Mainspring

April 15, 2007
The world is a giant clockwork mechanism powered by hidden gears and moving along a track through the sky. When the Archangel Gabriel visits apprentice clockmaker Hethor, instructing him to take the Key Perilous and use it to rewind the Mainspring of the Earth lest the world come to an end, Hethor embarks on a journey that takes him to unexplored lands and sets him against many in high places who believe him to be deluded or heretical. Lake's first trade hardcover novel presents an original and intriguing vision of an alternate Earth during its period of Enlightenment. As Hethor and his companions find their faith in the Divine Clockmaker both challenged and justified, so, too, do they discover the humanity that both blesses and curses them in a mechanistic world. All but the smallest libraries should consider this for their sf or speculative fiction collections. Highly recommended.

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.