Fiddlehead: A Penny Dreadful Review
It has
finally happened. I have spilt tea on a book. The unfortunate victim of this
tragedy is Fiddlehead, by Cherie
Priest. Fortuitously, my copy of Fiddlehead was still readable, so I read it,
tea stains and all.
Cherie
Priest’s epic Clockwork Century series, which began with Boneshaker, concludes in Fiddlehead.
The walking dead have spread like a cancer from city to city, in both the Union
and the Confederacy, until they have become a larger threat than anyone could
have imagined. Gideon Bardsley, inventor of the calculating machine known as
the Fiddlehead, discovers vital information concerning the ongoing war. It must
stop, or the whole continent will be destroyed. Unfortunately for Gideon
Bardsley, certain war profiteers want to keep the war lumbering on, so they
send assassins. Fortunately, Bardsley has some very powerful allies, such as
Abraham Lincoln (who has here survived the attempt on his life at the Ford’s
Theatre, thanks in part to Bardsley’s inventions).
This story
is more focused on grand political movements and less on the actions of one
woman as most of the other Clockwork Century novels are. The action is split
over many locations as the protagonists struggle to stop a horrific war crime,
spread the word that the zombis are an international threat, and survive
multiple assassination attempts. If a character can be said to take center
stage, it is President Ulysses S. Grant. Cherie Priest’s portrayal is
sympathetic and it is an absolute pleasure to see the man in action (once he is
goaded into action, that is).
I would
award Fiddlehead four gears out of five. It was not my favorite Clockwork
Century novel, but it was a satisfying conclusion all the same. It is worth
reading and reading again.
Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,
Penny J. Merriweather
