Tin
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
In this gripping, imaginative, and hilarious adventure -- comprised of an unforgettable crew of misfits -- a boy and his mechanical friends discover the truth about his past."Robots never seemed so human. One of a kind and utterly fantastic." -- Eoin ColferIn an alternative England of the 1930s where the laws of mechanics govern even the most talented engineers, a mismatched group of mechanicals want nothing more than to feel human. Under the guardianship of the devious and unlicensed Gregory Absalom, an engineer who creates mechanical children, they have no choice but to help him in his unlawful practice. But through his unethical work, Absalom winds up creating a loyal and lively group of friends who will go to the ends of the Earth for one another. When the story's protagonist, Christopher, discovers a devastating secret about himself and the friends are torn apart, it's up to his friends to find him. What they'll discover is the secret about the dark experiment that ended in disaster many years before... Tin is an adventure story about friendship, courage, and loyalty, and what it means to be human.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Echoes of classic sci-fi and fantasy enrich Kenny's spirited yet flawed debut set in early-20th-century England. The Laws of Mechanics dictate that only registered engineers can confer sentience on Britain's childsize automatons via inscribed magical glyphs; creating adults or animating mechanicals with souls is illegal. After a car accident reveals a jarring truth about 12-year-old orphan Christopher, he is abducted from the junkyard of opportunistic unlicensed engineer Gregory Absalom by sadistic henchmen Reeves and Dunlop, allegedly on behalf of the law-enforcing Agency. Absalom's motley band of lovable mechanicals Jack, Round Rob, Manda, and Gripper endeavor to rescue Christopher with the help of their Flesh friend, resolute skin-maker Estelle Wilkins, as well as that of peevish, disgraced "father of engineering" Philip Cormier. Meanwhile, Christopher discovers the identity of his true kidnapper, who harbors far more sinister plans than any that the Agency could devise. Unfortunately, the story suffers from anemic worldbuilding and too-frequent perspective shifts, and a dearth of diversity undermines a condemnation of imperialism and themes about the importance of found family. Still, the novel raises interesting metaphysical questions, especially prescient for readers growing up in an age when conversations vis- -vis the ethics of AI are becoming increasingly relevant. Ages 8 12.)
