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.
Welcome to the City Unspoken, where Gods and Mortals come to
die.
Contrary to popular wisdom, death is not the end, nor is it
a passage to some transcendent afterlife. Those who die
merely awake as themselves on one of a million worlds, where
they are fated to live until they die again, and wake up
somewhere new. All are born only once, but die many times .
. . until they come at last to the City Unspoken, where the
gateway to True Death can be found.
Wayfarers and pilgrims are drawn to the City, which is home
to murderous aristocrats, disguised gods and goddesses, a
sadistic faerie princess, immortal prostitutes and queens, a
captive angel, gangs of feral Death Boys and Charnel Girls .
. . and one very confused New Yorker.
Late of Manhattan, Cooper finds himself in a City that is
not what it once was. The gateway to True Death is failing,
so that the City is becoming overrun by the Dying, who clot
its byzantine streets and alleys . . . and a spreading
madness threatens to engulf the entire metaverse.
Richly imaginative, David Edison's The Waking Engine is a
stunning debut by a major new talent.
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