Tin

With vibrant intensity, Christopher Ashman narrates this steampunk adventure set in an alternate 1930s England. Twelve-year-old Christopher is an engineer's assistant who lives with the mechanical children created by the unscrupulous Mr. Absalom. When an accident reveals Christopher's true nature and a rival engineer kidnaps him, the other children run away to search for him. With his deep pitch and rich British accent, Ashman brings heart to the action-packed story, creating distinct voices for a wide range of characters. These include a gentle tone for the sympathetic Christopher; a nasal twang for the sly Absalom; a gruff growl for the belligerent genius, Cormier; and a supercilious delivery for the mechanical butler. S.C. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

May 13, 2019
Echoes of classic sci-fi and fantasy enrich Kenny’s spirited yet flawed debut set in early-20th-century England. The Laws of Mechanics dictate that only registered engineers can confer sentience on Britain’s childsize automatons via inscribed magical glyphs; creating adults or animating mechanicals with souls is illegal. After a car accident reveals a jarring truth about 12-year-old orphan Christopher, he is abducted from the junkyard of opportunistic unlicensed engineer Gregory Absalom by sadistic henchmen Reeves and Dunlop, allegedly on behalf of the law-enforcing Agency. Absalom’s motley band of lovable mechanicals—Jack, Round Rob, Manda, and Gripper—endeavor to rescue Christopher with the help of their Flesh friend, resolute skin-maker Estelle Wilkins, as well as that of peevish, disgraced “father of engineering” Philip Cormier. Meanwhile, Christopher discovers the identity of his true kidnapper, who harbors far more sinister plans than any that the Agency could devise. Unfortunately, the story suffers from anemic worldbuilding and too-frequent perspective shifts, and a dearth of diversity undermines a condemnation of imperialism and themes about the importance of found family. Still, the novel raises interesting metaphysical questions, especially prescient for readers growing up in an age when conversations vis-à-vis the ethics of AI are becoming increasingly relevant. Ages 8–12. Agent: Sophie Hicks, Sophie Hicks Agency (U.K.).