Boneshaker

By: Cherie Priest

Narrated by: Wil Wheaton, Kate Reading

Length: 13 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

In the early days of the Civil War, 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 16 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.

©2009 Cherie Priest (P)2010 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Intelligent, exceptionally well written and showcasing a phenomenal strong female protagonist who embodies the complexities inherent in motherhood, this yarn is a must-read for the discerning steampunk fan." ( Publishers Weekly)

Great story

Great story. I’m not sure if it’s just me but when the lady narrator reads it just sounds like she wants to cry the whole time. Other than that I really enjoyed the story and the rollercoaster it took me on!

Go with Wil or Kate, but not both

Wil Wheaton and Kate Reading are both great narrators. In this case their styles and approach to the text give their interspersed chapters more of a clashing than complimentary feel. This made the presentation feel disjointed and the unique voice and approach of each narrator to the text made it feel like there were two separate but related texts.

A solid story

A solid story performed by two solid narrators. This is the book about a mother and a son with a difficult past, how the revisit this past in the slum glum zombie-infested centre of a fictitious "steampunk" Seattle and how they, by overcoming mountainous obstacles, reinvigorate their own relationship. A thoroughly enjoyable listen.

A Sci Fi, and Steampunk must.

If you love Steampunk, the Civil War era, science fiction and the macob, and a bit of mystery, you will love Boneshaker. If you can believe in the probable, and not the possible. Subterranean boring machines. Gases from the earth that cause deformities. Airships, zombies, and gadgets reminiscent of the Wild, Wild West. And one of those great endings that is left for you to write for yourself. If you love all of this, you wil love Boneshaker.

Pretty Good, if Overhyped

I'd heard so much about this book going in that my expectations might have been too high. It's a good book with an engaging plot and a satisfying reveal at the end. Priest throws a lot of elements into the mix. As a result, most story parts are painted in light strokes. Anyone looking for heavy doses of steampunk, zombies, or alternate history will likely be disappointed. Readers simply looking to be entertained will enjoy it. In terms of prose, Priest is an excellent writer and gave me pause several times during the story with a well-turned phrase or an apt description. I found myself wanting to pause the book and jot the words down just to remember them.

On the downside, I found the characters interesting but unsympathetic. I was curious about what would happen to Zeke and Briar but I didn't particularly care. I never felt myself rooting for either one, but sat back like a dispassionate observer. Briar came across as flat, but I can't say if that's a weakness in the writing, an intentional reflection of the bleakness or her life and world, or a product of Kate Reading's performance, which was competent but sedate. Wil Wheaton's performance was better than I expected.

Overall, I'd say Boneshaker is a pretty good book. I'm not in a hurry to listen to another of Priest's books, but I'm sure I will sooner or later.

A Spectacular journey leaving me wanting more.

I loved it. It was entertaining. The characters were amazing and the book left in in aww, telling all my friends about it.

Steampunk zombies

This book was a fresh take on the zombie genre. a fun listen, well done.

loved it!

The female narrator put me to sleep a few times, not a good thing when driving! But as I got into the story, that was no longer a problem...

I was't too sure about this one at first.

This is the first audible book that I've listened to with two narrators. It was a bit distracting at first as it seemed disjointed. It did finally come together and I enjoyed the book. It is a very interesting story of an alternate history. Since I live in the Pacific Northwest, it was fun to listen to the descriptions of Seattle and other areas of the Puget Sound. A good purchase.

Good.... Just not GREAT!

I was looking for books in the steam-punk genre and stumbled across Boneshaker. The book kept me engaged for several days as I painted a mural in a friend's house. With sufficient steam-punk details to satisfy, and two good narrators, I stayed interested for the duration of the listen. I did enjoy the complete absence of female victims here. It was refreshing to let the old broads be both wise and kick ass- and not even a little concerned about the suppleness of their body parts. I wanted to LOVE this book, for all its uniqueness, but somehow I think the thing that will last the longest for me- is the cool cover art.