Ancient Appetites

August 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-An exciting new steampunk adventure. The story of the Wildenstern family starts with 18-year-old Nate, a younger son just returned to the British family estate from the wilds of Africa, taming The Beast of Glenmalure, a type of engimal called a velocycle. These half-animal/half-machine beasts are featured prominently throughout the narrative. The work details a murderous coup that threatens to topple the magical Wildenstern family, whose members are difficult to kill thanks to their incredible healing powers. Nate and his allies race to discover how his older brother really died, the source of a rumored plot against the family, and the true nature of the "ancient appetites" displayed by a trio of resurrected relatives. The author creates a rich fantasy world using the backdrop of 19th-century England, combined with fantastical techno-beasts and a family of humans with mythical healing powers and incredibly long life spans. The internal turmoil of this multi-generational family is intense and resembles the powerful Russian sagas written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Leo Tolstoy. Thankfully, the spunky characters, accessible dialogue, and nonstop action make this novel enjoyable for contemporary teens who already enjoy the genre and are willing to tackle a dense and complex story. VERDICT For libraries looking to expand their steampunk collections.-Sunnie Lovelace, Wallingford Public Library, CT

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2015
Internecine squabbles fill this first book in a series. Returning to Ireland after an African adventure, 18-year-old Nathaniel Wildenstern captures and tames the Beast of Glenmalure, a motorcyclelike "engimal" (mechanical animal), intending to ride home in glory. But his brother Marcus' "accidental" death and the explosion at Marcus' burial force Nate to assume (unwanted) responsibility and attract (warranted) suspicion. Tasked with learning the family business, Nate ignores paperwork in favor of finding Marcus' killer. Their near-superhuman healing abilities make Wildensterns hard to kill, but their prodigious wealth and nigh-royal power make them targets-among one another and for their impoverished tenant farmers as well as four long-lost Wildensterns. Nate and his fellow young protagonists share the narrative spotlight in dizzying and unsignaled succession, yet they are underdeveloped and often unsympathetic. Sparse historical details, slow pacing, and a claustrophobic setting make this more austere science fiction than spirited steampunk; an unnecessary heist subplot complicates but barely contributes to the story. While Nate uncovers Marcus' killer, the mysterious origins of the engimals and the Wildensterns' healing powers wait to be resolved in the sequels. Despite intense action sequences and comic-relief robots, McGann's focus on tradition, power, and primogeniture makes this a read that may appeal more to adults than teenagers. A slow story of a dysfunctional dynasty with little plot but a lot of plotting. (Science fiction. 14 & up)

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September 15, 2015
Grades 9-12 In nineteenth-century Ireland, enigmals (hybrids of machine and animal) roam the streets. The Wildenstern family harness these creatures, along with their own advanced healing powers, to keep their position as one of the most powerful families in the British Empire. When the eldest Wildenstern, Marcus, is mysteriously killed, suspicion falls on his younger brother, Nate, who has returned from a stint in Africa just before his brother's death, and whose subsequent increased standing is a convenient motive for murder. Nate sets out, with his sister-in-law and cousin, to prove his innocence and find Marcus' true killer. Along the way, he gets caught up in the betrayal, secrecy, and ruthlessness that come with being a Wildenstern. McGann wastes very little time in building his original, alternate-history fantasy world, peppering the text with engaging details about rules, behaviors, and class to draw readers in. There's plenty of action, adventure, and steampunk atmosphere in this dense, imaginative, wild ride, which will leave fans of the genre scrambling for the sequel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)