Disclaimer: This review contains minor spoilers for Casket Girls.
It’s time for another review, friends!
Today we’re taking a look at Casket Girls, a novella that’s currently in Kickstarter by Bonsart Bokel (aka Radio Retrofuture). We’ve got mechs, convicts turned soldiers, and eldritch horrors aplenty! Not only that, but there’s even more to talk about with the horrors of war, comradery, political intrigue, and friendship.
So did it live up to my expectations? Does it deliver a fun narrative filled with action, thrills, and engaging characters? Does it embody the very ethos of steampunk?
Well, ladies and gentle-otters, it’s time for us to find out.
Our journey takes place along a South American prison colony with a convict named Marie, a “casket girl” who’s been given a dangerous mission. Her briefing: investigate the nearby town that’s gone silent; neutralize any signs of creatures moving from beyond the veil. This is only one of the tasks she must undertake, however, in order to reduce her prison time and win her freedom. Despite these limitations, Marie is quick to action, not to mention being an expert in piloting a mech she calls Pépite.
Upon reaching the lonesome town, she’s then forced to defend her comrades as they’re surrounded on all sides by enemies. It isn’t long, however, before disaster strikes. Marie’s mech is heavily damaged from the onslaught, and she’s all but paralyzed from the neck down.
For a time it seems all hope is lost. That’s when she’s visited in the night by a mysterious doctor - one who calls himself Constructor Petiot. He claims that he can give back control of her limbs and other faculties, but there’s a cost involved. She’ll be granted experimental powers, augmentations that will make her more adept, more valuable than any other soldier. However, there could be… side effects.
So what happens from here? you might ask. That, dear reader, I shall leave unto you.
I’ll go ahead and talk about what I enjoyed during my read. First of all - the setting. As I’ve mentioned before in my reviews of Bonsart’s writing, the Association of Ishtar is truly something special when compared to its steampunk competition. In lieu of cogs, gears, and other staples of the subgenre, we instead get something that at times verges on cyberpunk; yet the final result remains distinctly Victorian. There’s a nice blend of Jules Vernian science, as one might expect, but also some military sci-fi ala Starship Troopers. Last but not least, there’s a dash of Lovecraftian horror for good measure.
Even in spite of my gripes which I’ll get to shortly, it’s the world that remains one of the strongest aspects of this series. Casket Girls is by no means an exception to that rule.
I also found the mechs (otherwise known as CBs) to be quite intriguing in their own right. When manning one of these vehicles, the pilots are given a sort of instinctual connection to their automaton, allowing them a greater sense of control which improves with time and experience. Without diving into heavy spoilers, the consequences for poorly utilizing such a device can be severe.
A great spin, in my opinion, on a trope that many would consider cliché.
Last but not least, I have to mention how much I enjoyed some of these characters. Constructor Petiot was a wonderfully twisted mad scientist, where it feels like his shadow is constantly looming over the greater part of the story. Likewise, Eugene Chevalier was compelling as a “knight in blasted armor,” a black American who’s been sent to the war front with the rest of his chivalrous order. Lieutenant Guesclin was perhaps my favorite, however, as he’s a man whose face resembles that of a corpse. He’s not a nice guy by any means, yet there’s a sense of conviction and loyalty which I thought was more than a little intriguing.
On that note, before I dive into my criticisms, I should mention that this book is a fair deal spicier than its predecessors. The reasoning for this is pretty simple, as many of the soldiers we see fighting are convicts, prostitutes, and rapists - most of which are female. There aren’t any scenes I would label as disturbing, but if you’re not onboard with some lewd jokes, flirtation, and even an implied threesome at one point, this isn’t the story for you.
Now onto my gripes. This wasn’t exactly an easy thing to do, considering all the aforementioned aspects I enjoyed. I wouldn’t say that my problems here were enough to ruin the book by any means, yet there were several moments which gave me pause.
The first and (admittedly) most grievous criticism is that it’s not really clear who the protagonists are. I mentioned Marie as a major player beforehand, but a significant amount of time is spent dwelling on other characters. Not only this, but Marie is given shockingly little time to interact with the rest of her crew. What development she does have is told to us in retrospect, rather than being shown.
There’s also the case of Toinette and Bernadotte, two personalities who share a lot of story time together. Only it feels like their characterization is kind of shallow when compared to the other viewpoint characters. We know what they’re doing and how they interact with each other, but there’s little more given than that.
This felt like a missed opportunity. In retrospect, I believe having more scenes between them and Marie might have fixed a lot of my issues above. All three of them have the potential to be something greater and more profound - the foundation is there - but it needs a little more oomph to be truly spectacular.
The prose, in my opinion, follows a similar pattern. As far as plot and scenes go, I think the writing does a fair job of giving us what we need in order to follow what’s going on. However, I believe a bit more time could have been spent in giving us clear and evocative descriptions. I really don’t think much would be needed, just a little more engagement of the senses - perhaps a few landmarks -, so that we can get a clearer picture of what’s happening on the page.
Even in spite of its flaws, I still think the final product is worth checking out. It isn’t my favorite story from Bonsart, necessarily, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy my time while reading. Perhaps it needed a little more time in the oven, just a little longer to work out the kinks I mentioned above (pun intended).
In short, if you’re a fan of Bonsart’s previous work, I think you’ll enjoy this one. It’s a fun read to be sure, but it isn’t without its problems.
Final Rating:
Poor | Disappointing | Competent | Fun Read | Page Turner
You can find the Kickstarter for Casket Girls here.
Bonsart’s Other Links:
Thanks for the review :)