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em013's review
3.0
I'm kinda uneven with this book. I was really good, but at some points on the books I would get confused. Would I recommend it? If the person was really into history I would.
ianthe_the_unicorn's review against another edition
3.0
The second book is in the mail and it can' get here FAST ENOUGH!!
tmdavis's review
3.0
This was another Cybil nominee but this was by far one of the strangest things I've read in a while. It might have served the author and reader better to have the author's note placed before the story rather than after as she explains what parts of the story are reworked to create her alternate version of Edinburgh in the 1930s instead of the reader wondering throughout the entire book.
Sophie, a 15 year old girl attending a school for young ladies lives with her Great Aunt Tabitha on the weekends. Scotland is on the brink of war and bombs are being set off by suicide bombers in the city of Edinburgh--even one at Sophie's school. When Sophie (whose great aunt is very much into spiritualism and seances) receives a message from the other side and begins to try to find out more about the conscription process of 16 year old girls (using a method of electroshock and brain surgery) that her great aunt advocates, she learns more than she ever wanted to know. Add to that the mysterious murder of the medium that passed along Sophie's other worldly message and Sophie and her friend Mikael are investigating a murder too.
Not really realizing that I was entering into an alternate version of history, I found the fact that Sophie could talk to the dead almost at will a little offputting. I remember thinking "Yeah, right. Wow, that was easy--just build a transistor radio and tune into the right station and presto, you can speak to the dead." Not to mention the fact that her great aunt is an advocate of the conscription of young girls (even at the risk of losing her niece) knowing that they will only be former shells of themselves in order to be "empty vessels" for the men they work for (so that the mens' emotions don't get in the way of their job--they fill the girls with their emotions but the girls must have their emotions removed initially for this process to work) made it harder for me to suspend belief--instead it removed me from the story instead of drawing me in.
Upon reflection, a very strange tale that is of course left open for a sequel--which I might read now that I know we are dealing with an alternate version of history (not that I know enough about Scottish history to be able to tell the difference).
Sophie, a 15 year old girl attending a school for young ladies lives with her Great Aunt Tabitha on the weekends. Scotland is on the brink of war and bombs are being set off by suicide bombers in the city of Edinburgh--even one at Sophie's school. When Sophie (whose great aunt is very much into spiritualism and seances) receives a message from the other side and begins to try to find out more about the conscription process of 16 year old girls (using a method of electroshock and brain surgery) that her great aunt advocates, she learns more than she ever wanted to know. Add to that the mysterious murder of the medium that passed along Sophie's other worldly message and Sophie and her friend Mikael are investigating a murder too.
Not really realizing that I was entering into an alternate version of history, I found the fact that Sophie could talk to the dead almost at will a little offputting. I remember thinking "Yeah, right. Wow, that was easy--just build a transistor radio and tune into the right station and presto, you can speak to the dead." Not to mention the fact that her great aunt is an advocate of the conscription of young girls (even at the risk of losing her niece) knowing that they will only be former shells of themselves in order to be "empty vessels" for the men they work for (so that the mens' emotions don't get in the way of their job--they fill the girls with their emotions but the girls must have their emotions removed initially for this process to work) made it harder for me to suspend belief--instead it removed me from the story instead of drawing me in.
Upon reflection, a very strange tale that is of course left open for a sequel--which I might read now that I know we are dealing with an alternate version of history (not that I know enough about Scottish history to be able to tell the difference).
abigailbat's review against another edition
4.0
When Napoleon won the battle at Waterloo, it changed the course of history. Now Europe is unified and poised on the brink of war with Scotland and the Scandinavian countries of the Hanseatic League. Fifteen-year-old Sophie investigates the murder of a medium who delivered a chilling prophecy to her. Soon Sophie's caught up in a terrifying political plot and she may be the only thing that stands between her country and a war to end all wars.
I found myself immersed in this intriguing alternate world and I loved the character of Sophie from the start. Though not without its problems (there was a major subplot that didn't mesh as well with the political intrigue as I would have liked), the premise, world, and plots were all interesting enough for me to overcome any flaws.
Read more on my blog:
http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/2009/01/book-review-explosionist.html
I found myself immersed in this intriguing alternate world and I loved the character of Sophie from the start. Though not without its problems (there was a major subplot that didn't mesh as well with the political intrigue as I would have liked), the premise, world, and plots were all interesting enough for me to overcome any flaws.
Read more on my blog:
http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/2009/01/book-review-explosionist.html
julshakespeare's review against another edition
5.0
5/5
I am truly appalled by the mixed reviews on this book because I really enjoyed it. I had never seen nor heard of The Explosionist, but I saw it at my public library, liked the cover, thought the blurb sounded interesting, and picked it up completely on a whim. Never did I expect to be so enraptured by it! Where to begin... firstly, I was very intrigued by the setting. I love historical fiction but I don't recall reading many alternate historical settings (i.e. in this novel, Napoleon won the battle of Waterloo). Because of this, 1930s Scotland (and the rest of the world) are quite different from how one might think, and I was afraid getting into this book that I wasn't enough of a history buff to follow along. Needless to say, I found the history talk was very digestible and not at all confusing. I also found the combination of science and the supernatural in this novel to be very compelling. We hear as much talk about chemistry and explosives as we do seances and ghosts, all of which linked so beautifully to the mysteries and dark secrets that are at the heart of the plot.
Beyond all of this I ADORED Sophie, our protagonist. She was written just as a fifteen-year-old girl should be (something that is painfully lacking in many teen and YA books). She wants to be taken seriously and be seen for her mind, not whatever may be holding her back (such as her age or gender- both of which, as she regularly reminds people, are not hindrances to her potential). Sophie is generally quite likable throughout the novel- I found her reactions to different situations and people quite reasonable and realistic, which is so refreshing in a YA book. I loved her friends- Mikael, as well as her roommates (though I wonder if the second book addresses Jean being in love with Priscilla because.... don't try to convince me otherwise)- and even the relationships she had built with her teachers.
I think my few complaints would be that the ending so clearly is there to set up a sequel (so much so that the last page is mostly just a series of questions that sounds like the ending of an old fashioned cartoon serial, I half expected the story to end with "find out next time!"), and that the second book has a title and cover that seem virtually unrelated to this book. And not even for the better. This cover is lovely, and the second looks so generic. But I will 100% be trying to get my hands on it and then likely devouring that one the way I did the first.
So overall I would say: if you think there's something intriguing about this book but you're wary because of some bad reviews, DON'T LISTEN. Please pick it up yourself and give it a try.
I am truly appalled by the mixed reviews on this book because I really enjoyed it. I had never seen nor heard of The Explosionist, but I saw it at my public library, liked the cover, thought the blurb sounded interesting, and picked it up completely on a whim. Never did I expect to be so enraptured by it! Where to begin... firstly, I was very intrigued by the setting. I love historical fiction but I don't recall reading many alternate historical settings (i.e. in this novel, Napoleon won the battle of Waterloo). Because of this, 1930s Scotland (and the rest of the world) are quite different from how one might think, and I was afraid getting into this book that I wasn't enough of a history buff to follow along. Needless to say, I found the history talk was very digestible and not at all confusing. I also found the combination of science and the supernatural in this novel to be very compelling. We hear as much talk about chemistry and explosives as we do seances and ghosts, all of which linked so beautifully to the mysteries and dark secrets that are at the heart of the plot.
Beyond all of this I ADORED Sophie, our protagonist. She was written just as a fifteen-year-old girl should be (something that is painfully lacking in many teen and YA books). She wants to be taken seriously and be seen for her mind, not whatever may be holding her back (such as her age or gender- both of which, as she regularly reminds people, are not hindrances to her potential). Sophie is generally quite likable throughout the novel-
Spoiler
the only thing she did to annoy me was choosing to respect Sheena's "wishes" by not telling her friends the truth about IRYLNS. Girl.. PLEASE SAVE YOUR FRIENDS.Spoiler
And I thought that it was a brilliantly inclusive stroke of genius on the author's part not to mention Sophie's limp until 350-odd pages into the book. Too many YA books use disabilities as crutches for character development, but disabilities are NOT character traits. I loved getting to know and love Sophie for who she was before learning this one thing about her.I think my few complaints would be that the ending so clearly is there to set up a sequel (so much so that the last page is mostly just a series of questions that sounds like the ending of an old fashioned cartoon serial, I half expected the story to end with "find out next time!"), and that the second book has a title and cover that seem virtually unrelated to this book. And not even for the better. This cover is lovely, and the second looks so generic. But I will 100% be trying to get my hands on it and then likely devouring that one the way I did the first.
So overall I would say: if you think there's something intriguing about this book but you're wary because of some bad reviews, DON'T LISTEN. Please pick it up yourself and give it a try.
jessalynn_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
A compelling alternate history that combines science, mystery and spiritualism. The Edinburgh setting is nicely vivid, and elements of the alternate history are gradually revealed - sometimes amusing, such as when various famous people are mentioned, having done quite different things to make themselves famous, and at other times chilling, such as the scene in the library or the general political situation. While politics come into it, the core of the story revolves more around Sophie's exploration of her world and how she fits into it. Her genuine interest in chemistry and her fears about spiritualism add to the story - and are important for the mystery she finds herself trying to solve. Other characters are fascinating and complex, like Sophie's guardian aunt, who teeters between lovable and despicable. There's a lot here to interest a variety of readers, and once things get rolling the book is hard to put down. A warning, though - the ending feels left open for a sequel, but without the promise of one. As a stand-alone, it lacks resolution - I would much prefer to know that I'll get to visit this world again and have a few more questions answered.
laraelwing's review against another edition
5.0
I'm still gathering my thought on it, review to come.
libraryelf's review against another edition
4.0
Sophie lives with her aunt on the weekends and has a normal life in a boarding school during the week. The catch: this story is told in a parallel universe to our own. Sophie grows up in 1930s Scotland where technology and politics have advanced much more swiftly and differently. Sophie's life is relatively uneventful with life being sort of normal and blah. One weekend though, Sophie's Great Aunt invites her to a seancé where her life changes. She is possibly contacted by a real spirit and strange events begin to occur. With her best friend, a boy, they set out to solve a mystery in this alternate history story.
Some of the twists and turns are predictable, but for me, when they happened, I enjoyed it. The book took a little getting into but at one point, I realized I was swept away into Sophie's universe and wanted to see how this all came together.
The ending of this book screams sequel as there are too many loose ends not tied up. Hopefully, there will be one.
Some of the twists and turns are predictable, but for me, when they happened, I enjoyed it. The book took a little getting into but at one point, I realized I was swept away into Sophie's universe and wanted to see how this all came together.
The ending of this book screams sequel as there are too many loose ends not tied up. Hopefully, there will be one.