What if once you died, you could be rebuilt and brought back to life?
Before I began to read Bodacious Creed, I saw that it was steampunk zombie western. I know what a zombie is and I know what a western is. But what is steampunk? That is one genre that I hadn’t read before. According to the dictionary, steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction and fantasy featuring advanced machines and other technology based on steam power of the 19th century and taking place in a recognizable historical period or a fantasy world.
The brothels, the bars, the horses, and the gunfights in Bodacious Creed give you the feeling you’re in the Old West while the technology they have makes the Old West setting almost surreal.
James ‘Bodacious’ Creed is in town, and Anna (more about Anna in the next paragraph) wants to meet with him. Before she can meet with him though, tragedy strikes and the legendary marshal is killed. In The Princess Bride, death couldn’t stop true love. In Bodacious Creed, death cannot stop you from meeting the person you really long to meet.
Anna Boyle is the owner of the House of Amber Doves, but she is so much more than a bordello madam. She is a lady with many secrets, one of them being that she is an inventor. She has discovered how to bring the dead back to life but doesn’t run around bringing everyone who has died back from the dead. Deep down, she is afraid that her methods will be discovered by the wrong people who will use them for bad.
The zombies in this book are a bit different. Unless something goes wrong when those who died are brought back to life, they are nice. But if something goes wrong, well, they are uncontrollable monsters.
Two long-lost family members are reunited. Well, sort of. They are reunited with each other. There is a lot of tension and suspense about when and under what circumstances their true identities will be revealed to them.
As I stated earlier, this is the first steampunk book that I’ve had the pleasure to read. Did I enjoy it? Yes, I definitely did. It is full of action and surprises. Secrets are being kept. And there is The Syndicate . . .
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If you would like to read Bodacious Creed, there is an Amazon link for you below.
open book, tOrange.biz
Amazon Link: Bodacious Creed: a Steampunk Zombie Western (The Adventures of Bodacious Creed, Book 1)
Favorite Sentences:
The light of the sun reminded him that he had died, and the dead didn’t save people. The dead remained in their graves.
What if those researchers discovered how to raise the dead?
It struck him as dark and dangerous, but hadn’t the darkness always been on his side?
Technology had achieved what witchcraft only could in stories.
sweet alyssum, wikimedia commons
New Words Learned:
alyssum – a herbaceous Eurasion plant that bears small flowers in a range of colors, typically white or yellow. Several kinds are widely cultivated in gardens.
atonal – having an absence of key or tonal center
automaton – a moving mechanical device made in imitation of a human being
bordello – a brothel
cupronickel – an alloy of copper and nickel
man leading his horse, www.writingofriding.com
hostler – (historical) a man employed to look after the horses of people staying at an inn
vaquero – cowboy
Vitruvian man – a work by Leonardo da Vinci
http://mentalfloss.com/article/71390/15-things-you-might-not-know-about-leonardo-da-vincis-vitruvian-man
https://truththeory.com/2017/11/03/secret-meaning-behind-leonardo-da-vincis-vitruvian-man/
Whiskey Zombie Collective – an 1876 musical group that played frequently at Anna’s high-class brothel
https://www.deviantart.com/jonathanfesmire/art/Whiskey-Zombie-Collective-LIne-Art-707691910
About the Author:
Author Jonathan Fesmire, originally from Santa Cruz, California, now lives in Southern California with his son. By day, he’s a copywriter, by evening a steampunk author, and at all times, a dad.
Though Jonathan started out writing fantasy, he has moved completely to steampunk, enchanted with its aesthetics, possibilities, and implications. He’s a fan of the stories, the art, and the gadgets, and enjoys interacting with the community. In fact, Jonathan regularly interviews popular members of his steampunk community in The Wild Steampunk Blog.
