Where to Start reading Clockwork Century
The best gateway into Cherie Priest's alternate-history universe is the series debut, Boneshaker. Not only did it win the 2010 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel and receive Hugo and Nebula nominations, but it also establishes the essential mechanics of this world—including the walled-off, gas-poisoned streets of Seattle and the overarching backdrop of the decades-long American Civil War.
Clockwork Century Reading Orders
Since the main novels are designed as standalone adventures featuring different protagonists across the continent, you can enjoy the series in two primary ways: by publication date or by chronological story order.
Recommended: Publication Order
Reading in publication order allows you to experience the world as Cherie Priest gradually constructed and expanded it between 2009 and 2015. Here is the publication sequence:
- Boneshaker (2009) — Novel
- Clementine (2010) — Novella
- Dreadnought (2010) — Novel
- Ganymede (2011) — Novel
- Tanglefoot (2011) — Novelette
- The Inexplicables (2012) — Novel
- Fiddlehead (2013) — Novel
- Jacaranda (2015) — Novella
Chronological Order
If you prefer to follow the strict timeline of events as they unfold across the war-torn landscape, use this chronological path:
- Boneshaker (2009)
- Clementine (2010) — Follows characters immediately after the events of Boneshaker.
- Tanglefoot (2011) — A prequel/side novelette set in the same universe.
- Dreadnought (2010) — Follows a nurse traveling across the country on an armored train.
- Ganymede (2011) — Set in New Orleans, featuring a high-stakes submersible mission.
- The Inexplicables (2012) — Returns the narrative to the ruined, walled-in streets of Seattle.
- Fiddlehead (2013) — Tying the political threads of the Civil War together.
- Jacaranda (2015) — Set in Galveston, Texas, following the events of Fiddlehead.
Series Connections and World Details
While the novels function independently, they share a rich alternate-history setting in the 1880s where the American Civil War has dragged on for decades, fueled by advanced steampunk weaponry, airships, and armored trains. The land is also plagued by "rotters"—zombies created by the toxic, yellow "blight gas" that was accidentally unleashed in Seattle.