Second book of the year.
Feb. 11th, 2011 05:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matt_doyleSo far, I haven't been doing nearly as much reading as I generally do -- though for comfort, or to look at tone and theme and what not to help with my own writing, I have re-read a couple dozen favorites.
Anyway, the second new book I read this year was Dreadnought, by Cherie Priest. Sequel to Boneshaker, it addresses every one of the problems I had with the former -- the characters are active and essential in the events happening around them, sometimes overly so. The author lets herself indulge in the urge to explore the fantastic world she's built -- but in a novel about crossing the country by rail, that makes sense and works well. It is jam-packed with strong women, like Boneshaker, and it is deliciously atmospheric in re-framing the history, culture, and peoples of 19th-century America. And while it helps to have read Boneshaker first, it is certainly not necessary. Full marks, Ms. Priest. Steampunk Zombie Civil War Train Mystery novels have seldom been cooler than this.
Anyway, the second new book I read this year was Dreadnought, by Cherie Priest. Sequel to Boneshaker, it addresses every one of the problems I had with the former -- the characters are active and essential in the events happening around them, sometimes overly so. The author lets herself indulge in the urge to explore the fantastic world she's built -- but in a novel about crossing the country by rail, that makes sense and works well. It is jam-packed with strong women, like Boneshaker, and it is deliciously atmospheric in re-framing the history, culture, and peoples of 19th-century America. And while it helps to have read Boneshaker first, it is certainly not necessary. Full marks, Ms. Priest. Steampunk Zombie Civil War Train Mystery novels have seldom been cooler than this.
