The ''Timekeeper Trilogy'' is a series of

young adult A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...

steampunk novels by Tara Sim. It is the author's debut trilogy. The series comprises ''Timekeeper'' (2016), ''Chainbreaker'' (2018), and ''Firestarter'' (2019).

Plot

Timekeeper

Aetas, an ancient god, once granted humans the power to control time. As retribution for this, he was supposedly killed by

Chronos Chronos (; grc-gre, Χρόνος, , "time"), also spelled Khronos or Chronus, is a personification of time in pre-Socratic philosophy and later literature. Chronos is frequently confused with, or perhaps consciously identified with, the Tita ...

. Since the death of Aetas, humans have used clock towers to regulate the flow of time. Clock mechanics are valuable members of society, because a broken clock tower can cause time to flow abnormally or even stop. In England in 1875, 17-year-old Danny Hart works as a mechanic. Danny suffers from

panic attack Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and discomfort that may include palpitations, sweating, chest pain or chest discomfort, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, numbness, confusion, or a feeling of impending doom or of losing ...

s after being injured by a bomb planted in a clock tower. Additionally, his father Christopher has been trapped in time since a clock tower broke down in

Maldon Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea Salt which is produced ...

three years ago. Matthias, Danny’s mentor, was previously fired from the Maldon assignment and banished from the town after falling in love with Maldon's clock spirit. Danny is summoned to repair the Colton Clock Tower in

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

, where he meets clock’s spirit, also named Colton. Because Colton is unable to travel far from his tower, he repeatedly sabotages his own mechanisms in order to get Danny to come and repair them. They fall in love, although relationships between spirits and humans are forbidden. A series of bombing attacks target clock towers around England. The lead mechanic pulls Danny from the Enfield post, citing concerns about Danny’s mental health. Several mechanics are injured or killed by bombs. Danny secretly trades assignments with Daphne, another mechanic, so he can continue visiting Colton in Enfield. Daphne is injured in an explosion, casting suspicion Danny. As a result, they are both fired. Danny discovers that Matthias has secretly been living with Evaline, the clock spirit from Maldon. Evaline carried her own central cog outside the city so she could follow Matthias to London, unaware that this would cause the town of Maldon to become frozen in time. Colton’s central cog is stolen, which freezes Enfield. Danny realizes that Matthias is behind the bombings; Matthias hopes to install Evaline’s cog into another clock tower so that they can be together. Daphne, Danny, and Colton fight against Matthias. They retrieve Colton's cog and restore Enfield’s normal flow of time. Matthias is arrested and put on trial. Evaline returns to Maldon, freeing Danny’s father and the other trapped citizens. Danny is reinstated as a mechanic and permanently assigned to Enfield, where he continues his secret relationship with Colton.

Reception

A reviewer for ''Bustle'' praised ''Timekeeper's'' LGBTQ+ representation, including the fact that Danny's sexuality is not the source of the novel's conflict. ''Publishers Weekly'' gave ''Timekeeper'' a positive review, praising its cast of "complex and diverse characters" and calling the novel "enjoyable" and "well-realized". A review in ''Entertainment Weekly'' praised the novel's "steampunk influence with more modern sensibilities", while noting that the plot "does drag in parts" due to Danny's emotional outbursts. ''Kirkus Reviews'' gave ''Timekeeper'' a mixed review. The review praised the novel's "killer premise and admirably thorough worldbuilding". The same review criticized the "clumsy word choices and jarring shifts in perspective", as well as the plot's reliance on "implausible coincidences" and a

deus ex machina ''Deus ex machina'' ( , ; plural: ''dei ex machina''; English "god out of the machine") is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly and abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence. Its function ...

climax. ''Kirkus Reviews'' gave a mixed review to ''Chainbreaker''. The review praised Sim's worldbuilding and wrote that the "romantic scenes sizzle". However, the reviewer noted factual inaccuracies regarding the Indian setting and criticized Daphne's lack of character development. Overall, the review noted that the novel "has plenty of ambition and moments of admirably lyrical prose" but "does not fully realize its promising premise." ''Kirkus Reviews'' gave a mixed review to ''Firestarter''. The review called the prose "beautifully crafted" and praised the diversity of the cast, including queer protagonists and an ethnically diverse supporting cast. The review also stated that the book was "overplotted, leaving little space to explain previous events or the world’s rules".

References

{{reflist 2016 debut novels Debut alternate history novels LGBT speculative fiction novels Novels set in Victorian England Steampunk novels Young adult novel series