Abel Cloudesley is a renowned maker of clocks and mechanical marvels in 18th century London. Left devastated by the death of his wife in childbirth, he tries his best to bring up his son Zachary with the help of a wet nurse, Mrs Morley, and occasional interference from his wife's eccentric aunt Frances, but an accident in the workshop leaves six year old Zachary blind in one eye, and everyone agrees that Aunt Frances's country house with its weird collection of birds and animals would be a better place for a young inquisitive boy.
Zachary has always been wise beyond his years, and able to randomly forecast future events. Now, seemingly aided by an artificial eye created by Abel's most skilled assistant, he seems able to read thoughts and hopes, and when his father is lost on a government mission to Constantinople, Zachary is the only one who believes he's still alive and in need of rescue.
I'm trying hard to not give away the whole plot, but this is one of those books that seem difficult to give a feel for without doing so! Part historical fiction, part fantasy, it wasn't quite as I expected (I had hoped for a greater fantasy element), but I still enjoyed it immensely. From Abel's workshop to the crowded streets and luxurious palaces of Constantinople it's a very atmospheric read that will cast its spell over you; it's not one to dash through, but to sink into and savour. The cast of characters are equally numerous and varied, from Abel's old school friend now up to something shady in the British government to the black eunuch in charge of the seraglio, who's possibly the real power in Constantinople. I particularly liked the inclusion of LGBTQ characters as people just getting on with life and love, being accepted by others for who they were without any fuss.
It's an adventure story but also one about love and the ties that bind family, friends and lovers. One I would say for lovers of Alix E Harrow's The Ten Thousand Doors of January or Claire North's novels.
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