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starlesssara's review
4.0
”dear heart, this a city of magic, haven’t you heard? anything’s possible.”
4.5*
I loved this!! I would gladly read a full trilogy about coppelia, the homunculi, shabby and lucrece!
4.5*
I loved this!! I would gladly read a full trilogy about coppelia, the homunculi, shabby and lucrece!
icarusabides's review
3.0
Enjoyable little novella about a city with a magic based caste system, an orphan thief protagonist, and a group of magic puppet like homunculi made from all manner of different materials like wood, metal, candlewax, and even pages from magical books.
I enjoyed it but would have liked more depth to the story. It's a quick entertaining read with enjoyable characters, an interesting world, a fascinating magic system but it resolves everything a little too quickly and conveniently. There's not quite enough time spent with with the characters which is a shame considering how enjoyable some of them are.
There's so much more I want to explore about the homunculi's origin, goals, and societal structures nevermind the rest of the characters and the world. I would have loved another 100 to 150 pages but hopefully there's at least future novella or novels at some point.
I enjoyed it but would have liked more depth to the story. It's a quick entertaining read with enjoyable characters, an interesting world, a fascinating magic system but it resolves everything a little too quickly and conveniently. There's not quite enough time spent with with the characters which is a shame considering how enjoyable some of them are.
There's so much more I want to explore about the homunculi's origin, goals, and societal structures nevermind the rest of the characters and the world. I would have loved another 100 to 150 pages but hopefully there's at least future novella or novels at some point.
nichola's review
4.0
I wanted this to be longer. I did enjoy it, but I wanted more depth of everything. The little men or homonculi were by far my favourite.
I always enjoy the writing of Tchaikovsky and I will happily read a book of his any day.
I always enjoy the writing of Tchaikovsky and I will happily read a book of his any day.
frogggirl2's review
5.0
A crackerjack novela! Adrian Tchaikovsky continues to impress me; it takes a lot of skill to build an entire fantasy world, magic system, introduce all of the characters and roll out the plot. To not only do all of that, but to make it feel unique, gritty, and have me care about the characters in under 200 pages is phenomenal. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.
tome15's review
4.0
Tchaikovsky, Adrian. Made Things. Made Things No. 1. Tor, 2019.
Adrian Tchaikovsky, who lately has been playing evolution games in deep space, here turns his attention to a preindustrial fantasy world. Set in Magic City, the world is populated by powerful mages and much less powerful half-mages, like our heroine Coppelia, a.k.a. Moppet. Operating in the shadows are their magical and half-magical creations—from tiny homunculi to huge metal golems. Coppelia is an artisan, a puppeteer, and a thief. She works with some homunculi who steal from the audience distracted by her puppet shows. Things go sideways when she attracts too much attention from the ruling mages. Behind it all is some subtle and not-so-subtle commentary on class struggle. There is always a little more than you expect from Tchaikovsky’s work. He is a little like Coppelia in that way. 4 stars.
Adrian Tchaikovsky, who lately has been playing evolution games in deep space, here turns his attention to a preindustrial fantasy world. Set in Magic City, the world is populated by powerful mages and much less powerful half-mages, like our heroine Coppelia, a.k.a. Moppet. Operating in the shadows are their magical and half-magical creations—from tiny homunculi to huge metal golems. Coppelia is an artisan, a puppeteer, and a thief. She works with some homunculi who steal from the audience distracted by her puppet shows. Things go sideways when she attracts too much attention from the ruling mages. Behind it all is some subtle and not-so-subtle commentary on class struggle. There is always a little more than you expect from Tchaikovsky’s work. He is a little like Coppelia in that way. 4 stars.
leoharenbok's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
gtbenathan's review
3.0
I wasn't enthralled, but this was a testament to how good AT is at not just world building but world consistency. Every time I started to forget exactly how this world worked, there would be a little tidbit that would remind me. Just an excellent practice and a lesson for all.
cathepsut's review
3.0
You know Pinocchio, right? This is not his story. Here the Made Things or rather the homunculi come across as a separate world of clans and types with their own society and ecosystem. They connect with the world of humans via the help of the Moppet, aka our main character Coppelia.
This is a fantasy heist story. Not my favourite trope, it‘s usually too formulaic for my taste. Which this is, to some extent.
The story didn‘t do a thing for me. I actually considered to DNF this, but it probably doesn‘t do the story justice. I missed Tchaikovsky‘s humour. Maybe he is more suited to science fiction?
2.5 stars, rounded up (barely)
This is a fantasy heist story. Not my favourite trope, it‘s usually too formulaic for my taste. Which this is, to some extent.
The story didn‘t do a thing for me. I actually considered to DNF this, but it probably doesn‘t do the story justice. I missed Tchaikovsky‘s humour. Maybe he is more suited to science fiction?
2.5 stars, rounded up (barely)