Reviews

The Nine Pound Hammer by John Claude Bemis

smorancie's review against another edition

This was a fun story. Conker was definitely my favorite character, with Buck a close second.

The group seemed very diverse, but. But, there were quite a few racial stereotypes, including names, so not quite sure about that.

theartolater's review against another edition

4.0

Steampunk clockwork historical fiction ahoy! I love the setting and concept behind this continuation of modern folktales enough to gloss over a lot of the flaws the book has - most notably a little lengthy and overdone at times. Still, it's a fun, different way to deal with the stories, and is mostly a really good time when it's all said and done.

papi's review against another edition

3.0

Not bad for a book targeted to young teens. While it was clearly oriented to that age level, I think when I was a teen, I would have really enjoyed this book. The Nine Pound Hammer is the first in a trilogy that weaves old American legends (John Henry, Johnny Appleseed, etc.) into a modern retelling and reimagining of those legendary figures. For example, the machine conquered by John Henry in the legend is, in this retelling, the embodiment of evil (Magog), given life and directed by a man bound to take over the world to his own evil purposes (Gog). The only ones standing in his way are the children of the legendary American heroes, endowed with budding powers by their parents.

I think any teen would enjoy these books, and it might inspire them to look back to the original American mythology. I hope so…sadly, those stories that used to be told around American hearths on cold winter evenings are rapidly being forgotten.

bittercactus's review against another edition

3.0

Loved the idea of an epic fantasy based in Americana! Writing was okay, especially shaky in the beginning. But I was definitely swept up in the story and characters. Though the big-bad reminded me of that Will Smith western flick... what was it called? So a familiar trope.

arthuriana's review against another edition

3.0

Meeeeeeehhhhh. That's all this book was for me. It was distinctly average, though I'd have no doubts that a child would have fun reading it. The mythology was great, though, and while I wouldn't be actively seeking out the sequel, I'd pick it up if I were to discover it one day, just to see more of how the author would continue this world-building.

zipperbee's review against another edition

3.0

It took me over a week and a half to read this and I know it wasn't completely the book's fault (I started a new job, etc.) however it never really did anything for me. This is a competently written book and I have no qualms about continuing with the rest of the trilogy... but I don't really have any desire to do so. We'll see.

luaucow's review against another edition

2.0

I think the author could have done a better job of world building in this one. It took me too long time to understand what was going on. Plus I've listened to too many tall takes lately, so I wasn't interested in this one.

jinksb's review against another edition

4.0

Folklore. Trains. A bit of steampunk. What's not to like? I am very jealous that today's kid lit seems so much better than what I remember being on the children's shelves in my childhood. Looking forward to book 2!

thedazzlingone's review against another edition

3.0

Entertaining, but I was pissed at Conker's death. All I could think was, of COURSE the Black kid dies. They could possibly bring him back, because they never found his body, but I don't even think that would be a good idea. I did like the idea of a melting pot of mystical people coming together to make a sort of American magic.