Worldshaker

Author: Richard Harland

Genre: Young Adult/Steampunk

Colbert Porpentine has it made. He comes from the most powerful family on the juggernaut Worldshaker, second only to Queen Victoria and King Albert. He is set to become the heir - commander of the Worldshaker. But his stiff, orderly life is turned upside down when a Filthy girl – the lower-life forms that run the Worldshaker on the lowest deck – escapes and turns up in his room. They clash, but Colbert begins to wonder if there is more to the Filthies than meets the eye.

This book was recommended to me, and I’m always up for a good Steampunk! I was pleasantly surprised with Worldshaker. It was intriguing, well-written, well thought-out, and a rollicking read.

There is some sexual tension between fourteen-year-old Riff and sixteen-year-old Colbert, but nothing gets innapropriate. I think the whole ‘alternate history’ thing is a very neat idea, up to par with Leviathan. This one comes recommended from me if you want a fun Steampunk.

Ages: 16+

4 out of 5 stars

Foundling

NOTE: This trailer is for both Foundling and the sequel, Lamplighter. I AM READING LAMPLIGHTER, I HAVE NOT READ IT YET! So this review is only for FOUNDLING.

Author: D. M. Cornish

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Steampunk

Now, HERE is a fun book. Highly imaginative and thought out, this includes awesome illustrations and a thick appendix in the back. It is absolutely clean of swearing and sexual content and gory violence, though that doesn’t mean there is NO violence. (The Monsters can be a bit scary for young readers).

This is a high, Steampunk/Fantasy, full of adventure, kidnapping, honor, danger, monsters, and orphans that is sure to captivate you as it did me. (If you like that sort of thing).

Ages: 14+

5 out of 5 stars

Pastworld

Author: Ian Beck

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Steampunk

This book was ingenious. The idea was stunning, the writing was very good (aside from ocasional places where commas would have been welcome). As a matter of fact, this book was hard to stop thinking about it after I put it down. There was some objectionable content, though, so here you are.

Violence. People are shot, stabbed, chased down… if it were a movie, it would probably be standard PG-13 as long as they didn’t show some of the nasty stuff. The Fantom has a Jack-the-Ripper-like habit of killing people with a knife and then cutting their hearts out.

HOWEVER – you find out that there is a reason for this, and it really is not entirely his fault (and no, it isn’t because of a bad childhood).

There are many positive elements – many people love Eve and will do anything to keep her alive and out of the Fantom’s clutches. People are willing to die for her, to place themselves in danger. A good-hearted pick-pocket named Bible J has a soft heart and helps people out whenever he can.

This book was very good and very imaginative. The ending leaves you wondering “What happens next!?” but not in a throw-the-book-across-the-room way. However, because of darkness and disturbing content, it is not for the faint of heart, OR young readers.

Ages: Mature 16

4.5 out of 5 stars

Sapphique

Author: Catherine Fisher

Series: Incarceron Sequel

Genre: Steampunk/Adventure/Fantasy/Young Adult

Finn has escaped Incarceron, but thoughts of the Oathbrother he left behind still haunt him. Claudia sees that Finn is moody and listless, and it worries her. But Finn has more problems than worrying about Keir0 – when another boy shows up and claimes he is the rightful prince and heir, Finn begins to wonder – is Claudia the only one who believes in him? While Finn and Claudia struggle in a battle with the queen, Jared tries to figure out a way to open Incarceron and get the inhabitants out. But two of the inhabitants - Keiro and Attia, namely – are trying to escape without Finn’s help. When they find a crazy sorcerer who holds the fabled Glove of Sapphique, they believe that they have found the key to escape. But Incarceron watches everything – and is willing to do anything to get the glove back.

This book was AWESOME! You know how much I liked Incarceron (http://thebookfae.wordpress.com/2010/05/04/incarceron/)

 (it’s one of my favorite books) – this sequel was just as gripping and thrilling as its predecessor!  It was free of sexual content, and the swearing was limited to two or three name-calling words. The only magic in the book is a villainous sorcerer whose power is never fully explained – you are given the impression that he is simply an illusionist who believes he  has real powers.

This book was fantastic, fantastic, fanTASTIC, and I wish there were more!!!

5 out of 5 stars

Ages 15+

Leviathan

 

Author: Scott Westerfeld 

Genre: Fiction/Young Adult/Steampunk 

Review: World War 1 – Alternate History. Alek, a Clanker, is in hiding, running from the Germans who want to see him dead. Deryn Sharp, a Darwinist, joined the army under the guise of a being a boy. Leviathan was such a big hit – a New York Times Bestseller, that I thought I’d read it. It’s a pretty hefty book, took me about 2 days to get through it (that being, of course, when I wasn’t doing school, chores, or computer stuff). First of all – the best thing about this book was the illustrations. OH MY GOODNESS! They were PERFECT! I miss illustrations in books (“How can you READ this? There’s no PICTURES!” “Some people just use their imagination.” ~ Gaston and Belle, Beauty and the Beast) and it was great to see these beautiful, intricate pencil drawings in here. They helped add to the book a lot. 

It was an enjoyable read – I liked the steampunk alternate history thing quite a bit, and the humor, although minimal, was witty and well done. The thing that really galled me about the book, though, was the ‘Darwinist’ factor. Darwin is displayed as brilliant, and the Beasties that the Darwinists use are made of different ‘life-threads’ of animals that they evolve to use for different things. (“Sniffers,” six-legged, two-nosed dogs used to sniff out dangerous substances,” etc.). 

And Darwin, Darwinists, and their fabricated ‘evolved’ Beasties were a huge part of the book. Really annoying. 

But on the plus side, it was very, very clean. Squeaky, in fact! But I have to say that Incarceron was WAY better, as far as Steampunk goes. 

Age: 14+ 

3 stars out of 5

Incarceron

 

Author: Catherine Fisher

Genre: Steampunk/Fiction/Young Adult/Fantasy

Back Cover: “Imagine a prison so vast that it contains cells and corridors, forests, cities, and seas. Imagine a prisoner with no memory, sure he came from the Outside – though the prison has been sealed for centuries and only one man has ever escaped. Imagine a girl in a manor house, in a society where time is forbidden, held in a 17th-century world run by computers, doomed to an arranged marriage, tangled in an assassination plot she dreads and desires. One inside, one outside. But both imprisoned.

Imagine Incarceron.

My Review: O. MY. GOODNESS. This book was absolutely FANTASTIC!! In one word ‘Gripping.’ This was one of the best books I have ever had the thrill to read!! All the characters were absolutely GREAT (Jared being my favorite, he’s a lot like one of my own characters, Salebeth) and the plotline was sexually clean, magic-free, and has hardly ANY language in it. The plot twists were AMAZING. This book had me absolutely enthralled from beginning to end – and longing for the sequel!! I am hopefully going to buy this in hardcover at Barnes and Noble this weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! READ THIS BOOK!!!

Age: 15+

100 out of 5 stars!!!!!!!!!!!!!