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Mercy Lynch is a nurse in the Civil War, which has been lingering on for decades. Like many people, she has torn loyalties. She’s a nurse for the Confederacy but her husband is a soldier in the Union. Shortly after she receives word that he died in a POW camp, she receives a telegram notifying her that her long-estranged father is very sick and asking for her to come see him in Tacoma, Washington. That’s quite a trek away from Richmond, Virginia, especially given the state of the country. Duty and curiosity win out and she sets out via dirigible and then train to hopscotch her way across the country.
I really enjoyed Boneshaker so I had high hopes for this book. I downloaded it on audio but read the first in print. When I realized that Kate Reading was the narrator, I wasn’t quite sure what to think. Don’t get me wrong–I’ve enjoyed Ms. Reading’s narration but I’ve only listened to her reading fiction that is more directly targeted to women. I wasn’t sure how she’d handle the steampunk action that I expected. I needn’t have worried. The performance was so pitch perfect that I’ll continue with the series on audio.
It’s been a while since I read Boneshaker but I do think Dreadnought may actually be a little better. It’s not a direct sequel but it does take place in the same book world and at the very end a few characters overlap.
I was a little disappointed that the rotters (read: zombies) aren’t around very much. But when they are–holy cow!
I didn’t like Mercy quite as much as I liked Briar from the first book but she was still a strong character. She’s just trying to get across the country as fast as she can and she finds herself caught up in some wartime intrigue/action. She and the other civilian passengers try to stay out of it but they keep getting dragged into things whether they like it or not. Mercy just handles everything that comes along and does what needs to be done, whether that’s patching up a soldier who’s been shot or breaking into a private car to find out exactly what the train is carrying.
The book is so tightly focused on Mercy that I was left wanting to know more about a few other characters. Of course I don’t remember their names now and I don’t have a print copy to refer back to. The Texas Ranger, the Mexican inspectors, the awfully warlike young lady sharing Mercy’s compartment–I’m curious about them all. I hope they show up in later books.
This was a great audio book and I highly recommend it. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next in the series!
Find author Cherie Priest on her website, Facebook, and Twitter.
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