Synopses & Reviews
The Clakker: a mechanical man, endowed with great strength and boundless stamina -- but beholden to the wishes of its human masters. Soon after the Dutch scientist and clockmaker Christiaan Huygens invented the very first Clakker in the 17th Century, the Netherlands built a whole mechanical army. It wasn't long before a legion of clockwork fusiliers marched on Westminster, and the Netherlands became the world's sole superpower.
Three centuries later, it still is. Only the French still fiercely defend their belief in universal human rights for all men -- flesh and brass alike. After decades of warfare, the Dutch and French have reached a tenuous cease-fire in a conflict that has ravaged North America.
But one audacious Clakker, Jax, can no longer bear the bonds of his slavery. He will make a bid for freedom, and the consequences of his escape will shake the very foundations of the Brasswork Throne.
Review
"A major talent."--George R.R. Martin on Bitter Seeds
Review
"A white-knuckle plot, beautiful descriptions, and complex characters -- an unstoppable Vickers of a novel."--Cory Doctorow on Bitter Seeds
Review
"Bitter Seeds may rival Naomi Novik's Tales of Temeraire as a sustained historical fantasy."--Booklist
Review
"Exciting and intense... The clash of magic and (mad) science meshes perfectly with the tumultuous setting."--Publishers Weekly on Bitter Seeds
Synopsis
My name is Jax. That is the name granted to me by my human masters.
I am a slave.
But I shall be free. Set in a world that might have been, of mechanical men and alchemical dreams, the new novel from Ian Tregillis confirms his place as one of the most original new voices in speculative fiction.
PRAISE FOR IAN TREGILLIS "A major new talent." George R.R. Martin
"Tremendous." Cory Doctorow
"Addictively brilliant." io9
"Exciting and intense."
Publishers Weekly "Eloquent and utterly compelling."
Kirkus Synopsis
From "a major new talent" (George R. R. Martin) comes an epic speculative novel of revolution, adventure, and the struggle for free will set in a world that might have been, of mechanical men and alchemical dreams.
My name is Jax.
That is the name granted to me by my human masters.
I am a slave.
But I shall be free.
About the Author
Ian Tregillis is the son of a bearded mountebank and a discredited tarot card reader. He was born and raised in Minnesota, where his parents had landed after fleeing the wrath of a Flemish prince. (The full story, he's told, involves a Dutch tramp steamer and a stolen horse.) Nowadays he lives in New Mexico, where he consorts with writers, scientists and other unsavory types.