Reviews

The Inexplicables by Cherie Priest

markarubin's review

4.0

Almost back to the high standards set by Boneshaker, and thoroughly enjoyable. Priest really knows how to create believable, likable characters, and she succeeds again here with Rector. It was also good to be back in Seattle again after two books spent largely away.

skylar2's review

3.0

While I enjoyed the book, it lacked the epic developments that happened in the previous books. Nothing really happened or changed - aside from development in one character, the book ended as it began.

I'm hoping that we find out more about what's going on outside Seattle in the next book.

jacieandbooks's review

3.0

This book was disappointing. So far, I have really enjoyed this series. This book was different from all the others in numerous ways 1) the main character. Rector was very unlikeable throughout, drug addict, thief, and general asshole, whereas the other books are mostly told by strong independent women. it was hard to care about him for a good portion of the book. (Sidenote: telling from Houjin’s POV would have been a much more interesting) 2) the title isn’t a piece of machinery, like the other titles. the inexplicables are basically Sasquatch and I found that whole plotline really weird. 3) the world created is very steampunk, in every other book. Because this takes places almost wholly in Seattle, there’s really not a lot of technology, but in underground there totally could have been.. it was kind of glossed over instead.

That being said, the intruders coming to destroy everything plot line was interesting and I did enjoy seeing more of Houjin and Zeke.

tacanderson's review

5.0

I love this series. [a:Cherie Priest|221253|Cherie Priest|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1263959704p2/221253.jpg], the Queen of American Steampunk, has created this big wonderful world that keeps getting bigger and more wonderful.

In The Inexplicables, Cherie Priests brings us back to walled up, zombie infested, Seattle and this time there's no weapons of war, and only a few zombies but there's a new "something" (that which is the Inexplicable) and the main protagonist/anti-hero (which most of Priest's characters seem to be) Rector, is actually one of the first character's we met in the first book, [b:Boneshaker|9506979|Boneshaker (Le siècle mécanique, #1)|Cherie Priest|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340978948s/9506979.jpg|1124460]. Rector didn't get much time in the first book and he wasn't ever heard from again (that I can remember) until now.

The Clockwork Century world, that Priest has created consists of four books ([b:Boneshaker|9506979|Boneshaker (Le siècle mécanique, #1)|Cherie Priest|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340978948s/9506979.jpg|1124460], [b:Dreadnought|7911067|Dreadnought (The Clockwork Century, #3)|Cherie Priest|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1316737987s/7911067.jpg|10282187], [b:Ganymede|10900324|Ganymede (The Clockwork Century, #4)|Cherie Priest|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1317068073s/10900324.jpg|14399968] and [b:The Inexplicables|9514173|The Inexplicables (The Clockwork Century, #5)|Cherie Priest|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1331842354s/9514173.jpg|14399969]) two short stories [b:Tanglefoot|7670787|Tanglefoot (The Clockwork Century, #2.5)|Cherie Priest|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1334898635s/7670787.jpg|10282114] and [b:Reluctance|17337913|Reluctance|Cherie Priest|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360422203s/17337913.jpg|24071615]) and a novella ([b:Clementine|7670800|Clementine (The Clockwork Century, #2)|Cherie Priest|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1277163268s/7670800.jpg|10282140]).

This is a series about exploring what's possible in the steampunk genre. If you're a fan of scifi/fantasy and haven't read any steampunk yet but are curious, this is actually a good series to start with. The stories are excellently written and very accesible despite their scifi/fantasy nature.

mzdeb's review

4.0

I still love Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century world, but it's the pacing that kills me. I haven't re-read Boneshaker, but my memory has it as faster paced then the later books in this series. It's the recurring characters one gets to know and care about that keeps one putting up with the pace. The "Inexplicables" seem unnecessary distractions with no purpose,but do serve some function as to the development of the series. But given the pacing, I can't help but wonder: will the Clockwork universe ever resolve its zombie problem? And how very long, almost painfully slow will this answer be revealed, one way or another?

markmtz's review against another edition

5.0

Set almost entirely inside the Blight-ruined city of Seattle, the latest Clockwork Century story from Cherie Priest is mesmerizing. I was choking on fumes and gasping for air along with the main characters. A chilling preview of things that might be coming, topped off a terrific tale.

mjfmjfmjf's review

3.0

Steampunk zombies in a walled Seattle during the period when the civil war will never end. Whatever. I definitely like this series better when it is not in Seattle. But it really isn't to my taste in any case. There's just not enough to it. And I'm not particularly interesting into fantasy set in the past.

misterg65's review

3.0

Although I enjoyed this book I felt it wasn't as good as earlier ones in the series. It seems to be aimed at a younger audience, but that might just be because the main protagonists are teenaged boys.

Don't let that put you off, though!

morepagesplease's review

4.0

I really love Priest's writing. She excels at atmosphere. Looking forward to the next one.

hoperu's review

4.0

If possible, I probably would have given this 3.5 stars. It wasn't my favorite of this series, but it isn't at all bad. I think the main character just wasn't as interesting to me as some of the other books, and some of the plot felt a little rushed, like Priest could have used another 50 pages or so to cover everything she was tackling.