Sedia, Ekaterina - The Alchemy of Stone

[oyceter]

I read this in the spring, so the details are extremely fuzzy.

This is set in a Western-feeling country in a world on the verge of the Industrial Revolution. There's a split between the Alchemists and the Machinists, and Mattie, an automaton who has partially broken away from her maker Loharri, ends up caught in the middle as the gargoyles of the city make a request of her.

I hate writing plot summary, but here it is worse than usual, as I barely remember the plot. (I am pretty sure the plot was interesting, it is just that read during final months of grad school + months passing = zero plot recall.) What I remember are images, striking and disturbing: the well-guarded literal key to Mattie's heart that is the only way to keep it wound, little simulacra made of earth and blood and bindings, a man who hears the whispers of all the souls he collects, a desperate kiss of a keyhole.

Sedia does use the automatons to examine slavery and freedom, which normally annoys me, but here, she actually has POC in the city who are discriminated against and looked down upon, and one of my favorite things about the book is how Mattie aligns herself with other downtrodden people and communities. I was bothered a bit by the portrayal of how one particular POC character uses her alchemy, which treads a bit close to voodoo for me.

I wasn't fully satisfied by the ending, but overall, this is a lovely book full of images that haven't (yet?) become common in fantasy.

Comments

[trouble]

I really adored this book when I read it.

[littlebutfierce]

You're always so good at plot summaries, I feel! Even if you hate it, you seem to do it well!

I really liked this book too.

[mercredigirl]

Sounds wonderful! *mental bookmark* :) (Going book-shopping sooooon~)

Recently read Ariana Franklin's Relics of the Dead (USA title: Grave Goods). Should write a review soon, thanks for reminding w this post :P

[rachelmanija]

Just out of curiosity, do you dislike using robots to discuss slavery only if they're proxies for absent POC, or do you think that's always sketchy even if there are human POC? I feel like it's difficult NOT to bring up slavery if you have a world with non-human but intelligent beings who don't have rights.

[oyceter]

I loved it too! I am just kind of sad that it has been so long since I've read it that I remember the general feeling of loving it but not the specifics!

[oyceter]

Oh, thank you! Haha, mostly I feel I just rephrase back cover copy or something. Except the romances, where all the back cover copy sounds the same.

[oyceter]

Oooo that sounds interesting!

[oyceter]

It usually just annoys me if they're proxies for absent POC. Well, I've also seen a case when there were POC but the short story specifically drew on Black American references, especially Martin Luther King Jr. in a way that really bugged me, but a lot of that was because it felt like one of those kind of facetious "Not for the color of their skin" things that ignores a lot of what else MLK says. And Pluto bugged me because it had direct references to the KKK and no Black people (Japanese people, obvsly, but given how a lot of manga kind of fails on the depiction of Black people...).

So... I guess it depends? I could probably even see a case in which there were slave robots and no POC but a very conscientious reference to racism and slavery? A lot of times it bugs me because it feels like people just throw in a reference to slavery to be like "Enslaving robots is bad!" and then don't think about it any further.

[trouble]

The big thing I remember about the book is how the ending was like a kick in the gut. I've been unable to re-read it because of how powerful it was, and yet i keep recommending it to people for exactly that reason.

[oyceter]

Yes! I'm still not sure I fully like the ending but I also can't tell if I don't like it just because it is such a kick in the gut, but it is very powerful and memorable. (I am also hoping there's Yuletide fic for it this year...)