Book Review: Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear
Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear
Genre: Steampunk, Fantasy
Series: Book One/Stand Alone
Publisher: Tor (February 3, 2015)
Author Information: Website
Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
“You ain’t gonna like what I have to tell you, but I’m gonna tell you anyway. See, my name is Karen Memery, like memory only spelt with an e, and I’m one of the girls what works in the Hôtel Mon Cherie on Amity Street. Hôtel has a little hat over the o like that. It’s French, so Beatrice tells me.”
A lot of times, it’s the books that initially fly under my radar which end up impressing me the most. This was the case with Karen Memory, whose description didn’t actually appeal to me at first. After all, as much as I love steampunk, I’ve read so much of the genre that admittedly I’ve gotten a lot pickier in recent years. It’s going to take more than just airships and clockwork gadgetry to entice me these days.
The moment I read the first paragraph though, I knew I was going to be in for a treat. It’s not even just the “Old West” feel of the setting (which I’m a sucker for and gets me every time) that caught my attention, but the distinct and down-to-earth voice of the narrator which immediately tugged at something in my heart. Right away, I knew I wanted to learn more about her. I wanted to get to know her and hear her story.
Our protagonist Karen Memery turns out to a young “seamstress” (a euphemism those around her parts use for prostitute) working for Madame Damnable at one of Rapid City’s more upscale establishments. It’s late 19th century and the Pacific Northwest is at the height of another gold rush; like any frontier town that’s sprouted up around the mining industry, life is rough and the folks even rougher. Working girls like Karen at the Hôtel Mon Cherie know that the best way to survive is to stick together and look after one another, but not everyone is so fortunate to have an employer like Madame Damnable or friends to watch their back.
The calm is shattered one night when two young women arrive at the Mon Cherie seeking help and protection. This is how Karen first meets and falls in love with Priya, a prostitute who managed to escape the horrific conditions of a rival brothel, but not without its mean and nasty proprietor Peter Bantle in hot pursuit. Thwarted, Bantle vows to make Madame Damnable and her girls’ lives a living hell, and with what appears to be mind-control device in his possession, he might be more dangerous than anyone believed. When the flogged and bloody corpses of women start appearing around town, one begins to wonder if all of this is connected somehow. A new lawman rides into town with his Comanche partner on the tail of a vicious serial killer, and together with Karen and the friends, this ragtag but resourceful crew is determined to get to the bottom of this conspiracy.
At times, Karen Memory did feel very much like my perfect book. It is imaginative steampunk that feels fresh and full of life, served up as a rich blend of mystery, suspense, action and romance. The end result is difficult to describe, but delightfully easy to enjoy. As I said before, I have a weakness for westerns and stories that take place during the expansion into the western frontier, so I was charmed at once by Rapid City, resplendently brought to life by Elizabeth Bear’s evocative and vivid descriptions. Despite a healthy dose of fantastical steampunk, we never lose sight of the distinctive characteristics or nuances of this particular era.
Karen herself is an amazing one-of-a-kind character, telling her story with a candidness that I found very charming. The narrative style won’t be for everyone, riddled with its colloquialisms and informal jargon, but it worked surprisingly well for me. It made Karen feel so real — I could practically hear her voice and imagine her mannerisms in my head. I’ll say this — whoever is narrating the audiobook will have her work cut out for her, as it’ll be hard to top what’s already written on paper. Usually prose littered with slang and grammatical errors, whether they’re intentional or not, would drive me nuts (especially my personal pet peeve, “would of” instead of “would’ve”, which Karen repeatedly commits). That I was able to overlook them in this case says a lot.
No doubt the book would not have been the same without Karen’s unique voice, but the other ladies at the Hôtel Mon Cherie surely deserve a mention too. This entire cast of brave and capable kickass women will rock your world and fill you with admiration. After Karen, I’m especially taken with the character of Madame, inspired by the real Mother Damnable, Mary Ann Conklin who ran Seattle’s first hotel and high-class brothel. For a certainty, this novel features no shortage of spirited women will go to great lengths for those they love and what they believe in, and will not back down without a fight.
Karen Memory is a book about a lot of things – solving a mystery, hunting a merciless killer, saving the city from evil, and all the spectacular drama that comes along with such activities. But at its heart, the book is also about forging friendships, growing up, and chasing one’s dreams. Behind the rollicking adventure is also a softer, more introspective side to the story that will surely resonate with a lot of readers.
Final verdict? I would definitely recommend this. It’s actually my first book by Elizabeth Bear, but regardless of whether you’re a long-time fan of the author or relatively new to her work like me, you really can’t go wrong with this one. Check it out.
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes contained above are from the advance copy and are subject to change. My thanks to Tor Books!
The BiblioSanctum 
wow I didn’t expect that. I confess that when I saw the synopsis and the cover I wasn’t sure. I wanted to see how it was and at the same time I wasn’t sure to enjoy it but now? You made me curious. I’ll see if publisher sends it. Surprise lol. thanks lady!
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I hope Tor does send this, I think you would enjoy this!
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Glad to see you enjoyed this one! Karen is a great character, one of those ones that sticks with you long after you’ve read the book.
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Absolutely, Elizabeth Bear really crafted a living, breathing character with Karen.
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I am the wrong gender or I would totally narrate this book. But really they could pull just about anyone from my mother’s side of the family to do it.
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LOL now that I think about it, I wonder how one gets a gig as an audiobook narrator.
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I’m pretty excited to read this! It’s been on my list for a while, and I recently got a copy from Tor so it will be on my reading pile this month for sure. I just love the combo of western and steampunk, I don’t think I’ve run across it before! Plus, I get the feeling Karen’s voice is one of the big draws for this book, and I love distinct narrators.
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I’ve actually run across the western steampunk combo before, but they were pulp and horror, not like this. This was pretty cool 🙂
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I have this in my TBR already. I was pretty excited when I heard about this earlier. I’m glad to hear you have such a high opinion of it.
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I loved it! I think the main challenge for a lot of readers will be the narrative style, but if you’re all right with it, it’ll be a smooth and fun read 🙂
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“It’s actually my first book by Elizabeth Bear, but regardless of whether you’re a long-time fan of the author or relatively new to her work like me, you really can’t go wrong with this one.” Excellent. I’ve never read Elizabeth Bear, and was going to ask you where to start. 🙂
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Her Eternal Sky series might be a good place to start too, I think that’s where I would have started if Karen Memory hadn’t come along.
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So many decisions.
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This also was totally off my radar – but then, I live under a rock in case you didn’t know!
This sounds awesome. It’s now on the radar and on the list!
Ta
Lynn 😀
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It didn’t pop up on my radar until very late too, but mostly because up until the very last minute I didn’t think it would be a book for me. But then the buzz built up and I got curious…and thank goodness I did, because I ended up loving this 🙂
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I REALLY WANT TO READ THIS! LIKE RREEEEEAAAAALLLLY WANT TO READ IT. SO MUCH SO THAT I AM SHOUTING.
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I REALLY HOPE YOU’LL GET TO!!! 😀
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She just looks so cool. I’d read it for that
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Seriously, I love that cover.
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Is it wrong to admit that I’ve had my eye on this one mostly b/c I REALLY love that cover? *snickers* BUT since I finished The Eterna Files, and realized that my “meh” reaction to most steampunk was about Victorian-ism in general, rather than too much gadgetry, too little plot, I’ve been exercising more self-restraint. BUT the western aspect (for which I also have a weakness) might make this one an exception (b/c less tea and petticoats, more gunslinging). Fantastic review.
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Yeah, I love the cover. Karen Memory is one cool chick, doesn’t look like she takes any crap from nobody! And oh, I hear you about Eterna Files – I wasn’t blown away by that one either.
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I’m rather picky about steampunk too, but I enjoyed Karen’s voice in the quote. I’m glad this one was a success. I like the sounds of the mystery. I’m a little afraid because she’s a prostitute, but that doesn’t seem to make up much of the plot. That’s great that you were able to look past the intentional grammatical errors, those usually drive me nuts.
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Yeah, I usually don’t start reviews with quotes, but in this instance I just had to make the exception. It’s one of the most perfect opening paragraphs I’ve ever read in a book.
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Oh, this sounds good! I’m looking forward to reading it sometime soon. Or maybe I will see if there’s going to be an audiobook sometime soon.
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I hope it’ll be on audio. If it is, I’m going to have to listen to a sample, I’d be interested in who they get to narrate it and I want to see if she nails it 🙂
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Like you I really enjoy the occasional western but have been more hesitant about steam punk books as well. Sometimes it’s just thrown in there without any real use. I agree abut Karen’s unique voice and personality. She was such a perfect character I could totally get behind. I can’t wait to try out more by Bear now since this was my first one as well!
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Yeah me too! I’m going to have to check out my library to see if they have the Eternal Sky trilogy, or hop on over to Book Outlet to see if they have the books.
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