Book review: Fiddlehead by Cherie Priest (The Clockwork Century #5)

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.