Boneshaker

Priest, Cherie. Boneshaker. NY: Tor Books, 2009. 416 pages. (Steampunk / Alternative History / Sci-Fi)

What would have happened if the Civil War had lasted 16 years, not 4? What if the “Incredible Bone-Shaking Drill Engine” destroyed Seattle? What if the Boneshaker released a blight that slowly killed those who inhaled it, turning them into rotting zombies? Cherie Priest combines all this into a must read book and a wonderful new series.
Mad inventor Leviticus Blue built the boneshaker to mine gold in the Klondike but when he tested it for the first time, it ran amok destroying Seattle and releasing the Blight which turned the population of the city into zombies. Years later Blue's son, Zeke, goes into the ruins of the now walled city to clear his father's name. His mother Briar Wilkes follows him on an airship to bring him back and save him from the Blight that is still eking its way to the surface. When she discovers that people still live in the remains of the city among the walking dead lead by the mysterious Dr. Minnericht, an inventor rumor says is her dead husband, her plans of rescue become a race against the living and the dead.

WOW! This nonstop book gives Stephen King a run for his money as the leading horror writer. You'll turn the last page way too soon and want to return to the wonderfully detailed, horrific world of Boneshaker. Thankfully the Clockwork Century Series continues in Clementine, Dreadnought, and the upcoming Ganymede. 

Reviewed by: DisreputableDog