Reviewer: Kate Canon

Adrian Tchaikovsky is a master of world-building and layered protagonists; in Made Things he is able to deliver his signature details and swashbuckling action within a condensed standalone narrative. It was a delight to live for a time in the land of Loretz; filled to the brim with magi, homunculi and nefarious interests. 

Coppelia finds herself planted in dirt and, against all odds and with a touch of help from her hardened mentor, is able to grow skills that bring her into the center of the action in this heart-racing adventure. Meanwhile, in exclusive additional content for this release, we delve deeper into the lives of the made things as Liat becomes autonomous in this world intended for giants. 

‘She had the woodcarver’s eye, to look at a featureless thumb of wood and see the shapes within it, what might be brought out, how the grain and contours of it might be tamed, a frontierswoman mastering an undiscovered country, until it would perform for her, taking on whatever shape her deft hands desired.’

Tchaikovsky takes you along with these unique characters into the guts of Loretz where ancient magic and power struggles are at play. Here, there is no love but that of the company you keep as those with little on their side band together. Marvelous world-building aside, this fast-paced story is greatest in its capacity to honour the heart and humanity of its characters, and the nods it makes to the lives of the many vs the few.

 ‘For they were rich and we are poor, Liat thinks. And they would have taken everything we had and everything we were, and counted it as but little.’

With the added story of “Precious Little Things,” your yearning to see more from the perspective of the homunculi is well met in Liat’s journey. This world has so much depth to offer that it feels already centuries old. The writer excels here as in his other novels with page-turning action, nuanced character arcs and lush arcane intricacies - with even a flourish of whimsy. 

Adrian Tchaikovsky is a critically acclaimed British writer known for his sci-fi and fantasy series such as Shadows of the Apt, and , Children of Time, which won the Arthur C. Clarke award, and (my personal favourite) the Tiger and the Wolf, which won the British Fantasy Award for Best Fantasy novel. The Made Things updated December release with new content is available now.