It's always wonderful to get good reviews. And it's really heartening to have a respected source like Library Journal include us in their list of steampunk books for librarians to use in creating a collection for this booming subgenre.
Griffith, Clay & Susan. The Greyfriar. Pyr. (Vampire Empire, Bk. 1). 2010. ISBN 9781616142476. 301p. pap. $16. FANTASY
It was only a matter of time before a steampunk vampire novel was published. Thankfully, the first one is well written and entertaining. The story starts in 1870, when vampires conquer the north and send human elites to the south; it picks up again in 2020, when Princess Adele of the Equatorian Empire becomes lost in vampire territory. Alone with the mysterious Greyfriar, Adele becomes the driving factor behind a final war between humans and vampires. It is a testament to the writing skill of the Griffiths that they were able to take something so overdone as vampires and make it feel fresh. Fans of Cherie Priest will gobble up this book and its forthcoming sequels.
It was only a matter of time before a steampunk vampire novel was published. Thankfully, the first one is well written and entertaining. The story starts in 1870, when vampires conquer the north and send human elites to the south; it picks up again in 2020, when Princess Adele of the Equatorian Empire becomes lost in vampire territory. Alone with the mysterious Greyfriar, Adele becomes the driving factor behind a final war between humans and vampires. It is a testament to the writing skill of the Griffiths that they were able to take something so overdone as vampires and make it feel fresh. Fans of Cherie Priest will gobble up this book and its forthcoming sequels.
And this for our Pyr Books friend:
Hodder, Mark. The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack (Burton & Swinburne in). Pyr. 2010. ISBN 9781616142407. 373p. pap. $16. SF
This is big, meaty steampunk, set in the mid- to late 1800s, featuring historical figures (e.g., Richard Burton, Charles Darwin, and Florence Nightingale) in new roles, lots of steam-driven science (including my favorite: velocipedes), and crazy mutated creatures. Hodder's fast-paced and lively writing will keep readers of all levels engaged. There is coarse language, but this would work well in a YA collection, too. That Hodder brings the story full circle at the end is an impressive feat. Winner of the Philip K. Dick Award for distinguished original science fiction paperback; a sequel, The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man, has also been published.
This is big, meaty steampunk, set in the mid- to late 1800s, featuring historical figures (e.g., Richard Burton, Charles Darwin, and Florence Nightingale) in new roles, lots of steam-driven science (including my favorite: velocipedes), and crazy mutated creatures. Hodder's fast-paced and lively writing will keep readers of all levels engaged. There is coarse language, but this would work well in a YA collection, too. That Hodder brings the story full circle at the end is an impressive feat. Winner of the Philip K. Dick Award for distinguished original science fiction paperback; a sequel, The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man, has also been published.
2 comments:
YAY!! THE GREYFRIAR rocked and THE STRANGE AFFAIR OF SPRING HEELED JACK has been on the wishlist for some time. Time to bump it to the shopping cart.
I just added more books to the wish list. Thanks for the link.
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