Fran: C is for Beth Cato, Clockwork Dagger

Beth Cato’s Clockwork Dagger (http://www.tor.com/stories/2014/03/the-clockwork-dagger-excerpt-beth-cato) is a ripping yarn.  Steampunk dystopia, religious/spiritual magic and medicine, action aplenty.  I grabbed this as a spur-of-the-moment, everyone-else-is-ready-to-leave-the-library read off of the new sci-fi shelf.  The first chapter is really excellent—we follow our main character, Octavia Leander, as she travels through the big city on her way to start a new career as a medician (medic/magician); the incident sets up the cultural technology (with airships and steam cabriolets), her skills (channeling the spirit of the Lady to work the healing magic), her nature (cautious, caring, independent), the political scene (the truce between the two warring states, the downtrodden populace).  I continue to notice how little exposition there is for the reader—or rather how unobtrusive it is—we simply live in this world and the sheltered background of the main character provides us with the slightly innocent worldview we need in order to get the information we need.  It’s an excellent adventure in an alternate universe.  My only complaint is while the story wraps up, it does with the clear idea that it will be followed by another book to move our characters through the larger political intrigue.  Beth Cato better write fast.