Loading ...Ganymede by Cherie Priest
An engrossing and exciting adventure from its first sentence to its last, Ganymede, the fantastic fourth installment in the Clockwork Century series, begins in occupied New Orleans, circa early 1880s, with Josephine Early, owner of the Garden Court Boarding House for Ladies (actually a very nice house of ill-repute) and secret Union spy, attempting to find someone willing to pilot and deliver a hidden submarine to the Union navy in the Gulf of Mexico. In the world of the novel, the Civil War still rages after twenty years, and the independent Texas occupies New Orleans so the Rebel forces will not lose the city to the Union. Josephine, a native free woman of color, heads up the plan to get the huge sub, Ganymede, away from its hiding place in Lake Ponchartrain and to a docked vessel in the gulf. Unfortunately, since many men died in earlier prototypes of the machine, finding someone to take on the job proves difficult. As a last resort, Josephine contacts a former lover, asking for a favor but not revealing any details.
When airship pilot Andan Cly receives a message from his former lover, Josephine, he feels as though he should help even though their relationship ended somewhat bitterly ten years earlier. Cly plans to make a supply run to the East, anyway, so decides to go down and see what job Josephine has for him. Cly hopes to set up a docking station in Seattle, in spite of its poisonous blight gas and the resulting rotters, primarily because he wishes to stay close to Briar, the Seattle sheriff, and the money from the job would help. Upon his arrival, Cly learns not only the dangerous nature of Josephine’s proposal but also that New Orleans has a rotter (zombie) problem, as well. Cly and his crew agree to take on delivery of the Ganymede, raising the stakes for all concerned.
Priest once again delivers a rousing adventure that demonstrates both her love of history and her definitive knack for playing with and bending it to fit the purpose of her captivating universe. The first half of the book alternates between Josephine’s exploits in New Orleans and Cly’s flight south, the two parts melding seamlessly once Cly arrives, resulting in a smooth narrative flow that carries the reader along effortlessly. Ganymede continues the author’s technique of combining characters from earlier parts of the series with intriguing newcomers, with portrayals so vivid one feels as though the individuals described are in the same room. The atmosphere of the delta also comes alive as a living, breathing entity: “The whipping slaps of saw grass whispered awful things against the craft’s hull, and the loud, sliding splashes off to either side warned of large animals with rows of sharp teeth and beady, slitted eyes” (132).
This excellent novel and its fantastic series gets this reviewer’s highest recommendation—for steampunk fans and anyone who enjoys a great story. The wait for book five, The Inexplicables, will most assuredly be much too long.
Book Stats:
- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (September 27, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0765329468
- ISBN-13: 978-0765329462
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Books in the Clockwork Century series in the order they should be read:
Boneshaker
Dreadnought
Ganymede
The Inexplicables
I had not picked up this series. I’m glad to see that the interviewer liked it so much! Oh my, another series in my all to large TBR list. LOL
Sounds awesome! Another to add to my TBR shelf (it use to be a pile)!