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)

It didn't shake my bones but it was a good listen.

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

Fun Entertaining Predictable

What did you like best about this story?

Well paced, good character development (as far as it went)

Which scene was your favorite?

None stand out to me but the atmosphere throughout was excellent.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Nope - but I did enjoy the story.

Any additional comments?

A good introduction to the steampunk genre. The story is a good one but to me it had a bit of a juvenile fiction feel. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the book and will probably listen to it again. I did leave the book wanting to know more about the fate of the characters but not quite enough for me to follow up and purchase the next book (yet).

Good but not great

The book gets an extra star just because of the flesh-eating zombies. Not a bad book, but it dragged a little too long. Well written with a great ending -- and a surprise that Wil Wheaton is a great narrator.

Steampunk Tolstoy

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Nothing needs to be changed.

What other book might you compare Boneshaker to and why?

Crime and punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, Anna Karenina. Thick, slow Russian literature.

What about Wil Wheaton and Kate Reading ’s performance did you like?

I'm sure Mr, Wheaton doesn't want to be pigeon holed into a roll, but that's not my problem. Having Wesley Crusher read the story was distracting at first.

Was Boneshaker worth the listening time?

Yes

Any additional comments?

This work is Pure Steampunk, just be warned it's dense.

Surprisingly boring

For a story about thats supposed to have clockwork elements, zombies etc. This story was rather dull, it seemed to move along at a snails pace and what action there was, was over so fast that you never really got into it. Some might like it but personally I find it one of the weaker steampunk novels.

Meh Story

Would you try another book from Cherie Priest and/or Wil Wheaton and Kate Reading ?

I wouldn't seek out this author, but the narrators were wonderful.

Would you ever listen to anything by Cherie Priest again?

Probably not.

What does Wil Wheaton and Kate Reading bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I would not have finished the book without the personality created by the voices.

Did Boneshaker inspire you to do anything?

Avoid steam-punk zombie apocalypse stories.

Hit and Miss

I liked this book, but with some reservations. I am not a fan of the genre (this is my first steampunk and first zombie book), but my mind was open. I felt that the story was good enough and the main characters were believable. I also felt that Kate Reading phoned it in a little (or her accent was just weird) and that Wil Wheaton just didn't click for me. If I were to change something to improve the story I would like for the characters to enter the city sooner and for Mrs Blue to go to the bar immeadiately (so we know by contrast that her son is in deep trouble sooner). Also the Doctor could have twirled his moustache some more, I felt.

Love this book strongly recommend it

I've always loved steampunk, zombies, and alternate history. then you set it in my hometown of Seattle back when it was just a port town not even a state I'm sold I will be reading the whole series. my only gripe is having two readers split by chapter not character making it less immersive.

Truly Unique and Engaging

I don’t write a lot of reviews on Audible but this book is deserving. This book has both a hauntingly beautiful and inventive world and a novel storyline that is heart wrenching and heart warming at it’s core. All of the characters, even the minor ones feel like real people you know. Read this book.

Solid Listen and Read...Not Very Steampunkish though...

Story and environment is solid, nothing crazy but definitely enjoyable.

Voices were meh, IMO.

Solid mother and son story that leaves you with enough story to imagine what could be, after it ends.

Doesn't live up to potential

I thought I would LOVE this book -- I mean, zombies, steampunk (with Zeppelins), what's not to like? Well, I guess a strong narrative and plot would have helped. Also, I never really felt engaged to any of the characters and kept hoping they would stumble across some zombies to add a bit of zest.
The performance, for the most part, is well done, although when the 2 primary characters come together, it becomes a bit confusing (as we have become used to Wil reading Zeke's lines and Kate reading Briars's spots, so it takes some getting used to as they read chapters without regard to who is speaking.)

Overall, I recommend a pass on this book unless you just rally love Steampunk.