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Clockwork Earth #1
Mainspring
Jay Lake's first trade novel is an astounding work of creation. Lake has envisioned a clockwork solar system, where the planets move in a vast system of gears around the lamp of the Sun. It is a universe where the hand of the Creator is visible to anyone who simply looks up into the sky, and sees the track of the heavens, the wheels of the Moon, and the great Equatorial gears of the Earth itself.
Mainspring is the story of a young clockmaker's apprentice, who is visited by the Archangel Gabriel. He is told that he must take the Key Perilous and rewind the Mainspring of the Earth. It is running down, and disaster to the planet will ensue if it's not rewound. From innocence and ignorance to power and self-knowledge, the young man will make the long and perilous journey to the South Polar Axis, to fulfill the commandment of his God.
Mainspring is the story of a young clockmaker's apprentice, who is visited by the Archangel Gabriel. He is told that he must take the Key Perilous and rewind the Mainspring of the Earth. It is running down, and disaster to the planet will ensue if it's not rewound. From innocence and ignorance to power and self-knowledge, the young man will make the long and perilous journey to the South Polar Axis, to fulfill the commandment of his God.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
About the author
Jay Lake
238 books250 followersJay Lake lived in Portland, Oregon, where he worked on multiple writing and editing projects. His 2007 book Mainspring received a starred review in Booklist. His short fiction appeared regularly in literary and genre markets worldwide. Jay won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, Endeavour Award, and was a multiple nominee for the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards.
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September 4, 2007I bought this novel on the basis of Cory Doctorow's cover blurb, and man do I want to kick his ass. This book is horribly written. Character development is non-existent. Our hero, Hethor goes off on this quest to rewind the mainspring of his clockwork earth at the behest of the archangel Gabriel. Along the way he stops off in a sucession of thinly-imagined fantasy cities that all feel like they were cobbled together for a clockpunk D&D campaign and has sex with a tiny monkey lady. I know, I know. It sounds awesome. And maybe if home-skillet could write his way out of a wet paper bag, it would have been.
We never get any sense that Hethor is changing, that the skills and courage that he displays in facing his challenges stem from anything other than authorial laziness. The prose is stilted, the dialog pathetic. No one in Mainspring ever says anything that isn't either crudely pertinent to propping up the soggy plot or just fantastically stupid. Also, the reimagination of the earth is super sloppy. None of the cultures or settings involved seem to cohere. In a genre where world-building is usually fetishistically meticulous, this is particularly dismaying.
All in all, I have to say that I can't believe that I finished reading this steaming pile of donkey vomit. Or that this guy is getting money from me. Books like this are why people still sneer at SF.
We never get any sense that Hethor is changing, that the skills and courage that he displays in facing his challenges stem from anything other than authorial laziness. The prose is stilted, the dialog pathetic. No one in Mainspring ever says anything that isn't either crudely pertinent to propping up the soggy plot or just fantastically stupid. Also, the reimagination of the earth is super sloppy. None of the cultures or settings involved seem to cohere. In a genre where world-building is usually fetishistically meticulous, this is particularly dismaying.
All in all, I have to say that I can't believe that I finished reading this steaming pile of donkey vomit. Or that this guy is getting money from me. Books like this are why people still sneer at SF.
June 1, 2014
UPDATE 6/1/2014: My blog about Jay Lake's death.
It's time for the next review in my Jay Wake Pre-Mortem Jay Lake Read-a-thon! And today, Lake does what so few others in my 53 years have done: Used the word "God" and not made me screechingly furiously attack-mode angry. MAINSPRING, reviewed at Shelf Inflicted, is a good book for many reasons. That one is mine. Others include elegant phrasemaking, deft plotting, and a re-imagining of the laws of the Universe that's breathtaking.
I'm very happy I've read, and re-read, this book.
It's time for the next review in my Jay Wake Pre-Mortem Jay Lake Read-a-thon! And today, Lake does what so few others in my 53 years have done: Used the word "God" and not made me screechingly furiously attack-mode angry. MAINSPRING, reviewed at Shelf Inflicted, is a good book for many reasons. That one is mine. Others include elegant phrasemaking, deft plotting, and a re-imagining of the laws of the Universe that's breathtaking.
I'm very happy I've read, and re-read, this book.
March 7, 2011
Why hello, alternate universe with airships; we meet again.
This was not the way I intended to start reading Jay Lake. I heard about him when Green came out and added that to my to-read list, but when I was at a used book store, Mainspring and Escapement were there, so I bought them. I always regret when my first experience with a new author I'm anticipating reading is a sour one. Sadly, Mainspring testifies to the dangers of setting a lousy story in an amazing world.
Lake takes steampunk to its logical extreme and has created a universe literally designed to function as clockwork. The Earth rotates around a mainspring (hence the title). All around the equator is a wall of mountains topped with brass teeth that mesh with an orbital track; the Earth revolves using gears. With God's craftsmanship evident in the cosmos, it seems like a foregone conclusion that the universe was designed by a Maker. Lake reinforces this when he sends a brass angel to incite his protagonist off on a quest. Nevertheless, as Mainspring unfolds, the question of the universe's origin and meaning is one of many things that are more complicated than they first appear.
I don't like Hethor. He's not that smart, not that deep, and all too foolhardy. If the fate of the world really were in Hethor's hands, as they are in Mainspring, we would be Screwed with a capital S. As it is, he manages to Screw us over (which is a good thing, what with rewinding the mainspring of the Earth) despite channelling epic fail for the entire novel. The archangel Gabriel tells Hethor he must acquire the lost Key Perilous, which he can then use to rewind the Earth's mainspring. Of course, being the cryptic messenger of God that he is, Gabriel fails to instruct Hethor how to go about doing this, or even provide a hint as to the Key's location. Hethor stumbles around the world for a few hundred pages, getting too many people killed along the way, and doesn't end up finding the Key. That's OK though, because it turns out that as long as he gets himself to the mainspring, he can rewind it anyway.
I had high hopes for Hethor at the beginning of his quest. And Mainspring is totally in the style of the epic fairy-tale quest. Hethor encounters a number of supernatural guardians he must defeat along his way to finding the Key and saving the world, not the least of which is William of Ghent, a "sorcerer" and Rational Humanist who doesn't seem to know what he wants or what Hethor wants. Lake is never entirely clear on anyone's motivations, and Hethor doesn't bat an eye when his actions cause William to fall (but not fatally) into the depths of the clockwork Earth. No, for this young boy who until a few weeks ago was a clockmaker's apprentice in New Haven, almost killing someone is par for the course.
My apathy for Hethor grew measurably at this point, and its growth proceeded apace for the rest of the book. Despite its quest-like structure, Mainspring makes Hethor into an utterly reactionary protagonist. He just goes along with whatever happens to him; it's very mellow, but it's also a frustrating lack of direction for someone who is supposed to have a very specific purpose. Although he says he is concerned about having no idea where the Key Perilous might be located, his actions (or lack thereof) tell a different story. No, Hethor, in his infinite wisdom and laziness, is content to continue following a breadcrumb trail of golden tablets that drop from the sky.
So Mainspring consists of an uninspiring main character wandering from conflict to conflict. He's supposed to be a misogynistic young prude from Victorian New England, but he has no qualms about having sex with a woman from among the hirsute people who live near the Equatorial Wall in Africa. (This entire part of the book made me very uncomfortable. I recognize that Lake challenges Hethor's internalized Victorian sensibilities about savages and the superiority of English imperialism. Still, a whole bunch of furry people killing in his name and viewing him as a kind of messenger-messiah … well, I'll leave it at that.)
The whole idea of a clockwork Earth is fascinating when expressed as a sentence, but there the romance with this fantasy must end. Lake just doesn't put enough work into convincing me his alternate world is viable. So Queen Victoria still rules the New England colonies. Why? Why are Britain and China the dominant powers? What else is different in this world where no one in the book has ever been to Australia? Instead of providing much background, Lake focuses instead on Hethor's quest, about which I'm torn. Do I not care about it because agents of a force I guess is God always seem to rescue Hethor whenever he's in peril? Do I not care because Hethor, despite not following any instructions he's given, manages to succeed anyway, and it all seems rather pointless in the end?
At first I intended to give this book two stars. However, I have struggled to think of a single positive example to balance my negative tone. I'm drawing a blank. So while I wanted to be charitable, I really can't justify it: Mainspring is disappointing, frustrating, and not all that entertaining.
My Reviews of the Clockwork Earth series:
Escapement →
This was not the way I intended to start reading Jay Lake. I heard about him when Green came out and added that to my to-read list, but when I was at a used book store, Mainspring and Escapement were there, so I bought them. I always regret when my first experience with a new author I'm anticipating reading is a sour one. Sadly, Mainspring testifies to the dangers of setting a lousy story in an amazing world.
Lake takes steampunk to its logical extreme and has created a universe literally designed to function as clockwork. The Earth rotates around a mainspring (hence the title). All around the equator is a wall of mountains topped with brass teeth that mesh with an orbital track; the Earth revolves using gears. With God's craftsmanship evident in the cosmos, it seems like a foregone conclusion that the universe was designed by a Maker. Lake reinforces this when he sends a brass angel to incite his protagonist off on a quest. Nevertheless, as Mainspring unfolds, the question of the universe's origin and meaning is one of many things that are more complicated than they first appear.
I don't like Hethor. He's not that smart, not that deep, and all too foolhardy. If the fate of the world really were in Hethor's hands, as they are in Mainspring, we would be Screwed with a capital S. As it is, he manages to Screw us over (which is a good thing, what with rewinding the mainspring of the Earth) despite channelling epic fail for the entire novel. The archangel Gabriel tells Hethor he must acquire the lost Key Perilous, which he can then use to rewind the Earth's mainspring. Of course, being the cryptic messenger of God that he is, Gabriel fails to instruct Hethor how to go about doing this, or even provide a hint as to the Key's location. Hethor stumbles around the world for a few hundred pages, getting too many people killed along the way, and doesn't end up finding the Key. That's OK though, because it turns out that as long as he gets himself to the mainspring, he can rewind it anyway.
I had high hopes for Hethor at the beginning of his quest. And Mainspring is totally in the style of the epic fairy-tale quest. Hethor encounters a number of supernatural guardians he must defeat along his way to finding the Key and saving the world, not the least of which is William of Ghent, a "sorcerer" and Rational Humanist who doesn't seem to know what he wants or what Hethor wants. Lake is never entirely clear on anyone's motivations, and Hethor doesn't bat an eye when his actions cause William to fall (but not fatally) into the depths of the clockwork Earth. No, for this young boy who until a few weeks ago was a clockmaker's apprentice in New Haven, almost killing someone is par for the course.
My apathy for Hethor grew measurably at this point, and its growth proceeded apace for the rest of the book. Despite its quest-like structure, Mainspring makes Hethor into an utterly reactionary protagonist. He just goes along with whatever happens to him; it's very mellow, but it's also a frustrating lack of direction for someone who is supposed to have a very specific purpose. Although he says he is concerned about having no idea where the Key Perilous might be located, his actions (or lack thereof) tell a different story. No, Hethor, in his infinite wisdom and laziness, is content to continue following a breadcrumb trail of golden tablets that drop from the sky.
So Mainspring consists of an uninspiring main character wandering from conflict to conflict. He's supposed to be a misogynistic young prude from Victorian New England, but he has no qualms about having sex with a woman from among the hirsute people who live near the Equatorial Wall in Africa. (This entire part of the book made me very uncomfortable. I recognize that Lake challenges Hethor's internalized Victorian sensibilities about savages and the superiority of English imperialism. Still, a whole bunch of furry people killing in his name and viewing him as a kind of messenger-messiah … well, I'll leave it at that.)
The whole idea of a clockwork Earth is fascinating when expressed as a sentence, but there the romance with this fantasy must end. Lake just doesn't put enough work into convincing me his alternate world is viable. So Queen Victoria still rules the New England colonies. Why? Why are Britain and China the dominant powers? What else is different in this world where no one in the book has ever been to Australia? Instead of providing much background, Lake focuses instead on Hethor's quest, about which I'm torn. Do I not care about it because agents of a force I guess is God always seem to rescue Hethor whenever he's in peril? Do I not care because Hethor, despite not following any instructions he's given, manages to succeed anyway, and it all seems rather pointless in the end?
At first I intended to give this book two stars. However, I have struggled to think of a single positive example to balance my negative tone. I'm drawing a blank. So while I wanted to be charitable, I really can't justify it: Mainspring is disappointing, frustrating, and not all that entertaining.
My Reviews of the Clockwork Earth series:
Escapement →
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2011
I'll start it short: This is a terrible book.
The premise is excellent, as is the cover. The execution, however, is amateurish at best and laughable at worst. There were some 4 star moments, though - the journey, to be fair, proceeded as follows:
3 stars, 4 stars, 3, 4, 2, 2, 1...
The second half of this book is so unsatisfying, and the ending so trite and faux-didactic that I had trouble not throwing it across the room. As a massive sf/fantasy literary snob (China Mieville is my hero), I was actually insulted to have been conned into buying and reading this book.
The premise is classic steampunk/clockpunk - what if the solar system were a giant clockwork mechanism, and the planet was winding down and needed to be rewound? The book, however, is classic bait-and-switch. There is no steampunk here beyond the premise, and after the halfway point the book just becomes tiresome and tedious. The main character is uninteresting, his 'perils' uninspiring, and we are never concerned that he is in any danger of failure on his quest. Actions, scenes, characters and ideas are thrown around, but the author never does us the courtesy of explaining them. The message of the entire book seems to be 'trust in god' which never sits well with me anyway, but this message isn't even delivered in an interesting way. A massive, massive disappointment, and I should probably give the book away to someone I don't like.
Have I mentioned how terrible this book is? Well, let's ignore a pointless sex scene thrown in randomly later in the book to establish a growing bond between the main character and his nominal girlfriend; let's ignore the impossible nature of the equatorial gear crossing (Imagine the worst possible writing mistake about a world where the baseline earth is a giant clockwork mechanism and the concept of gears is fundamental??? Try thinking about the shape of a gear for a second, just one second, a fraction of time less than it would have taken the author to google a picture of a gear, for example...); let's ignore foolish exposition and grade school philosophy and metaphysics that makes the Matrix look like holy revelation by comparison; let's ignore long, tedious travelling scenes followed by condescendingly short and ridiculous action scenes with monsters who appear for no reason and out of nowhere... What's left to ignore?
There was a tiny fraction of potential in this novel, and it was wasted.
I think Jay Lake should go read Polystom: Two Universes in One Reality (Gollancz). That was an excellent take on a similar idea. It even had a point! This, however wasn't and hadn't.
The premise is excellent, as is the cover. The execution, however, is amateurish at best and laughable at worst. There were some 4 star moments, though - the journey, to be fair, proceeded as follows:
3 stars, 4 stars, 3, 4, 2, 2, 1...
The second half of this book is so unsatisfying, and the ending so trite and faux-didactic that I had trouble not throwing it across the room. As a massive sf/fantasy literary snob (China Mieville is my hero), I was actually insulted to have been conned into buying and reading this book.
The premise is classic steampunk/clockpunk - what if the solar system were a giant clockwork mechanism, and the planet was winding down and needed to be rewound? The book, however, is classic bait-and-switch. There is no steampunk here beyond the premise, and after the halfway point the book just becomes tiresome and tedious. The main character is uninteresting, his 'perils' uninspiring, and we are never concerned that he is in any danger of failure on his quest. Actions, scenes, characters and ideas are thrown around, but the author never does us the courtesy of explaining them. The message of the entire book seems to be 'trust in god' which never sits well with me anyway, but this message isn't even delivered in an interesting way. A massive, massive disappointment, and I should probably give the book away to someone I don't like.
Have I mentioned how terrible this book is? Well, let's ignore a pointless sex scene thrown in randomly later in the book to establish a growing bond between the main character and his nominal girlfriend; let's ignore the impossible nature of the equatorial gear crossing (Imagine the worst possible writing mistake about a world where the baseline earth is a giant clockwork mechanism and the concept of gears is fundamental??? Try thinking about the shape of a gear for a second, just one second, a fraction of time less than it would have taken the author to google a picture of a gear, for example...); let's ignore foolish exposition and grade school philosophy and metaphysics that makes the Matrix look like holy revelation by comparison; let's ignore long, tedious travelling scenes followed by condescendingly short and ridiculous action scenes with monsters who appear for no reason and out of nowhere... What's left to ignore?
There was a tiny fraction of potential in this novel, and it was wasted.
I think Jay Lake should go read Polystom: Two Universes in One Reality (Gollancz). That was an excellent take on a similar idea. It even had a point! This, however wasn't and hadn't.
July 18, 2009
I happen to believe in a divine creator. I readily admit, however, that it's not always easy to maintain such a belief, particularly in the light of suffering or injustice. So my faith waivers from time to time. I am forced to reevaluate my beliefs in light of what I see around me and elsewhere in the world. Sometimes I come back to my roots and sometimes I am compelled to alter my faith to conform to reality.
Yet the question of a divine creator’s existence is only one among many, and it’s all too easy to get hung up on that question without considering others that are just as important. Indeed, it’s all too easy to confuse the “existence question” with questions about the nature of the creator, the nature of human beings, and the nature of our relationship with our creator and with the world around us. Our biases, preconceptions, and prejudices lead us to assume that, if a creator exists, he/she/it must be a certain way. He/she/it would look, think, and behave in the way we expect a creator would. And so when we do not see in this world the influence of the kind of creator we expect, we reason that there is no creator at all. For it may be much more simple to believe in no creator than to believe in a creator who is different from the one we want.
In Mainspring, the author takes a unique approach to help the characters (and, by extension, the readers) sort through our philosophical and spiritual uncertainties: he resolves the “existence question” conclusively and, thereby, removes that question from consideration. In the Mainspring universe, a great wall topped by gear teeth encircles the world and moves the Earth along its vast orbital track around the sun. The other planets and satellites in our solar system move along like mechanisms. The Hand of God in creating the universe is, therefore, apparent and undeniable to any who are willing to simply raise their eyes to the sky. The “existence question” is no question at all.
Jay Lake tells us, “Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that God exists and He created the Heavens and the Earth.” If the reader is willing to make that assumption, at least temporarily, then the reader is free to ask the other, often sticker and more difficult spiritual and philosophical questions without getting hung up on the question of whether God exists in the first place. The reader can cast off prejudices about what God ought to be like and instead concentrate on what God is like. Forget about how humans would interact with their creator and think about how humans should interact with their creator. Those are the questions with which the characters in Mainspring must wrestle.
Not the best book I’ve read by a long shot, but it’s unique, fun, and thought-provoking. I also think the author’s inexperience shows through in the writing in some places. I’m willing to give him a pass on that for now, though I will expect some mild improvements in his future works.
As a post script, let me answer three objections to Mainspring I’ve seen on various comment boards. The first is that Mainspring isn’t “real” Steampunk. My answer to that is: who gives a shit? If you like the book, you like it. If you don’t like the book, you don’t like it. I don’t understand why it’s so important to some folks to categorize everything they read. The second objections is that Jay Lake’s metaphor for creation is too obvious. My answer is that the metaphor is supposed to be obvious in order to remove the question of whether God exists. Finally, the third objection is that the first half of Mainspring is a wild, exciting ride but the second half puts on the breaks and slows to a crawl. My answer is that the first half is more about the protagonist’s physical journey, while the second half is more about his spiritual journey.
Yet the question of a divine creator’s existence is only one among many, and it’s all too easy to get hung up on that question without considering others that are just as important. Indeed, it’s all too easy to confuse the “existence question” with questions about the nature of the creator, the nature of human beings, and the nature of our relationship with our creator and with the world around us. Our biases, preconceptions, and prejudices lead us to assume that, if a creator exists, he/she/it must be a certain way. He/she/it would look, think, and behave in the way we expect a creator would. And so when we do not see in this world the influence of the kind of creator we expect, we reason that there is no creator at all. For it may be much more simple to believe in no creator than to believe in a creator who is different from the one we want.
In Mainspring, the author takes a unique approach to help the characters (and, by extension, the readers) sort through our philosophical and spiritual uncertainties: he resolves the “existence question” conclusively and, thereby, removes that question from consideration. In the Mainspring universe, a great wall topped by gear teeth encircles the world and moves the Earth along its vast orbital track around the sun. The other planets and satellites in our solar system move along like mechanisms. The Hand of God in creating the universe is, therefore, apparent and undeniable to any who are willing to simply raise their eyes to the sky. The “existence question” is no question at all.
Jay Lake tells us, “Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that God exists and He created the Heavens and the Earth.” If the reader is willing to make that assumption, at least temporarily, then the reader is free to ask the other, often sticker and more difficult spiritual and philosophical questions without getting hung up on the question of whether God exists in the first place. The reader can cast off prejudices about what God ought to be like and instead concentrate on what God is like. Forget about how humans would interact with their creator and think about how humans should interact with their creator. Those are the questions with which the characters in Mainspring must wrestle.
Not the best book I’ve read by a long shot, but it’s unique, fun, and thought-provoking. I also think the author’s inexperience shows through in the writing in some places. I’m willing to give him a pass on that for now, though I will expect some mild improvements in his future works.
As a post script, let me answer three objections to Mainspring I’ve seen on various comment boards. The first is that Mainspring isn’t “real” Steampunk. My answer to that is: who gives a shit? If you like the book, you like it. If you don’t like the book, you don’t like it. I don’t understand why it’s so important to some folks to categorize everything they read. The second objections is that Jay Lake’s metaphor for creation is too obvious. My answer is that the metaphor is supposed to be obvious in order to remove the question of whether God exists. Finally, the third objection is that the first half of Mainspring is a wild, exciting ride but the second half puts on the breaks and slows to a crawl. My answer is that the first half is more about the protagonist’s physical journey, while the second half is more about his spiritual journey.
June 18, 2008
The author would appear to be something of a fan of Gene Wolfe, and if you are going to pattern yourself after someone that's a pretty good choice. Unfortunately, Wolfe has a singularly unimitatable style and the author is quite unable to match his high ambitions. There are flashes of greatness in the story, but by and large it is peopled with flat uninteresting characters that do uninteresting things.
The principal conceit of the story is that the world of the story is truly the clockwork orrey of Deist imagination, right down to having enormous gears set in the sky and running upon a great spring. The author would appear to have something he wants to say about man's relationship to the divine and the nature of the universe, but doesn't appear to know how to say it, or at least doesn't say it in any way that inspires like the best books of this style. The author never seems to decide until the last page or two whether he's comfortable with his highly religous setting or rejecting it. Worse the adventures of the middle portion of the book are wholly unsatisfying so you can't just read this at the level of a rousing adventure story.
There are a number of scenes of sexuality which might make some readers uncomfortable.
The principal conceit of the story is that the world of the story is truly the clockwork orrey of Deist imagination, right down to having enormous gears set in the sky and running upon a great spring. The author would appear to have something he wants to say about man's relationship to the divine and the nature of the universe, but doesn't appear to know how to say it, or at least doesn't say it in any way that inspires like the best books of this style. The author never seems to decide until the last page or two whether he's comfortable with his highly religous setting or rejecting it. Worse the adventures of the middle portion of the book are wholly unsatisfying so you can't just read this at the level of a rousing adventure story.
There are a number of scenes of sexuality which might make some readers uncomfortable.
November 4, 2010
I love cool ideas. Nothing excites me more than a really gonzo idea story. Jay Lake, a superb short-story writer, is the kind of guy who has a half dozen mind-blowing ideas before breakfast. (Which is one reason why I both admire and hate him. Also, he writes crazy fast, which is another reason for admiring and hating him.) The premise behind Mainspring is one of the coolest things I've encountered in a long time.
I've heard it claimed that Isaac Newton changed the way natural philosophers viewed the universe. Prior to Newton, events unfolded according secret rules, unknowable to man and discernible only as the direct intervention of God's hand. But, after the Principia, the rules of the natural world were simple, clear, universal, irrefutable. And -- according to the common wisdom -- they eliminated the need for a God who took an active role in keeping the heavens spinning. The solar system became a clockwork, destined to run inexorably according to simple mathematical rules. God's role had been relegated to that of the Clockmaker who wound up the universe at the beginning of time, but after which had nothing more to do with Creation than to stand back and watch it tick away the eons.
Mainspring literalizes the metaphor of the Celestial Clockmaker. The Earth of 1900 is still the Earth of 1900, recognizably so (although in this world the British Empire still holds sway over its colonies in the New World). But the planet itself is girdled with an immense equatorial mountain range, topped with enormous brass teeth. And the earth orbits inside a solar-system-sized brass ring gear which encircles the "lamp of the sun". The moon orbits the earth on a similar ring gear. This gives rise to no end of wonderful touches, such as the casual mention of "sidereal midnight", that local time each day when the earth's gearing meshes with another tooth in the celestial ring gear. Equally lovely is the description of the earth's equatorial track glimmering in the daylit eastern and western skies, and the delicate tracery of the moon's ring gear shining at night.
Let me say that again: The solar system runs on titanic brass gears.
I mean, holy cow, right? That's a 5+ star idea, as far as I'm concerned.
The plot concerns a clockmaker's apprentice, Hethor, who receives an angelic visitation, and is bidden to find a way to re-wind the earth's failing Mainspring, lest the planet stop in its tracks (quite literally). Because of course a clockwork planet would be driven by a planet-sized mainspring. Delicious!
Hethor's quest starts out quite promisingly -- there are sorcerers! and blimps! and the Royal Navy! -- but, for this reader, the pace drops considerably once he reaches the Equatorial Wall and crosses (at great peril) to the Southern Earth. Like the failing mainspring itself, the plot loses some of its drive, becoming languid and somewhat unfocused, even as Hethor makes it closer to the object of his travels. The pacing issue (which may just be a personal issue for this reader) together with the ZOMG AWESOME premise together average out to maybe 4 stars for me. But I still hate the star ratings.
I've heard it claimed that Isaac Newton changed the way natural philosophers viewed the universe. Prior to Newton, events unfolded according secret rules, unknowable to man and discernible only as the direct intervention of God's hand. But, after the Principia, the rules of the natural world were simple, clear, universal, irrefutable. And -- according to the common wisdom -- they eliminated the need for a God who took an active role in keeping the heavens spinning. The solar system became a clockwork, destined to run inexorably according to simple mathematical rules. God's role had been relegated to that of the Clockmaker who wound up the universe at the beginning of time, but after which had nothing more to do with Creation than to stand back and watch it tick away the eons.
Mainspring literalizes the metaphor of the Celestial Clockmaker. The Earth of 1900 is still the Earth of 1900, recognizably so (although in this world the British Empire still holds sway over its colonies in the New World). But the planet itself is girdled with an immense equatorial mountain range, topped with enormous brass teeth. And the earth orbits inside a solar-system-sized brass ring gear which encircles the "lamp of the sun". The moon orbits the earth on a similar ring gear. This gives rise to no end of wonderful touches, such as the casual mention of "sidereal midnight", that local time each day when the earth's gearing meshes with another tooth in the celestial ring gear. Equally lovely is the description of the earth's equatorial track glimmering in the daylit eastern and western skies, and the delicate tracery of the moon's ring gear shining at night.
Let me say that again: The solar system runs on titanic brass gears.
I mean, holy cow, right? That's a 5+ star idea, as far as I'm concerned.
The plot concerns a clockmaker's apprentice, Hethor, who receives an angelic visitation, and is bidden to find a way to re-wind the earth's failing Mainspring, lest the planet stop in its tracks (quite literally). Because of course a clockwork planet would be driven by a planet-sized mainspring. Delicious!
Hethor's quest starts out quite promisingly -- there are sorcerers! and blimps! and the Royal Navy! -- but, for this reader, the pace drops considerably once he reaches the Equatorial Wall and crosses (at great peril) to the Southern Earth. Like the failing mainspring itself, the plot loses some of its drive, becoming languid and somewhat unfocused, even as Hethor makes it closer to the object of his travels. The pacing issue (which may just be a personal issue for this reader) together with the ZOMG AWESOME premise together average out to maybe 4 stars for me. But I still hate the star ratings.
September 17, 2010
Profoundly underwhelming. The characters are undeveloped, the central conceit - though at first intriguing - isn't fully thought through, and does no one else see unfortunate implications in turning the entire Southern hemisphere (with especial attention to Africa) into a land of ~*savages and barbarism and strangeness*~ where no one is human, and they're all either leading pleasantly unsophisticated lives in harmony with the universe or HORRIBLE MONSTERS?
Moreover, there is no ambiguity whatsoever. Early on, our hero Hethor expresses some ignorant and misogynistic views that are shown by the narrative to be plainly in the wrong; I assumed this meant we'd see further instances of his beliefs being tested, questioned, and adjusted - isn't that one of the great things about teenage protagonists anyway? But no. No, he is wrong about women, and literally nothing else. A dude who has just saved Hethor's fool life and is attempting to reason with him about the nature of his quest and the universe is repaid by being shoved into the gears in the center of the world! Because Hethor's quest is right! Anyone who says otherwise deserves - well, a good hundred pages later Hethor tells us he's confident the man survived the fall, but until then we're left to believe he straight-up killed a guy for not believing the exact same things he does. And it's not like Hethor's beliefs are even consistent; he believes, at any given instant, what the plot requires that he believe. I hate this kid.
The dialogue is often stilted and the prose makes my eyes glaze over. I have never found reading about goddamn airships half so boring. Hethor's inner monologue is crazy repetitive - everything bad is compared to Pryce Bodean, everything good is compared to that librarian lady he knew for all of one day, blah blah winged savages blah God's word blah. The romance is awful and the climax is a long and corny string of dei ex machinae.
So basically, the ideas are superficially clever but this book is awful.
Moreover, there is no ambiguity whatsoever. Early on, our hero Hethor expresses some ignorant and misogynistic views that are shown by the narrative to be plainly in the wrong; I assumed this meant we'd see further instances of his beliefs being tested, questioned, and adjusted - isn't that one of the great things about teenage protagonists anyway? But no. No, he is wrong about women, and literally nothing else. A dude who has just saved Hethor's fool life and is attempting to reason with him about the nature of his quest and the universe is repaid by being shoved into the gears in the center of the world! Because Hethor's quest is right! Anyone who says otherwise deserves - well, a good hundred pages later Hethor tells us he's confident the man survived the fall, but until then we're left to believe he straight-up killed a guy for not believing the exact same things he does. And it's not like Hethor's beliefs are even consistent; he believes, at any given instant, what the plot requires that he believe. I hate this kid.
The dialogue is often stilted and the prose makes my eyes glaze over. I have never found reading about goddamn airships half so boring. Hethor's inner monologue is crazy repetitive - everything bad is compared to Pryce Bodean, everything good is compared to that librarian lady he knew for all of one day, blah blah winged savages blah God's word blah. The romance is awful and the climax is a long and corny string of dei ex machinae.
So basically, the ideas are superficially clever but this book is awful.
Read
April 26, 2017Stajem na 17%! Neću dati ocjenu jer možda je ovo dobro do kraja... ali mene sav taj bog, anđel GAbrijel, itd... onako malo nervira i opterećuje cijelu radnju, ap ako nekoga zanimaju ovakve teme(nije tema religijska ali je sve optočeno religijom) vjerojatno će mu se ova knjiga svidjeti. Meni nije!
June 5, 2018
Помните средневековую гравюру про монаха, который нашёл дырку в хрустальном своде небес, высунул туда голову и с изумлением зырит на все эти шестерни, оси и пружины, которыми приводятся в действие звезды с планетами? Фламмарион вроде шутил, когда это рисовал, а вот Лейк пишет про такой механистический сеттинг абсолютно всерьез, поэтому у него выходит абсолютный апофеоз стимпанка, где не только люди (в лице Великой Британской Империи, разумеется) покоряют природу при помощи шагающих машин и бронированных дирижаблей, но и Бог собирает Землю, как огромный часовой механизм, из балансиров и зубчатых колес.
Однако любые часы время от времени надо заводить, но Создатель куда-то отошёл на свою минуточку, а ангелы в его отсутствие не особо понимают, что делать со сложным механизмом, поэтому время от времени им приходится рекрутировать простого человека, чтобы тот подкрутил заводную пружину Земли. В прошлый раз это был простой еврейский подросток по имени Иисус, а теперь пришла очередь простого британского подростка по имени Хетор, который, услышав голос архангела, делает буквально шаг в сторону с привычного жизненного пути и с головой проваливается в безумные приключения и миры, из которых ему уже не суждено вернуться к нормальной жизни. Наверное, это и называется "Господь забрал его душу".
Приключения, не могу не отметить, абсолютно первосортные, хотя Хетор в силу возраста занимает позицию пассивного наблюдателя, которого непонятно куда тянут за собой разные люди и обстоятельства - но это ничуть не портит книгу. Тем более что к середине романа действие из цивилизованных британских земель переносится в тропические страны, и там уже мальчик довольно быстро взрослеет, а под конец уже вовсю ведёт свой народ по пустыне, как Моисей, и рулит скрытыми механизмами мироздания, как Нео (параллелей с "Матрицей" и духовным путешествием Нео тут вообще очень много, но, к счастью, обходится без кунфу).
Многих, правда, может отпугнуть тот факт, что в середине книги стимпанк практически без предупреждения заканчивается и начинаются экзотические путешествия в африканских джунглях по ту сторону Зубчатой Экваториальной Стены, среди диких полугуманоидных рас, механических хрустальных гигантов, колдунов, древних руин и невидимых глазу хищников. Всё это безусловно очень круто написано, но если кто возьмётся читать Лейка чисто ради стимпанка, тот может быть сильно разочарован, поэтому вот предупреждаю.
Заодно сразу отмечу, что книга очень религиозная, в том плане, что героям постоянно являются знаки, видения, они совершают дикие и жестокие поступки в смутной надежде, что "господь убережет и направит", и т.д. Хотя, наверное, для набожных людей 19 века такой образ мышления был достаточно нормальным, не знаю. Вообще, по вопросам веры Лейку есть что сказать, а читателю есть над чем задуматься, хотя, наверное, с точки зрения официальных католиков такие книги положено сжигать не открывая.
И последнее - это _НЕ_ подростковая книга, несмотря на 15-летнего героя. В "Заводной пружине" много мрачности и крови, автор не стесняется калечить любимых персонажей как физически, так и духовно, ну и подробные описания межвидового секса (фурри-фурри, кавай-кавай) тоже, наверное, ориентированы не на детей. Так что прошу обращаться с осторожностью.
Однако любые часы время от времени надо заводить, но Создатель куда-то отошёл на свою минуточку, а ангелы в его отсутствие не особо понимают, что делать со сложным механизмом, поэтому время от времени им приходится рекрутировать простого человека, чтобы тот подкрутил заводную пружину Земли. В прошлый раз это был простой еврейский подросток по имени Иисус, а теперь пришла очередь простого британского подростка по имени Хетор, который, услышав голос архангела, делает буквально шаг в сторону с привычного жизненного пути и с головой проваливается в безумные приключения и миры, из которых ему уже не суждено вернуться к нормальной жизни. Наверное, это и называется "Господь забрал его душу".
Приключения, не могу не отметить, абсолютно первосортные, хотя Хетор в силу возраста занимает позицию пассивного наблюдателя, которого непонятно куда тянут за собой разные люди и обстоятельства - но это ничуть не портит книгу. Тем более что к середине романа действие из цивилизованных британских земель переносится в тропические страны, и там уже мальчик довольно быстро взрослеет, а под конец уже вовсю ведёт свой народ по пустыне, как Моисей, и рулит скрытыми механизмами мироздания, как Нео (параллелей с "Матрицей" и духовным путешествием Нео тут вообще очень много, но, к счастью, обходится без кунфу).
Многих, правда, может отпугнуть тот факт, что в середине книги стимпанк практически без предупреждения заканчивается и начинаются экзотические путешествия в африканских джунглях по ту сторону Зубчатой Экваториальной Стены, среди диких полугуманоидных рас, механических хрустальных гигантов, колдунов, древних руин и невидимых глазу хищников. Всё это безусловно очень круто написано, но если кто возьмётся читать Лейка чисто ради стимпанка, тот может быть сильно разочарован, поэтому вот предупреждаю.
Заодно сразу отмечу, что книга очень религиозная, в том плане, что героям постоянно являются знаки, видения, они совершают дикие и жестокие поступки в смутной надежде, что "господь убережет и направит", и т.д. Хотя, наверное, для набожных людей 19 века такой образ мышления был достаточно нормальным, не знаю. Вообще, по вопросам веры Лейку есть что сказать, а читателю есть над чем задуматься, хотя, наверное, с точки зрения официальных католиков такие книги положено сжигать не открывая.
И последнее - это _НЕ_ подростковая книга, несмотря на 15-летнего героя. В "Заводной пружине" много мрачности и крови, автор не стесняется калечить любимых персонажей как физически, так и духовно, ну и подробные описания межвидового секса (фурри-фурри, кавай-кавай) тоже, наверное, ориентированы не на детей. Так что прошу обращаться с осторожностью.
September 18, 2008
Warning: Mild Spoilers
First, I liked this book. It's an entertaining read.
That said, I was disappointed with it. I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. That's not to say it's bad, because it's not. It's more a case of it's not anywhere near as good as it could be.
The main problem I had with it is that Hethor, the book's protagonist, never does much of anything. The book sort of happens to him.
In a way, instead of the Victorian Era flavor Lake was going for, he ends up invoking an earlier period. Hethor reminds me very much of Victor Frankenstein, rather than Abraham Van Helsing, Jonathan Harker, Quincy Morris, John Seward and Arthur Holmwood. The novel suffers for it, in large part because when I think of a Victorian Hero, I think a man of action, who works to drive events. As a result, Hethor comes across as a bit weak willed and more than a little wishy-washy.
Also, the central philosophical question of the novel has a pasted on feeling. Hethor has been given a mission from God, by the Angel Gabriel. He comes face to face with several people who are Atheists, of a sort, but no real depth is given to any of these characters, or their belief system. Instead, Hethor knows that they're wrong, and as a result, they become nothing more than cardboard obstacles in his way to the finish line. Since the reader sees the Angel Gabriel charge Hethor with his mission, we know he's in the right. Which is rather disappointingly simplistic.
Some of the problems could be that this work represents Lake's transition from short stories to novel length work, so it reads very much like a first novel, despite Lake's established name. There's also the fact that book length fiction requires a different approach than the short story, and the fact that Lake cut his teeth on short stories could very well be why some of the more interesting aspects of the book are so shallow. It could be that Lake hasn't really developed the habit of exploring every aspect of his plot with the depth it deserves.
Whether that's the case or not, Lake as crafted a novel that's good, and full of brain candy, but which isn't as filling as it could have been.
First, I liked this book. It's an entertaining read.
That said, I was disappointed with it. I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. That's not to say it's bad, because it's not. It's more a case of it's not anywhere near as good as it could be.
The main problem I had with it is that Hethor, the book's protagonist, never does much of anything. The book sort of happens to him.
In a way, instead of the Victorian Era flavor Lake was going for, he ends up invoking an earlier period. Hethor reminds me very much of Victor Frankenstein, rather than Abraham Van Helsing, Jonathan Harker, Quincy Morris, John Seward and Arthur Holmwood. The novel suffers for it, in large part because when I think of a Victorian Hero, I think a man of action, who works to drive events. As a result, Hethor comes across as a bit weak willed and more than a little wishy-washy.
Also, the central philosophical question of the novel has a pasted on feeling. Hethor has been given a mission from God, by the Angel Gabriel. He comes face to face with several people who are Atheists, of a sort, but no real depth is given to any of these characters, or their belief system. Instead, Hethor knows that they're wrong, and as a result, they become nothing more than cardboard obstacles in his way to the finish line. Since the reader sees the Angel Gabriel charge Hethor with his mission, we know he's in the right. Which is rather disappointingly simplistic.
Some of the problems could be that this work represents Lake's transition from short stories to novel length work, so it reads very much like a first novel, despite Lake's established name. There's also the fact that book length fiction requires a different approach than the short story, and the fact that Lake cut his teeth on short stories could very well be why some of the more interesting aspects of the book are so shallow. It could be that Lake hasn't really developed the habit of exploring every aspect of his plot with the depth it deserves.
Whether that's the case or not, Lake as crafted a novel that's good, and full of brain candy, but which isn't as filling as it could have been.
July 19, 2007
The core conceit of Mainspring imagines that the solar system is actually a gigantic orrey, and that the movements of the stars, planets, and the earth itself are all controlled through a sort of deistic clockwork, giving physical form to the ages-old watchmaker analogy of creation. When the mainspring of the earth begins to run down, the archangel Gabriel engages young Hethor Jacques, a teenaged clockmaker’s apprentice, to find the “Key Perilous” and rewind creation. As this cunningly-plotted quest plays out over the course of the novel, it is the mechanical universe that continually surfaces as its most beautiful and haunting image, one directing the lives and very spirituality of its inhabitants. Even Christianity is reimagined to fit this mechanical worldview, positing a brass Christ hung on Pilate’s clockface, and when Hethor, in fits of fear and stress, traces the sign of the Horofix around his chest, it is easy to see the care, craftsmanship, and pure imagination with which Lake has written his novel. If it weren't for a handful of explicitly sexual scenes (though tastefully handled), this could be a life-altering, mind-expanding YA book. An easy recommendation, for those mature enough to avoid snickering.
May 7, 2009
I have a long list of expectations when it comes to science fiction. There’s the good (creative concepts, detailed setting, the epic feel of an alternate universe), the bad (execution falling short of the creativity of the idea, dragging pace, botched social commentary) and the whatever (obscure names, interspecial love interests – oh, why does it never end awkwardly?). For Jay Lake’s Mainspring, he avoids many of the pitfalls of science fiction, but he doesn’t nail many of the positives either.
Hethor (there’s the silly name), a young clockmaker’s apprentice, receives a visit from the Archangel Gabriel. He is told he must take the Key Perilous to rewind the Mainspring of the Earth; otherwise, you know, it’s certain doom for everyone. To Lake’s credit, he doesn’t drag the reader along before revealing the purpose of the characters involved. Within a half-dozen pages, it’s save the universe, Hethor, or the machine is gonna break. In Mainspring, the universe is a clockwork machine where the planets move on huge gears. Everything is made of metal – making it part of the steampunk or clockpunk subgenre (for those of you who really care about the labels) – even the theology. Jesus Christ was made of brass; Gabriel is, too. Some religious/political factions see the mechanical universe as evidence of God’s hand; others view it as simply the great clockmaker who left His design to dwindle. Regardless, this steam/clockpunk viewing of the Christian faith is an interesting spin on things. Sure, it’s not theologically sound – in fact, it’s downright cringe worthy towards the end – but it’s a different approach than the standard “religion is oppressive” slant of most sci-fi. Sure, there are some who abuse it for their own means – that’s life – but as a whole, the brass theology is an amusing thread throughout.
Where Mainspring falters, however, is that it’s fairly bare bones for a science fiction effort. Science fiction pieces have to have strong setting. It’s the main area that separates it from any other genre. With day-to-day life, I don’t need flush descriptions because I’m familiar with it. With science fiction settings, however, it’s unfamiliar, so the author really needs to fill in the gaps. Lake does not. Maybe if I were familiar with steampunk I wouldn’t feel this way, but as a virgin voyage into the subgenre, Mainspring is missing parts. Couple this with Lake’s lean style, where major plot developments zip past in a couple of sentences, and there’s a fullness that’s never quite attained. It doesn’t help that Hethor will occasionally reflect on the vastness of his journey thus far, but it feels like what he’s remembering just happened. It’s not the sparse prose or the reading pace; it’s that there’s just not enough there. Maybe Jay Lake will fill in these gaps in the scheduled Mainspring sequels to come, but for me, the ride ends here. Two stars. Barely.
Hethor (there’s the silly name), a young clockmaker’s apprentice, receives a visit from the Archangel Gabriel. He is told he must take the Key Perilous to rewind the Mainspring of the Earth; otherwise, you know, it’s certain doom for everyone. To Lake’s credit, he doesn’t drag the reader along before revealing the purpose of the characters involved. Within a half-dozen pages, it’s save the universe, Hethor, or the machine is gonna break. In Mainspring, the universe is a clockwork machine where the planets move on huge gears. Everything is made of metal – making it part of the steampunk or clockpunk subgenre (for those of you who really care about the labels) – even the theology. Jesus Christ was made of brass; Gabriel is, too. Some religious/political factions see the mechanical universe as evidence of God’s hand; others view it as simply the great clockmaker who left His design to dwindle. Regardless, this steam/clockpunk viewing of the Christian faith is an interesting spin on things. Sure, it’s not theologically sound – in fact, it’s downright cringe worthy towards the end – but it’s a different approach than the standard “religion is oppressive” slant of most sci-fi. Sure, there are some who abuse it for their own means – that’s life – but as a whole, the brass theology is an amusing thread throughout.
Where Mainspring falters, however, is that it’s fairly bare bones for a science fiction effort. Science fiction pieces have to have strong setting. It’s the main area that separates it from any other genre. With day-to-day life, I don’t need flush descriptions because I’m familiar with it. With science fiction settings, however, it’s unfamiliar, so the author really needs to fill in the gaps. Lake does not. Maybe if I were familiar with steampunk I wouldn’t feel this way, but as a virgin voyage into the subgenre, Mainspring is missing parts. Couple this with Lake’s lean style, where major plot developments zip past in a couple of sentences, and there’s a fullness that’s never quite attained. It doesn’t help that Hethor will occasionally reflect on the vastness of his journey thus far, but it feels like what he’s remembering just happened. It’s not the sparse prose or the reading pace; it’s that there’s just not enough there. Maybe Jay Lake will fill in these gaps in the scheduled Mainspring sequels to come, but for me, the ride ends here. Two stars. Barely.
June 28, 2009
Lake has, I'll admit, created a wonderfully interesting world, and oftentimes interesting worlds are at the heart of the fantasy/adventure genre. I want to explore it. But not like this.
What Lake seems frustratingly, maddeningly incapable of here is providing us with any reason to care about the people and situations occurring in his interesting world. I don't care if the Mainspring is rewound. I don't care if Hethor dies in the attempt. I don't care if his enemies thwart him, because I have as little reason to dislike them as I have to like Hethor. I don't care about the Chosen People, other than to be mildly repulsed by the seemingly casual racism with which they are portrayed**. I just don't care.
This book was too disappointing too many times. Its premises hit me on a lot of levels: Victoriana, airships, and steampunk? Check. Divides of power along hemispherical lines (otherwise known as imperialism)? Check. Religious/spiritual/magical schisms? God's language? Angels? Checkity check check. I'm even an amateur watch collector for chrissakes. If Lake can't get me into this book, I don't see how anybody could enjoy it.
**Tiny black apes who play drums and make big fires and teach our White scion invaluable lessons about spirituality and love while still regarding him as the leader of their life's quest? Come on. That's pretty repulsive.
What Lake seems frustratingly, maddeningly incapable of here is providing us with any reason to care about the people and situations occurring in his interesting world. I don't care if the Mainspring is rewound. I don't care if Hethor dies in the attempt. I don't care if his enemies thwart him, because I have as little reason to dislike them as I have to like Hethor. I don't care about the Chosen People, other than to be mildly repulsed by the seemingly casual racism with which they are portrayed**. I just don't care.
This book was too disappointing too many times. Its premises hit me on a lot of levels: Victoriana, airships, and steampunk? Check. Divides of power along hemispherical lines (otherwise known as imperialism)? Check. Religious/spiritual/magical schisms? God's language? Angels? Checkity check check. I'm even an amateur watch collector for chrissakes. If Lake can't get me into this book, I don't see how anybody could enjoy it.
**Tiny black apes who play drums and make big fires and teach our White scion invaluable lessons about spirituality and love while still regarding him as the leader of their life's quest? Come on. That's pretty repulsive.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2009
While I enjoyed parts of this clockpunk work, overall I can't help but feel a little indifferent after finishing the tale.
The author did some excellent world-building. I really wanted to know more about the various cultures and climes that Hethor, the main character, came into contact with.
On the other hand, the originality of idea could not overcome for me the blandness of the main and side characters. I don't mind books where the main character is somewhat more of an Everyman so that the reader can identify more closely, but in the absence of a truly original plot (or fascinating side characters)and the addition of what I felt was a somewhat uncomfortable inclusion of sex acts and thoughts, it just felt flat.
The author did some excellent world-building. I really wanted to know more about the various cultures and climes that Hethor, the main character, came into contact with.
On the other hand, the originality of idea could not overcome for me the blandness of the main and side characters. I don't mind books where the main character is somewhat more of an Everyman so that the reader can identify more closely, but in the absence of a truly original plot (or fascinating side characters)and the addition of what I felt was a somewhat uncomfortable inclusion of sex acts and thoughts, it just felt flat.
December 14, 2012
I don't know what to think about this. I read about halfway through this, and then by chance read the reviews here on goodreads, and my suspicions were confirmed. I was enjoying it in a way -- the world at least, the ideas -- but I couldn't enjoy the characters because there seemed to be very little to them. I never got an idea of what drove any particular character or why -- I didn't get enough of a sense of any of them to really like them.
Add to that the problems raised in other reviews, and I decided not to waste my time. I skimmed through and peeked at some of the bits other people highlighted. I suggest you read this review for a clearer idea -- for a start.
Add to that the problems raised in other reviews, and I decided not to waste my time. I skimmed through and peeked at some of the bits other people highlighted. I suggest you read this review for a clearer idea -- for a start.
January 21, 2009
I really wanted to like this more, but it fell kind of flat to me. I love the literal clockwork universe, but unfortunately the main character was pretty standard and shallow. Just another naive fantasy chosen one. The conflicting ideologies the plot set up never really culminated into anything satisfying, either, and the [spoiler:]furry take on the fantasy hero discovering the joys of true love didn't work for me either.
But I liked the world building. I just didn't get as much of what I really wanted out of it, once the world building shifted from human to furry society.
But I liked the world building. I just didn't get as much of what I really wanted out of it, once the world building shifted from human to furry society.
October 24, 2016
I can't go any further and I'm stopping this around page 225. I really wanted to read a Jay Lake book, and this one just fell into my lap so I gave it a good try. The writing is just painful. The entire book is a list of sequential plot sentences, with events that are both poorly contextualized and have no set up or follow through. If I was listing my top 5 things I complain about in books I dislike, a big one is when things just seem to randomly happen, and the events between the chapters don't seem to line up. Because it means there's gaps in your plot, there's gaps in your worldbuilding, and there's gaps in your character development because you're not seeing how the character reacts to the situation other than immediate reaction because there's no time for anything else. The main character's plot is driven mostly by external forces, so in less than 225 pages, he's been thrown out of his home, put in jail, released from jail, is kidnapped multiple times, is told to aimlessly follow someone, loses that someone, winds up in a mansion, winds up in a village, is attacked by a crocodile....and that's where I'm quitting. There isn't enough context in the first 225 pages that magically it will appear in the last 125 to save it.
May 28, 2008
This fantasy has the bizarre and interesting premise of a literal clockwork universe. The Earth’s mainspring is winding down and young apprentice clockmaker Hethor Jacques is charged with finding the Key Perilous and winding it up again by a Brass Angel. The equator of the Earth is a giant gear that meshes with another for Earth’s journey around the Lamp of the Sun. Set in an alternate 19th-century Earth where Her Imperial Majesty Queen Victoria rules over England and Her American Possessions, the story is set up in an interesting fashion with the promise of armed zeppelins to boot. But then the sluggish pacing sets in and before you’re halfway through you’re half convinced the protagonist is a dull-witted simp who often just gets lucky to get out of any particular scrape he’s gets into. It often seems that deus ex machine is at work several times within the story. Until finally, the story completely sputters out and leaves the reader wholly unsatisfied. There wasn’t even a compelling villain to hate. And also, several questions go unanswered. This was a waste of time.
June 7, 2008
I have just finished rereading this book for the first time. On second exposure it is even better than I had remembered. It is both subtle and outrageous. It is a marvelous chance to step out of our own familiar world filled with marvels, into a world strange and steeped in the elements of our own, but rendered in strange hues, as if seen through the distorted lens of a funhouse mirror.
It is more than Hethor's story, it is the story of the Brass Christ, and the mysterious sorcerer (or not) William of Ghent. It is the story of what happens when the mechanical meets the divine, and the boy who becomes a man on his way to wind the Mainspring of a clockwork world. It is the book that introduced me directly to the Steampunk Revolution that has been brewing for a decade in fantasy and sciece fiction.
It is more than Hethor's story, it is the story of the Brass Christ, and the mysterious sorcerer (or not) William of Ghent. It is the story of what happens when the mechanical meets the divine, and the boy who becomes a man on his way to wind the Mainspring of a clockwork world. It is the book that introduced me directly to the Steampunk Revolution that has been brewing for a decade in fantasy and sciece fiction.
September 18, 2015
Jay Lake wrote one of my favourite short stories in the Steampunk anthology, so I was really expecting better from this book -- but unfortunately, it really didn't do it for me. Hethor is your standard intrepid boy hero with hardly any characterisation, there's no smooth character development, his love interest is preternaturally supportive and understanding and flawless, the ending left me unfulfilled, the writing felt stilted and overly-formal at times, and I had a really hard time just grasping some of Lake's description and exactly how his world fits together. And in a world based entirely on clockwork and precision gears, that's pretty awfully important.
December 8, 2019
What a slog. I had very high hopes for this book after reading its premise but Lake failed to deliver on every front. His prose were turgid, the action largely uninteresting, and worst of all his protagonist, Hethor, was unsympathetic and uninteresting.
Lake's presentation of the non-western cultures in his book rely on the disturbingly racist "noble savage" stereotype while everything about western culture is bad (even its technological achievements are outstripped by other civilizations).
Lake's presentation of the non-western cultures in his book rely on the disturbingly racist "noble savage" stereotype while everything about western culture is bad (even its technological achievements are outstripped by other civilizations).
March 9, 2014
Okay, so the rundown is as follows. For all the lavish, bright, interesting points of Mainspring, Jay Lake's novel falls flat for the most part. It's rushed in the good parts and padded everywhere else, the characters don't seem to matter other than as props, and the main character doesn't really show enough growth to make his journey make sense. It's a loud, empty mess that might be a good read if you take it slow and get it out from the library, but I cannot recommend in normal circumstances. It's got good worldbuilding, but that's not enough to save it.
More, as always, below.
"The heart of God is the heart of the world. As man lives, so lives God. As God lives, so lives the world."
- Inscription on the Golden Tablet
I'm conflicted about Mainspring. I'm not entirely sure why I'm conflicted about it, but nevertheless, I find myself going back and forth on it. For all intents and purposes, I should like this book. It has some very interesting ideas on the nature of God and religion, it's a story that harkens back to pulp fiction's roots without a lot of the xenophobia and pro-colonial bent of a lot of the early pulp stories, and it features a world so delightful and expansive that I couldn't not love it. But still I pause, and I'm still investigating why that is. I mean, from my description up there, it sounds like an awesome book, right? But in the long run, I find myself, well, disappointed with it for some reason. A reason I don't exactly accept or understand. Why? Well, allow me to at least try to get my feelings out here...
Mainspring by Jay Lake is the story of Hethor Jacques. Hethor is a student and apprentice to Clockmaker Bodean. Clockmakers in Hethor's world are a lot more important, as the entire universe moves due to clockwork. The equator is literally a massive gear that rolls the earth around on a brass track, the version of Christ in this world was torn apart on a clockwork device known as a "Horofix", and, most importantly to the plot, the world is wound by a vast spring that extends from pole to pole. Hethor, of course, knows very little of this world when the Archangel Gabriel visits him and declares that he must make a dangerous journey to find an artifact called the "Key Perilous" and use it to re-wind and thus re-start the large clockwork motor at the heart of the world. Left without a choice, Hethor is given a silver feather from one of Gabriel's wings as a token of his quest, a feather that cuts the shape of a key into his palm and told absolutely nothing of his quest.
So naturally, he goes to Yale and finds Bodean's son Pryce, a divinity student, to see what the strange visitation meant. Pryce reacts strangely, and confiscates the feather for himself, but the head librarian of Yale manages to get the feather back and send Hethor on the road to Boston, where he can potentially petition the Viceroy for aid in his quest. And so young Hethor Jacques sets out on his quest, aided only by a secret order identified by the words "Albino Toucan" and the will of God that he find and restart the Mainspring of the world. In his quest, he will travel over the great gear-teeth of the Equatorial Wall, be press-ganged into the British Aeronautical Navy, and somehow discover a way to hear the ticking of the clockwork earth itself. But the forces of the Rational Humanists are ever lurking in the background, a sect that believes God abandoned Earth like a pocketwatch in a jungle, and it is only by letting it wind down that we will find ourselves again. And while Hethor may survive his quest, will he understand the implications of what he was questing for?
The best thing about Mainspring is by far the world. Jay Lake puts a lot of beautiful detail and a lot of thought into the world, and while parts of it (the Horofix, for instance) could stand to be better visualized or represented in the text, what you do get is amazing. Lake lays out an entire world with cosmologies, religions...even its own system of physics and sciences the likes of which rival most hard sci-fi novels. You can tell the care Lake took with his clockwork Earth, and with the people who inhabit it. I think the most-detailed would probably be the "Correct People", descendants of the first humans ever to emerge on to the Earth, though that may be by virtue of Hethor lingering with them the longest. But Lake does a wonderful job building up the geography, sights, smells, and the look of the place so much that it creates a vivid picture of the Clockwork Earth, and even the details of it breaking down are well-realized. It's believable, intriguing, and very vivid, and that's what the world should be.
The plot is also, when taken from a wide view, well-written. Initially, I was poised to complain that it wasn't adventurous enough, that the villains weren't present enough, that everyone seemed to be in the background, but then I realized: I was missing the point. The plot is about Hethor Jacques and his relationship with his god's plan, and an attempt to teach humanity, through him, how the world truly works. And it lays this out fairly well. Gabriel gives him a mission, and God keeps leaving golden tablets for Hethor to take with him, golden tablets he eventually understands and which help lead him to find the Key Perilous. When viewed as a journey of spiritual growth, the book becomes a lot easier to take. Though it's not quite an adventure story any more, more of a meditation disguised as pulp.
But even re-casting the story as a meditation on the nature of spiritual growth, there are issues. The only growth Hethor seems to have throughout the story is spiritual. Last week, I reviewed The Thin Executioner, and along with the spiritual growth, there was a certain maturity that was gained. The Neverending Story had a road to independence. Hethor...doesn't have any of those. He seems like the same innocent we meet at the beginning of the story, but with more divine intervention in his life. While he does find love and happiness, nothing...really changes about him. He may be a little wiser, and able to endure more hardships knowing it's God's plan for him, but he still feels as lost as ever.
Which leads me to the issue with the characters. There are very few memorable characters. None of them stick around for very long, and not much time is spent on them. They're mainly there to get Hethor from place to place to place, and it annoys me a little that such awesome characters are used as props. But that highlights a bigger problem. Lake doesn't appear to want to do anything with his characters, he just wants to use them to convey the setting. Librarian Childress, and Al-Wazir, and Hattie the hearse-driver are all excellent characters, but not much is spent on them. We get the customs of the Correct People, but almost none of the Correct People get very distinct personalities. They just react. And this is bad writing. People should have personality. Drive. Stuff like that.
And while the plot is excellent, the pacing is not. The meter of the book after the first few sections settles into one of two speeds: "Rushed", or "Padding". Which isn't much fun to read. It also destroys any sense of urgency or pace that the book has, which makes everything seem...inconsequential. It also loses the weight of the climax when it occurs in the last ten pages of the book, is followed by another divine intervention, and then ends on a bittersweet note that makes sense, but could have been stretched out. Similarly, the long trek through the tundra wasn't particularly needed at that length. It feels like a second draft stretched out and mistakenly published.
So in the end, while it is a beautiful book, it's too much of a mess for me to recommend. Find it in the library, give it a try for yourself, but I don't believe it's worth my time. And in the end, that's the issue. I was disappointed, and it felt like my time was a little wasted. The book feels like a setup to something else, a legend that should have been offscreen. And that's not worth reading about.
NEXT WEEK:
- The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
AND THEN
- Tiger Shrimp Tango by Tim Dorsey
- Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch
- Koko by Peter Straub
More, as always, below.
"The heart of God is the heart of the world. As man lives, so lives God. As God lives, so lives the world."
- Inscription on the Golden Tablet
I'm conflicted about Mainspring. I'm not entirely sure why I'm conflicted about it, but nevertheless, I find myself going back and forth on it. For all intents and purposes, I should like this book. It has some very interesting ideas on the nature of God and religion, it's a story that harkens back to pulp fiction's roots without a lot of the xenophobia and pro-colonial bent of a lot of the early pulp stories, and it features a world so delightful and expansive that I couldn't not love it. But still I pause, and I'm still investigating why that is. I mean, from my description up there, it sounds like an awesome book, right? But in the long run, I find myself, well, disappointed with it for some reason. A reason I don't exactly accept or understand. Why? Well, allow me to at least try to get my feelings out here...
Mainspring by Jay Lake is the story of Hethor Jacques. Hethor is a student and apprentice to Clockmaker Bodean. Clockmakers in Hethor's world are a lot more important, as the entire universe moves due to clockwork. The equator is literally a massive gear that rolls the earth around on a brass track, the version of Christ in this world was torn apart on a clockwork device known as a "Horofix", and, most importantly to the plot, the world is wound by a vast spring that extends from pole to pole. Hethor, of course, knows very little of this world when the Archangel Gabriel visits him and declares that he must make a dangerous journey to find an artifact called the "Key Perilous" and use it to re-wind and thus re-start the large clockwork motor at the heart of the world. Left without a choice, Hethor is given a silver feather from one of Gabriel's wings as a token of his quest, a feather that cuts the shape of a key into his palm and told absolutely nothing of his quest.
So naturally, he goes to Yale and finds Bodean's son Pryce, a divinity student, to see what the strange visitation meant. Pryce reacts strangely, and confiscates the feather for himself, but the head librarian of Yale manages to get the feather back and send Hethor on the road to Boston, where he can potentially petition the Viceroy for aid in his quest. And so young Hethor Jacques sets out on his quest, aided only by a secret order identified by the words "Albino Toucan" and the will of God that he find and restart the Mainspring of the world. In his quest, he will travel over the great gear-teeth of the Equatorial Wall, be press-ganged into the British Aeronautical Navy, and somehow discover a way to hear the ticking of the clockwork earth itself. But the forces of the Rational Humanists are ever lurking in the background, a sect that believes God abandoned Earth like a pocketwatch in a jungle, and it is only by letting it wind down that we will find ourselves again. And while Hethor may survive his quest, will he understand the implications of what he was questing for?
The best thing about Mainspring is by far the world. Jay Lake puts a lot of beautiful detail and a lot of thought into the world, and while parts of it (the Horofix, for instance) could stand to be better visualized or represented in the text, what you do get is amazing. Lake lays out an entire world with cosmologies, religions...even its own system of physics and sciences the likes of which rival most hard sci-fi novels. You can tell the care Lake took with his clockwork Earth, and with the people who inhabit it. I think the most-detailed would probably be the "Correct People", descendants of the first humans ever to emerge on to the Earth, though that may be by virtue of Hethor lingering with them the longest. But Lake does a wonderful job building up the geography, sights, smells, and the look of the place so much that it creates a vivid picture of the Clockwork Earth, and even the details of it breaking down are well-realized. It's believable, intriguing, and very vivid, and that's what the world should be.
The plot is also, when taken from a wide view, well-written. Initially, I was poised to complain that it wasn't adventurous enough, that the villains weren't present enough, that everyone seemed to be in the background, but then I realized: I was missing the point. The plot is about Hethor Jacques and his relationship with his god's plan, and an attempt to teach humanity, through him, how the world truly works. And it lays this out fairly well. Gabriel gives him a mission, and God keeps leaving golden tablets for Hethor to take with him, golden tablets he eventually understands and which help lead him to find the Key Perilous. When viewed as a journey of spiritual growth, the book becomes a lot easier to take. Though it's not quite an adventure story any more, more of a meditation disguised as pulp.
But even re-casting the story as a meditation on the nature of spiritual growth, there are issues. The only growth Hethor seems to have throughout the story is spiritual. Last week, I reviewed The Thin Executioner, and along with the spiritual growth, there was a certain maturity that was gained. The Neverending Story had a road to independence. Hethor...doesn't have any of those. He seems like the same innocent we meet at the beginning of the story, but with more divine intervention in his life. While he does find love and happiness, nothing...really changes about him. He may be a little wiser, and able to endure more hardships knowing it's God's plan for him, but he still feels as lost as ever.
Which leads me to the issue with the characters. There are very few memorable characters. None of them stick around for very long, and not much time is spent on them. They're mainly there to get Hethor from place to place to place, and it annoys me a little that such awesome characters are used as props. But that highlights a bigger problem. Lake doesn't appear to want to do anything with his characters, he just wants to use them to convey the setting. Librarian Childress, and Al-Wazir, and Hattie the hearse-driver are all excellent characters, but not much is spent on them. We get the customs of the Correct People, but almost none of the Correct People get very distinct personalities. They just react. And this is bad writing. People should have personality. Drive. Stuff like that.
And while the plot is excellent, the pacing is not. The meter of the book after the first few sections settles into one of two speeds: "Rushed", or "Padding". Which isn't much fun to read. It also destroys any sense of urgency or pace that the book has, which makes everything seem...inconsequential. It also loses the weight of the climax when it occurs in the last ten pages of the book, is followed by another divine intervention, and then ends on a bittersweet note that makes sense, but could have been stretched out. Similarly, the long trek through the tundra wasn't particularly needed at that length. It feels like a second draft stretched out and mistakenly published.
So in the end, while it is a beautiful book, it's too much of a mess for me to recommend. Find it in the library, give it a try for yourself, but I don't believe it's worth my time. And in the end, that's the issue. I was disappointed, and it felt like my time was a little wasted. The book feels like a setup to something else, a legend that should have been offscreen. And that's not worth reading about.
NEXT WEEK:
- The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
AND THEN
- Tiger Shrimp Tango by Tim Dorsey
- Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch
- Koko by Peter Straub
May 26, 2024
This book really got going in the second half but I found the ending landed a little flat. Still, I enjoyed the story, world building and style of writing.
November 20, 2012
I have to say, the opening chapter put me off. Especially the last page or so, I was like really? Really? Not only do the apprentice’s master’s sons hate him, but one happens to beat him up and steal the last of his father’s money on the way out of town? Ugh. Are we back here again? I get that this is probably a retelling of the classic poor/apprentice/beggar boy rises to the task of being a hero via steampunk BUT don’t overdo it. Please. There are other ways to stack the deck that aren’t so obvious.
Anyway, that aside, I enjoyed the book. It wasn’t awesome, but it did pull me through it – and that’s the real test. The characters were engaging enough to keep me reading – although there was really only 1 actual character – the others all lacked in depth. We don’t even get a proper motivation for the semi-villain other than a general philosophy (an actual philosophy) that he ascribes to that, by definition, is against what the hero is trying to do.
The world Lake paints here though is crazy interesting. I mean, the Earth literally moves through space along a GIANT track….the gear teeth form a wall miles (?) high along the equator. That wall divides the Earth in half (how could it not?) – the north is the more “steampunky” side, complete with dirigible airships, clocks and a funky religion that’s a mashup up of Victorian Christianity and uhh… gears. Or something. And the south is the more “magical” side, peopled with a ton of not-exactly-human humanoids, functional magic and other bits and pieces. So yeah, very visually interesting.
There is a scene or two that wow umm, some people will not be cool with. Maybe because they are old fashioned or maybe because [SPOILER]. It surprised me, I’ll admit. But maybe I’m just a [SPOILER]. At the core, it’s a simple journey/quest story. That’s it. But the journey takes the lead through interesting terrain… potentially interesting terrain at least. Much of it is just skipped/skimmed/flown over and ignored. Lake throws out so much stuff here that the majority of it gets basically ignored, and we’re left none the wiser.
The ending was… to be expected I suppose given the angelic/deity involvement but still… it was kinda lame.
THREE STARS
I wanted more than it had to give, but what it had was ok.
Anyway, that aside, I enjoyed the book. It wasn’t awesome, but it did pull me through it – and that’s the real test. The characters were engaging enough to keep me reading – although there was really only 1 actual character – the others all lacked in depth. We don’t even get a proper motivation for the semi-villain other than a general philosophy (an actual philosophy) that he ascribes to that, by definition, is against what the hero is trying to do.
The world Lake paints here though is crazy interesting. I mean, the Earth literally moves through space along a GIANT track….the gear teeth form a wall miles (?) high along the equator. That wall divides the Earth in half (how could it not?) – the north is the more “steampunky” side, complete with dirigible airships, clocks and a funky religion that’s a mashup up of Victorian Christianity and uhh… gears. Or something. And the south is the more “magical” side, peopled with a ton of not-exactly-human humanoids, functional magic and other bits and pieces. So yeah, very visually interesting.
There is a scene or two that wow umm, some people will not be cool with. Maybe because they are old fashioned or maybe because [SPOILER]. It surprised me, I’ll admit. But maybe I’m just a [SPOILER]. At the core, it’s a simple journey/quest story. That’s it. But the journey takes the lead through interesting terrain… potentially interesting terrain at least. Much of it is just skipped/skimmed/flown over and ignored. Lake throws out so much stuff here that the majority of it gets basically ignored, and we’re left none the wiser.
The ending was… to be expected I suppose given the angelic/deity involvement but still… it was kinda lame.
THREE STARS
I wanted more than it had to give, but what it had was ok.
September 15, 2012
I enjoyed reading Mainspring but it had some flaws that detracted from my enjoyment.
Mainspring takes place in an alternate universe with a Clockwork Creator. The religion bears similarity to the Christian tradition but the actual differences are never explained to my satisfaction. Some of that may be due to trying to only reveal what is known to the main character but it leaves the reader's understanding of the world lacking. It was clear that there was some really interesting world-building being done behind the scenes but it would have been nice to see more of it.
One of my biggest complaints was that until the last quarter of the story, the main character was just being carried along by events. He wasn't making any choices about what was happening in his life and once he starts making choices it's because there's no one left to make the decisions for him. None of the small conflicts seemed to have any effect on the greater story arc
Mainspring had really interesting world-building that I would have liked to see more fully developed and revealed. The main character had an interesting journey both physically and character arc-wise but it felt like there was something missing. I probably won't read Mainspring again and I might recommend it based on the world-building but I'm not sure that the strengths outweigh the flaws. It was an interesting look into a Steampunk world but there wasn't enough tension for my tastes.
Mainspring takes place in an alternate universe with a Clockwork Creator. The religion bears similarity to the Christian tradition but the actual differences are never explained to my satisfaction. Some of that may be due to trying to only reveal what is known to the main character but it leaves the reader's understanding of the world lacking. It was clear that there was some really interesting world-building being done behind the scenes but it would have been nice to see more of it.
One of my biggest complaints was that until the last quarter of the story, the main character was just being carried along by events. He wasn't making any choices about what was happening in his life and once he starts making choices it's because there's no one left to make the decisions for him. None of the small conflicts seemed to have any effect on the greater story arc
Mainspring had really interesting world-building that I would have liked to see more fully developed and revealed. The main character had an interesting journey both physically and character arc-wise but it felt like there was something missing. I probably won't read Mainspring again and I might recommend it based on the world-building but I'm not sure that the strengths outweigh the flaws. It was an interesting look into a Steampunk world but there wasn't enough tension for my tastes.
March 27, 2012
So, what if you had a literal clockwork universe in which the earth rotates on an immense brass track driven by gears on top of an equatorial wall?
Jay Lake takes this unlikely premise and makes it work, and what's more, makes it the setting for a journey of spiritual realisation by the extremely hapless main character. (Poor guy, he keeps getting falsely accused, cast out, beaten up, robbed, imprisoned, abducted, whipped, abducted, abandoned to die, starved, dropped off cliffs, beaten up, attacked, nearly frozen, and crushed. Not to mention several tests of endurance.)
It's a bit littered with steampunk tropes - steam itself, of course, the Victorian period, airships, clockwork, and everything possible (and a few impossible things) made of brass - but it's definitely not Just Another Me-Too Steampunk Novel. It's almost Magical Realist in the way it simply plunks down a huge impossibility and refuses to explain it, even as the story winds itself around that very impossibility.
One of the reviews on the back compares it to Gene Wolfe. I cordially despise Gene Wolfe's novels exactly because they are not like this: they are not about the redemptive struggle of a good-hearted hero who, in losing everything, finds what is of ultimate value.
Jay Lake takes this unlikely premise and makes it work, and what's more, makes it the setting for a journey of spiritual realisation by the extremely hapless main character. (Poor guy, he keeps getting falsely accused, cast out, beaten up, robbed, imprisoned, abducted, whipped, abducted, abandoned to die, starved, dropped off cliffs, beaten up, attacked, nearly frozen, and crushed. Not to mention several tests of endurance.)
It's a bit littered with steampunk tropes - steam itself, of course, the Victorian period, airships, clockwork, and everything possible (and a few impossible things) made of brass - but it's definitely not Just Another Me-Too Steampunk Novel. It's almost Magical Realist in the way it simply plunks down a huge impossibility and refuses to explain it, even as the story winds itself around that very impossibility.
One of the reviews on the back compares it to Gene Wolfe. I cordially despise Gene Wolfe's novels exactly because they are not like this: they are not about the redemptive struggle of a good-hearted hero who, in losing everything, finds what is of ultimate value.
November 20, 2014
2.5 stars
Why, why is it so hard to find good steampunk?
I had high hopes for this one. It certainly had potential--a great premise, a truly original world, a little theology, and a couple of surprising twists.
Unfortunately, none of those things can make up for the amateurish writing or the incredibly bland protagonist. Hethor lacked personality, conviction, and most of all, passion. Even during his not-infrequent emotional outbursts, I never got the impression that he truly cared about what he was doing or why. He just sort of drifts along, never actively doing anything to take control of his own journey, ending up at his intended destination mostly by dumb luck.
Then again, it's not like the secondary characters were any better. Whether allies or enemies, their motivations were poorly explained at best and nonexistent at worst, and any expressed emotions rang hollow.
I'm generally an optimist when it comes to first novels, though, so I'll probably look for the next book in the series. Lake does have talent, at least in the ideas department, and it'll be interesting to see where he takes this world.
Why, why is it so hard to find good steampunk?
I had high hopes for this one. It certainly had potential--a great premise, a truly original world, a little theology, and a couple of surprising twists.
Unfortunately, none of those things can make up for the amateurish writing or the incredibly bland protagonist. Hethor lacked personality, conviction, and most of all, passion. Even during his not-infrequent emotional outbursts, I never got the impression that he truly cared about what he was doing or why. He just sort of drifts along, never actively doing anything to take control of his own journey, ending up at his intended destination mostly by dumb luck.
Then again, it's not like the secondary characters were any better. Whether allies or enemies, their motivations were poorly explained at best and nonexistent at worst, and any expressed emotions rang hollow.
I'm generally an optimist when it comes to first novels, though, so I'll probably look for the next book in the series. Lake does have talent, at least in the ideas department, and it'll be interesting to see where he takes this world.
April 30, 2009
Imagine a world in which god is the ultimate clockmaker, the pre-Einsteinian world of Newtonian physics, but taken literally: the solar system really is on a series of gears, the Equator is a brass gear miles high with miraculously-machined teeth meshing with the cog of the world's orbit, and imagine that the Earth is winding down and must be rewound. That is the mission given to Hethor, a clockmaker's apprentice in Victorian New Haven, by the archangel Gabriel.
If you imagine this as a pocket universe, like Shroeder's "Sun of Suns" or books by Adam Roberts like "On" or "Polystom", this is an enjoyable book. Most of it happens to Hethor rather than him propelling the action, and the prose is clear rather than wonderful, but it is enjoyable nonetheless.
If you imagine this as a pocket universe, like Shroeder's "Sun of Suns" or books by Adam Roberts like "On" or "Polystom", this is an enjoyable book. Most of it happens to Hethor rather than him propelling the action, and the prose is clear rather than wonderful, but it is enjoyable nonetheless.
May 18, 2008
In my opinion one sign of a good book are the strong reactions it evokes. Judging from the number of 5 star and 1 star ratings, I'd say Mainspring qualifies. As usual, I'll leave it to others to tell you what the story is about. I read waaaay too much fantasy and sci-fi so I'm always delighted when I discover a book thats unlike any other I've read. My only complaint would be the weak character development. Mr Lake tries and there is some back story but I never really found myself caring about or identifying with the protagonist. Oh, and while the primate/pre-human on human sex was unexpected, it didn't ruin the story for me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 285 reviews