Suz Reviews: The Alchemy of Stone

3.15.2010

The Alchemy of Stone

by Ekaterina Sedia, 293 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: A

Our protagonist, Mattie, lives in an unnamed city, run by the political factions of the mechanics and the alchemists. Mattie is highly intelligent, emanicipated automaton created by a mechanic named Loharri, who (as the book cover says) still has the key to her heart - literally. Trained as an alchemist, Mattie undertakes the task of saving the animate gargoyles who watch over the city from turning back into stone - hence the title.
I think Sedia does an excellent job weaving this novel so that we follow the perspective of Mattie, amidst all the bigger events that occur. I like the attention to detail, and how bodily reactions and movements are translated into the mechanics of a moving and functioning automaton.

Labels: genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, genre: steampunk, media: book

# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 6:26 AM

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Suz Reviews

3.15.2010

The Alchemy of Stone

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