Last year, Raven and I had a virtual arm-wrestling contest over Clockwork Heart, and she won. I sent her my review copy, which Juno Books had sent me. And then she proceeded to make me regret sending it to her by writing such a wonderful review.
So when I saw it in the used bookstore, I had to have it.
It is almost errie how much I agree with what Raven had to say almost point-for-point. The wordbuilding in this novel is wonderful. The characters are all fresh and original. And how can I, a computer programmer, resist a novel in which programmers of steam-powered computers get such a favorable treatment? I can't. Too many times, programmers are portrayed in a stereotypical way. Not here.
Punch-card binary programmers--now they were real computer programmers!
I'd go on and on, but it would be like an echo chamber. Go read Raven's review. Then, go get the book. It's a mass-market paperback, so it's not like it's expensive or anything. Plus, it's fabulous.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Echo Chamber - Clockwork Heart
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8 comments:
I tried and tried and could not get into this book. Good thing it wasn't a requested ARC or I would've really felt bad.
Why couldn't I get into it? I didn't find the characters fresh & original at all. In fact, the Heroine seemed like a cookie cutter one to me. It was probably a matter of my being deluged by too many heroines like her right before picking the book up. The world-building and premise were awesome though.
I just read Raven's review and this book sounds really interesting. I've been looking for another good steampunk book and this novel seems to fit the bill. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.
I most definitely thought they were fresh and original. Taya was part of a civil winged messenger service, and her romantic interest is NOT who you might think at first, and he is NOT ever described as handsome. Neither kick can ass, but they must kick ass nonetheless to get the job done.
I hope you like it, John!
Plus, I recently recommended it as a "clean read"!
Yeah, the non-handsome, non-kickass aspects of the characters appealed to me. It's nice to read about ordinary folks saving the day.
John, I hope you enjoy the book. I was really glad I won the right to review it first. :)
Of course, not every book is for everybody.
Yeah, but wouldn't you like to write the book that EVERYONE loves?
I'd love to! And some writers get pretty close. J.K. Rowling springs to mind...
I'm a programmer too and I have an affinity to steampunk. I read and liked CLOCKWORK HEART with its steampunk setting. It is a good mix of technic and emotions.
In case you like steampunk or want to give it a try beside CLOCKWORK HEART I recommend THE AFFINITY BRIDGE by George Mann.
Reviews are available from SF Signal, Fantasy Bok Critic, Strange Horizons and more ....
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