Ganymede

by Cherie Priest

349 pages

English language

Published May 27, 2011 by Tor Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-7653-2946-2
OCLC Number:: 707969376

"The air pirate Andan Cly is going straight. Well, straighter. Although he's happy to run alcohol guns wherever the money's good, he doesn't think the world needs more sap, or its increasingly ugly side-effects. But becoming legit is easier said than done, and Cly's first legal gig--a supply run for the Seattle Underground--will be paid for by sap money. New Orleans is not Cly's first pick for a shopping run. He loved the Big Easy once, back when he also loved a beautiful mixed-race prostitute named Josephine Early--but that was a decade ago, and he hasn't looked back since. Jo's still thinking about him, though, or so he learns when he gets a telegram about a peculiar piloting job. It's a chance to complete two lucrative jobs at once, one he can't refuse. He sends his old paramour a note and heads for New Orleans, with no idea of what he's in for--or what she wants him to fly. But he won't be flying. Not exactly. Hidden at the bottom of Lake Pontchartrain lurks an astonishing war machine, an immense submersible called the Ganymede. This prototype could end the war, if only anyone had the faintest idea of how to operate it.... If only they could sneak it past the Southern forces at the mouth of the Mississippi River... If only it hadn't killed most of the men who'd ever set foot inside it. But it's those "if onlys" that will decide whether Cly and his crew will end up in the history books, or at the bottom of the ocean"--

"The air pirate Andan Cly is going straight. Well, straighter. Although he's happy to run alcohol and guns wherever the money's good, he's not sure the world needs more sap, or its increasingly ugly side effects. But reforming is easier said than done: the captain's first legal gig will be paid for by sap money, because the Seattle Underground is in dire need of supplies. New Orleans is not Cly's first pick for a shopping run. He loved the Big Easy once, back when he likewise loved a beautiful mixed-race prostitute named Josephine Early, but that was a decade ago. He's still on Jo's mind, he learns when she sends him a telegram about a peculiar piloting job. It's a chance to complete two lucrative jobs at once. He sends his old paramour a note and heads for New Orleansl, with no idea of what he's in for--or what she wants him to fly. But he won't be flying. Not exactly. Hidden at the bottom of Lake Pontchartrain lurks an astonishing war machine, an immense submersible called the Ganymede. This prototype could end the war, if only anyone had the faintest idea of how to operate it....if only they could sneak it past the Southern forces at the mouth of the Mississippi River....if only it hadn't killed most of the men who'd ever set foot inside it. Now the only question is whether Cly and his crew will end up in the history books, or at the bottom of the ocean. "--

1 edition

Angela Korra'ti reviewed Ganymede by Cherie Priest (Clockwork century)

None

5 stars

The fourth installment in Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century series, Ganymede is now finally getting into actual sequel territory. Like Clementine and Dreadnought, it's a standalone story--but this time, one of the spotlight characters in fact someone who previously showed up in Boneshaker, and we've got clear followup to the events in that book. So if you want to jump in on this series--and if you like steampunk, zombies, and/or the Civil War era, you should--this is not the place to start.

New Orleans madam Josephine Early is spearheading a secret Confederate attempt to hand over the submersible Ganymede to the Union, in a desperate attempt to turn the tide of the ongoing war. But no one's left alive who knows how to safely operate the machine, and so Josephine's forced to call for help to an old flame. She's fiercely hoping that the airship pilot Andan Cly will be able to use his skills to pilot a machine that goes underwater instead of through the air, and she's desperate enough that she isn't exactly ready to tell him that the machine's drowned all its previous crews.

And without a doubt, the relationship and backstory between Josephine and Andan is one of the high points of the book. I've found Priest to always be excellent at what romantic notes she introduces into a story, and this one's no exception; the prior state of this relationship is played off with the exact right understated note against the bigger picture of the current intrigues. Toss in some glimpses at New Orleans' zombie problem AND the issue of how the problem's spreading across the country, references back to characters in all three of the previous books, and a supporting cast of colorful characters (one of whom has a secret revealed that amusingly blows Andan's mind) and there's a whole lot to like here.

Bonus points as well for the amusing use of actual Civil War history. It was particularly amusing to me to see a news link going around about the restoration of the Hunley--the actual vehicle named for the man who's referenced in this novel as the creator of the Ganymede.

All in all, great fun. Five stars.