Publishers Weekly
07/17/2023
In this quirky, postapocalyptic sci-fi outing from Edison (The Waking Engine) a ragtag crew of misfits learns to move past first impressions and unfortunate beginnings. Eight hundred years before the start of the book, the Earth was purportedly blasted into a desert wasteland by one of its own rulers, the Son of the Vine. He was eventually captured and confined in stone—but when Caralee Vinnet, a sandymancer (or elemental wizard), throws a rage tantrum, she inadvertently releases him from his imprisonment. The disembodied Son takes over the body of Caralee’s friend, Joe Dunes, and seeks to understand what has become of the world in the years since his banishment, learning of the apocalyptic weather conditions and the arrival of aliens. Determined to save Joe, Caralee accompanies the Son as he tries to repair the broken world. Along the way, Caralee learns the true history of the Son’s role in Earth’s ecological collapse while growing into her own sandymancer powers. After a slow start, readers will be drawn in by the well-realized characters and the weird westernesque setting. Edison makes this dystopia fun. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
Sandymancer is an endearing, imaginative post-apocalyptic-fantasy-hard SF mashup with refreshing characters and a twist.” —Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times bestselling co-author of Dune: House Atreides
“Sandymancer is a whole new world of dazzling magic, machinery and literary machination. A post-Anthropocene adventure that manages to be surprising, thrilling, and uplifting at the same time. I would follow Caralee anywhere!” —Usman T. Malik, World Fantasy Award-winning author of Midnight Doorways: Fables from Pakistan
“As if The Devil Goes Down to Georgia met Miyazaki, Sandymancer is a dust-bowl apocalyptica that asks riveting questions about the interplay between knowledge, corruption and responsibility; painted with the vibrant and whimsical cadence of a story book, and shot through with bold spikes of brutal, adult logic. It's a rollicking good time… and funny too!” —Jennifer Giesbrecht, author of The Monster of Elendhaven
”Readers will be drawn in by the well-realized characters and the weird westernesque setting. Edison makes this dystopia fun.” —Publishers Weekly
Praise for The Waking Engine:
“This debut fantasy is a fever dream of vivid imagery and dark luscious prose, reminiscent of China Miéville in its byzantine, steampunk-influenced cityscape.” —Library Journal, starred review
“Edison breaks some new ground here, and even when he's in familiar territory, he finds his own way of exploring it. An impressive debut.” —Booklist
“Intensely descriptive and detailed, The Waking Engine will spur readers' imaginations.” —RT Bookreviews
“Highly original, beautifully weird, deeply immersive, The Waking Engine is a storming debut and a fantasy guaranteed to trip you out.” —Adam Christopher, author of Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town
“A novel of gigantic—nay, cosmic—ideas, brought down to earth by witty characters and a delightfully clueless everyman protagonist. Universal apocalypses don't come any bigger, or more entertaining.” —Alex Bledsoe, author of Long Black Curl
“David Edison makes his debut with a novel of great creativity and richness. There's nothing small about this story, from its remarkable premise to its cast of splendidly mad characters and its complex, beautifully realized world. I can't wait for the next volume.” —Delia Sherman, author of The Evil Wizard Smallbone
