The Wonder Engine

Just finished it. Happy that not *only* did the characters follow through on the clues I picked up, but *also* there were a few twists.

Have a handkerchief handy.

“The Wonder Engine” is another heartwarming fantasy novel by T. Kingfisher, which is the pseudonym Ursula Vernon uses for her works for adults. It is the second and final novel in the Clocktaur War Duology which takes place in a medieval alternate world that features magic, paladins, and various gods and demons. Her Saint of Steel Series also occurs in this same shared world, but they are independent of the Clocktaur War Duology. This novel completes the story began in the novel “Clockwork Boys.”

This novel continues the story of a woman known as Slate, who is a master forger. She had run afoul of the law, and was sent on a dangerous, probably suicidal mission. She recruited an assassin and a disgraced Paladin. This unlikely trio are joined by a young scholar, and a loyal gnole. Their mission is to discover the source of the monstrous Clockwork Boys and stop their rampage. These magical monsters are like animated siege engines, and are causing havoc in the countryside. They have infiltrated Anuket City, the origin of these horrors, and now they must discover how they are created…

Ms. Veron has again written a fantasy that has many elements. There are are some horrific things going on in this story, but it is also a romance, and a work of high fantasy. It’s a positive novel, which has warm characters, and dry humor.

The author has a gift for creating real, believable characters who I think could find a home in any story. It's a rare gift for any genre, particularly fantasy.

There's a very grounded quality to the writing, which one might think would be a drawback, but in these stories, it certainly isn't. The people and the world are so real and present.

Very, very good book.