Robots and Vamps

Reviewed by Matt

Disclosure: The trade paperback version of this novel was purchased by the reviewer’s own hard earned cash.

The Alchemy of Stone is Ekaterina Sedia’s third novel and has received some very high marks, including a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Personally, the cover art is what really drew my attention to this book in the first place. In fact, the novel has been reissued with new cover art and I almost picked it up again at the bookstore.

The Alchemy of Stone takes place in a fictional steam punk type of city which is run by two factions, the Mechanics and the Alchemists. Ruling over the two parties is a Duke. While the Mechanics and the Alchemists can be voted into and out of office, the Duke’s rule remains constant. At the beginning of the novel the Mechanics have swept into power and plan to make significant changes within the city itself. Ms. Sedia has created a uniquely fascinating world but, unfortunately, not much of it was explored. The reader is given very little exposure into the politics between the Mechanics and the Alchemists, which is the cause behind of all the major events that take place in this story.

The title, The Alchemy of Stone, refers to a task taken on by the main character, Mattie, from the gargoyles. The gargoyles are the keepers and builders of the city but they are slowly dying off. They ask Mattie to find a way to prevent them from turning into stone. Mattie’s exploration into this subject leads to the introduction of several interesting side characters which include, the Soul-Smoker, Sebastian and Niobe. My favorite of these was the Soul-Smoker, whose responsibly is to suck the souls of the dead into himself. The side effect is that he has hundreds of people living inside of him and they all want to talk to him.

I instantly fell in love with Mattie. I really have a thing robot type of characters in novels and movies. I am not sure why that is, but I have been fascinated by robots since I was kid. Mattie is actually an intelligent automaton who was built by a genius mechanic known as Loharri. Mattie started out as a simple automaton whose only responsibility was to clean and cook. Eventually Mattie moves beyond these household chores and takes up learning a trade, alchemy. Loharri agrees to allow Mattie to have some freedom which includes her moving into her own apartment. But Loharri still maintains control over Mattie by keeping her key. This forces Mattie to pay heed to her build as she must be wound every now and then or she will just stop working.

The relationship between Loharri and Mattie is the major theme running through the book. Mattie is constantly looking for ways to gain access to the key so that she can live completely independent. Loharri loathes the idea of Mattie not being beholden to him as he is afraid that Mattie will abandon him left to her own vices.  It is an interesting dynamic when one gets to spend time with their creator.  The relationship between the two is far from healthy, akin to a mentally abused spouse attempting to separate herself from her husband.

The other theme running through the novel is class prejudice. The Mechanics and the Alchemists would be considered the upper class with the common people considered the lower classes. The Mechanics think that they understand what is best for society and that the commoners must be pushed into doing their bidding. This way of governing does not go over all that well and eventually sparks a revolution. Of the plot threads this is the most interesting but the least explored.

The biggest issue I had with this novel was the second act. The story started off and ended strong but the middle act just meandered all over the place. I was hoping that Ms. Sedia would explore the intriguing world that she crafted. Instead the focus remains solely on Mattie instead of turbulent events going on around her.

The Alchemy of Stone is a thought provoking story that is not afraid to deal with some very tough issues. But I wish the author would have spent some more time building upon and developing the themes and the world she has so lovingly created.

Author’s website: Ekaterina Sedia