The last in the trilogy came out in September, and made me realize that I had missed the arrival of the second. Originally, when I read the first, I only remembered the intricate caste system, the concept of flying couriers, and the noble "Exalted" class who were hidden behind intricate and restrictive robes and masks in all but the most private or extreme circumstances.
Clockwork Heart
Dru Pagliassotti
ISBN: 9781770530263
Re-read Oct 10
Clockwork Lies: Iron Wind
Dru Pagliassotti
ISBN: 9781770530508
Read Oct 12
In Heart, we're introduced to the mountainous city-state of Ondinium, made proud and rich by industry, and by the precious metal ondinum, which not only floats, but rises. This metal powers giant difference engines in the heart of the city, keeps timepieces and cable-cars aloft, and provides the ability for small and light-weight people to become icarii - couriers and emergency response crews who fly on enormous lighter-than-air metal wings.
These couriers are the only members of Ondinium's strictly regulated society able to transcend caste boundaries - marked clearly by tattoos on the face, or in the case of the Exalted, also marked by enveloping and restrictive heavily ornamental and stylized robes and masks.
Taya Icarus' immigrant family is from one of the lower rungs of society, but Taya herself, cleared for any job due to her position as an icarus, wants to be a diplomat. She's still worrying about her aptitude test when she responds to a cable-car accident, rescues a duo of Exalted, and is immediately thrust into a web of espionage and state-secret-selling, aided and wooed by two very different high-caste brothers.
In Lies, Taya has gotten her coveted diplomat job, but not quite the way she had imagined, and she is also a bit unprepared for the brutal nature of politicking and schmoozing in their neighbor-kingdom Mareaux. When her Exalted diplomat companion is the subject of multiple assassination attempts, the duo must protect themselves (diplomatically) work with their security escort to figure out what is happening (diplomatically), return home early (diplomatically) and once back home, survive a last-ditch effort to destroy them all. All of that only gets us to the halfway mark, and the rest of the book deals with the conclusion of their investigations and Taya's attempt to avert a true and enormous threat to the entire country, while still saving the man she loves, and trying to not shatter the ancient taboos she is bound by. The feel of this book was a lot different from the first - this was more like a heist novel or a James Bond story.
In both stories, I really enjoy the relationship between Taya and the Exalted - it's not one you see often in science fiction or fantasy novels (a notable exception being Mary Robinette Kowal's Regency-With-Magic Glamourist Histories). I also very much like the Lictor (police) Lieutenant Amcathra - again, nice to see a positive representation of police in this sort of story.
Looking forward to seeing the last book processed into the library collection: Clockwork Secrets: Heavy Fire was out in mid-September, so I should be seeing it soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment