amyjoy's review against another edition
3.0
I don't love the artist on this. It's the same person who drew [b:The New Deadwardians|15797754|The New Deadwardians|Dan Abnett|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360096436s/15797754.jpg|21994677], which I liked, but the art just wasn't jibing for me here.
The story was a good futuristic, dystopian story, and I generally liked all the characters. I don't know that I would pick up a second volume of this, but the author had me sufficiently engaged to get to the end of this (not short) book.
The story was a good futuristic, dystopian story, and I generally liked all the characters. I don't know that I would pick up a second volume of this, but the author had me sufficiently engaged to get to the end of this (not short) book.
sbisson's review
4.0
Recent Reads: Brass Sun - Wheel Of Worlds. Ian Edginton and INJ Culbard's graphic novel hides advanced technology in a solar system-sized orrery. The sun is winding down and Wren has the key to rewind it. But a fractured humanity and a malevolent moon are in her way. Clockpunk?
ederwin's review
4.0
Pretty nice world-building. The story basically boils down to "visit a bunch of exotic steam-punky locations to find pieces of a 'key' while escaping from bad guys." The real draw is the art. The architectural details in the various locations is of a similar quality to the works of [a:François Schuiten|573160|François Schuiten|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1280109949p2/573160.jpg] in the series "Cities of the Fantastic", but the stories here are more understandable. I only know the artist from his work on [b:Wild's End|23492430|Wild's End, Vol. 1 First Light|Dan Abnett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1434419967s/23492430.jpg|43082680] (a version of "War of the Worlds" told with anthropomorphic animals standing-in for humans). While I enjoyed that work, the art in this one is several levels more complex, so that I never would have guessed it is the same artist.
Some reviews complain that the human characters are not well-drawn and are difficult to distinguish from one another. I don't agree, but I understand the feeling: the backgrounds outshine the characters.
At one point the main character has a sort-of dream and visits the Moon and talks with "the maker", who looks alternately like Mark Twain, Rod Serling, and Kurt Vonnegut. I can't help but think that is a winking reference to the several times when [b:Cerebus|198464|Church and State II (Cerebus, #4)|Dave Sim|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1389626930s/198464.jpg|191979] ascended to the moon and met his maker (played mostly by Jules Feiffer.) Anyway, it makes more sense in this story than it did in Cerebus.
This story could have more chapters, but doesn't end on a cliffhanger, so could be read alone.
Some reviews complain that the human characters are not well-drawn and are difficult to distinguish from one another. I don't agree, but I understand the feeling: the backgrounds outshine the characters.
At one point the main character has a sort-of dream and visits the Moon and talks with "the maker", who looks alternately like Mark Twain, Rod Serling, and Kurt Vonnegut. I can't help but think that is a winking reference to the several times when [b:Cerebus|198464|Church and State II (Cerebus, #4)|Dave Sim|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1389626930s/198464.jpg|191979] ascended to the moon and met his maker (played mostly by Jules Feiffer.) Anyway, it makes more sense in this story than it did in Cerebus.
This story could have more chapters, but doesn't end on a cliffhanger, so could be read alone.
rosseroo's review
3.0
Didn't realize there was a fantasy/sci-fi subgenre called "clockpunk", but apparently that's what this is. I picked it up because of the top-notch production values -- I'm always happy to try out a good-looking European omnibus. This one collects a story originally published over several years in the British magazine 2000 AD. The basic premise is that there is a clockwork solar system that is dying, and only the efforts of a teenage girl might save it.
It's kind of a classic setup, in that there's a wise old man living a quiet life in exile, who passes world-changing secret down to his young granddaughter, who must use his journal to gather the pieces to a the key that will restart the sun and thus keep the planets alive. Off she goes on a grand adventure, joined early on by a monk her age who is part of a secret order dedicated to maintaining the system. They travel through the tubes of brass connecting planets, seeking out parts of the key, which seem to be bits of code.
At times it gets a little too trippy for my taste, especially near the end where the heroine is visited by a vision of the creator, who takes the form of someone who's either Mark Twain or Colonel Sanders, then Rod Sterling, and then Kurt Vonnegut. The main strength of the story is world-building, which is full of imagination and richness. Similarly, the artwork is at its finest when depicting structures and landscapes, and gets a little too flat and simple in depicting people.
Although it can be a bit ponderous at times, there are plenty of excellent scenes, and I was carried through the whole thing easily enough. However, it was a bit disappointing to realize toward the end that the story was nowhere near done, and another volume or two will need to come over the next 2-5 years to finish the story.
It's kind of a classic setup, in that there's a wise old man living a quiet life in exile, who passes world-changing secret down to his young granddaughter, who must use his journal to gather the pieces to a the key that will restart the sun and thus keep the planets alive. Off she goes on a grand adventure, joined early on by a monk her age who is part of a secret order dedicated to maintaining the system. They travel through the tubes of brass connecting planets, seeking out parts of the key, which seem to be bits of code.
At times it gets a little too trippy for my taste, especially near the end where the heroine is visited by a vision of the creator, who takes the form of someone who's either Mark Twain or Colonel Sanders, then Rod Sterling, and then Kurt Vonnegut. The main strength of the story is world-building, which is full of imagination and richness. Similarly, the artwork is at its finest when depicting structures and landscapes, and gets a little too flat and simple in depicting people.
Although it can be a bit ponderous at times, there are plenty of excellent scenes, and I was carried through the whole thing easily enough. However, it was a bit disappointing to realize toward the end that the story was nowhere near done, and another volume or two will need to come over the next 2-5 years to finish the story.
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