![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jacey
As a debut novel, this shows a lot of promise. London, 1754. Zachary inherits his (dead) mother's second sight, which shows itself even as a small child. After an accident in which he loses an eye, he seems to have even more visions, sometimes of the future, sometimes of the past. His father, Abel, runs a clockmaking business which also makes automata, fantastic creations, very popular with the aristocracy. After his accident (for which Abel blames himself) Zak is raised in the country by his bonkers Aunt Frances, and the indomitable Mrs Morley who was Zak's wet-nurse and whose daughter, Leonora, is like a sister. The first part of this book is Zac growing up and the various incidents. It's difficult to tell who is the focus of this story. For the first part it's definitely Abel with side trips to the Morley household. It's not until Abel is sent off to Constantinople (as a spy) and disappears into the Sultan's palace, never to be seen or heard from again, that Zak (now aged 15) comes into his own and at last becomes the main protagonist. There's a Dickensian cast of fascinating and quirky characters, but I confess I found this a little slow at times. I didn't really become attached to any of the main characters, though Zachary grows on me towards the end. Of the secondary characters I really liked Tom and Mrs Morley.
