The Clockwork Dynasty

March 15, 2017

The author of Robopocalypse draws on his knowledge of robotics in a tale of historically based sf. Young scientist June discovers a 300-year-old mechanical doll, showing that she's not crazy to believe her grandfather's stories about a living race of automatons stalking the earth. Optioned for film.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 28, 2017
While the idea of a hidden history of sentient clockwork beings may be intriguing, Wilson’s execution is inconsistent and sometimes self-contradictory. Narration alternates between a present-day anthropologist named June and a magically empowered automaton named Peter, who begins his tale in 1709 Moscow. June’s field of study is mechanical antiquities, which is pretty convenient, since a relic that came into her possession through coincidence is about to drop her in the middle of the hidden civil war between sentient machines. The story is challenging to sink into, with very short chapters jumping back and forth in time and place in a way that is meant to be complementary but comes across as jarring. The novel is further hampered by main characters who are flat and lacking in personality, a homogeneous cast, weak coincidences, and lackluster heroics.

March 1, 2018

June, an anthropologist who specializes in ancient technologies, unwittingly puts herself in danger after she reveals a secret about the relic her grandfather left her when he died. A lethal robot, who will stop at nothing to gain control of the artifact, attacks her, but she is rescued by another mechanical being, Peter, who has been programmed to devote his life to justice. Dual narratives follow June in the present day and Peter throughout his prolonged existence in modern and ancient history as he tries to learn when and why he was created. A hidden world where robots pose as humans conceals in plain sight a centuries-old conflict involving automatons who were each created with a unique passion and code. The chapters are brief, with the rapid pace of a Dan Brown novel. There's plenty of action here, but Wilson also raises questions about the purpose of life and what makes someone human. VERDICT For followers of the author's "Robopocalypse" series as well as fans of fast-moving steampunk or anyone who has graduated from Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret.-Carrie Shaurette, Dwight-Englewood School, Englewood, NJ

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 1, 2017
A feisty young anthropologist discovers a secret civilization of mechanical souls. Wilson (Robogenesis, 2014, etc.) continues his obsession with intelligent machines in this ambitious fantasy, melding the real-life past with a secret history of seemingly immortal mechanical beings who call themselves avtomat: "Maybe the closest analogue in English is the word robot." The book opens as young June Stefanov listens to her grandfather's memory of a mechanical soldier he encountered at Stalingrad. "There are strange things in the world, June," he says. "Things older than we know. Walking with the faces of men...there are angels among us." From here, the book pivots between grown-up June, who seeks out mechanical antiquities on behalf of the shadowy Kunlun Foundation, and Peter Alexeyvich and Elena Petrova, two mechanical beings resurrected in Moscow circa 1709 by Giacomo Favorini, the last mechanician of Czar Peter the Great. Both tales are thrilling and very different. Peter's form is that of a young man, while his "sister" Elena looks like a 12-year-old girl. After the czar dies, the two are forced to flee to London, where Peter takes up arms as a soldier of fortune and Elena finds a way to live her long life in the body of a child. Back in the present day, June is hunted by Talus Silferstrom, enforcer for an ancient avtomat called Leizu, before being rescued by Peter, who is a pivotal character in a war between warring steampunk leviathans. This bold adventure is a stew of cult-classic concepts--the avtomat reflect the Immortals in the Highlander franchise, while the ancient and deadly Elena is reminiscent of child vampire Claudia in Interview with the Vampire (1976). It may wear its influences on its sleeve but it's also a welcome treat for steampunk and fantasy fans. A thrilling mix of influences, much like Sylvain Neuvel's Sleeping Giants (2016) and HBO's Westworld, that creates a captivating scenario begging for many sequels.

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Starred review from July 1, 2017
The latest novel from the author of Robopocalypse (2011) reveals the existence of an ancient group (almost a race) of mechanical beings who have lived among humans for millennia. The avtomatthe name is based on the Russian word for automatoncan pass for humans, and they will do anything to keep their existence a secret, but they have one rather serious problem: they do not know how they were created, nor do they know how to recharge their power source. When anthropologist June Stefanov makes a startling discovery (a mechanical doll containing something that has never before been seen by human eyes), she's thrust into the middle of a deadly war between opposing avtomat factions. Brilliantly conceived and executed, the novel is at least as hypnotically compelling as Robopocalypse and its sequel, Robogenesis (2014), and it's written with an elegance we haven't seen from the author until now. This is science fiction at its bestthoughtful, challenging, beautifully written, and astonishing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)