The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge

In the city of Lovecraft, the Proctors rule and a great Engine turns below the streets, grinding any resistance to their order to dust. The necrovirus is blamed for Lovecraft's epidemic of madness, for the strange and eldritch creatures that roam the streets after dark, and for everything that the city leaders deem Heretical—born of the belief in magic and witchcraft. And for Aoife Grayson, her time is growing shorter by the day.

Aoife Grayson's family is unique, in the worst way—every one of them, including her mother and her elder brother Conrad, has gone mad on their 16th birthday. And now, a ward of the state, and one of the only female students at the School of Engines, she is trying to pretend that her fate can be different.


I had the chance to read The Iron Thorn whilst on holiday in Marrakesh.  I'm not bragging about this, but want to explain how great writing can take you from your physical location and transport you to another place and time entirely, and make you forget that you are in one of the most exotic places on earth.  The Iron Thorn did that, with ease. 


One of the things (there are many) that CaitKitt excels at is world-building.  Rich and glorious, we are thrust page first into a hustling bustling Steampunk world where gears grind, mysterious machines run on steam and the hints of the something more, the something other is so well handled, I fell for it: hook, line and sinker.  Set in an alternate 1950's Massachusetts, the city we find ourselves in is called Lovecraft.  It's been a few weeks now since I've read The Iron Thorn but I can still remember snatches of the writing, the feeling it evoked of a world both foreign yet familiar.  It kept me off-kilter just enough to be able to easily identify with the characters as they move through the city, make their escape and leg it to Aoife's dad's home called Graystone.  All of this is to try and rescue Aoife's brother Conrad who had sent her a coded message, asking for her help. 


Through Aoife and her friend, Kal and their guide, Dean, we are shown a world that on the surface is upheld strongly, seemingly by sheer force of will by one man and his Proctors: Grey Draven. (I squealed with delight when I read the name because, you know The Crow reference made me ecstatic).  The world is divided by people who believe in all things mechanical and "normal" and logical...and then there are those who see the world as not quite a logical place.  These people are seen as enemies of the city of Lovecraft and they are actively sought out, interrogated and publicly executed. 


I desperately needed to know what Aoife's story was - what was this thing that is looming ahead of her when she turns sixteen? Will she really go insane? Is her mum completely mental and who are the Proctors really? And is her brother insane and where is he? And why did her dad disappear and never keep in touch with her? 


There are a lot of questions and the majority of them are answered by the end of The Iron Thorn but because of the way the book ends, we know we are in for a bumpy ride in the other two books that are due for release.  

When Aoife and the two boys turn up at Graystone we are very much worried for their well being.  Especially when we realise that actually, this deadly virus Aoife may/may not have, seems to be genuinely real and an actual threat.  As things are pieced together (best invention: Graystone, the clockwork house!) by Aoife and Dean, the bigger scale of their quest is revealed and what Aoife's task is. 

I'll admit it: this book is not for the lazy or faint-hearted.  CaitKitt expects you to keep up.  There is action, there is exposition, there is awful sexism that Aoife fights against (you go girl) to a certain extent and we know things are going to come to an ugly head sooner rather than later, there is a multi-layered BIG story at the core of this.  And of course, like Buffy, Aoife has the power to either destroy or save the world. 

I spoke to Mark about this extensively when I finished reading The Iron Thorn - the ending reminded me of the movie / graphic novel Watchmen where the world is brought to the brink of disaster and something awful happens, but for the good of the world.  In the end.  And I'm wondering if this is what The Iron Thorn was about? I don't know, but I want to know more. 

Full of great literary references, The Iron Thorn is a book for confident readers - be they YA or adult.  As I said, she expects you to keep up as she delves deep into the multiple layers of truth, history, myth and lies.  The alternative-world-mythos she created is complex, easily tying in with our own, but giving it enough of an eerie slant to make it feel creepy and shivery.  There are scenes of pure magic and scenes of genuine unpleasantness.  I don't know if The Iron Land will appeal to everyone - even hardened steampunk fans, which I am not, by the way - but it ticked the boxes for me: I felt like I was there and  I was at turns both in love with Aoife, frustrated and annoyed by her, and wanted to shake her and slap her for being a damn fool.  Kal, well, Kal drove me nuts and not in a good way and Dean was lovely and a bit swoony, and the perfect foil to Aoife.  The characters felt very real and I'm looking forward to finding out more about the nasty piece of work that is Grey Draven, and I liked the world, the alternate history and hope more of that is elaborated on in the upcoming sequels.  

Definitely give this a whirl if you're in the mood for a dark, steampunk fairy tale full of atmosphere, drama and action.  I read it in temperatures of around 37C and yet it made me shiver.  This is a good thing!

Find Caitlin's website here and find her on twitter as: @caitkitt 

Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories edited by Gavin J. Grant

Synopsis

In the first major YA steampunk anthology, fourteen top storytellers push the genre's mix of sci-fi, fantasy, history, and adventure in fascinating new directions.
Imagine an alternate universe where romance and technology reign. Where tinkerers and dreamers craft and re-craft a world of automatons, clockworks, calculating machines, and other marvels that never were. Here, fourteen masters of speculative fiction, including two graphic storytellers, embrace the steampunk genre's established themes and refashion them in surprising ways and settings as diverse as Appalachia, Ancient Rome, future Australia, and alternate California. The result is an anthology that defies its genre even as it defines it.

I was drawn to this anthology by the array of authors listed, not just writers but graphic storytellers too. The first of these is by Shawn Cheng and is called Seven Days Beset by Demons. It follows our young nameless hero who makes clockwork musical toys. One catches the eye of a girl who he immediately falls for. The next seven days sees him experiencing the seven deadly sins as he hopes to catch her heart. I found it both touching and heartbreaking.

Cassandra Clare's story (Some Fortunate Future Day) also caught my eye. It tells the tale of Rose, stuck alone in her house. Her father has gone to war and her only companions are the automaton gardener and cook plus two talking dolls. The dolls, Ellen and Cordelia, have different characters and as the story progresses it appears that they have feelings too. Trust me, there's nothing more creepy than dolls who spy on you and whisper horrible things in your ears. Rose's solitary life comes to an end when an injured soldier called Jonah makes his way to the house. Rose and the dolls take him in, tend to his wounds and as he recovers Rose plans her future. The story's so bittersweet - I both loved it and felt a feeling of dread as I read on. Rose gets carried away and I found myself wondering whether the dolls had more heart and empathy than the only human in the piece.

I also want to mention Everything Amiable and Obliging by Holly Black. The setting is Victorian London and the story follows Sofia, an orphaned heiress living with her aunt in a luxurious setting. The house she lives in doesn't just contain automatons but is integrated with them; tables turn into parlour maids, the family is watched by the house allowing the butler to pre-empt their requirements. I felt as wary as Sophia as we discover the reason for her mistrust of automatons. The story is about acceptance, forbidden love and courtship - both thought provoking and enjoyable.

I know I'll keep saying this all month but I want to come back to this anthology too.

Soulless by Gail Carriger

Here is the synopsis from amazon:

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

Here’s the most important bit of the review:

GO BUY AND READ THIS BOOK! It is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

And here are a few more details:

I LOVE this book! Yes, I know I keep saying that about most of the books I review, but if I had a ‘Best of 2010’ list “Soulless” would be on it for sure. I cannot remember when I have had such a big, fat grin on my face for the entirety of the book.

After being attacked by a mannerless vampire and, having to defend herself, actually killing him, Miss Alexia Tarabotti is thrown into the middle of the London supernatural world. Rove vampires and packless werewolves are disappearing in London and the surrounding areas, she's invited to meet the Westminster vampire hive queen and who is that pesky creature constantly trying to abduct Alexia?

Alexia is the typical bluestocking, intelligent and outspoken. Her inner musings have made me laugh out loud more than once while reading and her interaction with the brash, overbearing, and, worst of all, Scottish Lord Maccon had me in stitches.

Gail Carriger has created a fabulous Victorian London and her characters are well developed, totally off the wall and still so believable. More than once I sat back amazed at what Gail created. Her dialogue is witty and funny, the whole story has an energy and a pace that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I love this fantastic mixture of mystery, action, romance and steampunk. Everything fits together seamlessly and should you be in the unfortunate situation that you have to stop reading because your lunch break is over, you’ll be waiting with eager anticipation to get back to the book.

Soulless is published by Orbit and Gail’s website is here. The sequel “Changeless” will be out at the beginning of April and I cannot wait!*taps her foot a few times* Is it April yet?

Whitechapel Gods - S.M Peters

In Victorian London, the Whitechapel section has been cut off, enclosed by an impassable wall, and is now ruled by two mysterious mechanical gods. Mama Engine is the goddess of sentiment, a mother to her believers. Grandfather Clock represents logic and precision.

A few years have passed since the Uprising, when humans fought the gold cloaks, the black cloaks, and even the vicious Boiler men, the brutal police force responsible for keeping humans in check. Today, Whitechapel is a mechanized, steam-driven hell. But a few brave veterans of the Uprising have formed a new resistance, and they are gathering for another attack. For now they have a secret weapon that may finally free them... or kill them all.

Firstly, I confess to being seduced on sight by the cover of Whitechapel Gods- a very tasty bit of art.

As the name suggests, the action takes place in Whitechapel, tucked away in a Victorian, Steampunk London, albeit a dystopian version thereof. It’s a world under the dominion of two mechanical gods, Mama Engine and Grandfather Clock, who rule with an iron fist in every sense of the word, using the ruthless brass and iron cyborgs known as the Boiler Men to carry out their bidding. Choking smog blankets Whitechapel, carrying with it mutagens that can cause cancer-like growths of metal and wire to manifest in their victims. It’s a bleak and unforgiving setting, where not even death can offer a respite from the unremitting horror.

It’s an interesting premise, and one I was keen to explore. However, things don’t always turn out the way you want them to. My enjoyment of the vigorously paced story was undermined by a few things- there are a lot of voices trying to be heard in W.G, as the viewpoint shifts to various characters throughout. It’s a device which I think falls short of what was intended to bring to the story, and made it difficult to figure out which voice I was supposed to be listening to. Then there’s the powerful imagery that’s woven through the story; this is not usually a bad thing, but being reminded of the bleakness of the setting in every other passage takes it to the point of distraction and verges on overpowering.

There are several questions which beg to be asked- when did this start? how? what’s happened to the rest of England? but the answers are only hinted at in the vaguest of terms, which is a pity as it would have filled in a lot of blanks and stiffened the inherent structure.

There’s so much potential here, but it just missed the mark for me, which is a real pity as I desperately wanted to like this. It’s certainly the product of a rich and fertile imagination and I hope we’ll be seeing more from Peters in the near future.

Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld

Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battletorn war machine and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She’s a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With World War I brewing, Alek and Deryn’s paths cross in the most unexpected way…taking them on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure that will change both their lives forever.

Initially seduced by the cover art and Keith Thompson’s evocative sketches, I was firmly hooked by the premise of an alternate history that has the lines drawn not only along national boundaries but by two starkly different technological ideologies.

On one side stands the Clankers, whose war machines are armoured, mechanical contraptions, bristling with cannons and machine guns and striding across the battlefield with their engines and cogs whirring, their exhausts belching black smoke.

On the other, the Darwinists, who breed living weapons and war machines to do their bidding, from message carrying lizards to biplane hunting hawks and sentient zeppelins.

Leviathan is wonderfully easy to get into; the characters are quirky, intelligent and immediately likeable, and Scott rapidly immerses you in their world. It’s a cleverly constructed world, one that is both familiar and alien; it’s a tricky balance to maintain, but it’s one that he nonetheless achieves, making the suspension of disbelief a no brainer.

While Aleksander and Deryn’s stories are destined to collide, by the time they do you have a very clear picture of their individual characters, each of whom stands out in their own right. It’s during that collision that Scott shines, letting the gulf in their upbringing and culture colour their relationship and their reactions, while subtly adding depth to world around them.

Leviathan is fresh, exciting and eminently readable. Plus it’s got divebombing bats that vomit steel darts and steampunky Mechwarriors clomping across the landscape! Awesome in anyone's book. Plus it's the first of a trilogy, so we have another 2 instalments to look forward to, with the next being Behemoth (due October 2010!).

Don’t be fooled by the 'young adult' label, this should be on everyone’s reading list, regardless of age.

You can read an excerpt here and watch the trailer here.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld Book Trailer

I've got the proof of this, the artwork is amazing and the story starts with a tangle and adventure. Make sure to check out Scott's main website - it too got a steampunk make-over and it looks genuinely cool. Find it here.