I Should Read That

Book review

When forger Slate is convicted of treason, she faces a death sentence. But her unique gift for sniffing out magic (literally) earns her a reprieve-of sorts. Along with a paladin, Caliban, possessed by a demon, her murderous ex-lover, and an irritating misogynist scholar, Slate sets off on a mission to learn about the Clockwork Boys, deadly mechanical soldiers from a neighbouring kingdom who have been terrorising their lands. If they succeed, rewards and pardons await, but they must survive a long journey through enemy territory to reach Anuket City. And Slate has her own reasons to dread returning to her former home. Slate and her crew aren’t the first to be sent on this mission. None of their predecessors have returned, and Slate can’t help but feel they’ve exchanged one death sentence for another. Her increasing closeness to Caliban isn’t helping matters: for the first time in a long time, Slate might actually care about surviving.

I have been loving reading through T. Kingfisher’s backlist as it is being brought into traditional publishing. Clockwork Boys is one that has been recommended to me many times by fellow fans, and I am so glad I took the time to read it now. As you’d expect, Clockwork Boys is a delightful, clever fantasy romp with her signature banter and hint of darkness.

Clockwork Boys is a book that takes place in the same world as the Saints of Steel series – it takes place a few years before Paladin’s Grace. Think of it as a cosy fantasy Suicide Squad – we have a rag-tag group of criminals on an impossible mission to earn a second chance at freedom. I absolutely loved the characters in this book – they’re complex and delightful and morally grey (like, actually morally grey). Caliban, our disgraced paladin, is mentioned a few times in the Saints of Steel books, and it was great to actually learn his story. Although I loved Slate, our delightfully sneezy forger, Caliban was my favourite character in the book. I really enjoyed his dark backstory and his struggle to (literally) fight his demons and come to terms with his horrible crimes. I’m always a sucker for a muscular cinnamon roll character and Caliban fits that trope perfectly.

My one gripe with this book is that it cuts off right as the action is starting! It feels as though it is just the first part of a book, rather than the first part of a duology (I believe this is actually the case, though I’m not sure why the decision was made to cut the book in half). On a similar note, I’m not sure why we have to wait for 2026 to get the second book, The Wonder Engine, from Titan Books. Fortunately, I have the original eBook on my Kobo, and plan to polish off this duology this summer!

Apparently I can’t get enough Kingfisher. You can’t either? I’d highly recommend Clockwork Boys as a great place to dive into her books, or as a fantastic next read for those who have already sampled her fantastic fantasy fiction.