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A review by susanmacnicol
Clockwork Tangerine by Rhys Ford
5.0
I was given a copy of this ARC for a fair and impartial review.
With Clockwork Tangerine, Rhys Ford has written a story of such creativity and flair that for a while, I was lost in sheer , breath taking splendour with Marcus and Robin. It's no secret that I am very fond of Rhys' work. I have yet to read a book that didn't rate high on my meter for a writer's story telling flair, the incredibly memorable characters coupled with rich and vibrant settings and in every one of them, wit and flair for circumstances that are real and human and that make me laugh and chuckle at the absolute absurdity of some of them. I value fun in my books and when the author I'm reading tickles my fancy, then I tend to wax lyrical about their work.
Clockwork Tangerine is no different. It is a brilliant and imaginative journey into the world of Marcus Stenhill aka Viscount Westwood, a man from a wealthy background, and well versed in the roughness and violence that is on offer in the world. He is big of heart, fair and strong and sees the good in the man he finds being beaten to death in an alleyway. It's also the story of Robin Harris, teenage science prodigy, used and abused by many in his brilliance to create that which to others seems heretical and forbidden, his keen mind developing scientific remedies for those in corruptive power to put in use in ways that they were not meant to be used. Robin is punished for their sins and for the sin of loving other men.
The incredibly rich world building, the gadgets in the book, the descriptions of a world beset by strange contrivances and fears, a world in which two men in love can never be free to love each other in public for fear of being branded. It is also a world of rich and poor, of a great divide between the classes and those who 'have not got' are simply forgotten, trodden on and left to scrabble for shelter and food. The secondary characters, especially Marcus' grandmother,August Stenhill, and the eccentric Ducky, are beautifully detailed and showcased and add such a lot to the story.
Rhys writes her men with such in depth views into who they are and where they come from and writing from both Robin's and Marcus' perspective allows us to dig deep and see what these men are feeling as they fall deeper and deeper in love. She is a master story teller and a genius at moving her tales along until you are swept away by their passion and eloquence and when that last page is finally over, the disappointment is overwhelming. I wanted this to continue and would gladly have read further or bought the next book in the series if there was one.
I say bravo to Rhys for writing a beautifully evocative steam punk novel of bright imagery and imagination and I hope there are more to come.
With Clockwork Tangerine, Rhys Ford has written a story of such creativity and flair that for a while, I was lost in sheer , breath taking splendour with Marcus and Robin. It's no secret that I am very fond of Rhys' work. I have yet to read a book that didn't rate high on my meter for a writer's story telling flair, the incredibly memorable characters coupled with rich and vibrant settings and in every one of them, wit and flair for circumstances that are real and human and that make me laugh and chuckle at the absolute absurdity of some of them. I value fun in my books and when the author I'm reading tickles my fancy, then I tend to wax lyrical about their work.
Clockwork Tangerine is no different. It is a brilliant and imaginative journey into the world of Marcus Stenhill aka Viscount Westwood, a man from a wealthy background, and well versed in the roughness and violence that is on offer in the world. He is big of heart, fair and strong and sees the good in the man he finds being beaten to death in an alleyway. It's also the story of Robin Harris, teenage science prodigy, used and abused by many in his brilliance to create that which to others seems heretical and forbidden, his keen mind developing scientific remedies for those in corruptive power to put in use in ways that they were not meant to be used. Robin is punished for their sins and for the sin of loving other men.
The incredibly rich world building, the gadgets in the book, the descriptions of a world beset by strange contrivances and fears, a world in which two men in love can never be free to love each other in public for fear of being branded. It is also a world of rich and poor, of a great divide between the classes and those who 'have not got' are simply forgotten, trodden on and left to scrabble for shelter and food. The secondary characters, especially Marcus' grandmother,August Stenhill, and the eccentric Ducky, are beautifully detailed and showcased and add such a lot to the story.
Rhys writes her men with such in depth views into who they are and where they come from and writing from both Robin's and Marcus' perspective allows us to dig deep and see what these men are feeling as they fall deeper and deeper in love. She is a master story teller and a genius at moving her tales along until you are swept away by their passion and eloquence and when that last page is finally over, the disappointment is overwhelming. I wanted this to continue and would gladly have read further or bought the next book in the series if there was one.
I say bravo to Rhys for writing a beautifully evocative steam punk novel of bright imagery and imagination and I hope there are more to come.