sawyl | Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti

Another book from this year's Nebula shortlist, in the form of Genevieve Valentine's absurdly accomplished Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti. Set in a strange and decaying world where order and civilisation seem to be in short supply, the story follows the titular Circus Tresaulti as it slowly peregrinate from fallen city to fallen city, putting on shows to entertain the local rubes.

But Tresaulti isn't just an ordinary circus. Thanks to the prowess of the Boss, all of its performers are a strange mixture of flesh and brass. While many of the troupe look far to modified to ever be mistaken for human, some of the modifications are more insidious. Thus the trapeze artists, who still appear human from the outside, have had their bones replaced with hollow metal pipes in a process that has somehow robbed them of an important aspect of their humanity. Not for nothing do the performers talk about "having the bones" as a way of differentiating themselves from unmodified, unsteampunked humanity 1.0.

The bulk of the story unfolds from the first person perspective of George, a young barker and general dogsbody who, unlike the rest of the troupe, hasn't been given the bones. George's youth and outsider status mean that he sometimes misses the nuances of a particular event or fails to comprehend the complex motives of the modified performers despite providing enough details for the reader to piece together the details. Fortunately, George's narrative is intercut with a series of third person episodes from the viewpoints of some of the key performers. Some of these overlap with events from the first person account, going back in time to explain the feelings of the focal character at a critical juncture, while others jump right back to the earliest days of the circus to explain its origins and to examine the root of Boss's strange ability to mould flesh and brass into a completely new form.

Mechanique is excellent in so many ways, it's hard to believe it's Valentine's debut. The post-apocalyptic setting is particularly strong, with its decaying cities contrasting with the stasis of life in the circus, while the way the secrets of the circus' methods of transformation slowly come out is particularly satisfying. The characters, especially Boss the ringmaster and Elena the trapeze artist, are complex and though provoking. The Government Man, a petty tyrant determined to reforge the world through the force of his will and personality, is well drawn and provides an interesting counter to Boss — both make great demands of those around them in order to preserve some form of civilisation, but the difference is that Boss gives them a choice while the Government Man simply forces.

Highly recommended.