Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell

Fairytale retellings are always a treat. Best of all is when they are as surprising as Betsy Cornwell's steampunk version of Cinderella. Nicolette is an inventor, as adept with mechanical creations as her mother had been, so she doesn't mind that her nasty stepsisters call her "Mechanica."

The action plays out within a larger political and religious arena that is integral to Nicolette's personal story. Prejudice against magic and the Fey is rising to the point where war seems imminent. Social justice is a central theme, an aspect I found particularly satisfying. When she was still alive and healthy, Nicolette's mother warned her not to trust everything in their country's history books. (That's always good advice.)

"'What are the books wrong about?' I asked, tucking into another sandwich. Thin radish, sweet butter, speckles of salt. An unladylike swig of clear tea."

Which reminds me of another thing I enjoyed; Cornwell's writing style. In the example above, she clearly describes what Nicolette is eating and how enthusiastic she is about her food. These are the kinds of details that make her characters and setting real. 

(And now I'll go off on a complete tangent, because Nicolette's lunch could have been "Radishes with Sweet Butter and Kosher Salt" served at Prune, chef Gabrielle Hamilton's restaurant in New York City. In her cookbook, Prune, Hamilton admonishes: "There is nothing to this, but still... I have seen it go out looking less than stellar - and that's embarrassing considering it's been on the menu since we opened and is kind of 'signature,' if Prune had such a thing as signature dishes." It's a bit different from most restaurant cookbooks, because it's addressed to staff instead of home cooks, even though the recipes are adapted to fewer servings. Before I leave this tangent, I'd like to recommend Hamilton's memoir, Blood, Bones and Butter.)

Back to Mechanica. It's a totally enjoyable feminist tale for ages 11 and up.

Readalikes for more fresh takes on Cinderella: Ash by Malinda Lo and Cinder by Marissa Meyer.

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

A fast-paced steampunk adventure in alternate 19th-century Seattle with zombies: that's Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. My nephew recommended this audiobook [MacMillan: 13 hrs 42 min] which has two excellent narrators: Kate Reading and Wil Wheaton.

A sulky teenager with a chip on his shoulder decides to clear the name of his father, whom he has never met. His father was the inventor of the boneshaker, the machine that was said to have brought about catastrophy in Seattle. It's now a city of toppled buildings that has been made uninhabitable by poisonous gas seeping from the earth. The blight makes people ill first and zombies later.

The boy's mother follows him into the ruined city to rescue him.

The compelling plot and skilled audiobook narration kept me listening, but this book wasn't quite right for me. For one thing, I couldn't wrap my head around poisonous city air that doesn't disperse into the surrounding area--making it safe to live outside the city walls, but requiring breathing apparatus if you were inside the city. The walls were to hold in the zombies, who didn't seem real enough to me. I know, I know... real zombies. But the vampire zombies in Justin Cronin's The Passage were scarier. 

Also, I was bothered by the ethnic stereotyping of a group of characters called the Chinamen: quiet, patient, pigtailed, superstitious and clannish men who can't speak English. "This here is Huojin, but I call him Huey and he doesn't seem to mind." That should be a line from one of the bad guys, not one of the heroic women.

Boneshaker won the Locus Best Science Fiction Novel Award in 2010. It is first in The Clockwork Century series.

Similar stories that I liked better include: Angelmaker (Nick Harkaway) and Airborn (Kenneth Oppel).

Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway

London clockmaker Joe Spork is a really nice guy. (He can't help it that his father was an infamous criminal.) Joe is called on to repair an ingenious clockwork book-type thing. The device is called Angelmaker because it makes angels out of men. It is also referred to as the Apprehension Engine. It may save the world... or possibly destroy it. To recap: "It would seem that at some time between 1945 and 1980, Joe's grandfather and grandmother built a bee-machine which is either a rocket ship, a mobile sculpture, or a brain-melting lie detector."

There are many larger-than-life characters in Nick Harkaway's tale of derring do, but my favourite is Edie Banister. She's a lesbian former superspy, nearing 90 years old but still able to kick ass when necessary. And it is necessary, because an insane despot is trying to become one with god by destroying the planet. Against his better judgment, Joe finds himself hurtling towards a "night of misrule." Swarms of mechanical bees are on their way. Angelmaker is a metaphysical thriller. Wow!

If you enjoy steampunk, this is for you, because, with all the clockwork technology, it has that feel. The setting goes back and forth between present-day England and global spy intrigue after WWII. Some parts, set in a fantastical submarine in the 1940s, bring Jules Verne to mind. Angelmaker also reminded me very much of Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.

Airman by Eoin Colfer

Conor Broekhart was born in a hot air balloon in 1878. Ever since, he has dreamed of inventing some sort of a motorized flying contraption. His father is a captain of the guard of the King of Saltee, sovereign islands off the coast of Ireland. King Nicholas is a great supporter of technological marvels, so Conor has plenty of encouragement. But dastardly deeds are underfoot and Conor soon has to use his quick mind in a very different way.


The steampunk genre isn't new; it's been around for about 30 years. A recent upsurge in publishing alternate history pseudo-Victorian tales for younger readers is, however, like a tail wind pushing the steampunk dirigible into a new spotlight. Kenneth Oppel's Airborn and its sequels, Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan, Arthur Slade's Hunchback Assignments and Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines series are examples I've read.


Irish author Eoin Colfer is an author I can rely on for an entertaining read, so I was willing to give him the 80 pages it took before I became truly hooked on Airman. Once hooked, I didn't put it down until the satisfying conclusion. Grade 5 and up.