Chris Review 4; Clockwork City

Clockwork City, by Paul Crilley

This book came at you out of the gates, and didn’t let up or give you a chance to settle into any base of home or pattern for about 40 Pages. Nothing but speed of action and events, and details fast filling in colour, taste, and definitely smell to the world it’s set in. You’re thrown in and asked to keep up pace.

I haven’t read the first of the series, and usually don’t like to pick up the 2nd or later books and read out of order. However, I didn’t know the Clockwork City wasn’t this first until I started reading, and the pace and the momentum that drags you into the book in these first 40-ish pages had me hooked into the read already. I was both liking it and wanting to continue. In saying this, it took a while before suspicions became concrete in this respect. There are references to characters and moments from the past, but it was subtle and the book held up without needing that background. Light-touch references, and a free-standing story, held this novel up well on its own.

If I had to have a punt at pinning it into a genre, I’d go for maybe supernatural fiction probably before contemporary fantasy, but I’m sure others know the distinction better, and it’s somewhere in and around that postcode. The main character is named Gideon Tau, nicknamed London, for being from London, naturally. Living in South Africa, working for an agency/ division trying to keep the peace, police, fight, and ultimately hide a truth. That sort of workplace along the lines of Men in Black but with a different element of the ‘real’ world overlapping with something else. In this case, lots of, beliefs, religion, faerie folk, monsters, and myths are sharing the space.

London has his spirit companion dog, who is a lover of sherry (as preferred drink, but is mostly non-fussy with alcohol), and lover of Christmas carols, lights and twee. Grisly, swearing, laughing smart-alec side-kick. Done well. Also good in a fight.

London’s thread that he’s pulling is that he lost his daughter, and it was something to do with his job, with the magical and mystical that he works in among. After a frenetic start to the book, including all sorts of manifested and battled African lore and legend. Smelling and ominous and manifest. Heading back to HQ after just surviving, they gather thoughts, resources, information, and colleagues. They leave there with the numbers increased, as the boss; dead-reanimated, well skilled, well-connected; Armitage joins in for the ride.

This all leads the expanding crew back to London, where the Division HQ is hugely diminished. Fighting magical and faerie underground factions are vying for predominance and control of the city. An array of old school gangster types, and the puritan fanatics, all of whom are dangerous. Even as the tempo of the story shifts to the battles of London the main story threads keep leading to London’s daughter.

Though I don’t want to set out entire plot, I will summarise it for you; so there’s legends of holding mystical rituals to hold the protection of the city of London itself in place, and others aiming to break that hold to rule over what they think is their space, London having here been established in the first place by the faerie folk. And their HQ housing the Oracle of Delphi to give kinda guidance and instruction.

Whole thing leads to entwining of more really interesting characters and bags of imagination. Posse eventually sets out from the banks of the Serpentine, through to the faerie world and city, as Dog says, for a genuine heist. Bank robbing an artefact from an enchanted faerie bank to protect the Stone of London. To rebind enchantments, which by the end when getting to that stage, includes with old entrapped gods imprisoned in that same Clockwork City under and underpinning the London as humans recognise it. While it starts off at pace, the tension ramps up at times throughout as well, including heading to the finale pressure cooker bits like this. At the same time London is trying to find his daughter, hold off the potential of an invading puritan army, and have glühwein at Christmas markets in the snow.

It combines and works well. Has space for timing, irreverence, good and funny cultural references. Good pacing, characters, imagination, setting, problem, quest, dialogue, threats and baddies, etc. Lots to like about this book.

Half-way through I thought I’d have to bite the bullet and find out if it was really a 2nd in a series, and then find it. But I was not in a position to pick up the 1st novel, and this was turning over well in my hands, so it got read. I look forward to backfilling the first book, but this stood up well on its own, also. Good writing, good story, enjoyable read, really good fun being pulled around the construction of our world, as one where realms overlap. Felt well researched, good choice of interfaces, monsters, details, etc.

After all that, I’m probably recommending the book. Be sure of the genre bit, and if you don’t like it early, that’s an indicator. If you do though, enjoy the immersion!

- By Chris O’Malley

Clockwork City, by Paul Crilley ISBN: 9781473631670