The Pretend Blog

Mainspring by Jay Lake


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
As part of a book discussion group I got to hear some very interesting reviews from the other folks reading this book.



I don't think I'd rather stick something sharp in my eye. I would rather read this than stare at the back of the airplane seat or read the vomit bag. I'm certain I could get a pet to chew on it... given time.



I can say that I did read the entire book, and while it wasn't fantastic I *did* enjoy the setting. This book suffers from the same thing "Bone Song" suffers from - the setting is one of the main characters. It's an odd and fantastic setting. The history is crazy, but with almost recognizable landscapes. The world is a giant clockwork piece with the gears sticking out of its middle. Really cool idea - just didn't excite me with the main character.



The main character is... difficult to sympathise with. He's very passive - even when he should be outraged or terrified. He was as much a spectator to the world as the reader. It says something that the most memorable and exciting scenes in the book were ones that were mentioned only in passing. The candlemen, the battle of the lost troops, the empty temple, the vertical city - all these things could have been amazing pieces of the story, if only.



That's a fair summary I think. If only. If only the main character DID something. The way to get yourself out of a corner is not, "then a miracle occurred". That's cheating the reader.



I'm hoping that the author will allow folks to create a series of shared world stories here - it could be a crazy interesting world to work in.


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