This book has a really creative setting (kinda alternate historical scifi) and I love the main character, but the whole thing kind of falls apart plotwise. The story doesnt flow very well because it rushes certain parts and then drags others out for far too long. I liked the technical descriptions of things like radios but they seemed out of place. I feel like this was a good idea but needed quite a bit more editing before being published. Lots of good ideas and lines about technolgy, death, gender roles, and society but they get lost in the confusion of the plot. ( )

It captured my attention right away. Now it leaves me wondering what will help to Sophie and Mikael. The mystery was kind of fun to watch unfold as the story progress. It made you wish that it wasn't the Veteran but when you found out it was him you wanted to fin out who was the mastermind behind it. Even though you wouldn't think it was Nicko Mood that had put this whole plot together in the beginning you begin to see at the end that there was a way and that he was the right person to have done the murdering and bombing just to rise in power. ( )

On the Tiptree Honor List for 2008.

The Explosionist was not quite what I expected when I checked it out of my library. However, I was rewarded with a different and, most certainly, interesting story.

The description for the book definitely caught my attention, but for some reason, I was expecting something totally different. For one thing, the book is littered with psychics and seances and etc. I'm not a fan of seances and psychics are neutral ground for me - I have no opinion on them. The story also failed to set a time period. I obviously could tell it wasn't modern, so I was thinking 1800s, but then they referred to commodities and inventions that didn't coincide with the time period. It took quite awhile until they mentioned someone's birth year and age when I was then able to calculate the year being 1936. That was a little careless.

Second, the story is full of European and Hanseatic history. Super in depth history. It was a little too much for a novel like this, and I even had to read the author's biography to see if it was a YA book. (Turns out, she normally writes non-fiction and such. This is the first YA book she's written, and it shows.) It made the story very dry and un-enjoyable, because if you don't pay attention to the history and politics, then you won't understand what's happening.

However, I did like Sophie (the main character) and Mikael (her best friend) very much. They were both interesting and diverse, but not completely formed. I would have liked more flesh to Mikael's character since he so special to Sophie.

The plot, underneath the crazy history and politics, was pretty good. I loved the whole deal with IRYLNS (pronounced 'irons'). It gave the story a very Sci-Fi feel to it. I think that a lot of readers will be fascinated with IRYLNS and I believe it was one of the more interesting aspects of the storing.

All in all, I enjoyed the book but its not a favourite. I would only suggest this to those who want a read a story that's a bit off the beaten path. I may pick up the second book..who knows? ( )

2.5 stars. Had a hard time adjusting to the alternate history thing. ( )