Book Review: Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti

Moving slowly, he followed her instructions, then slipped his arms free of the armature and yanked off his cap and goggles. They fell to the ground between his legs. His eyes were wide, his pupils dilated and his glasses askew.

"Easy, now." Taya smoothed his sweat-dampened hair and adjusted his glasses. "That was good." She leaned forward and hugged him. "Silly crow. I told you that you could fly."

He stiffened a moment, then he grabbed her, pulling her close and clutching her as though his life depended on it. Taya's heart lurched. She closed her eyes, pulse pounding. In a minute he's going to let go and make some self-deprecating quip, and everything will be normal again.

Seconds passed. His breathing slowed and his trembling subsided. Taya waited for him to pull away, but instead he rested his forehead against her shoulder, still holding her.

She swallowed. Her fingers curled protectively in the thick, ragged thatch of his black hair, then ran down the sharp angles of his shoulders.

"I still feel like I'm falling," he said at last, looking up. A gleam of morning sunlight played around the wire rim of his glasses. "I'm afraid to let go."

For a moment she stared into his pale eyes.

"It's all right. You're safe." Her pulse pounded in her throat. Had anyone ever looked at her so desperately before? She'd wanted a glimpse behind his mask, and now she knew what was back there-- a deep aching loneliness.

"There's no need to be afraid anymore."

"If I let go, you might fly away without me," he said, his voice cracking.

"I won't---"

He leaned forward and kissed her, one gloved hand sliding up into her hair.

~Excerpt from Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti

This book was such a pleasant surprise for me. I don't know why exactly, the books I've read so far from Juno Books have been very good. But I don't read a lot of Steampunk and the descriptions I've read about "Clockwork Heart" usually call it a "Steampunk romance." On the surface that's a pretty fair description, but I'm afraid it might discourage people who don't read Steampunk from picking it up, which would be a shame since it's such an accessible and enjoyable book.

Set in a city called Ondinium, "Clockwork Heart" is about a young woman named Taya who is an Icarus. The Icarii are messengers who fly with lighter-than-air metal wings across the city. In a world that is divided by caste, the Icarii fly freely between castes and are among the privileged few who are allowed to talk to and see the "Exalted" caste unmasked.

While flying over the city on a routing delivery, Taya saves an Exalted and her son from a deadly accident and soon finds herself embroiled in the affairs of the Exalted Forlore family. Alister Forlore is the charismatic, handsome brother who writes programs for the Great Engine and Cristof Forlore is the outcaste brother who chose to leave his caste and live as a clockwright in the lower caste section of Ondinium. Taya comes to know them both after a series of bombings in the city draw attention to both brothers and the secrets they keep.

On the surface the book sounds like it would be a simple story about a woman caught up in a little political intrigue and a bit of a love triangle but it manages to avoid being that simple. I think the strength of the book is that the caste system and the technology or both really well developed.

The people of Ondinium live in different parts of the city and work certain jobs based on caste. Laborers fall into the lower caste while craftsmen are something of the middle class. The Exalteds are the highest caste and are believed to be the product of thousands of rebirths. The Goddess of Ondinium, "The Lady" is believed to bless the births of the Exalteds and they are therefore considered beyond reproach. The Icarii are considered outside of the caste system. Children of Ondinium take the "Great Examination" at seven and those who are considered especially suited to being Icarii are pulled from their birth caste for the job.

The "Great Engine" fuels the technology of Ondinium. Programs run through the Great Engine determine the suitability of citizens who live in Ondinium to work certain jobs and their loyalty. But like any society that is run on technology there are protests to the system. The main group that opposes the system in Ondinium is the "Torn Cards," a terrorist group that tries to undermine the Great Engine by bombing sites critical to the functioning of the Great Engine.

I'm probably doing a poor job of simplifying the story for the purpose of a review, and I hope that doesn't lead anyone to think the book is hard to follow-- it really isn't. "Clockwork Heart" has enough complexity to make it interesting but it never gets confusing. I also liked the way the romance was handled in the book. It may seem like the love story is the main thing based on the excerpt I chose to feature, but it really isn't the main focus of the story. The reason I chose that particular excerpt is because it was such a pivotal point in the book for me. Up to that point the love story reminded me a lot of "Pride and Prejudice" (one of my favorites). Taya and her love interest (I'm not going to tell you who it is) spend a lot of time verbally sparring. And while the kiss they share doesn't completely end their antagonism, it definitely changes the relationship.

All in all, I really enjoyed "Clockwork Heart," so much so I left a comment on Dru Pagliassotti's web site hoping to hear that she was planning on a sequel-- though no plans for one are in the immediate future. I don't know if it was the technological slant of the book or the romance that hooked me, I suspect it was a little of both, but I thought it was very well done.