I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Made Things by Adrian Tchaikovsky Published by Tor.com on November 5 2019
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 192
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A delightfully rough and dangerous story with magical, animated creatures who captured my heart.
“What’s the world coming to?” the big human said. “I remember when this was simple. And now there’s little doll people threatening me with a shave. Fuck me.”
This is my first Adrian Tchaikovsky book, but it certainly won’t be my last. I was charmed by this short tale about a talented young girl and her magical friends, who work together to overthrow a monstrous golem. But let’s rewind and I’ll explain things better…
The story is set in the city of Loretz, a city known for its magic. Coppelia, or “Moppet” as she’s sometimes called, is a skilled woodworker and thief. She managed to escape the orphanage after her parents disappeared years ago, and now Coppelia lives and works for a woman named Auntie Countless, using her woodworking skills to create beautiful puppets that earn her room and board.
But Coppelia has a big secret. She has made friends with two “homunculi,” tiny doll-like puppets who have come to life after being exposed to magic. Tef and Arc and the rest of their colony live in the rafters of Coppelia’s attic studio, and over time they have come to trust her. Coppelia is helping them grow their colony by making more of their kind out of whatever materials she can get her hands on—wood, metal, buttons, paper—and even more importantly, she’s kept their existence a secret from Auntie.
But when a rumor about a hidden workshop and an incredible, life-sized golem reach the ears of crime lord Gaston Ferrulio, he calls upon Auntie and Coppelia to stage a heist and steal the golem from the stronghold of the palace on the hill. They agree to the job, but things do not quite go as planned. Coppelia finds herself in a great deal of danger, with only two small friends who might save the day.
Made Things is told in a rather formal, epic fantasy-like voice that, while not my favorite style of writing, certainly fit perfectly with this story. The hardscrabble lives of the characters, the division between classes, the dark and gloomy Victorian era-like setting and the colorful characters themselves—all these things combine to create an ambiance that was completely absorbing. I also loved the inclusion of a social class pecking order, including thief-lords who control the criminal underground. Coppelia’s life is only marginally better since she escaped the orphanage, but she’s lucky to have a certain amount of freedom to do what she wants, even though some of her activities are decidedly dangerous.
Speaking of which, the homunculi, especially Tef and Arc, made this story for me. I loved the idea of carving small dolls or puppets out of wood and metal and imbuing them with magic. There is a complex backstory about their origins—and being a novella, I’m quite impressed that Mr. Tchaikovsky was able to make this backstory so rich and vivid—that involves a Tower and a “Maker” who used his magic to make the first of the “made folk.” The folk themselves have learned how to create more of their own kind and thus grow their numbers to make more colonies, for strength in numbers is the only way for them to survive. I loved how gentle they are, creatures who simply want to live their lives without anyone bothering them. They long to create “children,” and in fact one of the characters is anxiously awaiting the magical awakening of his “daughter,” who he has lovingly crafted himself. All the homunculi, particularly Tef and Arc, are vividly drawn, with distinct personalities and characteristics.
The relationship between Tef, Arc and Coppelia was wonderful! Coppelia is curious by nature and her curiosity leads her to become fast friends with Tef and Arc. She knows she must keep their identity a secret, for fear of exposing them to humans who might want to exploit them, and the fact that Tef and Arc trust her says a lot about their character. When Coppelia is captured later in the story, Tef and Arc decide to rescue her without a single thought for themselves.
But don’t let all this sweetness fool you: there’s plenty of bite to this story. Most all the other characters are shady in one way or another, and Coppelia really is in quite a bit of danger (even she knows it, and admits at one point that her end might be near). But as the tag line on the front of the book says, “Making friends has never been so important,” and friendship appears to be stronger than evil, as it should be.
The only negative for me was the overabundance of characters. I have to admit all their quirky names (Lucas Maulhands, Belly Keach, Sweaty Losef) started to blend together after a while, and with such a short and compact story, I’m not sure they were all necessary.
But in the end, I enjoyed this story immensely. I know that Adrian Tchaikovsky is best known for his science fiction, but I can assure you that he knows his way around a fantasy tale as well.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
Oh, I want to meet Tef and Arc. I’ve had this on my radar but now that I’ve read your review, I’ve definitely decided to give it a go! Great review.
I loved Tef and Arc!
I’ve yet to read Tchaikovsky big saga, Shadows of the Apt, but all the little novellas have really intrigued me. Nice review!
Bob @ She Leads he Reads recently posted…Book Review: The Name of All Things by Jenn Lyons
He’s got a ton of books out. I really want to read Children of Time series.
This does sound charming! I’m going to need to read this. 🙂
Really enjoyed it, and now that I have a taste of his writing, I’m off to read another of his books!
I love the idea of lovingly crafting your children and then imbuing them with life. It makes such perfect sense and seems so natural for a creature like that. I’ve been interested in this book, and the cover and topic vaguely remind me of the great animated movie, 9, about a rag doll and other made creatures that somehow have life. Great review. I just ordered a copy.
Thanks Todd! I hope you enjoy:-)
Amazing review Tammy! This one sounds magical and whimsical and just so much fun.
It was, magical but a touch on the rough side as well:-)
Well, this does sound a little strange, but in a very good way – the kind of ‘strange’ I like…
And I find there is a good measure of tongue-in-cheek humor here in using the name “Coppelia” for a girl who builds mechanical creatures 😀
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…Sci-Fi Month 2019: THE MOUNTAINS OF MOURNING, by Lois McMaster Bujold #SciFiMonth
Oh wow, for some reason I did not pick up on the fact that he probably based this on the character of the ballet!! Brilliant.
I had no idea this existed! Great review and thank you for bringing it to my attention!
Thanks Rebecca! I hope you can read it:-)
I just love how unique this sounds!
Suzanne @ The Bookish Libra recently posted…Review: THE GUINEVERE DECEPTION
It was unique, but also oddly familiar:-)
I just wishlisted a different book by him yesterday. Now I need this one, too!
Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed this! It sounds so interesting and I’ve yet to read any of Tchaikovsky’s books (despite owning two! :/) so this makes me really want to get around to it.
It’s amazing how prolific he is. I really need to start working on his backlist:-)
Hmm, I’m curious about the formal style! The last novella I read by him was the complete opposite. He strikes me as a very versatile writer, which is good, but it also means you never know what you might get! I’d like to check this one out soon.
I need to read his sci fi now, so I can compare styles!
It’s nice to hear how your first Adrian Tchaikovsky story turned out so great. I soooo want to read this one! Great review, Tammy! 🙂
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Thanks Lashaan! Hope you enjoy it when you get to it:-)
I have not yet read this author yet either, but Tor.com has been so on point with my tastes lately that I think I might have to pick this one up. 🙂
Didn’t I leave a comment on this review before? I remember being excited to see this review right after reading Mogsy’s Adrian Tchaikovsky review. Well, either way I’m excited to see his short work. I need to get my hands on them. 🙂
This sounds really good and I’m very tempted, even though I’m not usually a lover of novellas I think this could work for me. And I do love the cover.
Lynn
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Great review. It’s definitely on my ‘books to read’ over the holidays. Thanks for sharing.
Ash recently posted…Wood Projects That Sell
This sounds like a creative and fun tale. Thanks for the review.
This sounds fascinating with the little puppet creatures!