The Clockwork Boys and The Wonder Engine by T. Kingfisher

[lightreads]

The Clockwork Boys and The Wonder Engine

4/5. Duology (or at least the story ties off neatly after two books) about a reluctant team of criminals and a disgraced sort of knight-priest and a scholar-monk teaming up to stop the spread of mechanical soldiers.

Ah, these are lovely. I hadn't read any of her adult work (this is Ursula Vernon's pseud), and I found her brisk, funny, warm style translates beautifully from her juveniles. This has heart and humor and a lot of kindness, and it is hitting that perfect spot where ugh-I-have-to-team-up-with-these-assholes turns into this-is-my-family-only-I-can-hate-them. The magic of these books is like that – it consists of ancient mystery machines that eat objects and spit out something new. The trials these people go through are like that – you're never quite sure who will be transformed, and into what.

Comments

[conuly]

Swordheart is set in the same universe, several years later, no overlap with characters. (Main male protagonist is still chock-full of self-loathing, though.)

[niqaeli]

I adored those books but wish I'd known that there is as strong a romance plot as there is before I read them. It is, mind you, well done and very enjoyable! But no one I'd seen talking about it... really mentioned the romance at all? I went into it for the worldbuilding and style, based on what I'd heard people chatter excitedly about. And I was still happy enough with those aspects, to be fair! But it meant it was a mental adjustment as I realised that this WAS a kissing book.

[readerjane]

I loved these too. After I finished reading them, somebody pointed me at Ursula's Paladin Rant, which is apparently where she laid out the thought process that became Caliban. I find it facinating.
https://mobile.twitter.com/i/moments/918567234896789504?lang=en

(Although I still have problems with giving him the *name* Caliban, because c'mon, Caliban is the creepy dude on the island in The Tempest!)

[kareila]

Is the end of the first book a cliffhanger? My library doesn't have the second one.