I am glad to say that I really enjoyed the book that I read this week. OK, I only managed to finish one, but this book was definitely worth my time!

This was another book that I selected, completely at random, from the Library’s ebook service: The Clockwork Dynasty by Daniel H Wilson. Here is the blurb:

“Follow a race of human-like machines that have been hiding among us for untold centuries.

Present day: When a young anthropologist specializing in ancient technology uncovers a terrible secret concealed in the workings of a three-hundred-year-old mechanical doll, she is thrown into a hidden world that lurks just under the surface of our own. With her career and her life at stake, June Stefanov will ally with a remarkable traveler who exposes her to a reality she never imagined, as they embark on an around-the-world adventure and discover breathtaking secrets of the past…

Russia, 1725: In the depths of the Kremlin, the tsar’s loyal mechanician brings to life two astonishingly humanlike mechanical beings. Peter and Elena are a brother and sister fallen out of time, possessed with uncanny power, and destined to serve great empires. Struggling to blend into pre-Victorian society, they are pulled into a legendary war that has raged for centuries.

The Clockwork Dynasty interweaves past and present, exploring a race of beings designed to live by ironclad principles, yet constantly searching for meaning. As June plunges deeper into their world, her choices will ultimately determine their survival or extermination.”

And here we have the review that I wrote on the Goodreads website:

The Clockwork Dynasty by Daniel H. Wilson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I truly haven’t read anything like this before! Having heard of steampunk, I suppose it must fit that genre, so this is my first steampunk book?

Anyway, I found the book very interesting and intriguing. I liked the way that the present and the past were written in alternate chapters, gradually moving together into one timeline. The descriptions of the “avtomat” were also excellent. Full of tiny details that brought them to “life”. Their continued development over the centuries was particularly well-written.

Like many of the reviewers here, on Goodreads, I am disappointed to read that the author does not intend to develop his ideas into a longer series. I am sure that there are aspects of the avtomat that could be further explored.

View all my reviews

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I love how serendipity can triumph, at times! OK, I really enjoy finding a new book in a favourite series or by an author I admire, but the deep joy of books comes, for me, from stumbling across something that surprisingly speaks to me. Then the author is added to my mental “Watch” list for future exploration. Wonderful 😊😊😊.

My next book is by an author whose work I have been intending to explore for some years: China Miéville. I will let you know next week how I get on with The Scar.

Until then: Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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