false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182564300m/1296444.jpg 1296444 2 <div><div><div>Jay Lake&#8217;s first trade novel is an astounding work of creation. Lake has envisioned a clockwork solar system, where the planets move in a vast system of gears around the lamp of the Sun. It is a universe where the hand of the Creator is visible to anyone who simply looks up into the sky, and sees the track of the heavens, the wheels of the Moon, and the great Equatorial gears of the Earth itself.</div><div> </div><div><i>Mainspring</i> is the story of a young clockmaker's apprentice, who is visited by the Archangel Gabriel. He is told that he must take the Key Perilous and rewind the Mainspring of the Earth. It is running down, and disaster to the planet will ensue if it's not rewound. From innocence and ignorance to power and self-knowledge, the young man will make the long and perilous journey to the South Polar Axis, to fulfill the commandment of his God.</div></div></div> 3288142 12 6 2007 Mainspring total:224|5:21|4:61|3:74|2:53|1:15| 224 692 441 73 0 3 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 03 17:59:04 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 03 17:59:04 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 1 false false Mon Feb 02 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 21 19:31:11 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 02 19:47:18 -0800 2009
The author did some excellent world-building. I really wanted to know more about the various cultures and climes that Hethor, the main character, came into contact w...more...]]> 3 1 false false Wed Sep 17 20:23:55 -0700 2008 Wed Sep 17 20:50:40 -0700 2008
First, I liked this book. It's an entertaining read.

That said, I was disappointed with it. I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. That's not to say it's bad, because it's not. It's more a case of it's not anywhere near as good as it co...more...]]> 2 1 false false Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 14 08:21:02 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 14 08:47:23 -0700 2008 more...]]> 1 1 false false Fri Jun 13 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 02 08:38:36 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 17 20:54:14 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 2 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Jul 05 09:35:22 -0700 2007 Wed Jul 18 20:24:16 -0700 2007 more...]]> 1 1 false true Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Nov 18 16:44:30 -0800 2008 Tue Nov 18 16:55:51 -0800 2008 Mainspring made the cut. The science didn't work, the main character wasn't very sympathetic, the world-building was superficial, the prose was simplistic, the plot was predictable. . . . all that, and rishathra. Not that I have any mora...more...]]> 2 1 false false Wed Jan 21 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 13 12:29:40 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 21 06:20:19 -0800 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Wed Sep 30 12:39:22 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 30 12:39:22 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false true Fri Nov 21 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 28 18:57:18 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 28 19:09:11 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 4 false false Tue May 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 19 09:40:20 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 19 10:01:17 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Aug 16 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed May 06 05:29:04 -0700 2009 Wed May 06 05:29:04 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Nov 20 13:53:59 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 20 13:57:59 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Jul 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 06 18:44:24 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 17 10:30:57 -0700 2009
I don't think I'd rather stick something sharp in my eye. I would rather read this than stare at the back of the airplane seat or read the vomit bag. I'm certain I could ...more...]]> 1 1 false true Sat Jun 27 20:20:13 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 14 15:44:14 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 27 20:20:13 -0700 2009 world, and oftentimes interesting worlds are at the heart of the fantasy/adventure genre. I want to explore it. But not like this.

What Lake seems frustratingly, maddeningly incapable of here is providing us with any reason to care ...more...]]> 2 1 false false Mon Apr 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 12:49:43 -0700 2009 Thu May 07 11:59:13 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 28 21:22:54 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 18 10:50:41 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Sep 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 06 00:55:47 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 06 01:00:32 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false false Thu Aug 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 27 04:34:42 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 27 04:41:01 -0700 2009
I think I am getting better at not finishing books I am not enjoyi...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Apr 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 26 00:03:44 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 30 01:17:29 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=1296444