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Description edit
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... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Characters edit
- Briar Wilkes: Widow of Leviticus Blue and daughter of Maynard Wilkes. Briar has many secrets and only by reading the whole book will you uncover them all.
- Ezekiel "Zeke" Wilkes: Son of Leviticus Blue and Briar Wilkes, grandson of Maynard Wilkes. A 15 year old boy who wants to know who his father really was.
- Dr. Minnericht: A mysterious inventor who rules much of the Seattle underground.
- Jeremiah Swakhammer: A large, well armored man who is familiar with the Seattle underground.
- Lucy O'Gunning: Proprietor of a bar within the Seattle underground.
- Miss Angeline: An Indian princess. Has the secret to solving the greatest mysteries of the walled city.
- Maynard Wilkes: A lawman who gave his life helping to free prisoners from a jail during the incident that released the Blight.
- Leviticus Blue: The infamous inventor who created the Boneshaker, which destroyed much of Seattle and released the Blight gas from underground. Briar's husband.
- Andan Cly: Captain of the airship Naamah Darling. A former prisoner released by Maynard Wilkes.
- Croggon Hainey: Captain of the airship Free Crow.
- Alistair Mayhem "Rudy" Osterude: A denizen of the Seattle underground.
- Yaozu: Dr. Minnericht's right hand man and business partner.
- Rector "Wreck'em" Sherman: A friend of Zeke's who helps him get information on the walled off part of Seattle.
- Hale Quarter: A man writing a biography of Maynard Wilkes.
- Fang: A mute Asian man, crewman on the Naamah Darling.
- Rodimer: Crewman on the Naamah Darling.
- Mr. Guise: Add a description of this character.
- Frank
- Squiddy: Lives with Lucy's gang.
- Willard
- Huey: Young Chinese boy who is brilliant at fixing things, self educated
- Richard
Quotes edit
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“"Lemon sap kills people." "So do other people. So do dogs. So do angry horses, and diseases, and gangrene, and birthing babies. And what about the war? You don't think the war back east kills people? I promise you this - it kills them by the score, and it kills more of them than the Blight does. More by thousands, I bet."”
Briar Wilkes & Jeremiah Swakhammer -
“"If you dig to hard or push to far, if you learn to much, it will only break your heart. Sometimes, everyone is right. Not always and not even usually, but once in a while, everyone is right."”
Briar Wilkes
- Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
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The Blight had a density to it, and a color that was somewhere between shit and sunflowers.
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Her lack of interest might have been interpreted as a lack of caring, but it was only a side effect of permanent exhaustion.
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“But you can guess, I bet, and it would probably be a very good guess, and so help me if I don’t hear some guesses coming out of your mouth I will do you great and terrible bodily harm, and there isn’t a nun or a priest or anyone else in a God-given uniform who will recognize you when I’m finished. The angels will weep when they see what’s left of you. Now, talk.”
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The Blight didn’t start him walking again, so thank God for small things, I suppose.”
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I realize that the story is a bit of a twisted stretch, but honestly—isn’t that what steampunk is for?
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A dead man can’t change his mind or make new rules, or behave like a bastard so no one will listen to him anymore. A dead man stays a saint.”
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Sometimes, everyone is right. Not always and not even usually, but once in a while, everyone is right.”
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“It was war, you dumb kid. Everybody I liked got killed, and most of the folks I’d just as soon have shot made it out with medals on their chests. It wasn’t fair and it sure as hell wasn’t any fun.
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“Jeremiah Swakhammer,
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“They knew nothing of a researcher’s process, and they did not understand that success is built on the bones of failures.”
Highlighted by 3 Kindle customers
Setting & Locations edit
Seattle, Washington Territory 1879
- Outskirts: Area outside the wall, not affected by the Blight's poisonous gas
- Seattle Underground: Areas populated by non-zombies inside the Wall of Seattle
Organizations edit
- Rotters: Fast, hungry zombies that hunt in packs within the walled in city of Seattle.
- Door Nails: An allied group that lives within Seattle's walls.
First Sentence edit
She saw him, and stopped a few feet from the stairs.
Themes & Symbolism edit
Series & Lists edit
This is book 1 of 6 in The Clockwork Century. (standard series)
Followed by Clementine.
Authors & Contributors edit
- Cherie Priest (Author)
Other Contributors:
- Wil Wheaton (Narrator)
- Kate Reading (Narrator)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Tor
Country: USA
Publication Date: 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7653-1841-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Tor
Country: USA
Publication Date: 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7653-1841-1
Page Count: 416
Awards edit
- Hugo Award (Finalist, 2010: Best Novel)
- Nebula (Finalist, 2009: Best Novel)
- Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year (2009: Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror)
- Locus Science Fiction Award (2010, Winner)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: PS3616.R537 B66 2009
- Dewey: 813.6
Notes for Parents edit
Reading Level: Young AdultsThis novel is foremost an adventure/rescue story. It features an independent boy getting in over his head by sneaking into a dangerous place to find answers about his family. His mother is strong and sensible and willing to risk her life to rescue him. Because the story contains what are best described as zombies, it includes scenes of violence and danger. It also includes murder and other deaths. There is some mild language, and the sale and use of alcohol and drugs. The use of the drug in the story is not viewed in a positive light, though.
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Links to Supplemental Material edit
- Cherie Priest: Author's website.
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