http://heraddledbrain.blogspot.com/20... ( )

After a catastrophic accident caused by an experimental drilling machine, a poisonous gas begins to leak into the city of Seattle, causing all those who breathe it to rise as the living dead. The city is walled off and abandoned, until Zeke Blue enters the city with a desire to rewrite history, and his mother is forced to follow after him in a rescue attempt.

Boneshaker not only has an awesome cover, but is a fantastic read. Furthermore, while it combines two of my favorite things (steampunk and zombies), the storyline is totally addictive and the characters totally believable. The result was that I was totally absorbed in the book and could not think of doing anything else until I finished it, at which point I was promptly upset that it was over. ( )

This is a great book. Well written, quick read. I enjoyed it very much, and will look for other books by this author. ( )

Spectaculary amazing. Let me start with the artwork; the cover art is beautiful, charming drawings of goggles and wheels adorn the chapters, and the text is in sepia ink. Priest creates an altered Victorian Seattle, ravaged by a mad scientist (who may or may not be dead) who creates the Boneshaker to dig through Alaskan ice for gold. But the Boneshaker destroys downtown Seattle, releasing a toxic gas which turns its residents into zombies. A wall is hastily erected to keep it all contained. Briar, who has to deal with daily prejudice as her husband was the mad scientist, learns that her son has gone over the wall to find out about his past. Here's where a swashbuckling, non-stop adventure involving dirigibles, air pirates, zombie blasters, and underground tunnels begins. Priest takes you on an incredible ride as Briar searches for her son and the brave survivors she meets along the way. ( )

http://maplemuse.wordpress.com/2009/1...

Cherie Priest's latest novel is set in an alternate history Seattle while the American Civil War has dragged on for nearly two decades. It has made it on Publishers Weekly's list of the top novels of 2009. I was really looking forward to reading this story, and it lived up to my expectations. The book itself is crafted well. The text was printed in a dark brown ink. Still easily readable, but it gave this story a much more earthy feel. Boneshaker has two main characters which we follow into the walled off city inhabited by "rotters". Of the two, Briar Wilkes is a more defined character. Zeke is, well, a teenaged boy. While his search is for his family's tarnished legacy, Briar is forced to confront her own personal relationship to the past horrors. Cherie Priest uses several of the common themes associated with steampunk literature of the past. Aside from the obvious airships, and brass goggles, Priest plays on mistaken identity, technological marvels, and the use of real historical figures, in the character of Princess Angeline, eldest daughter of Chief Seattle. The Seattle of Boneshaker is a very gritty, thick atmospheric feel. Cherie Priest has a clear vision of this alternate world, and I'm looking forward to reading future novels set in "The Clockwork Century" world. ( )