A Machine Divine

A Machine Divine, by Derek Paul, is a new steampunk YA novel. When the story opens, teenage Asher and Callie, from the small town of Vana, have both been accepted in university in Riali City.  Asher will study bio and genetics, with the unique abilities of genes in this world. Callie has gifts with animals, and animals here include sprites, snow foxes, and more. When they arrive in the capital, though, they will discover city customs, uni life, new friends… and dark secrets in their society.

So, you all know I love a good school story, and the elements of this fantastical steampunk world made it feel like Hogwarts or Professor Xavier’s School for the Gifted. This novel has a slightly slow start, with many, many scenes of Asher exploring his new school, meeting new friends, and adjusting to uni life. Normally too much exposition bogs down the story, but in this case, I enjoyed discovering the rules of the steampunk world, of the uni life, of the fantastical science behind Asher, Callie, Asher’s new roomie Nico, and their classmates’ projects. There’s a lively mix of familiar school locations, like labs, dorms, or cafeterias, and relatable teen moments, plus wild fantasy science. Without spoilers, there’s a little sneaky botanical gene splicing for some berries with, uh, recreational properties.

In general, steampunk blends Victorian-era design with science fiction and fantasy elements.  In college, my friends and I played a tabletop RPG called Space 1889, which imagines that the Jules Verne-ish Victorian science was all true, so there’s steam-powered space colonization.  Steampunk has vague boundaries, but think of Victorian styles with scifi tech.  The steampunk aesthetic shows up in fashion and costuming, too.  A Machine Divine hits exactly the right blend of Victorian style and magical science. Winding your pocketwatch to be on time for your airship passage through the aether, basically.

This wonderful steampunk setting in A Machine Divine, though, includes dystopian aspects and darker secrets. Without spoilers, social class and access to resources, wild genetics, steampunk science, and the unique personalities of our characters all come together to make an intriguing and surprising plot. A lot of the information that felt like world-building comes back as Asher discovers secret connections in his new world. Many things that Nico, and the other kids from wealthy capital families take for granted is new to Asher, with his rural background.

Something about the book’s pacing is a little off in the action. I know, I know, I just typed basically the most unhelpful MFA workshop comment. There are a few times when too much description hinders dramatic action — I absolutely wanted to see and discover the world, there’s so much to enjoy here, but sometimes that slowed a dramatic or emotional moment for me. The formal language of Riali mostly helps with the worldbuilding, but occasionally slows the drama.

I really enjoyed how the characters’ personalities and skills came together in A Machine Divine. Without spoilers, I can at least say that there’s satisfying emotional growth with characters’ growing knowledge and understanding. It’s not exactly a coming-of-age novel, but we do get to see young characters discovering who they are and how they want to live. The dark side of this society invites the students, and the reader, to think about their life priorities and loyalties. 

I liked Asher, actually, I liked the development of all the young people in this story. Even the more minor ones felt lively and developed. Still, I wish I’d gotten a little more of Callie’s life and perspective in this book. We’ve recently gotten a cat… which really means my husband wanted a cat and talked me into it, and now I love this little cat and she’s right next to me every minute that I’m home. So I had a special enjoyment of Callie’s animal affinity.

The ending of the novel is satisfying, but there are definitely some unresolved threads and hints of further stories to come in this steampunk world.

I received a copy of this book to review. All opinions on my book blog are my own, as always.