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Boneshaker

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Boneshaker

By: Cherie Priest
Narrated by: Wil Wheaton, Kate Reading
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About this listen

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 Steampunk Alaska Pirate

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)
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I was initially skeptical of another zombie title but was drawn in by Wil Wheaton being a narrator (he has a fantastic way of drawing you into the world). Wil's performance is as good as usual and though I wasn't familiar with Kate Reading to start with, I found her just as good. The interplay between them was a good choice as well.
Ultimately I was please that the zombies are more of a side issue - an ever present risk to be aware of, but only one of many so they don't draw the focus.
Great "read", I couldn't put it down and will be looking at other books by Cherie Priest now.

Very engaging

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After a slow start, this story really pays off as it steps up the pace. Beautifully written imagining of a steampunk inspired world. Highly recommended!

Brilliant

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Was a good story. could have done with some more emphasis on the reveal but overall good :) Worth a listen :)

A fun steampunk adventure.

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The writing is ok, but not overly enthralling. Meanwhile I found few characters, and certainly not the main two characters, likeable. As such I really didn’t connect with them or feel invested in the story.

This title also doesn't give much of a feel for the world as a whole, but I could see the potential enough to want to check out more.

The narration is a mixed bag: I like Kate Reading’s reading; I do not like Will Wheaton’s.

I wasn’t really taken by it

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