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inulroI bought this book ages ago because it is very, very pretty. (The Special Independent Bookshop Limited Edition).
Some years ago I bought one of Hardinge's previous books, The Lie Tree, for similar reasons (it is illustrated by Chris Riddell). It was good, but not great, so it might look like I don't learn.
This once, my lack of impulse control has paid off. I loved everything about this book.
It's set on an island chain called The Myriad were, until 30 years ago, the gods were tangibly real and lived in the sea. Then the Cataclysm happened and the post-deity community has a thriving trade in godware - salvaged parts of the gods, which power a steampunk-esque array of tech.
Our protagonist is Hark, a teenage orphan. (This almost put me off, loveable Dickensianesque urchins are Not My Jam). Having got caught doing pretty crime, he is indentured to a mad inventor and sent to the former priests' retirement home to glean more information about godware. But of course his old life on the periphery of organised crime follows him, and adventures follow.
I have just described so many over-used tropes that you could be forgiven for switching off now, but this story is so much more than that. It's saved by the prose, which is just gorgeous throughout. The world-building is top notch, and it goes off in just enough unexpected directions to keep things fresh and the pages turning themselves, while still being an enormously comforting read.
Just. Yes. More like this, please.
Some years ago I bought one of Hardinge's previous books, The Lie Tree, for similar reasons (it is illustrated by Chris Riddell). It was good, but not great, so it might look like I don't learn.
This once, my lack of impulse control has paid off. I loved everything about this book.
It's set on an island chain called The Myriad were, until 30 years ago, the gods were tangibly real and lived in the sea. Then the Cataclysm happened and the post-deity community has a thriving trade in godware - salvaged parts of the gods, which power a steampunk-esque array of tech.
Our protagonist is Hark, a teenage orphan. (This almost put me off, loveable Dickensianesque urchins are Not My Jam). Having got caught doing pretty crime, he is indentured to a mad inventor and sent to the former priests' retirement home to glean more information about godware. But of course his old life on the periphery of organised crime follows him, and adventures follow.
I have just described so many over-used tropes that you could be forgiven for switching off now, but this story is so much more than that. It's saved by the prose, which is just gorgeous throughout. The world-building is top notch, and it goes off in just enough unexpected directions to keep things fresh and the pages turning themselves, while still being an enormously comforting read.
Just. Yes. More like this, please.
