The Alchemy of Stone

Overview

Mattie, an intelligent automaton skilled in the use of alchemy, finds herself caught in the middle of a conflict between gargoyles, the Mechanics, and the Alchemists. With the old order quickly giving way to the new, Mattie discovers powerful and dangerous secrets - secrets that can completely alter the balance of power in the city of Ayona. However, this doesn't sit well with Loharri, the Mechanic who created Mattie and still has the key to her heart - literally! A steampunk novel of romance, political intrigue, and alchemy, The Alchemy of Stone represents a new and intriguing direction by the author of the critically-acclaimed The Secret History of Moscow:

Editorial Reviews

Sedia's evocative third novel, a steampunk fable about the price of industrial development, follows Mattie, an emancipated automaton, as her home city is rent by conflict between alchemists and the mechanics whose clanking, steaming inventions are changing society. Though created by a leader of the mechanics, Mattie chose to join the alchemists, but her creator still holds the key that winds her up. When a terrorist bombing and an assassination touch off all-out war between the two factions, she discovers the ugly secrets and exploitation that keep the city supplied with food and coal. Sedia's exquisitely bleak vision deliberately skewers familiar ideas from know-it-all computers to talking statues desperate for souls, leaving readers to reach their own conclusions about the proper balance of tradition and progress and what it means to be alive. (Aug.)
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Author Information

Bio of Ekaterina Sedia

No bio available for Ekaterina Sedia.

Customer Reviews

• Carved from the imagination

  Posted December 15, 2008 by Casey Sheldon, Visalia CA

  The primary thing that surprised me and drew my interest regarding this book was the way in which the author seems to create depth through insightful description. She seems to have a knack for describing just enough of the properties of her subjects to convey reality, without overdoing it and falling into the trap of hyperverbosity. Her characters are flawed and relatable, and her plot in this novel is poignant in a time where we are watching the remnants of the old guard topple to the ground, unaware of the significance of such. There is much to be learned here, of mobs and their madness, of desperate hope, and perhaps even of imperfect humans trying to find love; I hope that it will teach many of these things.

Additional Info

Imprint

Wild Side Press

Filesize

559.59 KB

Number of Pages

304

eBook ISBN

9780809573455