Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard
The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…
Eleanor
Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family
has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off
to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to
what she’s just read in the newspaper—
The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.
And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.
Whoever
is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor
is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the
notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces.
But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including
their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation
becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her
very life may hang in the balance. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads
Well, that pretty much sums it up. There's a lot to like here- steampunky devices, an increasingly plucky heroine, shuffling corpses, and some pretty Baritsu-tastic fight scenes (short of a cricket bat, a parasol might be my new favorite zombie weapon). There's also a lot of talk about electricity, especially in terms of battling the undead, which makes me long for a book with Tesla traveling the world fighting eldritch forces of supernatural dread.
The writing reminded me a bit of the fan-fiction flavor shared by another YA steampunk book: The Girl in the Steel Corset. However, where that was a bit of let-down, I enjoyed this one much more, and I liked it more as I got further into it. Speaking of readalikes, if you enjoyed Masque of the Red Death (the Bethany Griffin YA book, not the Poe novella) you would probably also enjoy Something Strange.
It's not a zombie book either- I've seen some reviews where readers were disappointed on that score. It's more alternate history with necromancy, voodoo and some new concepts for good measure. For those who enjoy well-researched period pieces with a twist, this is a great series opener.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Something Strange and Deadly
3:14 PM — Unknown — Labels: Death, Historical, Horror, Mad science, Steampunk, Supernatural, Zombies
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