I knew this was a book that had been nominated for a hugo a few years back and it was on my higher to-read list for longer than I want to admit, but I had kept putting it off because steampunk was a genre I hadn't made much of an effort to read. Sure, I read Difference Engine back in the mid-nineties and was thrilled by it, and then I watched a few animes that kicked my buttocks. There were even a few very forgettable tv series and movies that drew in the whole sci-fi era and made me wonder if it was really worth getting into. 
 On the other hand, I did play some rpgs in both electronic and live-action that were really fun, so I appreciated the whole concept a lot more than I was willing to dive into the fiction. 
 That being said, I jumped in. At last. 
 I was happy and enjoying the brief setup, and then the story began. I have nothing specifically *bad* to say about the main characters, but I was always much more interested in the big bads than the protags. I enjoyed the settings much more than I enjoyed the characters, with the exception of Lucy and the Princess and that hulk of a man with the sonic booms blasting the zombies about the place. All of the concepts were a treat. The side characters were all quite great and fleshed out. It's a shame that I rooted for them more than our mother and son dynamic. 
 Other than that, I suppose I wanted a better payoff for the end of the novel. There was a lot of buildup and hints of this and that, but instead of a big finale, a great conclusion; I was rather disappointed with the rather fizzly nature. 
 Ok guys, It's fine if you raid my mansion, it's mine and I don't care, so steal from me. 
 Huh? ooohhhkaaaaaaay. 
 We've got the boneshaker here. I was half-expecting someone to start that monster up again and do something really explosive with the city, like bury all of the zombies well and good, perhaps sacrificing his or her own life to wrap up the sins of the husband/father. Instead... I don't know... it fell flat at the end and I wanted so much more. 
 Otherwise, I thought it was great and I hold it by a higher standard. It was good enough to be great.