HEARTSMITH

In this first installment of Cotta’s steampunk series, an enterprising newcomer teams up with a group of misfits to uncover a ghastly secret.

Talented 16-year-old Aaren Lockett arrives on the hardscrabble streets of Rexanberg determined to set up shop as a successful tinker, capable of fixing anything the city’s inhabitants need repaired. Things quickly go awry for the orphaned youth, however, when he ends up on the wrong side of a gun while attempting to rescue a beguiling young creature from the wrath of a vengeful “Hoch” (member of the penthouse-dwelling ruling class), Ryszard. It’s a Hoch’s world here in bustling Rexanberg, and Aaren and his working-class ilk are just living in it. Even worse, as Aaren soon learns, the parasitic Hochs—dependent on the “healing genie[s]” indentured to them—decide to take their exploitation to shockingly new lows. The only thing standing in their way is the spirit-repairing “Heartsmith,” and as Cotta’s careful scripting makes abundantly clear, even his courage might not be enough to save the day. Rife with reanimated corpses, severed limbs, and burnt flesh, the tone of this fast-moving adventure nevertheless remains remarkably light and even bubbly. The protagonist is an intriguing character; virtuous and full of industry, he’s far from a Pollyanna, with an outward demeanor akin to Harrison Ford’s wry and self-effacing Indiana Jones. (Sasha, a spunky newspaper gal determined to locate her missing brother, soon becomes enamored with the romantically-challenged Aaren in spite of all his crustiness.) Much of the levity and pathos come from the often-comical exchanges between Aaren and the Tinker Bell–like sprite who literally takes up residence inside Aaren’s heart following his unfortunate encounter with Hoch Ryszard. “‘Maybe wishes are like dreams, then,’ Aaren mused, staring across the expanse. ‘For ’em to come true, you must be persistent, like a ticking clock, always moving toward the next hour, never stalling, ’cause you never know at what time your wish may come true.’” Like Aaren’s astonishing inventions, Cotta’s steampunk tale works in many surprising and wonderful ways.

A worldbuilding adventure fully firing on all cylinders.