beth_dawkins's review
3.0
3.5
Alice is the daughter of an impoverished Baron. Almost all of her other relatives have died from the clock work plague, all but her father, and her mysterious aunt Edwina. Her aunt sends her clockwork inventions to put together every year for her birthday. One day she attends a ball, hoping to make a name for her family in society, and maybe even meet a man. She happens meet someone, but on her way home she is overran by plague zombies, only to be rescued by the mysterious group of people called The Third Ward. Soon after this she meets a young man named Gavin. Gavin used to be a cabin boy on an American airship that was over taken by privateers, near England. He has a gift with music, and soon gets tangled into things with Alice.
The clockwork world in this novel is inventive and fun. The clockwork plague makes most people zombies, but every now and again, it will turn someone into a clock-worker. They require little sleep, and spend their time making new inventions, until they go mad. The world is sweeping with neat creations, and eerily London fog. It does have zombies, but they don’t really eat people, instead they shuffle around at night, and slowly die. They fit more into the setting than the actual story. It is easy to picture the inventions and automations that pop out of this novel.
The story is a mix between mystery and action/adventure, with a romantic subplot. The mystery starts when a clock worker attacks London using the plague zombies, and tends to show up a lot. I was impressed with how the novel tied itself together. I guessed a couple of things, but there were some nice surprises along the way. There is a romantic sub-plot between Gavin and Alice. At the start of the story Alice, who enjoys fixing, and putting together automations is caught between what she believes is her duty to her father, and the adventures she really wants to have. She is also caught between duty and Gavin. Gavin on the other hand doesn’t like London, but does like Alice. Both characters are very likeable, but they sometimes felt indifferent or dry, which kept them at a distance.
There is a great deal of action, and adventure in the story. From a manor home full of traps, to a massive automation crashing through the city, both characters constantly have their hands full. While I enjoyed the automations, and neat objects jumping off the page, I never felt truly immersed with in the action. The tension in the scenes just wasn’t there for me. Instead it was easy to get lost in the action, at times I would stop reading and wonder what had just happened, then have to reread. This threw me off on occasion.
There are many side characters that seem burst with life, among them are clock workers, and automations, that are much more lifelike than I thought they could be. They add humor to the story that had me smiling, but like the main characters, they can also feel dry. I wanted more emotion to come out of the pages, but it never did. I liked the characters, but I never felt overly attached.
This novel is a steam-punk with a large dose of Victorian. I enjoyed the world it was set in, and all of the clockwork goodies that came with it, but the characters kept me at a distance. I didn’t feel enough emotion from them, and the story lacked a lot of tension. The story did tie itself together nicely at the end. The plot line also tied into the world around them, helping the world to feel more realized. It does end with a slight cliff hanger. This is the first in a series, and I will pick the next book up.
Alice is the daughter of an impoverished Baron. Almost all of her other relatives have died from the clock work plague, all but her father, and her mysterious aunt Edwina. Her aunt sends her clockwork inventions to put together every year for her birthday. One day she attends a ball, hoping to make a name for her family in society, and maybe even meet a man. She happens meet someone, but on her way home she is overran by plague zombies, only to be rescued by the mysterious group of people called The Third Ward. Soon after this she meets a young man named Gavin. Gavin used to be a cabin boy on an American airship that was over taken by privateers, near England. He has a gift with music, and soon gets tangled into things with Alice.
The clockwork world in this novel is inventive and fun. The clockwork plague makes most people zombies, but every now and again, it will turn someone into a clock-worker. They require little sleep, and spend their time making new inventions, until they go mad. The world is sweeping with neat creations, and eerily London fog. It does have zombies, but they don’t really eat people, instead they shuffle around at night, and slowly die. They fit more into the setting than the actual story. It is easy to picture the inventions and automations that pop out of this novel.
The story is a mix between mystery and action/adventure, with a romantic subplot. The mystery starts when a clock worker attacks London using the plague zombies, and tends to show up a lot. I was impressed with how the novel tied itself together. I guessed a couple of things, but there were some nice surprises along the way. There is a romantic sub-plot between Gavin and Alice. At the start of the story Alice, who enjoys fixing, and putting together automations is caught between what she believes is her duty to her father, and the adventures she really wants to have. She is also caught between duty and Gavin. Gavin on the other hand doesn’t like London, but does like Alice. Both characters are very likeable, but they sometimes felt indifferent or dry, which kept them at a distance.
There is a great deal of action, and adventure in the story. From a manor home full of traps, to a massive automation crashing through the city, both characters constantly have their hands full. While I enjoyed the automations, and neat objects jumping off the page, I never felt truly immersed with in the action. The tension in the scenes just wasn’t there for me. Instead it was easy to get lost in the action, at times I would stop reading and wonder what had just happened, then have to reread. This threw me off on occasion.
There are many side characters that seem burst with life, among them are clock workers, and automations, that are much more lifelike than I thought they could be. They add humor to the story that had me smiling, but like the main characters, they can also feel dry. I wanted more emotion to come out of the pages, but it never did. I liked the characters, but I never felt overly attached.
This novel is a steam-punk with a large dose of Victorian. I enjoyed the world it was set in, and all of the clockwork goodies that came with it, but the characters kept me at a distance. I didn’t feel enough emotion from them, and the story lacked a lot of tension. The story did tie itself together nicely at the end. The plot line also tied into the world around them, helping the world to feel more realized. It does end with a slight cliff hanger. This is the first in a series, and I will pick the next book up.
cupiscent's review
2.0
Mediocre at best. Which is sad, because there are some zinging ideas in there. The Clockwork Plague that may kill you or may turn you into a zombie or might (just might) make you a genius (briefly)? Superb. I mean, sure, it's a little "how does the science go on that one again?" but it's multi-layered plot-enabled worldbuilding in one fell swoop, and I can handwave like a champion if you pay me well. But the writing's quite workaday and the characters are pretty ordinary and there's a plothole I could drive a tank through, all of which combined to have me rolling my eyes way too often in the final third, and not while grinning ruefully.
I'll start with the cover mix-up. I mustn't have read the blurb properly or clearly (sometimes I don't; I get keywords, like the cover, and bung it on the to-read) because I thought this was taking place in the Wild West. I mean, she's wearing a gaudy choker and her corset on the outside of her dress, not to mention the state of her hair. I assumed she was a saloon girl. But she's not. She's the heir to a baron and a strait-laced society girl. Oh. OK. I was quite looking forward to the saloon girl, is all.
She's such a boring character, though, and the turmoils she undergoes aren't really explored with any intricacy or depth. It's the stifling and completely inhuman arranged marriage to return to proper society, or running away with the dashing American airman who makes her bosom heave. There's not really much believable tension in it, because there's no depth given to society or strength to her personal desire to be back amongst it, but still she wrestles with it for the entire bloody book - or as much of it as the author could arrange; when she finally gives in to Gavin's teenage charms, it's a puzzling distance short of the end of the book, which is part of what gives a strange lurching sensation to the final push of the plot into the finale.
And about that finale. WHAT?
I did really like Louisa. And look how THAT ended up. Pah.
(Also, if you keep telling me two days pass between this event and that event, and then you have our hero and heroine forever stopping on the verge of clothes-ripping passion because "oh, we don't have time" I reserve the right to call you an irritating tease.)
I'll start with the cover mix-up. I mustn't have read the blurb properly or clearly (sometimes I don't; I get keywords, like the cover, and bung it on the to-read) because I thought this was taking place in the Wild West. I mean, she's wearing a gaudy choker and her corset on the outside of her dress, not to mention the state of her hair. I assumed she was a saloon girl. But she's not. She's the heir to a baron and a strait-laced society girl. Oh. OK. I was quite looking forward to the saloon girl, is all.
She's such a boring character, though, and the turmoils she undergoes aren't really explored with any intricacy or depth. It's the stifling and completely inhuman arranged marriage to return to proper society, or running away with the dashing American airman who makes her bosom heave. There's not really much believable tension in it, because there's no depth given to society or strength to her personal desire to be back amongst it, but still she wrestles with it for the entire bloody book - or as much of it as the author could arrange; when she finally gives in to Gavin's teenage charms, it's a puzzling distance short of the end of the book, which is part of what gives a strange lurching sensation to the final push of the plot into the finale.
And about that finale. WHAT?
Spoiler
Oh no, if we release the plague cure, Britain will lose intellectual superiority. We can't allow there to be a plague gap! What the hell? If that's the case, you WEAPONISE THE FUCKING CURE and spray it all over China. Are you new to arms races? Ye gods.I did really like Louisa. And look how THAT ended up. Pah.
(Also, if you keep telling me two days pass between this event and that event, and then you have our hero and heroine forever stopping on the verge of clothes-ripping passion because "oh, we don't have time" I reserve the right to call you an irritating tease.)
jaclynder's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I liked how a historical atmosphere was combined with futuristic devices in this world. I think the world of the book was created well and I liked how Harper dealt with the introduction of zombies into this novel as I first thought that there might be too much going on.
The plot dealt with two characters, Gavin and Alice. Gavin was an American airshipman who found himself stranded in London after an attack by air pirates. He is then captured by a mysterious woman and locked in a tower only to be rescued by Alice, an heir to a baronet. Both Gavin and Alice are recruited to a secret agency in London that deals with apprehending "clockworkers" or those who have been given extreme intelligence rather than succumbing to the zombie plague on infection. Gavin immediately joins the agency because of his lack of other prospects and hopes that Alice will too. Alice, however, decides that she needs to remain engaged with her fiance in order to get her fathers debts paid off, despite the fact that she does not love her fiance and is attracted to Gavin. Eventually, the pairs paths cross during an increasing number of clockworker attacks and Alice's skills with mechanics are called on.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and thought it was a fast-paced and interesting read. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, The Impossible Cube.
The plot dealt with two characters, Gavin and Alice. Gavin was an American airshipman who found himself stranded in London after an attack by air pirates. He is then captured by a mysterious woman and locked in a tower only to be rescued by Alice, an heir to a baronet. Both Gavin and Alice are recruited to a secret agency in London that deals with apprehending "clockworkers" or those who have been given extreme intelligence rather than succumbing to the zombie plague on infection. Gavin immediately joins the agency because of his lack of other prospects and hopes that Alice will too. Alice, however, decides that she needs to remain engaged with her fiance in order to get her fathers debts paid off, despite the fact that she does not love her fiance and is attracted to Gavin. Eventually, the pairs paths cross during an increasing number of clockworker attacks and Alice's skills with mechanics are called on.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and thought it was a fast-paced and interesting read. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, The Impossible Cube.
middlekmissie's review
3.0
In Which A Clockwork Cat Is the Most Interesting Character:
http://thebookfix.wordpress.com/2013/06/13/clockwork-is-a-disease
http://thebookfix.wordpress.com/2013/06/13/clockwork-is-a-disease
threerings's review
4.0
Review written for steamingenious.blogspot.com where I have many steampunk book reviews.
I don't know why I begin most steampunk books with low expectations. When I haven't heard of the book or the author before, well, I always at least halfway expect it to suck. Which means that I'm almost always pleasantly surprised.
In the case of The Doomsday Vault, I was extremely pleasantly surprised. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys steampunk.
The world depicted by Harper is very close to historical Victorian England. All the real world societal rules still apply. Things are very difficult for women and racial minorities. The only difference is that there is a "clockwork plague" that causes illness, death, and sometimes zombies. So zombies are roaming the streets of London, only coming out at night or under cover of fog. They aren't the huge threat that zombies usually are in fiction, they really are something of a minor annoyance, except that if they touch you they can infect you with the plague.
But for a very small number of people infected with the plague, the results are different. They become "clockworkers", essentially mad science geniuses. They don't live long, but they create incredible technological inventions while becoming more and more insane. So society at large benefits from some of these inventions, while shunning anyone who has any contact with anyone infected.
The heroine of the book is a young woman who lost several family members to the plague and therefore is shunned by society regardless of the fact that her father is a baron. She's seeking only to find a wealthy husband to improve her family's fortune and save her respectability. Her secret desire is to spend her time working on automatons and putting her mechanical skills to use, but her duty to her family prevents her from acting on those desires. The hero is a young airman from America who is stranded in London after pirates attack his ship. The two of them eventually encounter one another and become involved in a series of mysterious events.
The feel of this book reminds me most strongly of Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series. This book doesn't have the same amount of humor, but otherwise the attitude and tone is similar. Alice Michaels must deal with her own secret skills and various shadowy conspiracies while also trying to fit in with upper class society, regardless of how much she wishes she could rebel against it. The idea of uncontrollable mad scientists constantly inventing things in fits of inspiration is also reminiscent of the webcomic Girl Genius, though again with less humor.
The lack of humor isn't really a negative though, as the implications of the events in the novel are serious. Even the personal struggles of the heroine are disturbing due to the lack of freedom she has as a Victorian woman. In short, things have weight and reality to them, which I appreciate.
To summarize, if you are looking for an enjoyable steampunk read, you can't go wrong with The Doomsday Vault. Plus it's the first in a series and I'm looking forward to spending more time with these characters and this world.
I don't know why I begin most steampunk books with low expectations. When I haven't heard of the book or the author before, well, I always at least halfway expect it to suck. Which means that I'm almost always pleasantly surprised.
In the case of The Doomsday Vault, I was extremely pleasantly surprised. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys steampunk.
The world depicted by Harper is very close to historical Victorian England. All the real world societal rules still apply. Things are very difficult for women and racial minorities. The only difference is that there is a "clockwork plague" that causes illness, death, and sometimes zombies. So zombies are roaming the streets of London, only coming out at night or under cover of fog. They aren't the huge threat that zombies usually are in fiction, they really are something of a minor annoyance, except that if they touch you they can infect you with the plague.
But for a very small number of people infected with the plague, the results are different. They become "clockworkers", essentially mad science geniuses. They don't live long, but they create incredible technological inventions while becoming more and more insane. So society at large benefits from some of these inventions, while shunning anyone who has any contact with anyone infected.
The heroine of the book is a young woman who lost several family members to the plague and therefore is shunned by society regardless of the fact that her father is a baron. She's seeking only to find a wealthy husband to improve her family's fortune and save her respectability. Her secret desire is to spend her time working on automatons and putting her mechanical skills to use, but her duty to her family prevents her from acting on those desires. The hero is a young airman from America who is stranded in London after pirates attack his ship. The two of them eventually encounter one another and become involved in a series of mysterious events.
The feel of this book reminds me most strongly of Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series. This book doesn't have the same amount of humor, but otherwise the attitude and tone is similar. Alice Michaels must deal with her own secret skills and various shadowy conspiracies while also trying to fit in with upper class society, regardless of how much she wishes she could rebel against it. The idea of uncontrollable mad scientists constantly inventing things in fits of inspiration is also reminiscent of the webcomic Girl Genius, though again with less humor.
The lack of humor isn't really a negative though, as the implications of the events in the novel are serious. Even the personal struggles of the heroine are disturbing due to the lack of freedom she has as a Victorian woman. In short, things have weight and reality to them, which I appreciate.
To summarize, if you are looking for an enjoyable steampunk read, you can't go wrong with The Doomsday Vault. Plus it's the first in a series and I'm looking forward to spending more time with these characters and this world.
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