Fiddlehead: A Novel of the Clockwork Century (The Clockwork Century, 5)

The first book that I’d read of Cherie Priest’s like most people, was Boneshaker. I found it a pretty good read, the end was a bit rushed and the middle was a bit long. But for an author’s first book it was amazing. This book, Fiddlehead, is the final book in the series of the Clockwork Century and it is the second book of Cherie Priest’s I’ve read. Which I thought was both ironic and kind of crazy. It also took me almost a month to read this 348 page book. Which usually means that the book is terrible and I’m having trouble getting through it. But actually, it was because the book was so good that I had to take my time reading it. I usually rush through the good books at lightning speed to find out how they end. But not in this case, from the first chapter sample I was able to read. I knew I would enjoy this book. Unfortunately, the book had some issues. Pacing being the chief among them. I was a little put off by some of the beginning and almost all of the middle. I felt that the book moved unnecessarily slowly. But that the story that it was ultimately telling was interesting and compelling. I would venture to say that around the 60% mark the book falls into it’s own and I was completely riveted. Also trying to prevent myself from reading the rest too quickly simply because I knew that this was it. I would never be able to read about Gideon Bardsley and his wonderful machine. I loved Gideon and while in the beginning of the book he seemed like a character of unresolvable discrepancies; in the end he came together and became one of the strongest characters in the book. Again the beginning and the middle of the book could have been a bit better. Finally, I would like to suggest to any fan of the Clockwork Century series that this is an excellent book and if you haven’t already read it to do so. For those, like me who have only read Boneshaker… Perhaps reading the other books in the series first will give a new gravity to this one. You certainly won’t be lost; but then, that isn’t always the only reason to read the previous books in a series. There are certainly characters from other books in there. So it is well worth really knowing who these people are before reading this book. But if you really don’t want to take your chances on the other books or for some reason you can only find this book; you will still love it. Certainly, Fiddlehead is the best Steampunk book I’ve read this year and I read Boneshaker this year. So Cherie Priest has certainly done a fair job of outdoing even herself, with this book.

The last book of the "Clockwork Century" saga wraps things up in a nice tight package, with characters from the previous books and new ones alike appearing (or, in some cases, _not_ appearing) to take part in the finale.It is late 1879, and the War Between the States is still raging. Lincoln stepped down as President after a near-successful assassination attempt in '65; he is a major character in this one. So is Ulysses S. Grant, a third-term President who discovers a huge plot taking place right under his nose...Gideon Bardsley, a brilliant inventor, has created a calculating machine called the Fiddlehead. The Fiddlehead assesses probabilities, and has determined that, if the War isn't ended and quickly, the result will be moot because of a plague that has crept up on both sides...(If you've read the previous novels in the series, you can probably guess that the plague is walking dead people, the result of the mysterious yellow gas that destroyed a small town called Seattle.)But someone will kill to keep Bardsley's message silenced. It's hard enough for him to be taken seriously, because he's an ex-slave; when he's falsely accused of murder, what can he do?Then there's Maria Boyd, an ex-Southern spy now working for the Pinkertons out of Chicago. Lincoln hires the Pinkertons to watch his house and extends his protection to Bardsley, and Boyd is sent to help. Her mission will take her back across the Mason-Dixon line...All these threads, and a few more, come together in a pair of explosive finales that will either end the war, or prolong it forever. And there are those who prefer the latter option...Priest writes cleanly and clearly, creates believable characters (given the somewhat unbelievable venue in which they are set), and keeps the story moving well.

This is the final full-length book to C. Priest's Clcokwork Century series, and she finished the series on a strong note. This is the high-water mark for steampunk novels right now in the USA.Fast page turning, tension driven story with not one, but two Civil War presidents involved, and cameos of characters from some of the other novels. Interesting characters, well defined and likable (wasn't the case with the previous book in this series) with some real history sprinkled in to entice the erudite. There is one point w/ an older character making an appearance where his back story is shoe-horned in and feels a bit awkward - like the author really, really wanted us readers to know his history but there was no good/easy way to tell us, BUT, the his back story tidbit is worth the awkwardness for less than a paragraph. hahaThis fifth book in the series wraps up a series loosely tied together, bringing aspects from most of the other stories in a pleasantly surprising and unexpected way.My only gripe, and it's minor, is the item that gives the story such an intriguing title is a very minor aspect of the story, and thus I find it a bit misleading. But, like I said, that's a minor complaint and if I was limited to fewer letters in this review, I'd not mention it.It saddens me more than a little to see this series come to an end, but she informs us it is not a full, hard stop, and that we can expect a few short stories to continue this steampunk world a little more.

I have been waiting for this book for months . I have really enjoyed the vivid world that the author has gradually built up over the course of this series. If this series does become a movie I will be at the head of the queue. Somehow this book didn't work for me as well as the others. If the others made me see movies in my head this felt like a television episode - not much really happens - yes there are shoot outs, yes there are airship chases but in a series with such scale it felt a bit 'small'. I hoped for more and I found the ending very predicable. I hope this is not the end for the clockwork century - Seattle offers so much potential to be revisited. So an okay read, if you have read the rest you will want to finish the series but not the really rich satisfying ending I had hoped for.

Have read all of the series so far and as other readers I was so looking forward to this one but it was disappointing as I found it so boring.It could have been set anywhere as the links to the previous books were so slight and the walking dead were only in the last chapter.The intro mentions its the last in the series and to be honest it reads like an end of a contract book only.Avoid this one as it spoils the series big time

Yes very good ending to a very good tale enjoyed all the books and look forward to reading more from this talented author

The world that the author has created is full of colour and detail, the reader has no trouble immersing themselves into it and picking up the characters, their allegiances, personalities and essential qualities. But it failed to grip me, and left me with a sense that whilst I was reading good plot, or good description, I was reading for reading's sake.

The whole series is very believable, well rounded cast that I can easily relate to this book takes the story forward logically and in a very entertaining way.