Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl
The year is 1889. The place is an alternative world where the U.S. has lost the Revolutionary War; the East Coast is controlled by Great Britain and the West Coast by Spain. The characters are searching for answers to a dangerous mystery. Gideon Smith is a young, grief-stricken, and incredibly naive man who will stop at nothing to find the mysterious being that dragged his father, a fisherman, and his father’s crew into the dark sea one foggy morning. Bram Stoker is seeking material for his first book (yes, the Bram Stoker), only to discover several corpses completely drained of blood. Wondering how both horrific encounters are connected keeps the reader turning page after page. Although some early parts of the story are not well developed and some characters are flat, the latter half of the book more than makes up for the story’s rocky start with twists, turns, humor, and adventure. In the end, Barnett’s new book proves to be a worthy addition to the steampunk genre. --Alison Downs