Cooper wakes up somewhere that isn't Earth, a place that holds the dead. In this mysterious city, he learns that people don't truly die, or at least not for a very long time, but rather keep waking up in different worlds over and over. Navigating this new place isn't easy, especially when it seems like everyone wants something. As chaos ensues among the 'living', Cooper has to figure out what his new life exactly is.

THE WAKING ENGINE by David Edison has such a unique premise. It's so interesting seeing this mysterious city through Cooper's eyes. The setting is really stunning, and I like the details about the color of the sky and what the sun(s) look like. There is a world of strange characters that are nice to read about, but it felt like there were too many characters trying to fit their story in at once. They all have their own agenda, so it got harder and harder to keep track of who was who and what they wanted.

Though I really like the concept and the setting, the story is a hard one for me to connect to. The characters are somewhat relatable, particularly Cooper's confusion at being in such a new place, but I never formed any solid attachments to any of them and didn't really care what happened to them. The world building is absolutely excellent, but it was the only element that consistently held my attention.

Though THE WAKING ENGINE is not the story for me even with the intriguing setting, readers who enjoy more adult fantasy with mythological and LGBTQ tones may enjoy it more. David Edison does have a clear voice as a writer, and I would be interested in seeing what else he writes.