''The Alchemy of Stone'' is a

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

novel by Russian writer

Ekaterina Sedia Ekaterina Sedia (born July 9, 1970) is a Russian fantasy writer. She immigrated to the United States and attended college in New Jersey to obtain her Ph.D. Her most famous work is ''The Alchemy of Stone'', a steampunk novel that examines sexism a ...

. It is an

urban fantasy Urban fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy which places imaginary and unreal elements in an approximation of a contemporary urban setting. The combination provides the writer with quixotic plot-drivers, unusual character traits, and a platform for cl ...

steampunk Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and aesthetics inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the Victorian era or ...

novel dealing with an automaton's involvement in a

proletarian revolution A proletarian revolution or proletariat revolution is a social revolution in which the working class attempts to overthrow the bourgeoisie and change the previous political system. Proletarian revolutions are generally advocated by socialists ...

in the fictional city of Ayona.

Plot synopsis

Ayona is a

city-state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...

resembling late

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

-London. It was originally constructed centuries ago by

gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry walls ...

s, magical creatures who can manipulate stone and rock but turn to stone fixtures at the ends of their lives. The first humans to settle in the city became the hereditary

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

s who ruled at first, the gargoyles having little to do with humans after raising the stone foundations of the city and its buildings. Over time, the power of the dukes declined, and they were forced to share power with a parliament representing the factions of the

Alchemist Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscience, protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in Chinese alchemy, C ...

s and

Mechanic A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars. Duties Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning and r ...

s, each representing complementary facets of human creativity. In the past, the Alchemists were dominant, but by the time of the novel the Mechanics have taken the lead, and institute widespread economic and industrial innovations. The world outside the city is not described in great detail, other than there being a land of dark-skinned people across an ocean to the east, natives of whom have emigrated to the city to form a semi-oppressed minority group. The main character is Mattie, a

clockwork Clockwork refers to the inner workings of either mechanical devices called clocks and watches (where it is also called the movement) or other mechanisms that work similarly, using a series of gears driven by a spring or weight. A clockwork mec ...

automaton An automaton (; plural: automata or automatons) is a relatively self-operating machine, or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions.Automaton – Definition and More ...

constructed with a

corset A corset is a support garment commonly worn to hold and train the torso into a desired shape, traditionally a smaller waist or larger bottom, for aesthetic or medical purposes (either for the duration of wearing it or with a more lasting effe ...

petticoat A petticoat or underskirt is an article of clothing, a type of undergarment worn under a skirt or a dress. Its precise meaning varies over centuries and between countries. According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', in current British Engl ...

and skirts, and heels built into her figure. Mattie is one of the few

sentient Sentience is the capacity to experience feelings and sensations. The word was first coined by philosophers in the 1630s for the concept of an ability to feel, derived from Latin '' sentientem'' (a feeling), to distinguish it from the ability to ...

automatons in the city, and was emancipated by her master, Loharri (one of the chief Mechanics) when she wished to study to become an Alchemist. However, even though technically emancipated, Loharri still holds the literal key to her heart, a unique key needed to wind up her mechanical heart, without which she will deactivate until it is wound again. At the beginning of the story, Mattie is contacted by representatives of the last remaining gargoyles, who wish for her to use her skills to develop a method by which they can become mortal and escape their metamorphosis into stone. During her attempts to discover the technique to do so (the titular alchemy of stone), she crosses paths with Sebastian, an Easterner whose mother was a powerful stone alchemist. Sebastian himself became a Mechanic, only to leave the order due to their prejudice against him, joining a radical group aimed at overthrowing the existing social order which is being strained by the increasing adoption of new labor-saving technologies by the Mechanics, the latest development of which is the "Calculator", a steam-powered computer whose aim is to be able to guide the city along the most efficient path of development. The radical group manages to bomb the parliament building and assassinate the duke, and a revolution breaks out. Industrial workers fired due to the use of labor-saving machines, miners who have been mutilated into grotesque forms by the Stone Monks (a corrupt religious order nominally serving the gargoyles but in reality aimed at self-promotion), and peasant farmers driven off their land by government industrialization are joined with disaffected groups of Alchemists, Mechanics, and Ducal courtiers. During the revolution, as the city they made is changed irrevocably, Mattie is able to finish her study of the alchemy of stone and grant the gargoyles their wish; however, during the fighting, Loharri is killed, and her key potentially lost or destroyed. The novel ends on several ambiguous notes. The revolution succeeds, but with hints that the upper-class courtiers, Mechanics, and Alchemists who supported the rebels will once more take control from their working-class companions. Similarly, while Mattie succeeded in her quest to free to gargoyles and gain freedom from Loharri, without her key she winds down and deactivates. The novel ends with the gargoyles promising to spend the rest of their now-mortal lives in an attempt to find the key to restore their savior.

Reception

The novel was on the 2008 James Tiptree, Jr. Award Honor List and the

Locus Locus (plural loci) is Latin for "place". It may refer to: Entertainment * Locus (comics), a Marvel Comics mutant villainess, a member of the Mutant Liberation Front * ''Locus'' (magazine), science fiction and fantasy magazine ** ''Locus Award' ...

Recommended Reading List. The novel was praised for how Mattie, despite her mechanical nature, captured the vulnerability and emotions of real women. Some reviewers noted that the scenes where the parliament building is bombed and the aftermath evoked memories of the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

.review
from

Locus Online ''Locus: The Magazine of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field'', founded in 1968, is an American magazine published monthly in Oakland, California. It is the news organ and trade journal for the English-language science fiction and fantasy fields ...

References

External links

Review
from

Interview
from '' Fantasy Magazine''
Review
from

io9 ''io9'' is part of Gizmodo media since 2015, and it began as blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The site initially focused on the subjects of science fiction, fantasy, futurism, science, technology and related areas but over the years has ...

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