. I decided to download this novel after listening to the first two books in the Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld because I felt the need for more steampunk in my life, and I wanted to see what it might look like outside of YA-novel-world.

I was not disappointed. Both Kate Reading and Will Wheaton do an excellent job with narration, and even though they don't use exactly the same voices for the same characters, it wasn't hard to follow who was speaking because there are good cues in the text itself. Besides the quality of narration, the story arc is well-plotted and has a good mix of action and dialogue. Briar's quest to save her son, and his quest for the truth about his father, avoids schmaltz and sentimentality but is still moving.

My only caution is that you should avoid listening while eating once the action of the novel moves into the sealed-off section of Seattle. I was eating a snack and listening when zombie mayhem broke out in the story, and the descriptions of what exactly happens to a zombie's head when it gets shot made my snack much less appetizing. Other than that, which was my own fault for not knowing better, I wholeheartedly recommend this book!

A good, rollicking read/listen

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Overall this was a fun listen, it had potential to be great, but needed to be longer so as to further develop the characters. Zombies, guns, and action, don't expect it to be anything more and you will not be disappointed.

A good time

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I picked this title because I like the narrators, then I discovered it took place in Seattle and had a strong woman protagonist so I jumped in.

Good enough story about a Seattle ruined in a freak or not-so-freak accident and a mother's journey to rescue her curious son in a hostile environment. I'm not a zombie fan, but these weren't too distressing.

Well narrated Seattle Steampunk

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If you could sum up Boneshaker in three words, what would they be?

steampunk, zombies, and zeppelins

Who was your favorite character and why?

I think that Captain Cly might be one of my favorite characters. He's no-nonsense and does what he has to in order to survive, but he loves his ship and is an honorable and decent man in his own way. Second on the list would probably be Jeremiah Swackhammer.

Have you listened to any of Wil Wheaton and Kate Reading ???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listened to Wil Wheaton narrate Ready Player One. To be honest, I would have preferred he narrate this entire book. Kate isn't bad, but I found some of her characterizations a little annoying (like Swackhammer with his mask on).

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I didn't have any extreme reactions to the book except for enjoyment. It's a great blend of genres and Priest does a marvelous job of simple descriptions that are complex in their meaning. Many times I've had to pause the audiobook to consider the way she described something and just mull it over in awe.

Great Book, Decent Performance

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really struggled with this one. I don't know why, but it was just so horing and hard to pay attention to. Nothimg against the book, I jist couldn't get into it.

Somehow it's boring

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