All good things must come to an end.
Fiddlehead, is the fifth and
final book, to Cherie Priest's sci-fi, Steampunk series, The
Clockwork Century. In this book, readers are once again,
transported to a world of alternate history version of the America,
during the American Civil War. This time, the heroines and heroes
will team up with historical icons such as Abraham Lincoln, to foil a
secret, sinister plot that will not only prolong the civil war, but
also endanger the entire world. Let's have a look.
Synopsis:
Belle Boyd was a retired ex-spy.
Personal circumstances and fate made her an unpopular, untrustworthy
character in the eyes of both the Union and the Confederacy. In her
mid forties, Belle found herself an unemployed widow, and disgraced
by the public. One day, a door of opportunity opened up to her, when
she finally got a job with Pinkerton Detective Agency.
Not long after Belle started her new
job, she was assigned to provide assistance in a new mission, at the
request of Abraham Lincoln. The mission, is to protect Lincoln's
friend, Gideon Bardsley, an ex-slave, and a genius scientist who
invented an advanced machine know as Fiddlehead, which tipped the
balance of power significantly towards the Union. For his invention,
Gideon was targeted by the Confederacy for assassination. In this
mission, Belle's notorious reputation meant both camps did not fully
trust her, every step she took was met with suspicion. Adding to all
the troubles, is a hidden plot that seek to rip benefits from the
decades long conflict between the Union and the Confederacy,
threatening to release a weapon of terror which could endanger the
entire world. Could Belle succeed in her mission, will the Civil War
finally come to an end?
What I think about this book:
It is over! Fiddlehead
concludes the story of The Clockwork Century, which started in
Boneshaker. When I look back at the series in general, I found
by large, The Clockwork Century series, is very original and
imaginative. This series manages to be refreshing and creative, by
drawing from several genres such as horror, sci-fi, Steampunk,
together with a tinge of historical fictions. Cherie Priest
successfully constructed an alternate history version of America
during the Civil War, which is believable, interesting, and fun.
Fiddlehead, carried on the best features in this series, and
told an exciting adventure, bringing The Clockwork Century
series to a closure.
This is an entertaining book to read,
as long as you don't take certain things, such as historical accuracy
too seriously. This book is also filled with high-octane action
scenes, the pace of the story is very fast. Despite the rapid pace of
the story, I was still bored at several places. Mostly because I
found the main characters uninteresting. Once again, like other books
in The Clockwork Century series, the characterization in
Fiddlehead is somewhat flat. Compared to Rector in The
Inexplicables, or Mercy Lynch in Dreadnought, the main
protagonist of this book, Belle Boyd, is somewhat 2 dimensional and
uninteresting, her motivation was not well defined and unclear. Other
supporting characters such as Abraham Lincoln, president Grant etc..
remain largely undeveloped even by the book's end. Having said these,
the antagonist of the story, Katharyn Haymes, is a well portrayed
villain, who surrounded herself with an aura of cunning and mystery,
while her motivation was well explained and defined.
As I turn to the last page of
Fiddlehead, I was glad to have read The Clockwork Century
series. This is my first experience with Steampunk novels, and it is a fun reading experience. This
series has left me with sweet memories of larger than life
adventures, set in a world of intrigues, zombies, and steam powered
machinery.
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