Review Detail

Fairly new to steampunk novels,, I was pleasantly surprised with Joe Golem and the Drowning City. Set in an alternate reality where New York City has been flooded, the story takes place in 1925. Molly, a spunky girl, works as an assistant to Felix Orlov. Although she has a trouble past, she is content to work for this unusual old man, a man she sees as a father figure. Then, everything goes wrong.  Joe Golem walks into her world when everything seems at its darkest.

As the mysterious Mr.Church exclaims, "It's time to speak of impossible things." Molly and Joe face the dark, the supernatural, and magic. It is in this world that "humanity [has] been perverted by magic and men [seem] as hollow as the dead"

Although Joe Golem and the Drowning City starts off slow and at points complicated, it provides an awesome thrill ride of a novel full of twists and turns into the darkest of places, some that can be found not only in the outside world but in the hearts of many.

I was slightly disappointed that the illustrations were sparse. I had envisioned an illustrated novel with more images. However, the illustrations provided are not only meaningful but add to the mysterious feel of the story.

This book appeals to fans of the steampunk genre as well as the fans of Hellboy. Due to some mature fears and experiences of Molly I would not recommend the story to some of my 7th graders. But overall I would recommend Joe Golem to ages 13 and up. Adult fans of steampunk will not be disappointed.  Dark and mysterious Joe Golem packs a punch in the Drowning City bringing the evils in this world and others to their knees.