Ganymede by Cherie Priest officially hits the shelves today.
The smashing third volume in Priest’s Clockwork Century steampunk alternate-history Civil War series (after 2010’s Dreadnought) stars Josephine Early, New Orleans brothel owner and Union spy, who must deliver Ganymede, a prototype submarine, to the North. There are only a few problems: no one has ever successfully piloted the craft, and the Texian and Confederate armies are actively searching for it. Josephine’s former lover, Andan Cly, agrees to help while completing his primary mission of retrieving supplies for blighted Seattle, where noxious gas forces residents to live underground and zombies remain a constant peril. Priest is at the top of her game, equally deft with pirate battles and mature romance: Cly is tentatively connecting with earlier protagonist Briar Wilkes, sheriff of Seattle, making him elegantly cautious around Josephine as they both try to focus on their mission. Clockwork Century fans will dub this installment the best yet. –Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
Also available:
Clockwork Century: Boneshaker
Clockwork Century: Dreadnought
* * *
Plus, The Wounded Heart by Adina Senft releases today.
Widow Amelia Beiler, struggling to make ends meet for the sake of her two small children, is relieved when Eli Fischer offers to buy her late husband’s business. But then she’s diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Amelia wants to get treatment so that she can have a future with Eli. Doing so, however, will get her shunned from the only community she has ever known. VERDICT With this quaint, gentle read, Senft’s promising series is off to a good start and will make a nice alternative for Jerry S. Eicher readers who want to try a new author. (Includes instructions for making a block quilt.) –Library Journal
* * *
Also available today: the paperback of Weight of Stone (Book 2 of the Vineart Wars) by Laura Anne Gilman
Gilman’s second Vineart War offering is a fast-paced and tightly plotted tale that picks up right where the first book left off. Jerzy is a complex and likable hero who is loyal and intelligent. The magical system is highly original. Adventure fantasy fans will enjoy this series.
Vineart apprentice and former slave Jerzy is on the run after being accused of apostasy by the Washers, the religious sect of the Vin Lands. Accompanied by runaway noble Mahault, novice trader Ao, and Kainam, the named heir of the vanished island of Atakus, Jerzy has only begun to trace the source of the taint when he is called home to account for his actions. Unbeknownst to Jerzy and his friends, this is just the beginning of the fight for the soul of the Vin Lands.
–Romantic Times, 4 Stars
Also in paperback: Flesh and Fire (Book 1 of the Vineart Wars)
Coming soon: The Shattered Vine (Book 3 of the Vineart Wars)
Et in arcaedia, ego. 