BONESHAKER

Priest (Fathom, 2008, etc.) bravely, and successfully, ventures into steampunk and zombie-horror territory.

The action takes place in an alternate-history version of 1880s Seattle. In Priest’s variant, the Klondike gold rush came decades early. In 1863, Seattle scientist Leviticus Blue invented a massive steam-powered machine (Dr. Blue’s Incredible Bone-Shaking Drill Engine) to drill for gold through thick ice. When tested, it went out of control and wreaked havoc throughout Seattle, destroying several buildings and killing dozens. Soon after, a mysterious gas, the Blight, turned many who breathed it into predatory zombies called “rotters.” Sixteen years later, Blue’s widow Briar and son Zeke have little beyond a ruined family reputation. When Zeke impulsively decides to revisit walled-off Seattle to find proof that his father wasn’t a villain, Briar follows him into the rotter-infested city. Priest, a Seattle resident, delivers a fast-moving story filled with cool steampunk technology and scary zombies. Fans of science fiction will find much to enjoy here.

An impressive and auspicious genre-hopping adventure.