A delightful read that brings together a fantasy setting with a modern vibe for the ultimate entertaining journey.
Feature image credit: Titan Books
Clockwork Boys is the first novel in the Clocktaur War duology by T. Kingfisher — the adult fiction pseudonym of Ursula Vernon.
It follows Slate, a forger, arrested for forging a set of books that should have been left alone, who has been given an opportunity for pardon. There is only one catch: She needs to live long enough to receive it, after forming a team and infiltrating the depths of the Clockwork Boys’ stronghold of Anuket City.
Into this team of travelers comes a formerly possessed and dishonored Knight-Paladin, her former lover (who is also a trained assassin) and a female phobic, highly sexist religious scholar. This is most definitely not ‘The A-Team’ … in fact, no letter would do them justice. They’ve only just met and the disfunction is rife!
As they make their way across the land, their individual insecurities, issues, and attitudes are a ripe field for witty banter, sarcastic comments, and threats of death, all from and at each other. As they close in on their destination, the band finds a unity in adversity and a willingness to sacrifice themselves for one another.
T. Kingfisher’s Clockwork Boys is a delight to read and is reminiscent of the recent Dungeons & Dragons movie, with a modern language feel and attitude, layered over a classic fantasy location. It is filled with the types of creatures, locations, and challenges you would expect of this genre, while offering a playfulness that guarantees grins galore.
Beyond that, it is the intricately woven back stories of Slate and Caliban, the Knight-Paladin; the ever-changing relationships between the characters, the satisfyingly sarcastic verbiage, and the internal monologues make this a joyous and laughter-inducing read.
This novel and its sequel took Kingfisher 11 years to write and was originally released in 2017. The sequel, The Wonder Engine, will hopefully be re-released soon, to let us know what becomes of our adventurers!
Reviewed by Glen Christie
The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.
Distributed by: New South Books
Released: April 2025
RRP: $24.99
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