Flash Gold (a steampunk novella set in the Yukon)
A short, vastly entertaining steampunk short story with a sled dog race, betrayal, alchemy and contraptions unheard of.Kali was just the right amount of feisty -- not enough to be obnoxious but no pushover -- clever, and believably self-reliant. Kali is smart and determined to win her race and get out of Moose Hollow forever. The best part of the story is the chemistry, dialogue, and interaction between Kali and the cryptic Cedar, and the fluid, humorous narrative which moves along quickly. The action and tension build rapidly and keep your interest throughout. One of the main reasons I love steampunk (and at a larger view, fantasy) is because the author can be completely, uniquely creative and inventive and that's just what Buroker did here. Her Yukon is recognizable, but undeniably her own. This was a highly enjoyable novella that I would love to see expanded upon or succeeded by a follow-up. I would have rated this a 5-star book, but I just simply wanted more to the story; I need to know what Cedar's real name is!More of my reviews here: http://bibliophileanonymous.blogspot.com/