[Review] Mainspring by Jay Lake

[adelheid_p]

About a year ago I started reading jaylake's blog via recommendation of kylecassidy. I enjoyed reading the blog and find Jay a detailed and insightful blogger. It was only natural that I try to read one of his books. The first book I picked up was Trial of Flowers. To date, I'm only about a quarter of the way through. That's not to say that I don't like it but the character and circumstances are difficult for me to read except in short pieces. At some point Jay posted about a review, perhaps of this book or another, and a discussion ensued in the comments about books and what people bring to them. I happened to mention that I had started Trial of Flowers and was having a difficult time when someone else recommended Mainspring as a better first read of Jay's works and most likely more in line with my interests. I took a look at a synopsis somewhere (most likely Amazon) and picked it up via my preferred SF con bookseller Larry Smith.

All I can say is wow! It wasn't until I was nearly done with the book that I actually read the jacket comments (or perhaps actually realized what they said) and for a first novel, I'm bowled over. The story is a nearly epic, coming of age/Messiah type story following the main character, Hethor, from leaving his apprenticeship to a watchmaker on his quest via the brass angel Gabriel to find the Key Perilous to wind the Mainspring that keeps the clockwork that powers the gear that encircles Earth's Equator to keep it rotating and orbiting about the Sun. Failure would result in the end of all life on this clockwork Earth. The tale is riveting as we follow Hethor on his travels and encounters. It is well told and, at times, the language reminded me of Ray Bradbury's writings. (Really, there are parts that I must read aloud to friends!) It wasn't until I was well into the book and near the point at which Hethor must descend into the Earth to reach the Mainspring that I had an inkling at the solution to his problem, which is a credit to Jay Lake's masterful storytelling. I highly recommend this book.

Comments

[annietopia.livejournal.com]

Good for you for being so willing to purchase and read a different book instead of writing off the author completely. I am bad about that actually. If I cannot get into a book for some reason, I tend to shy away from any other book by that author even if friends highly recommend it. I am glad you enjoyed it so much!

[adelheid-p.livejournal.com]

Well, Trial of Flowers is interesting but difficult to read because it contains some unsavory cultural details of the fictional people in it (ritual physical abuse, etc.). I haven't abandoned it but I'm only able to read bits at a time. I had actually all but given up on Pride and Prejudice but at the urging of two people whose literary opinions I really respect, I downloaded a Librivox reading of the book and made my way through it. In the end, I understood why it was so well regarded. That said, I've even given Robert Heinlein a couple of chances after being thoroughly turned off by Double Star in my teens.

[links] Link salad thinks about meals it wishes it hadn't eaten

[pingback-bot.livejournal.com]

User jaylake referenced to your post from [links] Link salad thinks about meals it wishes it hadn't eaten (http://jaylake.livejournal.com/2534837.html) saying: [...] in sub-Saharan Africa. As always, the story belongs to the reader. A reader responds to Mainspring [...]

[theyarnproject.livejournal.com]

I might have to look into it.