If Cherie Priest were a football team, I’d be the head cheerleader. "Gimme a P! Gimme an R!" Wait. Strike that. Bad visuals… Let's try this again. I have followed Priest’s career from the very beginning, from her stellar – and sadly underappreciated – paranormal fantasy saga featuring a “biracial Southern girl” named Eden Moore who can see the spirits of the dead (Four and Twenty Blackbirds, Wings to the Kingdom, and Not Flesh Nor Feathers) to her Lovecraftian masterwork Fathom to her urban fantasy series revolving around snarky vampiric thief Raylene Pendle (Bloodshot and Hellbent) to her award-winning Clockwork Century novels (Boneshaker, Clementine, Dreadnought, and the recently released Ganymede), a revolutionary series that has all but single-handedly put steampunk back on the literary map.
She is an exceedingly rare writer who not only has the courage to write in a diversity of genres and subgenres but also the talent to pull it all off in glorious fashion. I challenge anyone to read Four and Twenty Blackbirds (paranormal fantasy), Fathom (dark fantasy/horror), and Boneshaker (steampunk/alternate history) and not become a fanatical cheerleader for this writer. "Gimme an I! Gimme an E!" No, wait. Bad visuals again…
I love picking up new Cherie Priest releases because, regardless of what genre they’re categorized under, I never know what I’m going to get. Her Clockwork Century is a great example of what I mean – instead of writing a linear series that follows a cast of central characters, every Clockwork Century novel is essentially a standalone novel. Yes, some characters may appear in more than one novel but each story is ultimately self-contained. I love this approach to series writing – it keeps everything fresh and new – Pratchett does it in his Discworld sequence, Jemisin is doing it in her Inheritance trilogy, Feist did it to some extent in his Midkemia novels, etc. In the newest installment of Priest’s Clockwork Century, Ganymede, she does just that – although the storyline has connections to other Clockwork Century novels, it can be read alone (although I would highly suggest reading the previous installments beforehand.)
Andan Cly is the captain of an airship who, after years of surviving as a pirate, has decided to become a legitimate businessman. The giant of a man has an undeniable connection with Briar Wilkes, a Seattle widow who has seen more than her share of tragedy. But before attempting to make a life in the blight-plagued city of Seattle, Cly vows to help out an old friend (and former lover) living in New Orleans who needs him as a pilot for some mysterious task. The woman’s name is Josephine Early, a beautiful, biracial madam who has skin “like tea stirred with milk.” But Josephine is so much more than just a pretty face – she is a Union spy, and her grand plan – if successful – could not only end the Republic of Texas’ occupation of New Orleans but also conclude America’s Civil War once and for all. But what Early has in mind is virtually impossible: and that is to somehow maneuver a mammoth experimental warship, an “undermariner” (or submarine) called the Ganymede – from Lake Pontchartrain past countless enemy forces into the Gulf of Mexico to an awaiting Union airship carrier…
Ganymede is an understated tale of untold histories and unheralded heroes, one that is powered by some extraordinarily rich world building as well as more than a few passionate, courageous, and truly unforgettable characters. Priest’s storytelling prowess is evident on every page, in every paragraph. Whether it’s in the deadly underground tunnels of Seattle or the Louisiana bayou, she fully immerses us in this alternate history so much so that the reading experience becomes almost fully sensory:
“She walked briskly past people who were opening windows to catch the breeze that would billow through before the rain came up behind it. They were tying back curtains and inviting the air to sweep on through, push out the odors of cayenne and Tabasco, crawfish and rum, red beans and rice, and cigars and cheap tobacco. The Quarter exhaled paraffin and charcoal, incense and manure. It breathed diesel and industrial lubricant, barbeque and salt.”
Hardcore fans of Priest’s Clockwork Century may not find Ganymede to be as mesmerizing as Boneshaker or as thrilling as Dreadnought but it’s arguably her most accomplished work to date. This is a more refined read – with a storyline that was impressively intricate and brilliantly polished. I suppose the expression I’m looking for is, ironically, “like clockwork” – the narrative was flawlessly paced, with a fluidity and precision that seemed effortless. The characters – even the peripheral ones – were well developed and emotionally compelling. Although it wasn’t integral to the primary storyline, Priest made it a point to “flesh out” marginal characters like Ruthie Doniker, Houjin, and Kirby Troost. Some authors may have “revealed” Ganymede much earlier in the novel but Priest drew out the mystery until well into the latter chapters – it may seem like a small thing but because of this decision the urge to continue reading was undeniable. Priest is very much an artist at the top of her craft – and this novel is a subtle masterpiece.
And, again, that’s the beauty of how Priest is constructing this series – every novel is a new thread in the narrative tapestry, another historical cog in the machine that is the Clockwork Century.
The bottom line is this: because of Priest’s exquisite writing style, these Clockwork Century novels will appeal to not only steampunk and alternate history fans but literally anyone who enjoys fiction. I challenge anyone and everyone to read this series and not be blown away...
“Gimme an S! Gimme a T!”
Paul Goat Allen has been a full-time book reviewer specializing in genre fiction for the last two decades and has written thousands of reviews for companies like Publishers Weekly, The Chicago Tribune, Kirkus Reviews, and BarnesandNoble.com. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle.
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Well, Turtledove has obviously written a ton of alternate history – some more historical fiction while others are powered more by SF and fantasy – I would compare Priest to Turtledove in a few categories: both excel at world building and both are terrific at weaving an emotionally compelling story into that alt history tapestry.
It's not an unfair comparison at all – Turtledove is called the Master of Alternate History for good reason and he has written some absolutely amazing series (WorldWar/Colonization sequence, Darkness saga, etc.) but he has released some stuff that as far as I'm concerned have been good but not great. Priest thus far has published nothing but extraordinary works so... I guess we'll have to wait another decade or so and then ask that question again! 
