The Liberation

October 10, 2016
Tregellis concludes his Alchemy Wars trilogy in fine style, resolving the tensions in his alternate historical setting, in which a Dutch empire is powered by enslaved golems called Clakkers, with a series of conflicts (both political and military) that are brutal and often heartbreaking. French former exile Berenice, who’s once again working for what remains of the French court, is attempting to create an alliance between her state and the ever-growing group of newly sentient Clakkers, who are rebelling against the Dutch. Anastasia, the Dutch Tuinier in charge of the Sacred Guild that creates and rules the Clakkers, is attempting to put down the free Clakkers now attacking them in the Old World. And Daniel, the sentient Clakker whose awakening initiated the events in the first book, is threatened on all sides, including by the malevolent Clakkers led by Queen Mab, who is as willing as the Dutch to take control of and sacrifice Clakkers. Tregellis doesn’t make life (or death) easy for any of his characters, and an opening massacre scene is particularly horrific, including gruesome deaths of children. This is a satisfying conclusion to an excellent trilogy. Agent: Kay McCauley, Pimlico Agency.

October 1, 2016
The thoughtful, blood-soaked conclusion to an alternate-history trilogy (The Rising, 2015, etc.) in which the Dutch rule Europe and the New World thanks to their control of Clakkers, mechanical servants fueled by clockwork and alchemy. The mechanical Daniel has freed all Clakkers from their alchemical servitude to their human masters. Some Clakkers have simply walked away from their centuries of slavery. Others have come to the aid of the Dutch Empires underdog rival, the French. And many have chosen to violently revenge themselves on all humans, regardless of nationality. While the French struggle to seize the advantage and reclaim their long-abandoned homeland, the Dutch must accept that, contrary to their long-held beliefs, their metal creations are thinking, feeling beingsand what they are feeling is very, very angry. The battle between two nations metastasizes into a desperate fight for human survival. The Dutch and the French must put aside their centuries-old enmity to ally against their common foe: the monstrous mechanical Queen Mab, who seeks to draw all mechanicalsand all humansunder her sway, willingly or not. Rarely (possibly never?) in our history have slaves entered freedom with such significant physical and technological advantages over their former masters, and so it is interesting and frequently stomach-turning to witness how such a scenario would play out. The series makes it clear that mechanicals are not insensible machines; it emphasizes how deeply Clakkers feel and how profoundly they experience pain when they attempt to defy orders, how dreadful it is for Clakkers (and humans) to be without free will, and how devastatingly confusing it can be to have it restored. Their often violent response is disturbing but highly understandable, practically inevitable, in context. A frighteningly frank and brutal consideration of slavery, post-slavery, and colonialism in metallic garb.

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November 15, 2016

As the "Alchemy Wars" trilogy concludes, the mechanical servitor once known as Jax has become a messiah-like figure for the Clakkers, who have been freed from their alchemical bonds. The infection of free will is spreading among the metal men, even to the heart of the Clockmaker empire in the Hague. Anastasia, head of the Verderers who guard the secrets of the Guild that created the Clakkers, realizes that the Dutch have misunderstood their creations, but it is too late to preserve the empire. Meanwhile, Berenice and the French, who have been fighting the Dutch for centuries, hope to use the Clakker revolution to defeat their adversaries. Still, the enemy of your enemy is not always your friend. VERDICT Tregillis brings one of the more imaginative alternate histories of recent years to a dynamic close. Anastasia and Berenice, both ruthless in the pursuit of their own ends, are compelling mirrors of each other. Berenice, the stunningly foul-mouthed spymaster, shines brightest.--MM

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2016
The conclusion to Tregillis' Alchemy Wars Trilogy picks up where The Rising (2015) left off, with the world transformed by the liberation of the Mechanicals, or Clakkers, from their magical enslavement to the Dutch Empire, partially through the efforts of the rogue Clakker Daniel, formerly known as Jax. The novel's various perspectives follow familiar heroes, including Daniel and the French spymaster Berenice de Mornayas well as a character previously presented only as a villain in others' perspectives, Dutch alchemist Anastasia Bell. As Berenice and Daniel tentatively establish cooperation between the newly liberated Clakkers and the until recently besieged nation of New France, Anastasia watches as the Netherlands are transformed by not only the spreading mechanical liberation but also the sinister machinations of the legendary rogue Clakker Queen Mab and her army of Lost Boys. Tregillis builds on the events of the previous volumes for an exciting and incredibly satisfying conclusion, and this novel and the series as a whole are recommended for anyone interested in a skillfully wrought and engagingly told fantasy narrative.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)