Fiddlehead / Cherie Priest.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780765334077 (trade paperback)
- Physical Description: 366 pages ; 21 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York : Tor Books, 2013.
- Copyright: ©2013.
Content descriptions
General Note: | "A Tom Doherty Associates Book." |
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Subject: | Inventors > Fiction. Steampunk fiction. |
Genre: | Fantasy fiction. |
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Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at BC Interlibrary Connect. (Show)
- 0 of 0 copies available at Terrace Public Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
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- Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2013 October #1
Final entry, maybe, in Priest's steampunk Clockwork Century series (The Inexplicables, 2012, etc.). It's 1879 in this alternate America where the Civil War still drags on, though both sides are utterly spent, Lincoln survived the assassination attempt (he's confined to a wheelchair, however), and President Ulysses S. Grant has taken to the bottle, having despaired of politics in general and of the loathsome politicians that swarm around him. Young ex-slave and irascible genius Gideon Bardsley has invented a calculating machine, the Fiddlehead, that predicts disaster for both warring sides--but not by military means. Instead, the zombie plague readers encountered in the previous volume will spread and consume armies and civilians alike. Even worse for Bardsley, somebody's trying to murder him and destroy or discredit his work. Lincoln's determined to discover the truth, so he hires former Confederate spy, now Pinkerton agent Maria Boyd to travel south in search of some answers. Grant, desperately trying to retain his sobriety, learns that Secretary of State Desmond Fowler has signed contracts with mega-rich Southern industrialist Katharine Haymes. Fowler claims that Haymes' plans will end the war in short order, but Grant suspects the opposite is true and that her real aim is to bleed the North dry. These splendidly realized characters working through intriguing situations lead to a thrilling, nail-biting conclusion where Bardsley, Lincoln and Grant find themselves under siege, while Boyd desperately tries to thwart Haymes' ghastly schemes. A rousing finale, far more convincing than its rather too zombified predecessor--one that almost lives up to the extravagant praise this series has received in some quarters. Copyright Kirkus 2013 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved. - Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2013 November #2
The end of the world as we know it makes for an exciting wrap-up to Priest's epic alternate steampunk series, which began with Boneshaker. The U.S. Civil War has continued for 20 years because an inventor knocked out Seattle with his Boneshaker engine and stirred up a poisonous gas that is still creating zombies. In Washington, DC, Gideon Bardsley's new Fiddlehead computational engine has just predicted that the zombies will eventually destroy the human race if the North and South don't make peace and immediately eradicate the threat. But evil profiteers want to continue the war by spreading the zombie plague and forcing Europe to enter the conflict on the side of the otherwise battle-weakened Confederate States of America. It's a diabolical plan that just might work. VERDICT This is a compelling finale to a fantastic series. The good guys are complex and sympathetic; the villains are suitably clever and malign. The action rattles along at breakneck speed, and the reader can't resist coming along for the wild ride, which includes a climactic battle featuring a wheelchair-bound Abe Lincoln and a temporarily sober Ulysses S. Grant. Highly recommended for all readers of fantasy and steampunk.âMarlene Harris, Seattle P.L.
[Page 67]. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2013 September #5
Priest's final Clockwork Century novel (after The Inexplicables) wraps things up nicely, once again turning a mash-up of too-worn genre tropes (steampunk, alternate Civil War, zombies) into a work of entertainment laced with social criticism. In 1879, as the Civil War continues to rage, scientist and ex-slave Gideon Bardsley's invention, a massive computer called the Fiddlehead, has predicted that the zombie outbreak from the Northwest will overwhelm both sides if they don't end the war. Working with ex-president Lincoln (long disabled from an assassination attempt), he enlists the Pinkertons, including their agent Belle Boyd, in an attempt to find allies in the South. Meanwhile, amoral businesswoman Katharine Haymes attempts to prolong the war for her own reasons. Priest again throws in a huge cast of characters, and the historical figures (Boyd, Lincoln, Grant) are as interesting as the fictional ones. New readers would benefit from starting at the beginning of the series, but returning fans will be satisfied by the elegant conclusion and will regret that a great series has ended. (Nov.)
[Page ]. Copyright 2013 PWxyz LLC