Reviews

Made Things by Adrian Tchaikovsky

bookishactor's review against another edition

4.0

Made Things written and read by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a fun fantasy story exploring class and power dynamics through the lens of magic and puppets. Right from the start Tchaikovsky drops the audience into a complex world with richly developed lore, giving a sense of wholeness to this fairly short book. I think this is my first book by this author so maybe this is part of a series or a shared universe or something, but nevertheless I was impressed by how elaborate the world building was in such a short volume. I will admit that I did get a bit lost though, trying to track the various characters. Perhaps this is simply an audiobook that demands my full undivided attention? Tchaikovsky did an excellent job narrating his own words. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

thomcat's review

4.0

Short fantasy in a highly magical world, this has some very well drawn characters - though the cover isn't a good representation.

This is the second book I've read by Adrian Tchaikovsky, both ever and this year. Both had excellent world building and characters. In this tale, the reader can really feel the effects of a highly magical world - especially the disparity between classes.

Like the earlier book, this was grabbed on a whim during a quick access to the library - despite the misrepresentative cover. It was a fast read and I enjoyed it until close to the end, when the plot took off without me. The ending is very abrupt. Still, a solid 3½ stars. Can't wait to read other books from this author - right after I finish the prequel short story to this book on tor.com

julia_rhys's review against another edition

3.0

I enjoyed this book. It was pretty cute and reminded me a bit of “The Indian in the Cupboard” and “The Borrowers”. I would love for little consciousnesses in the forms of people to exist.


Rating System:
5 Stars: LOVED it, Everyone in the world should read this book!
4 Stars: Very much enjoyed, if not loved. Makes you think.
3 Stars: Enjoyed the book, pretty average. Good weekend read.
2 Stars: The book was a struggle to get through and I have some major problems with it.
1 Star: I hated it. Probably didn’t finish. Wasn’t for me, but may be for someone else.

kdog's review

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

henren's review

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

wildbuilt's review

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

binky75's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

5.0

sepptb's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

3.25

susssu's review

4.0

This has a coupe of things I'm not a huge fan of in fantasy (or any other genre, really): it's pretty short, and it takes place in a sort of Victorian era society. It doesn't change anything that it's a magical society. However, the concept of made things is an interesting one the story was fast paced and kept me reading to find out where it was going.

christianbk's review

4.0

I really enjoyed the world here! The novella really throws you in at the beginning and I don't myself a little overwhelmed... But by the end I was invested.

I hope there's another lengthier book on the horizon in this setting.