Scan barcode
persychan's review against another edition
dark
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.25
Che dire? La prosa è magnifica e il vibe del setting immacolato, poi c'è tutto il resto.
Ci sono 4 trame contemporaneamente ma nessuna di cui mi sia interessato niente. I personaggi, protagonista e creatore abusivo esclusi, hanno la profondità di una pozzanghera. Stesso per gli "intrighi" politici.
E non parliamo della sottotrama dei gargoyle che è puro nonsense, viene risolta con concetti a caso che in qualche modo come un magico megazord si combinano insieme per risolvere la loro maledizione, senza che a nessun punto ci sia detto come mai succeda.
L'intero funzionamento della magia è alquanto...aleatorio e sembra funzionare per le regole del "Mmmh, la trama lo vuole."
Poi c'è la protagonista e la sua relazione con il suo costruttore e beh, l'ho apprezzata e mi è piaciuta nel suo orribile realismo di un continuo abuso e manipolazione vista la dinamica di potere, ma il finale è personalmente un inutile pugno nello stomaco, angst per nessun motivo se non il dramma stesso.
Questo libro è la versione steampunk, con l'aggiunta di gargoyle e una malfatta ribellione, di un classico femminicidio: uomo che non ha mai superato i suoi complessi di inferiorità/trauma usa l'unica donna che lo sopporta - perchè costretta- della sua vita e quando questa inizia a liberarsi dal suo giogo, lui fa di tutto per farla morire.
La mia vita era meglio prima di questo libro.
Ci sono 4 trame contemporaneamente ma nessuna di cui mi sia interessato niente. I personaggi, protagonista e creatore abusivo esclusi, hanno la profondità di una pozzanghera. Stesso per gli "intrighi" politici.
E non parliamo della sottotrama dei gargoyle che è puro nonsense, viene risolta con concetti a caso che in qualche modo come un magico megazord si combinano insieme per risolvere la loro maledizione, senza che a nessun punto ci sia detto come mai succeda.
L'intero funzionamento della magia è alquanto...aleatorio e sembra funzionare per le regole del "Mmmh, la trama lo vuole."
Poi c'è la protagonista e la sua relazione con il suo costruttore e beh, l'ho apprezzata e mi è piaciuta nel suo orribile realismo di un continuo abuso e manipolazione vista la dinamica di potere, ma il finale è personalmente un inutile pugno nello stomaco, angst per nessun motivo se non il dramma stesso.
Questo libro è la versione steampunk, con l'aggiunta di gargoyle e una malfatta ribellione, di un classico femminicidio: uomo che non ha mai superato i suoi complessi di inferiorità/trauma usa l'unica donna che lo sopporta - perchè costretta- della sua vita e quando questa inizia a liberarsi dal suo giogo, lui fa di tutto per farla morire.
La mia vita era meglio prima di questo libro.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Slavery
thewallflower00's review against another edition
3.0
This book is about a female clockwork automaton. She's an alchemist living on her own, but she's still technically beholden to her creator, since he has the key. She's hired by gargoyles (real stone gargoyles) to find a way to stop them from petrifying forever.
I picked this up because it was on a list of robot books with a different spin. The book has great world-building, great description. It reminded me of Dishonored or "The Wise Man's Fear" in terms of how sheerly vast this world is. You only see a little bit, only what's on the surface.
The problem was that it was too slow-paced. Few events of significance happen throughout the plot. There's a lot of plates in the air, but they never come down. I felt like the gorgeous writing was compensating for the lack of plot. And the end result was that the style got in the way of the story. Character motivation was lacking too. Or at least I didn't get it. The characters do things, but I never got a sense of their back story to figure out why, or why it was important to them. The non-humans start getting indistinguishable after a while.
I picked this up because it was on a list of robot books with a different spin. The book has great world-building, great description. It reminded me of Dishonored or "The Wise Man's Fear" in terms of how sheerly vast this world is. You only see a little bit, only what's on the surface.
The problem was that it was too slow-paced. Few events of significance happen throughout the plot. There's a lot of plates in the air, but they never come down. I felt like the gorgeous writing was compensating for the lack of plot. And the end result was that the style got in the way of the story. Character motivation was lacking too. Or at least I didn't get it. The characters do things, but I never got a sense of their back story to figure out why, or why it was important to them. The non-humans start getting indistinguishable after a while.
karu_fernandez's review against another edition
3.0
Creo que sería más un 3.5 tirando a 4.
Qué manera de cringear con los personajes masculinos eh. El viaje de descubrimiento de la humanidad en medio de una revolución es ya un clásico de la literatura rusa. Pero ahora tiene robots, alquimistas y gárgolas.
Creo que el puntito que le falta es la acción. Tarda demasiado en arrancar y durante más de la primera mitad tuve esa sensación de que no estaba segura de cuál era la trama. Los personajes, por otro lado, son su punto fuerte. Son interesantes, tienen muchas aristas y, de hecho, de algunos me quedé con ganas de saber más.
Qué manera de cringear con los personajes masculinos eh. El viaje de descubrimiento de la humanidad en medio de una revolución es ya un clásico de la literatura rusa. Pero ahora tiene robots, alquimistas y gárgolas.
Creo que el puntito que le falta es la acción. Tarda demasiado en arrancar y durante más de la primera mitad tuve esa sensación de que no estaba segura de cuál era la trama. Los personajes, por otro lado, son su punto fuerte. Son interesantes, tienen muchas aristas y, de hecho, de algunos me quedé con ganas de saber más.
sgerner's review against another edition
4.0
Plot and character development is interesting; however, the beauty of this book is in the writing! The imagery and metaphors are truly a pleasure to read!
suzemo's review against another edition
4.0
This book is incredibly complex, and I'm having a hard time coming up with a good review for it.
There are so many issues all hitting at the same time. And interestingly, the whole uprising of some of the classes in this book happens as the same time of the Occupy movement, and it feels so real.
I (naturally) focused more on the sexual politics of the book. You have an automaton, not just made to serve her master, but made as a woman (down to her built in whalebone corset, so she will ALWAYS be feminine and a woman outwardly first) to serve as a woman should. It's an interesting look at a woman trying to break free of the social/physical/intimate bonds of her femininity while there's still class struggle, environmental shenanigans and so, so much else going on in this book.
J'adore.
There are so many issues all hitting at the same time. And interestingly, the whole uprising of some of the classes in this book happens as the same time of the Occupy movement, and it feels so real.
I (naturally) focused more on the sexual politics of the book. You have an automaton, not just made to serve her master, but made as a woman (down to her built in whalebone corset, so she will ALWAYS be feminine and a woman outwardly first) to serve as a woman should. It's an interesting look at a woman trying to break free of the social/physical/intimate bonds of her femininity while there's still class struggle, environmental shenanigans and so, so much else going on in this book.
J'adore.
scheu's review against another edition
5.0
I liked this one quite a bit more than her first. It was also refreshing to read a steampunk story that wasn't mired in Victoriana. And, nasty keyhole sex.
lisaortiz1221's review against another edition
4.0
i almost didn’t read this book, wavering in my interest based on the synopsis. now that i’ve read it though, i can see that this is a book about so many things and it would be impossible to do it any justice in a few words. my ultimate faith in the person who recommended it (Calico Reaction) prevailed and i am definitely glad i gave in and read it.
the political face-off between the Alchemists and the Mechanics is at a breaking point and the underground political movement is threatening all out war. the gargoyles, as builders and protectors of the city, are dwindling in their numbers and have turned to the Alchemist Mattie, to help them find a cure for their eventual turn to immovable stone. at the core of the story is Mattie, who is an intelligent automaton, the highly sophisticated product of the mechanic Loharri. in her quest to assist the gargoyles, Mattie is drawn to the most varied and surprisingly tangible cast of characters, including the lonely, yet resigned Soul Smoker Ilmarekh and the sexy rebel Sebastian.
honestly, though, the plot lines are secondary to the characters and the writing here. Mattie, with her human-like abilities to feel pleasure and pain, and her programmatic increased sensory capacity, make her a very descriptive and emotionally driven narrator, one that is very easy to be sympathetic towards. her unique position of being an Alchemist and the creation of a Mechanic gives the reader an insider’s view to both political factions and equates to a highly readable and rather fascinating book. this is a dark and twisting story that is both thoughtful and engaging, with a great amount of depth to it.
by using Mattie and Loharri’s unique parent/child relationship, Sedia seamlessly weaves in the themes of identity, freedom, and obligation, in addition to the overlaying political and societal themes of prejudice and survival. despite the fact that Mattie was emancipated, Loharri holds power over her, not only because he is her creator and is necessary for her maintenance, but also because he refuses to hand over the key to her ticktock-ing heart. it reminded me very much of a twisted, steampunk Pinocchio mixed with a Wizard of Oz quest for a heart story. and oddly enough, it really worked.
Numb, Mattie obeyed. It was just like before, and no matter what had happened to her since, no matter how powerful or emancipated, she still did as she was told – because she could not do otherwise, because he was the one that made her. Just like the gargoyles obeyed the stone – or was it the other way around? she could not remember – she obeyed Loharri.
this is one of those rare books that could probably be enjoyed by a vast range of readers – sci fi to literature, paranormal romance to science lovers,The Alchemy of Stone manages to have a little bit of it all.
the political face-off between the Alchemists and the Mechanics is at a breaking point and the underground political movement is threatening all out war. the gargoyles, as builders and protectors of the city, are dwindling in their numbers and have turned to the Alchemist Mattie, to help them find a cure for their eventual turn to immovable stone. at the core of the story is Mattie, who is an intelligent automaton, the highly sophisticated product of the mechanic Loharri. in her quest to assist the gargoyles, Mattie is drawn to the most varied and surprisingly tangible cast of characters, including the lonely, yet resigned Soul Smoker Ilmarekh and the sexy rebel Sebastian.
honestly, though, the plot lines are secondary to the characters and the writing here. Mattie, with her human-like abilities to feel pleasure and pain, and her programmatic increased sensory capacity, make her a very descriptive and emotionally driven narrator, one that is very easy to be sympathetic towards. her unique position of being an Alchemist and the creation of a Mechanic gives the reader an insider’s view to both political factions and equates to a highly readable and rather fascinating book. this is a dark and twisting story that is both thoughtful and engaging, with a great amount of depth to it.
by using Mattie and Loharri’s unique parent/child relationship, Sedia seamlessly weaves in the themes of identity, freedom, and obligation, in addition to the overlaying political and societal themes of prejudice and survival. despite the fact that Mattie was emancipated, Loharri holds power over her, not only because he is her creator and is necessary for her maintenance, but also because he refuses to hand over the key to her ticktock-ing heart. it reminded me very much of a twisted, steampunk Pinocchio mixed with a Wizard of Oz quest for a heart story. and oddly enough, it really worked.
Numb, Mattie obeyed. It was just like before, and no matter what had happened to her since, no matter how powerful or emancipated, she still did as she was told – because she could not do otherwise, because he was the one that made her. Just like the gargoyles obeyed the stone – or was it the other way around? she could not remember – she obeyed Loharri.
this is one of those rare books that could probably be enjoyed by a vast range of readers – sci fi to literature, paranormal romance to science lovers,The Alchemy of Stone manages to have a little bit of it all.
moviebuffkt's review against another edition
2.0
uh oh.... Alex gave it one star and Ang gave it 5! I like it so far, but we'll see at Book Club!
Meh. I never quite knew who to root for. There were one too many story lines... Automatons gaining independence. Cool. Saving the gargoyles. Ok. Mechanics vs. Alchemists. Sure. Revolution of coal miners... Fine. Pick one cause for me to be invested in and I'll get behind it. But with so many competitions, I ended up being indifferent to all of them.
Meh. I never quite knew who to root for. There were one too many story lines... Automatons gaining independence. Cool. Saving the gargoyles. Ok. Mechanics vs. Alchemists. Sure. Revolution of coal miners... Fine. Pick one cause for me to be invested in and I'll get behind it. But with so many competitions, I ended up being indifferent to all of them.
andrewliptak's review against another edition
4.0
This was a surprise in my mail earlier yesterday - I’ve been trying to get a hold of this book, The Alchemy of Stone, for a little while now, and had some problems. This third book by Ekaterina Sedia was one that I was really looking forwards to reading, and it was a fun book to read - While I waited for my computer to restart, I finished the last 150 pages in about an hour.
The story follows Mattie, an intelligent automation in a world that is very steampunkish. Mattie is an alchemist, trying to discover a way to prevent the gargoyles in the city from turning to stone and dying out. They seem to predate the human inhabitants of the city, and are responsible for its construction and character. At the point in the story, the city is overcrowded, and divided. There’s a political rivalry between the Alchemists and machinists, which spills over into violence with the Duke of the city and his family is attacked and killed, culminating in civil war between classes. Mattie is at the center of this, as an Alchemist, but her creator, whom she is bound to, is a fairly cruel machinist who will not let her stray too far from needing him.
This was a fun read, but not as good as I’d hoped it would be. It felt like a quick look into a vastly complex and interesting world and I didn’t get the depth that I would have liked, and that easily could have been there. That being said, what I got was still a very good, engaging read. Where the story is somewhat lacking, it is made up for with the character of Mattie and the various struggles that she comes across in the story. Where most people would think of a robotic being as fairly robust and durable – watching any sort of movie about robots will tell you this – Mattie is weak, timid, and fragile, both physically and mentally. At several points, she is easily broken after being attacked, and must be rewound by her creator in order to function. She is shy, and eager to please her master, Loharri, while at the same time despising him and yearning to be completely free from his grasp, which is not possible, as he literally owns the key to her heart.
There are many themes which run through this book that all intersect with Mattie, but the dominant one can be considered one of transitions. The city is changing, physically as there is a boom in construction and the machinists are taking over, building new things daily, which precipitate in a sort of political change. Between the Machinists and the Alchemists, there is a duel nature to Mattie as well, who was built by a machinist, but rejected that way in life, instead focusing on life. While the exact roles of the machinists and alchemists in this society aren’t entirely clear, they do bring up another duality, one of life and death, or fulfillment vs. automation, role vs. job and emotions vs. logic. There is a class system, we see, as angry coal workers, forced off their fields by robots, are tasked with mining coal, while the machinists are content to blindly follow another sentient automation, the calculator.
This, to me, is an interesting theme, as it relates to themes that went on during the Renaissance period, a period of much change, but without the magic and fantasy elements. To some extent, the book has several issues that are still highly relevant today, if not more so. To what extent is a culture vibrant and full of life when it overwhelmingly utilizes machines and devices? At one point, a character that Mattie befriends, Naobi, an outsider, notes that the people of this city aren’t happy or content, they just exist. When reading that, I had to wonder how much of that was a sort of social commentary on today’s society, where the television, computers, mobile phones, MP3 players are the dominant forms of entertainment and recreation, rather than something that might be more fulfilling. It’s certainly something that I have thought about often.
Another dominant theme that the book approaches is the city’s response to the death of their Duke, where foreigners were rounded up, harassed and at times, had their souls removed or were threatened as such if they weren’t cooperative. This was a somewhat chilling, if very unsubtle point in the book that is extremely relevant in today’s society after 9-11. Thankfully, this isn’t an overwhelming point in the novel. While it doesn’t detract from the reading, I always get nervous when any artist, whether it be a writer, singer or painter, uses their material as a soapbox, for it dates and lessens the material that they are releasing.
The final big theme of the book is that of life and death. This is prevalent everywhere, from the machinists who create life from nothing, to the alchemists who preserve life, to the soul seeker who seeks to prevent it, while the gargoyles are slowly dying out. It seems fitting that Mattie, an automation, relates to all of those fields, while not alive herself, is a conscious being, actively seeking to preserve the gargoyles who still remain. More ironic, she is unable to remain alive without her human maker, who holds her fate based on his whims.
This isn’t really a positive book when it comes to tone – it’s dark, gritty and at times, downright depressing, which came as a real surprise to me, especially at the end, when things came together. I can’t really remember a book that has done this, one that really puts the characters into place.
Mattie is the true center of the novel, and is a brilliantly conceived character from the start, one who is curious, afraid, at times strong, and one who changes over the course of the story. While she is built, automated, I never once thought of her as a robot, but as an organic being – at times, I was trying to imagine her as a robot, and had a hard time doing so, which is absolutely fantastic, given what type of character she is – this is something that few authors that I’ve come across have been able to do, turn a machine into a character that you can really and truly care for, one where you don’t have to stretch your imagination to imagine her being hurt or having feelings.
At the end of the book, I was happy to have gotten into a book and finished it in a day. The Alchemy of Stone was a fun read, engaging and interesting. I’d highly recommend it.
(Originally Posted: http://jeditrilobite.wordpress.com)
The story follows Mattie, an intelligent automation in a world that is very steampunkish. Mattie is an alchemist, trying to discover a way to prevent the gargoyles in the city from turning to stone and dying out. They seem to predate the human inhabitants of the city, and are responsible for its construction and character. At the point in the story, the city is overcrowded, and divided. There’s a political rivalry between the Alchemists and machinists, which spills over into violence with the Duke of the city and his family is attacked and killed, culminating in civil war between classes. Mattie is at the center of this, as an Alchemist, but her creator, whom she is bound to, is a fairly cruel machinist who will not let her stray too far from needing him.
This was a fun read, but not as good as I’d hoped it would be. It felt like a quick look into a vastly complex and interesting world and I didn’t get the depth that I would have liked, and that easily could have been there. That being said, what I got was still a very good, engaging read. Where the story is somewhat lacking, it is made up for with the character of Mattie and the various struggles that she comes across in the story. Where most people would think of a robotic being as fairly robust and durable – watching any sort of movie about robots will tell you this – Mattie is weak, timid, and fragile, both physically and mentally. At several points, she is easily broken after being attacked, and must be rewound by her creator in order to function. She is shy, and eager to please her master, Loharri, while at the same time despising him and yearning to be completely free from his grasp, which is not possible, as he literally owns the key to her heart.
There are many themes which run through this book that all intersect with Mattie, but the dominant one can be considered one of transitions. The city is changing, physically as there is a boom in construction and the machinists are taking over, building new things daily, which precipitate in a sort of political change. Between the Machinists and the Alchemists, there is a duel nature to Mattie as well, who was built by a machinist, but rejected that way in life, instead focusing on life. While the exact roles of the machinists and alchemists in this society aren’t entirely clear, they do bring up another duality, one of life and death, or fulfillment vs. automation, role vs. job and emotions vs. logic. There is a class system, we see, as angry coal workers, forced off their fields by robots, are tasked with mining coal, while the machinists are content to blindly follow another sentient automation, the calculator.
This, to me, is an interesting theme, as it relates to themes that went on during the Renaissance period, a period of much change, but without the magic and fantasy elements. To some extent, the book has several issues that are still highly relevant today, if not more so. To what extent is a culture vibrant and full of life when it overwhelmingly utilizes machines and devices? At one point, a character that Mattie befriends, Naobi, an outsider, notes that the people of this city aren’t happy or content, they just exist. When reading that, I had to wonder how much of that was a sort of social commentary on today’s society, where the television, computers, mobile phones, MP3 players are the dominant forms of entertainment and recreation, rather than something that might be more fulfilling. It’s certainly something that I have thought about often.
Another dominant theme that the book approaches is the city’s response to the death of their Duke, where foreigners were rounded up, harassed and at times, had their souls removed or were threatened as such if they weren’t cooperative. This was a somewhat chilling, if very unsubtle point in the book that is extremely relevant in today’s society after 9-11. Thankfully, this isn’t an overwhelming point in the novel. While it doesn’t detract from the reading, I always get nervous when any artist, whether it be a writer, singer or painter, uses their material as a soapbox, for it dates and lessens the material that they are releasing.
The final big theme of the book is that of life and death. This is prevalent everywhere, from the machinists who create life from nothing, to the alchemists who preserve life, to the soul seeker who seeks to prevent it, while the gargoyles are slowly dying out. It seems fitting that Mattie, an automation, relates to all of those fields, while not alive herself, is a conscious being, actively seeking to preserve the gargoyles who still remain. More ironic, she is unable to remain alive without her human maker, who holds her fate based on his whims.
This isn’t really a positive book when it comes to tone – it’s dark, gritty and at times, downright depressing, which came as a real surprise to me, especially at the end, when things came together. I can’t really remember a book that has done this, one that really puts the characters into place.
Mattie is the true center of the novel, and is a brilliantly conceived character from the start, one who is curious, afraid, at times strong, and one who changes over the course of the story. While she is built, automated, I never once thought of her as a robot, but as an organic being – at times, I was trying to imagine her as a robot, and had a hard time doing so, which is absolutely fantastic, given what type of character she is – this is something that few authors that I’ve come across have been able to do, turn a machine into a character that you can really and truly care for, one where you don’t have to stretch your imagination to imagine her being hurt or having feelings.
At the end of the book, I was happy to have gotten into a book and finished it in a day. The Alchemy of Stone was a fun read, engaging and interesting. I’d highly recommend it.
(Originally Posted: http://jeditrilobite.wordpress.com)
fantastiskfiktion's review against another edition
4.0
https://fantastiskfiktion.wordpress.com/2015/06/30/the-alchemy-of-stone/