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silvia10smith's review
4.0
Imaginative story, excellent storytelling, and a sumptuous use of vocabulary that I haven't seen in quite a while. A very enjoyable read.
pagesofash's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
lauraa_mariee's review
3.0
Not a bad little story to break up reading such long novels!
I would love to know more about the little people in this and how their world works...
I think there was a lot of worldbuilding which would have worked better in a novel-length story. Being a novella, too much was crammed in.
Other than that, I loved all the personalities of the characters.
I would love to know more about the little people in this and how their world works...
I think there was a lot of worldbuilding which would have worked better in a novel-length story. Being a novella, too much was crammed in.
Other than that, I loved all the personalities of the characters.
k_reads_too_many_spooky_books's review
3.0
So it might've just been that I was sleepy, but I was sooo bored when reading this. There was supposedly magic happening but I don't feel like I got to see any of it. There's some charm to be had, but it's smothered by clichés which take away from the more unique elements. I wish we had spent out time exploring the more interesting characters, the mini people. Al the humans were boring, and so much plot revolvied around them, but I cared so little for them.
echo86's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
kaa's review
4.0
Is there no limit to Adrian Tchaikovsky's creativity? This is my first fantasy work by him, but it does not disappoint. Beautifully written and wonderfully entertaining. I only wish there were more stories written in this fascinating world!
latad_books's review against another edition
4.0
Adrian Tchaikovsky is a versatile author. Whether he's writing about a far future, spiders, artificial intelligences, or any number of other things in his stories, I'm happy to check them out. This novella is a fantasy in a world with mages, homunculi and thieves.
The main character Coppelia is a thief and puppeteer, working for other, more successful criminals, and stealing little bits and bobs of magicked items to augment her slight magic so she can enhance her puppets. She has some help from two little homunculi, who lighten her audience of their magicked jewellery and charms. The homuculi were created by a master mage and have recently made their way to Loretz, Coppellia's city, and home to many powerful mages. When Coppelia must participate in a break-in at the mage's palace, the homunculi are with her, and together find something big and hugely important to the tiny creatures.
I was a little bit confused at the start of this story, but soon found myself enjoying the adventure and the many interesting aspects of this story. I loved the homunculi culture and the divisions within it, and the long range plans of these made people. And the sheer diversity of appearance and materials they encompassed. I also liked the way Tchaikovsky examined power and its abuses through the mages, their enforces, and the wider population of Loretz and its criminals.
This was an enjoyable story of a fascinating set of characters; I hope Tchaikovsky returns to this world again, in addition to the short story Precious Little Things.
The main character Coppelia is a thief and puppeteer, working for other, more successful criminals, and stealing little bits and bobs of magicked items to augment her slight magic so she can enhance her puppets. She has some help from two little homunculi, who lighten her audience of their magicked jewellery and charms. The homuculi were created by a master mage and have recently made their way to Loretz, Coppellia's city, and home to many powerful mages. When Coppelia must participate in a break-in at the mage's palace, the homunculi are with her, and together find something big and hugely important to the tiny creatures.
I was a little bit confused at the start of this story, but soon found myself enjoying the adventure and the many interesting aspects of this story. I loved the homunculi culture and the divisions within it, and the long range plans of these made people. And the sheer diversity of appearance and materials they encompassed. I also liked the way Tchaikovsky examined power and its abuses through the mages, their enforces, and the wider population of Loretz and its criminals.
This was an enjoyable story of a fascinating set of characters; I hope Tchaikovsky returns to this world again, in addition to the short story Precious Little Things.
shaynexb's review
4.0
This was an extremely solid fantasy/crime mash-up about tiny sentient homunculi and the teenage thief they've decided to work with. Excellent world-building, great characters and voices. Highly recommended.