October 9, 2023
Lusk’s passion for history shines in his sprawling and somewhat muddled steampunk fantasy debut. The plot, which spans 18 years, kicks off with Zachary Cloudesley’s birth in 1754 London and his mother’s death during childbirth. Throughout his childhood, Zachary’s mother’s aunt, Lady Frances Peake-Barnes, schemes to take custody of both Zachary and Leonora Morley, the daughter of Zachary’s wet nurse, Grace. Meanwhile, Zachary’s grieving father, clockmaker Abel, is overwhelmed with parenting his gifted son; by age six, Zachary has genius-level intellect and distressing and violent visions about the lives of people he physically touches. Following an accident in his father’s workshop, Zachary loses an eye, and a distraught Abel entrusts his son to Frances at last. From here, time speeds up. Readers get glimpses of Zachary’s childhood and learn how Abel is commissioned to build a chess-playing automaton that will be used to spy on the Ottoman Empire. Years later, with Abel missing in Constantinople, teenage Zachary sets out to find him. Both men face relentless tragedies—abuse, death, fires, illness—as grief and guilt warp their lives. Readers who don’t mind the bleakness will appreciate the rich historical detail, diverse cast, and unusual supernatural elements. It’s bumpy, but there are some good ideas here.