Tinker (Elfhome, #1)

Jan 07, 2012 Genevieve Pearson rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm of two minds about Tinker. On the one hand, the concept and story are so unique, and fun, it made this book a page-turner. It's well thought out, and the world-building is amazing. As a result, I find myself picking this book up again and again. Tinker as a heroine is also a great character--unique both in personality and physical attributes, a brainy but petite offspring of a brilliant scientist who chooses to work in a junk yard with her brother.

There are two reasons I deducted a star (so...more

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Jun 05, 2009 Seth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, sf-f-h

This one's fun. A nice take on the cross-world SF/Fantasy hybrid with good politicking on both sides of the divide and some fabulous surprises along the way.

In particular, I like the way the main character's specialness is worked into the plot without breaking suspension of disbelief and the way her flaws and youth are handled.

Basic setup: the Chinese government steals some not-quite-done research on making a star drive and builds it, not-quite-understanding how it works. The result is a proba...more

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Nov 25, 2010 Jess rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: heroine

Tinker was an absolute delightful melding of science fiction and fantasy. Within the first few pages I found myself immediately drawn into the world, and loving every second of it.

A quarter way through the book I realized what was so entrancing about the story, it seriously reminded me of reading a manga (japanese style comic). There is a type of genre of manga that melds high fantasy with sci/fi which I have never before seen actually expressed in just writing, and I must say I was damn well i...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Leiah rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have to say, when I saw this book listed, I forget where, I thought it might not be all that much, but it was at hand, so I picked it up. Oh. My. God. I could not have been more wrong, or more happy to be so.

"Tinker", and the follow-up, "Wolf Who Rules" are extraordinary. The concept of science as the foundation of magic is one I have always wished someone would write about - and Spencer does it in a believable, extremely well developed, and well written manner. I picked up the book for an 'ea...more I have to say, when I saw this book listed, I forget where, I thought it might not be all that much, but it was at hand, so I picked it up. Oh. My. God. I could not have been more wrong, or more happy to be so.

"Tinker", and the follow-up, "Wolf Who Rules" are extraordinary. The concept of science as the foundation of magic is one I have always wished someone would write about - and Spencer does it in a believable, extremely well developed, and well written manner. I picked up the book for an 'easy' read, and within a few pages was totally hooked.

Admittedly, I am a sucker for BOTH fantasy and science books. The "multiverse" and "bubble universe" studies, as well as the whole concept of quantum physics, fascinates me. No, I am not a scientist, never got to learn, but I can still read about it, right? Many authors use alternate universes to base their stories. Spencer takes it further, placing her stories in a possible future, where layers of universes flow-through to a possible future Earth we all recognize. And set in Pittsburgh, no less? Ok, you write about the city you know, and even though I laughed when I read where it was set (who would think Pittsburgh for a land of fairie?) Spencer really makes you feel like you are there, walking the streets of Pittsburgh, that you know the people she writes about. And she makes you really care about them.

Tinker is fascinating. In a way genetically engineered to become the creature of her grandfather's dreams, she is a genius at mathematics and mechanics in a Pittsburgh moved to a land of magic. Good hearted, down-to-earth, intelligent, and smart as a whip, she is a perfectly realized character, with enough confidence in herself to be strong, and yet not a total screaming bitch as some authors like their heroines to be. She knows that she is not always right, is often unsure of herself, but still takes care of business, taking care of the people who depend on her for their safety and their own. She takes physical change, pain, and uncertainty and becomes the stronger for it. She never gives up who she is - amazing given the situations she finds herself thrown into with no preparation, no training, and socialization to the laws and goals of the group she suddenly finds herself a part of. Kudos, Ms. Spencer, for a beautifully developed group of characters, firmly based in both fantasy, and reality!

Tinker's grasp of technology, as well as her grasp of magic theory and the integration between the two makes this a fascinating new meld of my two favorite fields. I can hardly wait for "Elfhome" due out in July! I picked these up at the library, but am purchasing both of these books for my library to pull out again and again - and have already pre-ordered "Elfhome". Thank you, Ms. Spencer, for writing wonderful characters!!!!!(less)

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Oct 16, 2012 Kerry rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 10, 2006, fantasy, reread

REREAD #1: 10/10 (23 April 2006 - 27 April 2006)

I became a Wen Spencer fan after Barbara-the-pusher (my affectionate nickname for my specialist bookseller who treats enabling as a God-given duty) gave me Alien Taste to read. From there it was a case of 'the rest is history' and I've read everything she's written, I watch her livejournal and hang out for hints and tidbits of her upcoming books. I read Tinker from the library when it came out in hardcover, then bought my own paperback copy when th...more REREAD #1: 10/10 (23 April 2006 - 27 April 2006)

I became a Wen Spencer fan after Barbara-the-pusher (my affectionate nickname for my specialist bookseller who treats enabling as a God-given duty) gave me Alien Taste to read. From there it was a case of 'the rest is history' and I've read everything she's written, I watch her livejournal and hang out for hints and tidbits of her upcoming books. I read Tinker from the library when it came out in hardcover, then bought my own paperback copy when that was released. I have several books that sit on my bookshelves unread because I'd read them by borrowing them from a library or a friend, but still needed my own copy. Tinker was one of these. When the sequel, Wolf Who Rules, was soon to be released, I spent a fair bit of time tossing up whether or not to buy it in hardcover. In the end, I succumbed to the temptation and ordered it. However, with my poor memory, there was a lot of Tinker I didn't remember, along with a few things I hadn't fully grasped the first time around and I wanted it all to be fresh and clear before starting Wolf Who Rules.

I finished my reread today - and loved it the second time around, which is always a good thing.

Tinker is set in a near future Pittsburgh, where twenty years earlier a hyperdimensional gate was opened to facilitate travel to the stars, with the unfortunate side-effect that a neatly circular section of Pittsburg got transported into an alternate reality called Elfhome where magic is stronger than on Earth. In the past, natural gates existed and it was through those that limited travel had occurred between Earth and Elfhome, leading to humanity's legends of elves. Once a month, the gate is shut down for 24 hours, returning Pittsburgh to Earth and allowing the influx of goods, ideas and travellers.

Tinker is eighteen, a genius and has lived her entire life in the Elfhome part of Pittsburgh. She runs a scrapyard and spends much of her spare time putting her huge intellect to work inventing pretty much anything she chooses. As the book begins, the Elven noble, Windwolf, is chased into Tinker's scrapyard and injured just as Shutdown begins. This leave her stranded with him in Pittsburg on Earth without the benefit of magic to help him heal. With some help, she manages to keep him alive and finds her life forever twisted up with his and that of the all the elves.

Add to this some serious culture clash and misunderstandings and the reappearance of an ancient enemy of the elves who see Tinker and her genius as a way to open their own gate to Elfhome for an invasion and you have a clever, swift and intelligent novel that moves at breakneck pace and leaves the reader fully satisfied.

On my first reading, I had a little trouble with some of the scientific principles of just what had happened to Pittsburgh and how the gate effects worked. Rereading cleared this up very nicely for me as instead of being thrown in at the deep end in the first chapter, I was able to take the worldbuilding as clarification that helped me 'get' Spencer's world much more clearly. The same was true of the gate physics, that became significant in the last quarter of the book. It is well-written, without large amounts of technobabble or handwaving, so don't be afraid of the word 'physics'. It was much clearer this time and I can now head into Wolf Who Rules happy knowing that I pretty much understand what has gone before.

I gave this book 9/10 last time and I'm giving it 10/10 this time. Spencer has real talent - not to mention that all three of her series so far are very different from each other and her current work promises to be different again - and I suspect I will continue to buy her books in hardcover now that I've broken the first time. I won't be able to wait long enough for the paperbacks.

[Copied across from Library Thing; 17 October 2012](less)

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Sep 21, 2012 Cornerofmadness rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction, urban-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book feels like two books in one, a fantasy/SF adventure that’s pretty good and a romance that makes me wish I could wash in bleach it’s so creepy. I’ll say this: 1. Spoilers will be in this review 2. I probably would have given the Oni vs the Elves/Humans subplot 3.5 stars and the romance I’d like to drink the waters of Lethe to forget. 3. This book has triggers in it if you’ve ever been the victim of date rape.

Unlike the people screaming Mary Sue because Tinker is a girl genius (they do e...more This book feels like two books in one, a fantasy/SF adventure that’s pretty good and a romance that makes me wish I could wash in bleach it’s so creepy. I’ll say this: 1. Spoilers will be in this review 2. I probably would have given the Oni vs the Elves/Humans subplot 3.5 stars and the romance I’d like to drink the waters of Lethe to forget. 3. This book has triggers in it if you’ve ever been the victim of date rape.

Unlike the people screaming Mary Sue because Tinker is a girl genius (they do exist. Teens have come up with amazing scientific advances in the real world but do it in fiction and you get dismissed as a Sue), I liked that she was an 18 year old genius in physics. She gets the name Tinker because she’s an inventor. Along with her cousin, Oilcan, she runs a scrap yard in Pittsburgh (my hometown more or less), which because of an interdimensional portal her father made before he died, is now in Elfhome until once a month it shifts back to Earth. She had her friends, Lain an astronomer and Tooloo, the half elf grocer. Tinker is pretty happy until someone tries to murder Wolf Who Rules the Winds (i.e. Windwolf), an elfin noble in her scrap yard.

She saves him, fearing she might die if she doesn’t because they crossed paths once before and he marked her. Tooloo told her that this mark means if he dies, so does she. Windwolf is in her debt. Meanwhile they try to figure out a) who tried to kill him b) what were the smugglers who got into Elfhome during Shutdown smuggling in.

This takes up almost the first 20 pages and it’s good. Then the thing goes sideways, badly. Nathan, the 28 year old cop who is a friend of the family tells her he’s been waiting for her to be an adult and wanted to wait another year or two to ask her out. Tinker decides now is better than waiting and naturally he takes that to mean try to get her to have sex in the car knowing she’s an 18 year old virgin. This takes an even creepier turn later. Windwolf, in the mean time, also woos her, wins her immediately and then does magic that changes her down to the cellular level using his sperm. No I’m not making that up. Magically imbued sperm. Nathan then decides this means she pokes and tries to rape her which she later excuses and he disappears from the story. I was so creeped out by this that I nearly stopped reading.

Then we spend the next hundred or so pages with Tinker learning her new place in elfin society while Windwolf is barely in the picture. She’s with a warrior/guard named Pony who clues her and the reader into elfin culture and then the bad guys finally return to the story. And the bad guy is bad (he forces Tinker to watch someone being deboned alive and a rape later on.)

If we could pull the romance out and chuck it down a deep hole somewhere, this would have been fun story. As it is now I feel a little dirty for having read the so called romance (which Booklist commended. Wow). I don’t buy Windwolf’s love at first sight. They’ve met each other no more than three times before he does what he does. For some reason, not long after having to watch that rape, Tinker suddenly wants to jump Pony’s bones which seemed both unbelievable and totally unnecessary since it goes nowhere. And really what 18 year old girl keeps going ‘take me’ to her boyfriend? Does anyone really do that? I’m glad I got this from the library and didn’t buy the 2 in 1 from my book club. Will I get the next one? Maybe since could it possibly contain any more creepy romance, no don’t answer that. (and no I didn't know what genre to tag it into. It really is a mix of those three)

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Sep 21, 2012 Jana Denardo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Most of this review has spoilers. I feel that star rating might even be a bit generous. If this story had stuck to the evil oni trying to invade Elfhome and Earth, I would have loved it. Those parts were good. But half way in, the 'romance' crops up and I'm using 'romance' in quotes for a reason. I found it creepy, every last bit of it.

Tinker is an 18 year old girl genius when it comes to physics and inventing. Her father, through some trick of quantum mechanics made a portal between Elfhome and...more Most of this review has spoilers. I feel that star rating might even be a bit generous. If this story had stuck to the evil oni trying to invade Elfhome and Earth, I would have loved it. Those parts were good. But half way in, the 'romance' crops up and I'm using 'romance' in quotes for a reason. I found it creepy, every last bit of it.

Tinker is an 18 year old girl genius when it comes to physics and inventing. Her father, through some trick of quantum mechanics made a portal between Elfhome and Earth wherein Pittsburgh bounces back and forth between the worlds (but mostly it's on Elfhome and I admit it, I read this since I'm from Pittsburgh). Someone tried to kill Windwolf, an elfin prince, in Tinker's junkyard. In saving him, she gets swept up in the brewing war. Even if she hadn't, she would have been pivotal because of her knowledge of physics. That plot line was good.

Romance wise we had the 28 year old cop Nathan admits he's in love with her but wanted to wait until she was older. I admit it, very bad experiences when I was young soured me on age-gap romances like this at least until the younger one is in their 20s (sorry teens but physiologically speaking, you're not adults, especially brain physiology). She goes out on a date. Windwolf rather ruins it and without spoiling things does a huge spell that frankly was more or less a magical rape of everything she is and Nathan follows it up with an actual attempted rape later and then it's dropped. That pissed me off. I've been that young girl nearly raped by an older trusted adult and the only real response she has down the road is 'he's a poophead.' Really? Wow (so yes there is triggering stuff in this). And then Nathan is never mentioned again. I found that so very unrealistic especially for a teenaged girl who's first sexual experience was nearly him not taking no for an answer in the car then going off to sleep with someone she's know for 2 days then nearly getting raped again by Nathan.

Windwolf's whole love at first sight thing didn't work for me (even without his creepy magic spell) but I will admit, I'm not much of a believer in love at first sight and relationships that don't require much work (maybe that comes in book 2).

So Oni battle plot - 3 stars

romance - 1(less)

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Aug 10, 2012 Brandon Smith added it

Shelves: gave-up-on

Inventor, girl genius Tinker lives in a near-future Pittsburgh which now exists mostly in the land of the elves. She runs her salvage business, pays her taxes, and tries to keep the local ambient level of magic down with gadgets of her own design. When a pack of wargs chase an Elven noble into her scrap yard, life as she knows it takes a serious detour. Tinker finds herself taking on the Elven court, the NSA, the Elven Interdimensional Agency, technology smugglers and a college-minded Xenobiolo

...more

Inventor, girl genius Tinker lives in a near-future Pittsburgh which now exists mostly in the land of the elves. She runs her salvage business, pays her taxes, and tries to keep the local ambient level of magic down with gadgets of her own design. When a pack of wargs chase an Elven noble into her scrap yard, life as she knows it takes a serious detour. Tinker finds herself taking on the Elven court, the NSA, the Elven Interdimensional Agency, technology smugglers and a college-minded Xenobiologist as she tries to stay focused on what's really important - her first date. Armed with an intelligence the size of a planet, steel-toed boots, and a junkyard dog attitude, Tinker is ready to kick butt to get her first kiss.

From Publishers Weekly

Wit and intelligence inform this off-beat, tongue-in-cheek fantasy from Spencer (Alien Taste, etc.), set in near-future Pittsburgh-or rather, the part of Pittsburgh that's been translated to the Faerie world of Elfhome by a faulty hyperphase gate created by the Chinese. After 18-year-old tech genius Tinker saves Windwolf, the elven governor of North America on Elfhome, from a pack of nasty wargs, Windwolf in gratitude turns her into an elf and makes her his consort. In her new and important position, Tinker becomes the target for a conspiracy of humans, elves and oni (Japanese demons that control their own part of Faerie) who are trying to build another gate for use in conquering Earth and Elfhome. Furious action, including a memorable car chase, good characterization, playful eroticism and well-developed folklore all help lift this well above the fantasy average. The routine jacket art, of an elven biological dirigible, probably won't help, but Buffy fans should find a lot to like in the book's resourceful heroine. FYI: Spencer has won the 2003 John W. Campbell Best New Writer Award.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Spencer's latest novel is as imaginative and weird as usual for him, and it makes the same effective use of her old hometown, Pittsburgh, as a setting. This time a part of early-twenty-first-century Pittsburgh is taken through an interdimensional gate into Elfland. Tinker, a young orphan who runs a salvage yard in the city, rescues the local elvenlord from assassins, and thereafter finds herself entangled in a magnificent web of romance; plots involving humans, elves, and oni (Japanese demons); and a race to build another gate by means of which the oni can conquer both Earth and Elfland. Spencer's intertwining of current Earth technology and otherworldly elven magic is quite ingenious. But the whole novel possesses ebullient humor, and even the sex is entertaining, though there may be rather a lot of it for some readers' taste. The book ends with a cliffhanger, so Spencer is clearly kicking off another series. Most readers of this book will consider that good news. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Jun 11, 2012 Barbara Gordon rated it 1 of 5 stars

Notes on the first half:
I'm having problems with this, mostly related to my reading as a writer. I like the character Tinker okay, but she is one heck of a Mary Sue. She's a genius, she's cute, everyone loves her except the elf-woman who's jealous, she wins fights despite (as we are frequently told) she's just a little thing, she's related to the most important people you can think of in that world, and I'm getting the strong feeling she has a Destiny. The narrative is thick with info-dumps, jus...more Notes on the first half:
I'm having problems with this, mostly related to my reading as a writer. I like the character Tinker okay, but she is one heck of a Mary Sue. She's a genius, she's cute, everyone loves her except the elf-woman who's jealous, she wins fights despite (as we are frequently told) she's just a little thing, she's related to the most important people you can think of in that world, and I'm getting the strong feeling she has a Destiny. The narrative is thick with info-dumps, just sitting there like lumps in mashed potatoes. So those aspects are slowing me down. What may cause me to stop is not related to the writing at all. It's my personal squick.

SPOILER!!
Tinker is non-consensually turned into an elf.

I've only attempted to read Jack Chalker once, and it was exactly this that put me off. An interesting, imperfect, realistic character changes into a supernatural being. Just because, as far as I could tell.
There's an Andre Norton I didn't enjoy because the character ends up transferred mentally first into a wolf, then into an alien body, because his own body is murdered in the course of torture. I did read that one all the way through, because there was a valid reason for him to be changed, and because the way the story dealt with someone losing his physical self and losing that continuity worked for me. But it still made me profoundly uncomfortable.
Sometime I should examine in more detail why this is a disturbing idea to me.

Notes on the second half:
I skimmed through the last part with a growing unease. Here's my issue. You've got the impossibly gorgeous long-haired Nordic-type elves, who have kind of a crap political system (I give Spencer credit, the elf social system gets some criticism), with whom our heroine allies herself, not entirely by choice (again, good for Spencer, I like uncertain and equivocal alliances).
The baddies, and are they ever bad, are another supernatural/alien race, the oni. And their slave-races, the kitsune and tengu. Spencer is obviously an anime/manga fan and that's cool too. However. One of the sympathetic elf characters says twice that the oni and associates "breed like mice". Anybody else catching ugly echoes here? Because I am.
The human baddies are the Chinese, who stole Tinker's dad's plans and killed him in the doing, and built the Gate that dumped Pittsburgh in Elfhome. There are supposedly Chinese immigrants in Pittsburgh, though I don't recall any Chinese characters actually appearing. It turns out

*SPOILER ALERT*

that the Chinese govt is actually being run by the oni, and all the Chinese immigrants in Pittsburgh are actually oni in disguise.

At which point, the WTF indicators lit up. Look, I'm just an old white broad who never got past second year in Asian languages, but even I know that oni are Japanese, as are kitsune and tengu. Where is Japan in all this? Why is China ruled by Japanese spirits, and why do they not have Chinese names if they've embedded themselves in Chinese culture as long as suggested? Are there no real Chinese or Japanese people? Are they all evil spirits that breed like mice?
I'm sure Spencer is a very nice person. And none of the Amazon reviews commented on any racist subtext. So maybe it's just me. But it made me uncomfortable, and I'm not inclined to read the next one. (less)

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Apr 17, 2012 Andy Love rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction-fantasy

This is a very entertaining "hard fantasy" novel, taking place about 20 years after a Chinese experiment led to the swapping of Pittsburg with the equivalent landmass in Elfhome - a world much like Earth, but with elves and magic (there is some indication that this experiment took place in the 1980s, so that the book takes place in an alternate present). In the intervening years, a stable arrangement has been reached, in which Pittsburg spends one day a month in our world, and the rest of the mo...more

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Mar 28, 2012 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

Wow- what a wonderfully imaginative author! Suddenly, I feel like our science fiction writers are all working really hard to break the mold- and succeeding! In this case, you have a not-to-far futuristic earth which has a trans-dimensional gateway that shifts Pittsburgh onto a planet inhabited by elves. Yes, elves. The hot kind, not the shine-your-shoes-while-you-sleep kind. Anyways, every 30 days there is a Shutdown Day, where Pittsburgh is returned to planet earth. Scientists and scholars floc...more

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Jan 03, 2012 Chrissi rated it 5 of 5 stars

I don’t know how many times I stumbled upon this book before I actually read it. The cover was so weird and lurid that I put it back on the shelf each time, only to stumble upon it again. A close friend caught me one day and told me I absolutely MUST read it. And it was the best decision I made!
The book is named after the spunky female lead Tinker, an 18-year-old mechanical genius with a dangerous family history. The story is set on a more futuristic earth than ours, where scientists have fractu...more I don’t know how many times I stumbled upon this book before I actually read it. The cover was so weird and lurid that I put it back on the shelf each time, only to stumble upon it again. A close friend caught me one day and told me I absolutely MUST read it. And it was the best decision I made!
The book is named after the spunky female lead Tinker, an 18-year-old mechanical genius with a dangerous family history. The story is set on a more futuristic earth than ours, where scientists have fractured a hole in the universe, trapping the city of Pittsburgh in an alternate dimension called Elfhome, populated by elves.
30 years after the first shift, Pittsburgh is due to land on earth for a 24-hour Shutdown period before returning to Elfhome. Tinker is working in her junkyard minutes before Shutdown when a pack of wargs chases an elf onto her property. She recognises the elf as Windwolf, the Viceroy of Pittsburgh, to whom she owes a life debt. Terrified that his death will result in her death too, Tinker helps him slay the wargs and spends the next 24 hours rushing about the city, keeping Windwolf safe from the assassins in hot pursuit.
And that’s just the first chapter!
The rest of the book is action packed, with a touch of romance when Windwolf claims Tinker as his wife, but only because she accidentally accepts his proposal! Tinker’s family history also comes to light, making her a main target for both the Earth’s NSA and the evil Oni, Japanese demons. Caught up in an ancient war between the Elves and Oni, Tinker is the pivot who is destined to be either Elfhome’s saviour or lead to its destruction.
There are so many reasons why I love this book. First and foremost, Tinker is such a fun character! She is very smart when it comes to machines, but painfully ignorant about so much else. Yet she’s always willing to dive into the action, using physics and maths to get herself out of trouble. Another feature I really liked was how magic can be used on Elfhome, but not on Earth, although technology and electricity works in both dimensions and can be transformed into magic and vice versa. (The explanation given for this is that of a simple ‘analogue wave’. Elfhome is above Earth on top of the magical wave, while Onihida is below Earth at the bottom of the magical wave. Earth sits in the middle at ‘0’, which means there is no magical charge. Even for a physics dud like me, this was pretty easy to grasp). This is the perfect blend of fantasy and science fiction, and a story that fans of both genres can really enjoy. Just be sure you don’t judge this book by its cover!
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Jan 11, 2011 Ithlilian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Lets get the things I didn't enjoy out of the way. First, Tinker, our main character, is only 18. Being 18 she isn't very mature or level headed, she is more concerned about getting a boyfriend than understanding the consequences of her actions. I realize now that I should have read the jacket of this book a little more carefully. A genius girl that can build just about anything gets into some trouble and has to kick some butt, but the most important thing is getting a boyfriend. I glanced over...more Lets get the things I didn't enjoy out of the way. First, Tinker, our main character, is only 18. Being 18 she isn't very mature or level headed, she is more concerned about getting a boyfriend than understanding the consequences of her actions. I realize now that I should have read the jacket of this book a little more carefully. A genius girl that can build just about anything gets into some trouble and has to kick some butt, but the most important thing is getting a boyfriend. I glanced over the getting a boyfriend part and I shouldn't have, since this novel is in a large part a romance. That romance seems to get the better of Tinker on a few occasions. For example, she fails to pay any attention to what is happening when a major spell is being cast on her; she is too caught up in the love making. Then, she acts hurt, confused, and irate when she finds out what really happened. To make matters worse our main elven character falls in love with her at second sight, which is typical of romance novels, but felt strange here. Also, she is a genius, one of only a select few people that can build a gate connecting worlds, yet she is extremely dim witted at the same time. I guess that can be attributed to her age and immaturity, but it bothered me nonetheless.

Now, the good stuff. I love that this novel brings together classical fantasy elves with a modern day Pittsburgh. Not only that, but a dose of science fiction and mythology as well. I think all of those things balance well in this novel. The science part was a bit too technical for me, and I had to read this novel slowly to understand fully what was going on, but I am definitely the better for it. I was able to savor little pieces of elven lore, fun forays into the scrap metal world, and plenty of heart warming friend and family interactions. I wish there was more politics and elves and less pushy friends and teenage moments, but those things made the novel feel more real, and made it able to fit into the urban fantasy genre in addition to the genres mentioned earlier. Tinker certainly is gritty, resourceful, and able to function well in stressful situations, which gives her the makings of a solid and intriguing main character. She could use a bit of polish, but that is what subsequent books in a series are for! I personally can't wait to read the next one. Tinker is a rare mix of multiple genres that actually works and is enjoyable. Not often do you see science fiction, classic fantasy, romance, mystery, urban fantasy, action, adventure, and mythology all in one. Well, Tinker delivers it all, and more. Definitely give this book a try. (less)

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May 22, 2010 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: keeper-shelf, reviewed-books

Tinker is one of those books that makes my heart go pitter-pat. So many genres are fused together seamlessly to create a story that's fun, adventurous, unique and exciting all at the same time.

The setting of the story is definitely unique, and the worldbuilding is top shelf. The author succeeds in packing the story with lots of detailed descriptions, right down to the physics of why things actually work or why a certain set of circumstances is plausible, without ever bogging down the pace of the...more Tinker is one of those books that makes my heart go pitter-pat. So many genres are fused together seamlessly to create a story that's fun, adventurous, unique and exciting all at the same time.

The setting of the story is definitely unique, and the worldbuilding is top shelf. The author succeeds in packing the story with lots of detailed descriptions, right down to the physics of why things actually work or why a certain set of circumstances is plausible, without ever bogging down the pace of the story. This is no small feat; sometimes I'll read a book and feel like the underlying message is that someone did Research and is determined to use it. I never had that feeling while reading Tinker.

Tinker herself is a character you almost can't help but like. She's smart, witty, clever, loyal, but still refreshingly innocent despite having been responsible for her own well-being for quite awhile. She enjoys using her skills and talents and they've really benefited the people around her, not to mention helped her survive the kind of crazy landscape she lives in. I found myself rooting for her throughout the entire novel, first, that she find her happily ever after with Windwolf, but also that she be able to find the happiness and fulfillment that seemed to have eluded her.

Speaking of Windwolf, he makes a really interesting hero for the story as well. He and Tinker have kind of an unusual history together, and much of what Tinker knows about him she's had to find out from other people. She knows he's a total hottie, that he's going to live forever, and that he's a powerful person in the elf world, but other than that, she's got to find out things for herself. I enjoyed reading Tinker's thoughts on her growing feelings for Windwolf, as it was refreshing to read the perspective of someone who thinks she just has a crush, and isn't a fated mate or rekindling an old love or anything like that. Tinker gets way more than she bargains for in the relationship department, but she handles it like a champ, and definitely holds her own against some pretty powerful opponents.

Beyond all that, another excellent facet of this story was the way it asked questions of the reader that inspire thought, but don't detract from the story as a whole. Questions about science, about loyalty, about politics, about race, about relationships, and about how damn tricky it would be to really be committed to someone when living forever is a fact of life are all on the table and made this story meatier and more enjoyable. There's a second book in this series called Wolf Who Rules, and I'm hoping it delivers more of the same. I'm trying to track down a copy as we speak.

Overall Grade: A

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Dec 15, 2009 Brownbetty rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is about a girl whose grandfather creates her from her dead father's frozen sperm, and then names her "Alexander Graham Bell." Amazingly enough, it is not about her quest to track him down and exact revenge, or about her traumatic youth; she considers her childhood to have been excellent, and only goes by 'Tinker' because she follows the elven custom of not giving away her name lightly (and because, really, she's a Tinker.)

The world of Tinker (both the book, and the girl, now that I th...more This book is about a girl whose grandfather creates her from her dead father's frozen sperm, and then names her "Alexander Graham Bell." Amazingly enough, it is not about her quest to track him down and exact revenge, or about her traumatic youth; she considers her childhood to have been excellent, and only goes by 'Tinker' because she follows the elven custom of not giving away her name lightly (and because, really, she's a Tinker.)

The world of Tinker (both the book, and the girl, now that I think of it) is defined by the fact that nearly two decades ago the Chinese opened up a gate in orbit that opens on another dimension. What they didn't anticipate was that the portal would cast a shadow; on the opposite side of Earth, a section of Pittsburgh was thrown into that dimension too, and that dimension is Elfland, or "Elfhome" as the locals call it. The geopolitical consequences rocked both worlds, but Tinker's lived on Elfhome longer than she's lived on Earth. The gate is shut down every twenty days to allow the Pittsburgh residents to stock up on things Elfhome can't provide, like microcircuits, and coffee, but all in all, Tinker's perfectly happy on Elfhome. She's more a native there than of Earth, runs her junkyard with jury-rigged magic and tech, and is fairly fluent in Low Elvish.

Then she and an elf, Wolf-who-rules-the-wind, are thrown together, and shenanigans happen, some of which the reader will see coming.

The thing is, this book was mad scrambling shenanigans, but it also includes some horrific torture and rape. I would say neither of topics are dwelt-upon, and the book knows they are horrible, but Tinker is only eighteen, and it was hard for me to see her dealing with those kinds of things, even as she's being sucked into inter-dimensional politics. If it had been, for example, Cordelia Naismith at forty, it would have easier. Even though Tinker seemed to make it through mostly unbroken, I kind of think she needs an Aunt Cordelia to help her develop the emotional resources.

On the other hand, you can see I came through this worrying about the characters' mental and emotional health, so it is quite engaging.

(I would like to congratulate the author on not using any of the tinker-related puns that occurred to me while reading this book.)(less)

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Jun 05, 2009 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of urban fantasy, faery fanatics

Shelves: faerie, heroine-i-adore, hero-to-die-for, hero-in-pursuit, owned-copy, urban-fantasy, kickbutt-heroine, nerd-prof-scientist-genius-geek

This was a relatively quick read for a non-romance (since they are my favorite I usually zip through them). I guess I finished it in about 10 days but I also read a few books at the same time. I guess romantic books get read quicker because of the pull of the romantic relationship. Having said that, maybe that is why I finished this quickly. Tinker is a great heroine, smart, likeable, human, and interesting. The world is an interesting one: Pittsburgh with a twist. In this book, Pittsburgh goes...more This was a relatively quick read for a non-romance (since they are my favorite I usually zip through them). I guess I finished it in about 10 days but I also read a few books at the same time. I guess romantic books get read quicker because of the pull of the romantic relationship. Having said that, maybe that is why I finished this quickly. Tinker is a great heroine, smart, likeable, human, and interesting. The world is an interesting one: Pittsburgh with a twist. In this book, Pittsburgh goes from Earth to Elfhome every 28 days because of a gate between the worlds. Hence, it's not quite considered Earth.
This book is immersed in a world of magic meets science. The elves live in a world of magic, but on Earth magic is linked to and explained by science. Tinker, a mechanical genius, is able to exploit the link between magic and science.
The book opens with a bang: Tinker saves a beautiful, aristocratic elf from large, carnivorous creatures trying to kill him when they barge into her salvage yard. It turns out they have a link because the elf Windwolf saved her life as an eight year old, and cast a spell that linked his lifeforce to hers. He is badly injured and needs her mechanical/magical expertise to keep him alive until they can get him back to Elfhome. He is very impressed with her and falls for her as a result. Tinker spends some time wondering how an elf like Windwolf, rich, high-born, and perfect to her, could be interested in her. It turns out that she has been crushing on him since she was eight years old.
I won't spoil you, but let us say that Windwolf is not about to let Tinker walk out of his life. Their romance unfolds in a very fascinating, enjoyable manner, with some good action and magic as well. There is also another potential love interest that I spend a few moments wondering if Tinker wasn't more likely to end up with him.
If you like magic and elves, but also credible science with fiction thrown in, this book will do it for you. I must admit some of the quantum physics went over my head, because I'm more of a biological scientist. But I don't consider that an impediment to enjoying the book.
Also if you like kickbutt heroines, you will also love this book. As a matter of fact, I am adding Tinker to my list of favorite, unusual, and in her own way, kickbutt heroines. She definitely earned it as, she saves the day more than a few times. Few heroines make this list, so this is quite a compliment.
Some may find Tinker's internal back and forth about her relationship with Windwolf annoying, but since she is an 18 year old with no romantic experience, I found it realistic. I know I certainly wouldn't have recognized my true love at 18 years of age.
Windwolf is dreamy and intriguing, and although he is not in the book as much as I would like, you know that he's waiting in the background and is a significant part of the storyline, and that definitely is satisfying.
I like the premise of the book and the memorable characters, although some seem to drop off the page. I wonder if they reemerge in the sequel. One thing for sure, I am rooting for Tinker and Windwolf to have a long, loving life together.
I heartily recommend this book to urban fantasy, romance, and magical book fans, with a good bit of science thrown in. (less)

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Mar 17, 2009 Anita rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, five-star-favorites, paranormal-romance, science-fiction

Wow - what a great book! This book is a mash-up of contemporary/urban fantasy, traditional fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal romance. The protagonist is just barely 18 years old, so at first I worried that this book would be young adult literature, but it wasn't.

Tinker is the 18 year old scientific genius of a heroine, and her father was the one who created a portal machine that allows a chunk of earth (Pittsburg) to travel through dimensions and trade places with a chunk of the Elf worl...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Rebecka rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: english, scifi-fantasy-etc

There are SO many good quotes in this one, I just wanted to constantly grab someone and point stuff out.

I was ever so slightly hesitant about this book at first, but the story just kept getting better and better and I ended up loving it. Tinker has a lot of stuff going for it. Very cool world-building, neat dimension concept and clever insertion of non-human elements. Unusual female lead who's an engineering genius and very down to earth. Some things mess it up though, because we can't leave it...more There are SO many good quotes in this one, I just wanted to constantly grab someone and point stuff out.

I was ever so slightly hesitant about this book at first, but the story just kept getting better and better and I ended up loving it. Tinker has a lot of stuff going for it. Very cool world-building, neat dimension concept and clever insertion of non-human elements. Unusual female lead who's an engineering genius and very down to earth. Some things mess it up though, because we can't leave it at "perfect", can we? (view spoiler)

Actually, this book would have been better without the love plot. Tinker can carry a book all on her own, she does not need a sexy partner to make it interesting. For a long time I was somewhat annoyed by the mere presence of a love plot, but then Tinker actually herself voices all the complains *I* had. (view spoiler)

If I have to complain a bit about Tinker, and I have to, then it would have to be related to her being embarrassed by random girly stuff in the first half of the book. She obviously cares very little about being pretty or whatever, considering she is a genius and has better things to think about, and I love how she just stuffs her key down her bra right in front of her date when she discovers that evening dresses don't have pockets, but why does she have to go and ruin it by being embarrassed? She was just awesomely cool, and then... And she does this a lot. She's being generally awesome, and then she goes all girly and I just can't let stuff like that go. But hey, she does brandish a crowbar to beat up a guy she's upset with, so that evens out things a bit, and she has a touch of that "GAH, why are people so slow?" instead of being patient with people who don't get stuff. <3 <3

I'm going to be very grateful that we are at least spared the blushing virgin syndrome. Of course, it had to be a virgin (and for once, there is a kind of funny reason as to why), but at least it was a wtf-who-cares-virgin. (less)

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May 28, 2012 Macha rated it 3 of 5 stars

never heard of her before, first book in this series. but i'm kinda interested in that Borderlands stuff that keeps surfacing last ten years or so, cause it puts magic into the contemporary (and sometimes post-apocalyptic or dystopic) world. also, i was somewhat cynically contemplating the quote on the cover, which went:

Buffy fans should find a lot to like!
- Publishers Weekly.

and imagining the result. it's okay, though, considered as summer reading. Tinker is not too Buffy-like, so i withdraw th...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Kara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: wwe-2013-wogf, fantasy

This steampunk fantasy book contained BREATHTAKING world building. I'm trying to think of a book that has done it better in the last 30 years. The City & The City maybe? But that was in such a completely different genre. I don't want to give anything away, but let me just say you can't go wrong with Pittsburgh stuck in another dimension and elves and tengu. Yes, tengu! I was thrilled with that.

The book was crazily fast-paced. I read it in a single sitting (unfortunately for me, I started it...more

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Sep 23, 2012 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction, beach-read

Years and years ago, I discovered Wen Spencer. I loved the worlds she created. I followed her blog. Then she had a run of bad luck and stopped writing. I stopped looking for her books.

Last weekend, I went to Barnes and Noble, looking for a missing book out of a trilogy I was reading. On the New Science Fiction and Fantasy shelf, I saw a new book by Wen Spencer. Words cannot describe the excitement I felt. Even though it was a hardcover book, I bought it. It was the continuing story of Tinker, th...more

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Aug 27, 2011 Sandy D. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-sf, midwest-u-s, new-england, romance, united-states, paranormal

Tinker is a fantasy novel about an alternative future where elves from another dimension interact with humans in modern day Pittsburgh. Due to some technological breakthrough by Tinker (the main character)'s father, a chunk of Pittsburgh is in "Elfhome" most of the time.

This started out in a very promising way....but got a bit too complicated towards the end, with the author going on about the technological stuff a bit too much. The characters got a bit simpler then, too, and there were a ton of...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Christopher rated it 5 of 5 stars

I don't think there are [plot] spoilers, but if you don't want to know anything why are you reading a review?

Elves, it's always nice to see a new treatment of elves. These elves have Pittsburgh, at least some of the time. There isn't any steam, but there is tech and magic and bad guys from another dimension/world. The elves are from another world too, but since Pitt visits for extended periods they are kind of like neighbors.

I thought this was a vigorous introduction to the world, action and in...more

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Nov 28, 2008 Elizabeth marked it as to-read

Inventor, girl genius Tinker lives in a near-future Pittsburgh which now exists mostly in the land of the elves. She runs her salvage business, pays her taxes, and tries to keep the local ambient level of magic down with gadgets of her own design.

When a pack of wargs chase an Elven noble into her scrap yard, life as she knows it takes a serious detour. Tinker finds herself taking on the Elfin court, the NSA, the Elfin Interdimensional Agency, technology smugglers and a college-minded Xenobiolog...more

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May 08, 2013 Kira Yeversky rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction

A really odd conglomeration of ideas. It was enjoyable in many ways, but the science fiction/fantasy elements didn't always go together logically. I picked the book up because I saw it was set in Pittsburgh. I appreciated the references (and think it's funny that even in a future where Pittsburgh spends most of its time in another dimension inhabited by elves, there are still people who refuse to leave...typical yinzers). However, it just felt like there were too many ideas warring with each oth...more

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Jun 08, 2009 MB rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-urban-fantasy-paranormals

Interesting in spite of the main character being a Mary Sue and her love interest being what some would consider 'every woman's elf fantasy'. (Not mine, btw.) This novel would have benefitted from better world-building and setting the scene in the first several chapters as I was still confused by the middle of the book.

The villain was too evil for words, there is some pretty obvious racism in the 'evil' characters, and several parts were just too disturbingly weird for me. This book kept my atte...more

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Sep 01, 2010 Alexandria rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy

I read this book about a year ago and thought that it was pretty good. It is the story if tinker who is an 18 year old genious. An elf falls in love with her and because he doesnt want her to die he turns her into an elf too - without her knowing it. She lives in pitsburgh but due to some dimetional gibberish pitsburgh isnt on earth but part of the planet/land of elfhome. Tinker is kidnapped by the 'badguys' because they want her to build a machine. Pretty good and I'll be reading the next one j...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction

Picked this up at a used book store and was highly, highly entertained by both the narrator's voice and the science-tech twist on how our world came to overlap Faerie... in Pittsburgh. Why the hell not Pittsburgh?

I enjoyed the narrator far more than expected, given her tendency towards Mary Sue perfection, but it was the worldbuilding and the minor characters that made the book for me. If Spencer had continued on as it started out, I'd've given it four stars, but I found the romantic subplot too...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Scooper Speaks rated it 5 of 5 stars

Favorite Lines: “Tinker, we can’t know other people’s hearts. Humans fall in love at first sight, and only time tells if that love is true. There is no reason that elves can’t do the same..” (p. 257, Hardback)

A reader of Scooper Speaks clued me in on Wen Spencer’s Elfhome series. It’s a fantasy series with only three books, but boy is book one, Tinker, good reading material. It’s full of big words and theories, but never once did I feel bogged down. I was fascinated with the world, the character...more Favorite Lines: “Tinker, we can’t know other people’s hearts. Humans fall in love at first sight, and only time tells if that love is true. There is no reason that elves can’t do the same..” (p. 257, Hardback)

A reader of Scooper Speaks clued me in on Wen Spencer’s Elfhome series. It’s a fantasy series with only three books, but boy is book one, Tinker, good reading material. It’s full of big words and theories, but never once did I feel bogged down. I was fascinated with the world, the characters and the plot.

Tinker is a young lady who is trying to prove how very adult she is now that she’s turned 18. She’s an intelligent business owner who has never been kissed at the moment we meet her. Over the course of the story the reader watches her mature after being placed into positions based on her own ignorance. She learns from her mistakes and owns up to them, which makes her a worthy heroine. Tinker makes mistakes, but by the end of the book she is a character that I’d be glad to have grace my “keeper” shelf.

The story progressively intensifies over time. The ramifications of ever decision becomes clear. Violence, bloody and disturbing, is used to show the primal evil of a particular group of characters. There is also a rape scene (involving a secondary character) which I’m sure will bother some readers. Yes, it bothered me and it takes a lot to get me squeamish.

Tinker is a fantasy book, but there are things in it which invite science fiction and romance lovers to pick it up. From quantum physics to finding love in unexpected places, Spencer has written a book that draws from various genres to create a world and peoples I want to know more about.

I loved Tinker. I borrowed the book from my local library because I wasn’t impressed with the cover and the blurb on the back of the book didn’t pull me in. Now, I’ll be buying it and recommending it to other people. I’m about to start book two, Wolf Who Rules, and am pleased to say book three, Elfhome, was released in July 2012.(less)

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Mar 13, 2013 Christina Foss rated it 5 of 5 stars

http://bycandlelight.iamfoss.com/?p=216

Tinker is a human inventor girl living in Pittsburgh on Elfhome - Pittsburgh shifts from the Elvin realm to Earth once a month. As wargs, giant dog-like elvin creatures, chase an Elvin noble into Tinker’s scrapyard, her world is turned upside down and she soon finds herself having to deal with the Elvin court and creatures she never knew existed.
Right off the bat, action and mayhem ensue drawing the reader in to the story quickly. Tinker is such a fun chara...more

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Tinker (Elfhome #1)

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