By David Barnett
Tor, $14.99, 352 pages
In Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl the suspicious disappearance of Gideon’s father sends him on a quest for answers. When the local constable doesn’t appear to take his concern seriously, Gideon decides to enlist the help of Captain Lucian Trigger, Hero of the Empire. After rescuing Maria, a mechanical girl with a dark secret, Gideon’s clues point to a larger conspiracy and he finds himself leading a motley crew with the very future of the British Empire at stake.
Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl is a fast paced Steampunk adventure with a healthy dose of alternate history and fantasy thrown in for good measure. Author David Barnett pulled in an interesting collection of historical people and one very familiar literary character as part of the cast, blending fact and fantasy into a highly entertaining novel. The first book in a series where America still belongs to Britain, and supernatural creatures are a reality amidst fantastical steam and clockwork creations, Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl is a solid addition to the Steampunk genre.
Reviewed by Whitney Smyth
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