Moonlight & Mechanicals

Moonlight & Mechanicals (2012) Cindy Spencer Pape (The Gaslight Chronicles)

Set in England in 1858

I have zero memory of reading this story.

You’d think I’d have remembered, considering how pleased I am that she put in the many dangerous side effects of a coal-based steampunk society.

Every day, Londoners too poor to employ air filters in their homes died of black lung, and other respiratory illnesses as if they were coal miners.

The story starts out like Cyrano De Bergerac.

“Now, what is your next step?”

“Well, I’d planned to send her roses in the morning. Or orchids, perhaps, to emphasize her individuality.”

Liam shook his head. “Have you been listening to me at all? Don’t send her roses. Or orchids or daisies or violets, either. Send her tools. Books on science and engineering.”

Connor has no idea what to do to woo Wink, and Liam has to tell him everything.

Liam, meanwhile, assumes he is going to be a monster like his father, and so refuses to act upon his feelings for Wink.

That’s when he’d known he was just like his father. A good woman wasn’t something Liam could allow himself. Hurting a scheming tart like his first lover would have been a bad thing to do. Hurting someone kind and true— that would be tragic.

Since this is a magical world, I very much appreciated this:

The analytical engine inside George’s skull was the most complex thing that Wink had ever built, and though she’d been steadily refining and improving it over the years, even Wink couldn’t explain how he could do all the things he did, including processing chemical traces and recognizing individual vocal patterns. To some extent, George, of all her creations, had simply evolved and developed more dog-like abilities on his own.

I just assume that Wink has magical powers related to mechanical things, and I’m happy with the fact her machines do far more than they should.

Publisher : Carina Press
Rating: 7/10

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