Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti

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Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti

by Genevieve Valentine, Kiri Moth (Illustrator)

3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 · rating details · 929 ratings · 235 reviews

Come inside and take a seat; the show is about to begin...

Outside any city still standing, the Mechanical Circus Tresaulti sets up its tents. Crowds pack the benches to gawk at the brass-and-copper troupe and their impossible feats: Ayar the Strong Man, the acrobatic Grimaldi Brothers, fearless Elena and her aerialists who perform on living trapezes. War is everywhere, bu...more

Paperback, 284 pages

Published May 10th 2011 by Prime Books (first published April 23rd 2011)

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Dec 09, 2011 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-fantasy, fiction-science-fantasy

This is a fucking phenomenal prose poem. I know, it's billed as a novel, but trust me on this: it's a prose poem. The writing is just gorgeous. As soon as I finished, I started all over again, just so I could wallow in the language and recognize the things which resonated on the second reading and hadn't on the first. The last novel that impressed me this much was Nicola Griffith's Slow River, and this is frankly better than Griffth's debut, Ammonite, which is an impressive debut in its own righ...more

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Dec 19, 2012 Rae M. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: female-authors, american-lit, net-galley, ebook, steampunk, dystopia, adult-fiction, read-in-2012, circuses-and-sideshows, awesome-ideas-poor-execution, boring-or-bad-ending, review-or-comment

This had a lot of potential, I think. The plot is sufficiently engaging but nothing happens until further into the book. It turns into some sort of rescue novel at the end, where the first part of it is mostly discussing circus life and Alec.

For one thing, I didn't enjoy the point of view. It's very distant, so you never get a feel for the characters. It's like you're watching them from a neutral party and a lot of the time the characters come off as emotionless, or even if they don't, I still...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Beth Cato rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: in, 2012, fantasy, steampunk, nebula, ebook

This is a weird book. I struggled to finish it, and pushed onward because 1) it was on the Nebula shortlist and 2) simple curiosity about how it would end. I should also add that I have always gotten a weird vibe from circuses, so this wasn't a book I would have selected on my own, despite my interest in steampunk.[return][return]Oddly enough, I could readily except some of the stranger elements of the circus. The ringmaster, Boss, has a peculiar talent to grab souls on the brink of death and re...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Jeremy Preacher rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: scifi

Mechanique is full of beautiful imagery and tragic characters, set in a world that has, as King put so aptly, moved on. It's magical realism with a steampunk aesthetic, sort of, and the combination is vivid.

It doesn't quite sit easily with me, though - I was a little disappointed when it became clear that this is more fantasy than soft sci-fi. Maybe it's more literary than anything - which, for me, is usually a condemnation, one I'm not sure Mechanique quite deserves - but it just doesn't totall...more

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Feb 06, 2013 Haydee Souffrant rated it 4 of 5 stars

Let's see. The first time I tried to read this book I did so on the back of Night Circus. Not the best of ideas-at the time I thought that this book didn't live up to the quality and beauty of NC. The second time I picked it up, I was jointly reading an Odd Thomas book by Dean Koontz, so Odd took precedence for me. The third time I opened up the pages, I couldn't put it down. That goes to show you that three times is in fact the charm. This book almost became the anthesis of Night Circus. While...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Melanie Lamaga rated it 5 of 5 stars

This novel, which received a Nebula nomination for Best Novel, takes place in a post-war landscape. The particulars are left vague: we know that there were bombs and radiation, followed by smaller wars for control, and the creation of city-states. Outside of these, borders have become fluid, and life brutal.

To stay out of trouble, the Circus Tresaulti travels a wide circuit; the towns they visit may not exist by the time they return. Those who join the circus are looking for a measure of securit...more This novel, which received a Nebula nomination for Best Novel, takes place in a post-war landscape. The particulars are left vague: we know that there were bombs and radiation, followed by smaller wars for control, and the creation of city-states. Outside of these, borders have become fluid, and life brutal.

To stay out of trouble, the Circus Tresaulti travels a wide circuit; the towns they visit may not exist by the time they return. Those who join the circus are looking for a measure of security, or a job that doesn’t involve killing. Most were soldiers once.

In this world, people don’t live long. So, for a select few, the idea of having boss (the powerful woman who runs the circus) replace their body parts with metal gadgets seems like an attractive option, even if that means becoming something no longer quite human.

I adore circus imagery and metaphors (obviously), and post-industrial settings, but I had some problems with the novel, stylistically. For example, the death of Alec, the winged man, is referenced so often that by the time I saw this important scene actually play out, it felt anticlimactic.

Another odd choice was the abundance of parenthetical asides, in the voice of the main narrator (boss’ assistant, George). Occasionally they added insight, but more often I found them distracting, awkward and exposition-heavy.

The plot, which doesn’t really emerge until the latter part of the novel, revolves around two conflicts. The first is between boss and the government man, who wants to use boss’ magic and the circus for his own nefarious purposes – an intention she seems determined to resist at any cost, even death.

The other conflict involves a cold war between two of the performers, Stenos and Bird. Forced by boss to perform together, they are rivals for possession of the finely-wrought metal wings that boss reclaimed after Alec’s death. Whomever can convince boss to surgically install the wings on their body will be transformed into a half-human, half-bird creature. That the wings may also drive the owner insane is risk both seem eager to take.

My greatest enjoyment in reading this novel was in the detailing of the mechanical circus, the nuanced interactions between very different personalities forced to live and work together in close quarters, and the notion that the ways in which some of the circus performers are altered makes them more than human in some ways, and less than human in others.

This is not a book for those who require a tightly woven plot. Written in loosely connected vignettes, it’s more of a poetic, mood piece than a traditional novel. The story meanders back and forward in time, full of allusions to events that have happened in the past, and hints of events to come. Those who can’t get enough of post-industrial, post-apocalyptic settings and steampunk-esqe creations will most likely find Circus Mechanique an enjoyable read.(less)

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Jul 13, 2012 Shanna Swendson rated it 4 of 5 stars

I got a copy of Mechanique at WorldCon last year and ended up reading it in one sitting on the flight home. I would describe it kind of as a post-apocalyptic steampunk version of the TV series Carnivale (though with an actual circus instead of sideshows). The book is written in a more "literary" style, so it's not a straightforward, plot-driven narrative. It jumps about between first-person, second-person and third-person viewpoint and jumps around in time, weaving incidents from the past into t...more

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Jun 18, 2012 Nerine Dorman rated it 5 of 5 stars

Sometimes stories exist that hit all of my buttons at the same time, and Mechanique is one of those rare finds for 2012 that really succeeded in keeping me glued to my ereader. Where do I start? Perhaps with my love for travellers. I watched both seasons of Carnivale a few years ago and that really captured my imagination. The concept of a group of misfits journeying together who somehow succeed in being a family. Then of course, Genevieve Valentine plays with a concept that is near and dear to...more Sometimes stories exist that hit all of my buttons at the same time, and Mechanique is one of those rare finds for 2012 that really succeeded in keeping me glued to my ereader. Where do I start? Perhaps with my love for travellers. I watched both seasons of Carnivale a few years ago and that really captured my imagination. The concept of a group of misfits journeying together who somehow succeed in being a family. Then of course, Genevieve Valentine plays with a concept that is near and dear to my heart—that of a post-apocalyptic society. On top of that she adds magic that is never truly full explained and garnishes with a clockwork theme.

The result: beauty and a macabre yet gorgeous mutilation of art that left me breathless.

I’ll add a short warning here: I don’t think this novel is going to appeal to a broad base of readers. It jumps in point of view, sometimes first person, sometimes second and sometimes third, but somehow Valentine gets it all to hang together in a rich tapestry of imagery and text. That being said, once I got used to her style, I immediately plunged right into the narrative.

And there’s a lot going on here. Superficially Mechanique tells the story of the Circus Tresaulti that somehow exists outside of time as it travels from one ruined city to the next. The circus’s mistress, Boss, has the ability to defy death in her creations, her performers, who are modified and, in many cases “accept the bones” that set them apart from ordinary folk. A threat arises from the outside in the form of the government man, who sees the circus as an opportunity to create soldiers to aid him in his programme of world domination.

But within the circus there is tension too, particularly with regard to a pair of mechanical wings that two main characters both strive to. There’s more to this device that meets the eye, however, and I found the love/hate relationship between Bird and Stenos to be one of the pivotal story arcs within the novel.

Most of the story is told by Little George, Boss’s assistant, and his naïveté adds a freshness to the milieu. He is the glue that somehow holds all the others together, from the phlegmatic Ayar to the seemingly malicious Elena.

I can probably end this review with a whole bunch of superlatives. I’m not going to. All I can say is that if you’re looking for a mythical, multi-layered work of literary fantasy, then Mechanique is a welcome diversion from reality that will stay with you for a very long time, its characters enigmatic and unforgettable. Valentine has a fan for life.(less)

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May 29, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Neatly straddling the line between New Weird and Steampunk, this book has a lot to offer those who liked The Night Circus but wished that either TNC was shorter, or had a somewhat more readily apparent plot.

The circus of marvels contained in this book is not powered by magic - not entirely, anyway - and it's more of an actual circus, with performers rather than an exhibition of magical prowess. Unlike the Night Circus, which is a wonder-filled, beautifully powered attraction with a dark purpose...more Neatly straddling the line between New Weird and Steampunk, this book has a lot to offer those who liked The Night Circus but wished that either TNC was shorter, or had a somewhat more readily apparent plot.

The circus of marvels contained in this book is not powered by magic - not entirely, anyway - and it's more of an actual circus, with performers rather than an exhibition of magical prowess. Unlike the Night Circus, which is a wonder-filled, beautifully powered attraction with a dark purpose in an otherwise mundane world, the Circus Tresaulti is a full of tragically dark wonders powered by a ambivalent power in a bleak and dismal world.

Got the differences?

There is a certain flavor of the post-apocalyptic (mostly around the parts where the author mentions that the world more or less *ended* and is now destroying and rebirthing itself as petty powers struggle for dominance) and the Steampunk aspect is readily apparent. The creator of the circus, known only as Boss, has awoken some strange power to animate and resurrect people that she has partially rebuilt with metal pieces. This nebulous power is never really explained, but in this shattered husk of a world, it doesn't really need to be.

The performers of the circus all have their little tales of woe or strife, and as the overall plot is opened, each of the acts and their individual performers are exposed a little more to the reader, creating a story within a story, intertwining the performers' arrivals with key points in the main plot.

Giving the impetus for conflict within the circus are a pair of now-unused but never forgotten mechanical wings, which may or may not commune with the dead, and may or may not drive their wearer to madness, despite singing heavenly music as they fly and allowing the wearer to escape the burdensome confines of the ruined Earth, if just for a few minutes at a time. There is a whole backstory with these gorgeously sinister wings, explained in pieces thoroughly throughout the story, and when they finally get their chance to shine again, it feels *right*.

I think you could probably classify this book as Young Adult, but the structure and language might be a struggle for younger YA readers, and the bleak and sometimes disturbing imagery might be troubling for others. This is a dark book, make no mistake, and even though the ending is more or less positive, it doesn't entirely wipe away the overall feeling of desperation and despair that it leaves you.(less)

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May 23, 2012 Margaret Mcgaffey rated it 5 of 5 stars

I taught a class called Ideas to Outlines, or Outlining for Organics. As part of the process I presented, I tried to cover all the possible starting points for a novel. The hardest for me was a mood story, because I hadn’t actually encountered one with that focus. I’m all about story, and in most modern novels at least, that means plot-focused.

Mechanique proved me wrong in the most delightful way. This is not a book for the plot-driven, straight-forward reader, but if you’re willing to lay yours...more I taught a class called Ideas to Outlines, or Outlining for Organics. As part of the process I presented, I tried to cover all the possible starting points for a novel. The hardest for me was a mood story, because I hadn’t actually encountered one with that focus. I’m all about story, and in most modern novels at least, that means plot-focused.

Mechanique proved me wrong in the most delightful way. This is not a book for the plot-driven, straight-forward reader, but if you’re willing to lay yourself open to a twisted, tangled journey that often reminded me of an Escher painting, Mechanique will surprise and awe you.

This novel does not hold to point of view conventions, uses second person and intrusive narrators at times, gives no warning when thrusting you into past events, and the story unfolds in glimpses, just enough to have you thinking you’ve found the main point only to lose it again.

At the same time, there is a clearly defined story. Well, actually several of them. This is not a naval-gazing, stream of consciousness novel. Valentine knows exactly where it’s going and how all the pieces fit together, or at least that’s how it comes across.

The characters are compelling, each with their own story and their own reasons behind what they do. The world itself is introduced bit by bit until you get a surreal picture that is so concrete it becomes real. But the strongest part of this novel is the mood. It’s hard to explain because it’s part the world, part the language, part how the story unfolds, and part how everything comes together. I recommend Mechanique wholeheartedly. It’s more than just a read. It’s an experience.

I’ve talked about what made Mechanique special, but neglected the basics. It’s a steampunk apocalyptic novel about a traveling circus. However, the feel of the novel is more important than the genre in this case. It’s worth giving a read.

I got the title from NetGalley or I might not have come across it, but I’m glad it caught my eye.
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May 03, 2012 Charles Dee Mitchell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-sf

The Circus Tresaulti tours a country still at war after at least a century. The bombings and the radiation were the easy part of the war. War is now carried on between cities that have struggled to become once again livable, whether as military-controlled compounds or cultures existing on a medieval level of civilization. But when Little George straps on false brass legs and hangs posters in a city, he knows the circus will draw a crowd.

The circus, overseen by a woman known only as Boss, include...more The Circus Tresaulti tours a country still at war after at least a century. The bombings and the radiation were the easy part of the war. War is now carried on between cities that have struggled to become once again livable, whether as military-controlled compounds or cultures existing on a medieval level of civilization. But when Little George straps on false brass legs and hangs posters in a city, he knows the circus will draw a crowd.

The circus, overseen by a woman known only as Boss, includes aerialists, gymnasts, a strong man, dancing girls, and a one-man band. Of that troupe only the dancing girls have not spent their time in Boss's trailer and undergone the operations that replace their bones with metal tubing, operations that give them amazing abilities and possibly near eternal life barring accidents. I read once that in science fiction writers are allowed one miracle, while in fantasy there is no limit. If you read Mechanique as sf, than that one miracle is a whopper. Why or how Boss, an ex opera alto, has mastered these procedures is never explored. Exactly what the procedures involves is left largely behind the closed door of her wagon. We know from the equipment Boss has on hand that the procedure is low tech, and the Government Man, the villain of the piece, makes the grisly comment, "I was surprised at the amount of blood," when he investigates a captive performer.

I've read reviewers describe this as a "tone poem," a judgment that seems to forego judgment and suggest readers should float along with the words which are, I agree, at times magical. Little George tells portions of the story in first person, while other chapters may be in either third or the always for me awkward second person. Past and present flow seamlessly together as we learn the histories of the various performers and follow their current tour. Valentine can be a seductive writer, but after awhile her prose threatened to turn into a pea soup of effects. I was ready for something to happen.

Which it did, on schedule, about midway through the novel. The Government Man, old enough to remember having seen the circus as a child, comes into the story determined to learn the secret of gravity-defying acts by performers apparently impervious to pain. Arrests are made, as are escapes. The circus, on the verge of splitting into factions, must fight to retrieve their comrades. When the time comes, Valentine can tell a story as well as paint a complex picture of magic and human relationships.(less)

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Apr 22, 2012 Dani Moore rated it 5 of 5 stars

MECHANIQUE A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti by Genevieve Valentine
A disturbing place where humans take on metal bones, lungs, and wings. Full of both beauty and terror. Performers that never age, but that in and of itself is a horrible truth to face.
Moving through a world gone wild, with war, and evil and those in the circus mechanique form a warped, twisted family, with the Boss in charge, never showing her soft side.
Through it all...the wings...oh the wings. Beautiful, terrible wings that sing...more

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Apr 15, 2012 Frank Hintz rated it 4 of 5 stars

A circus! A circus, where things are not as they seem, but then isn't that the point of circuses. In this circus, the audience is confronted with performers partly made of metal and gears. Where does the man end and the machine begin? So, it's a tale of what it means to be human, and the sacrifices to be made for life, both your one and other's.

The point of view of the story changes, but settles mostly on the lad with brass legs. When we meet him, he is the barker and hands out the tickets, sure...more A circus! A circus, where things are not as they seem, but then isn't that the point of circuses. In this circus, the audience is confronted with performers partly made of metal and gears. Where does the man end and the machine begin? So, it's a tale of what it means to be human, and the sacrifices to be made for life, both your one and other's.

The point of view of the story changes, but settles mostly on the lad with brass legs. When we meet him, he is the barker and hands out the tickets, surely but a minor character. One grows up during a life on the road, traveling with the circus, though. So, it's a coming of age tale.

The circus travels a war torn land. It serves as an escape from the horrors of war, a brief diversion from the violence. It is but a brief respite for the audience, while, we soon learn, a seemingly much greater escape for the performers themselves. So, it's a tale of the awful price of war, and what one is willing to pay for peace.

Joining a circus for some can be like joining a new family. Families don't always get along, though, especially as they get larger and larger. Keeping a family intact can be a challenging, thankless, but they say you always love your children. So, it's a tale of personal relationships, and what it means to be a leader.

As you can see, there's a lot to this book, especially considering it's on the short side at 284 pages. I picked it up because I have been poking around with Steampunk over the past few years, and this had a blurb from another author I've liked quite a bit (Cherie Priest). Also, I guess I have something of a fascination with circuses. I've had this idea for a few years to run a D&D campaign where the players are part of a traveling circus.

The writing style is a little bit different than what I'm used to. I would call it kind of choppy. It took me a little bit to adjust to, but after I did, I would say it worked for the story. I found myself rather drawn in and captivated by the story. It was definitely a page turner and a fast read. So, the writing style might not appeal to everyone, but if you're looking for a rather quick tale, this is definitely worth giving a go, especially if you like circuses and/or Steampunk.(less)

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Mar 11, 2012 Jacey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dark-fantasy, fantasy, fiction

This book has a plot, it does, it surely does, but the presentation obscures the action almost to the point where it swallows it whole, for the tale is told in first, second and third person and also in the story's present and its past. Confusing? Yes.

Absorbing? Yes. Frustrating? Most certainly. Brilliant? Possibly. Flawed? I think so. Whether the flaws outweigh the brilliance is yes to be decided.

I bought this book for my Kindle because it's on the Nebula shortlist for best novel and I thought...more This book has a plot, it does, it surely does, but the presentation obscures the action almost to the point where it swallows it whole, for the tale is told in first, second and third person and also in the story's present and its past. Confusing? Yes.

Absorbing? Yes. Frustrating? Most certainly. Brilliant? Possibly. Flawed? I think so. Whether the flaws outweigh the brilliance is yes to be decided.

I bought this book for my Kindle because it's on the Nebula shortlist for best novel and I thought I should try to catch up with at least some of the listed books. The reviews I've read seem to think it's a masterpiece debut novel and – indeed – it is remarkable. But does it deserve to be Best Novel of 2011?

The viewpoint switches are dizzying at first – maybe deliberately so in the way it spins you up into the air and then drops you suddenly as if you are actually a participant in the high-flying trapeze act that is this book. Little George is the first person narrator, but having settled into that idea, Valentine rips you out of your comfort zone and drops you immediately into third person. Unused to such confusing switches, it takes a while to realise that you are in someone else's head now. The head-hopping is something you just have to get used to because the whole book continues in like mode.

It's disorienting and disturbing. Do not read unless you actually like to be disturbed by your fiction.

And the plot? A bunch of magically and mechanically enhanced circus performers travel from place to place across a dystopian landscape, a land destroyed by war. Not quite post-apocalypse because the apocalypse is not yet over. Cities have been reduced to rubble, the people reduced to soldiers or citizens surviving on the soldiers' goodwill, and there isn't much goodwill around.

The circus exists out of time. The performers have died, some many times, but are not yet dead. Boss, herself created by tragedy, magically transforms bones and bodies with copper wire and bits of junk. This could be classed as steampunk, but it's not really. The disparate performers have all come to the circus as a refuge and despite themselves they have become a family, though dysfunctional in the extreme. Little George is the only one amongst them who is still human. When he walks out on brass mechanical legs to paste up the posters announcing the circus is in town they are a casing for his own human limbs. Not so Big George, whose metal arms have become a living trapeze for cruel Elena's troupe of aerialists.

When the Government Man sees the circus performers as a template for a new breed of soldier if only he can find out how they are made he takes Boss in for questioning and the dysfunctional family must decide whether to continue travelling as she has instructed or to stage a rescue.

Beneath this main story arc are numerous stories of how the performers came to submit to Boss' alterations from the musical director who is nothing more than a severed head on a mechanical orchestra, to Bird who came only for the wings – the wings that Boss once made for Alec, who chose to die for real rather than continue to wear the brass and bone feathers with the terrible secret.

There are many things to admire about this book. It's a lyrical prose poem of a book, but it's neither a comfortable nor an easy read. It's confusing and frustrating, but does eventually reach a climax, though there were times when I wondered whether it was going to. It is, however very effective in creating an impression of this broken world full of broken people.
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Aug 14, 2011 Paul rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shortish and weird version: I love this book. If I were a tattoo person (by which I mean a person who gets tattoos, not a literal tattoo person, imprisoned in someone else’s skin), I’d want this book tattooed on my body, but a 3D style tattoo, which would look weird (and would probably look like a growth or a goiter), I know, but I can’t help how I feel!

Longer version: This book is another lesson in there being no absolutes in “things I don’t like” statements, at least when it comes to art. A le...more Shortish and weird version: I love this book. If I were a tattoo person (by which I mean a person who gets tattoos, not a literal tattoo person, imprisoned in someone else’s skin), I’d want this book tattooed on my body, but a 3D style tattoo, which would look weird (and would probably look like a growth or a goiter), I know, but I can’t help how I feel!

Longer version: This book is another lesson in there being no absolutes in “things I don’t like” statements, at least when it comes to art. A lesson I’m happy to continually learn (as I learned with The Last Werewolf). So, I usually don’t like circus stories, a trope used in many a bad horror story/novel. I have also uttered the phrase “I can’t stand steampunk” multiple times, out loud, even saying it once in front of Genevieve only hours after having met her. Foot in mouth and personal tastes notwithstanding, Mechanique is a brilliant novel.

The circus troup Tresulti (complete with strong man, aerialists, and more, including them once having a winged-man) travels a war-ravaged landscape, their shows equal parts beauty, wonder, menace, and unease. Most of the performers have been brutally rebuilt with copper bones and other metal parts (all of which become integral extensions of the characters and the story) by the mysterious circus ringleader Boss (she of the large griffin tattoos on her arms). The latest/greatest attempt at government wants to use Boss’s talents to create super soldiers, to help bring back the old world, a world that Boss was once a part of and secretly longs for. But that’s really only one of the many threads of the story. The interplay of all the characters, their motivations and desires, is brilliantly done. The short chapters from various points of view, tenses, and styles acts as an extension of the circus itself and all its myriad bits. Part of the magic of this gothic, dark, wildly imaginative book is that Genevieve has somehow managed to create an incredibly complex story that is still, I think, quite accessible. Certainly unforgettable. Go read it right now.(less)

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Aug 01, 2011 Theresa rated it 4 of 5 stars

One of the best things about blogging is the exposure to books I wouldn't have known about if it wasn't for the various relationships forged along the way. One of my favorite authors (Alex Bledsoe) recently recommended the book Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti by Genevieve Valentine and once I read that the story was about a "steampunk-flavored circus," I was in.

Mechanique is a meandering story, much like the circus it depicts. Set some time in a distant future in a world torn apart by...more One of the best things about blogging is the exposure to books I wouldn't have known about if it wasn't for the various relationships forged along the way. One of my favorite authors (Alex Bledsoe) recently recommended the book Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti by Genevieve Valentine and once I read that the story was about a "steampunk-flavored circus," I was in.

Mechanique is a meandering story, much like the circus it depicts. Set some time in a distant future in a world torn apart by bombs and fractured into townships led by petty government men, the Circus Tresaulti comes to town amid a minor fanfare of colorful posters and a parade through town to display their magnificent mechanical parts. You won't notice the slightly tattered condition of the circus tents as you marvel as the strongman with a clock set in his scrap-metal spine or the men who use their long, powerful steel arms as the swinging trapeze.

This isn't your usual circus in more than the obvious ways. It isn't the gears that sets these performers apart, it's their hollow, copper bones and the strange agelessness that comes with them. There's a magic that the ringmaster possesses, with her griffin tattoos, that no one quite understands. She weaves her spell over acrobats and jugglers, but it's the musical, haunted wings that really draw in the crowds-- at least they did once upon a time. Now the wings are a dream to those who fight over them.

But a larger enemy has an eye on the circus now... and he wants the boss's secrets to built the perfect army.

"Mechanique" is one of the most unique stories I have ever read because of the way it was written. When I say 'meandering' I mean it. The narrative jumps around quite a bit and the timeline is rather confusing at first. It took me a good fifty pages to get a grip on the story. And it isn't just the timeline that's confusing. Valentine uses a parenthesis throughout the book to offer asides in the story and it confusing until you catch on to the rhythm of the book. But then a strange thing happens; you get caught up in the story and the confusion melts away.

Everything about this story skips around, perhaps in sympathy with the nomadic lives of the circus performers themselves. First there's Boss; the ringleader with the mysterious capability to grant hollow bones and immortality. Panadrome; the one-man band who is never without his instruments. Elena; the hard leader of the trapeze artists who may or may not hide a caring heart behind a cold exterior. Little George; the barker who desperately wants to get his bones and belong to the circus once and for all. Ayar; who took the bones against his will to save his partner Jonah. And Alec; the man who wore the musical wings crafted of bone and gold who slowly went mad with their tormented legacy. Many of the performers are former soldiers who take to the unsettled life in the circus because it has it's own stability and sense of family.

The things that could be a detriment to the book end up being its strength because the unusual style adds to the sense of magic. It has a flair and flow that's hard to describe but easy to recommend. It's not one of those books that bombards you with action, though it has more than its share. Valentine parcels out the accounts of the characters and their histories and leaves enough of the setting as a blank page for us to fill in with our imagination. Some things never change, like the character of the "government man"-- some truths are obvious to any reader. Just as the cost of war is also universal at any time and any place. And it's the combination of the surreal circus superimposed over the dystopian landscape that makes "Mechanique" stand out in such a memorable way.

I really liked "Mechanique." The combination of the circus with the steampunk elements works so well. It's just a genius combination. And I think that the marriage of style and substance utilized in this work takes it beyond something interesting and turns it into something special.

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Jun 07, 2011 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action-adventure, non-erotic, paranormal, science-fiction-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. There is a unique condition you have to agree to before you can join this circus; you have to die first…

The author weaves a tale from the past into a circus in the present time and it’s a complex tale with many characters, all of whom have an important part to play in this story.

The history of the circus is interesting, and most characters joined up to have a sense of family, a place to belong and enough to eat. They all seem to have a past with mental and emotional wounds that haven’t healed....more

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Jun 05, 2011 Kater Cheek rated it 5 of 5 stars

You will never read another book quite like this one. Lyrical, charming, dark, and very, very steampunk. It's a tale of the circus, of acrobats with copper bones, of a war-torn post apocalyptic society, and of two people drawn together by their desire for a pair of metal wings. This is not the sort of book I usually read, and this is not the sort of book I usually enjoy.

The chapters are short, and they all take place from differing points of view. The circus Tresaulti has many characters, and i...more

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Oct 18, 2012 Christopher rated it 5 of 5 stars

In short, this book blew me away. It’s part circus story, part steam-punk (but in a refreshing twist that focuses on the psychological implications of living in a world where human bodies are merged with machines rather than on the flash-bang-whiz aspects that often seem to be the focus), part dystopian thriller, and part love story. And really none of those comes close to pinning this book down; it defies description and needs to be read to be appreciated in all its wonderfulness. Among other i...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Tara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti by Genevieve Valentine
At first glance, the circus is like any other circus struggling to make its way through a whole world down on its luck and war-torn. Everything is threadbare and care-worn, not least of all the performers themselves. But as the story winds on, magic wends itself through and the circus takes on a life of its own. Pun may or may not be intended.

Though the characters themselves are shadowed, the reader never fully understanding any on...more Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti by Genevieve Valentine
At first glance, the circus is like any other circus struggling to make its way through a whole world down on its luck and war-torn. Everything is threadbare and care-worn, not least of all the performers themselves. But as the story winds on, magic wends itself through and the circus takes on a life of its own. Pun may or may not be intended.

Though the characters themselves are shadowed, the reader never fully understanding any one of them, they are always in character. And it's easy to feel like you're one of the circus members surrounded by people you hate and love, understand and find incomprehensible, fear and fear for: family. Nothing in the book is easy. The plot winds, the point of view shifts and shifts and shifts until you're not sure what is present, past, or future, but it's all so beautifully balanced it's hard to think that time matters. Yet another way the author subtly invites the reader into the book.

There are no 'new' themes introduced in this book, but the ones explored are tried and true: what makes family; loyalty; the effects of war on a macro- and microcosmic level; the power of hope and living for tomorrow, however bleak it may be; and on and on. Even the voice of the book, the tone, has little new to offer. There are many who compare Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti to Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus with good reason. However, they are different enough that I never felt as though I was reading the same story twice. Mechanique is darker and has a less intricate plot (yet not lacking in intricacy – there are several sub-plots deftly woven throughout the story.) Both books also employ shifting perspectives, but Mechanique uses it much more. I was charmed by the deftness with which Valentine switched. Sometimes I didn't even notice until much later that it had happened, and yet I was never confused. Though there is little new brought to the table in this work, it still has a subtle, dark beauty that speaks on its own, changes the angles at which one looks, and makes its own place.

Valentine makes use of repetition as her major tool, on small and large scales, subtle and not, to emphasize her overall theme of all I can assume is "history repeats itself." It's well done. She uses simple sentences and simple words to convey ideas in understated ways that layer up on each other until the reader is bearing a weight they hadn't realized. Another recurring motif is that of music, the creation of, the muting of, the power of, etc. And Valentine's writing is quite lyrical – a nice match.

Overall, if one must compare Mechanique to The Night Circus, call it the darker, stunted sister. The one that's muted glitter and dark glamour only when you're lost in the magic of the moment but shows its true, tired face when the show is done. A beautifully written story, a moving story, that's not afraid to look at the darker underbelly of life, death, and everything in between.(less)

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May 24, 2011 Lea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: acquired-2011, read-2011, favorites, reviews

I can't write. My artistic gifts are in other areas, and usually I'm okay with that. But every now and again I'll read a book that makes me grind my teeth in frustration -- why oh why oh WHY can't I write like this?!

Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti is exactly that kind of book.

If I COULD write, I could explain how elegant the writing is, how the author weaves together various stories and viewpoints to gradually build the tale of the Circus Tresaulti, never coming right out and sayin...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Derek Webber rated it 3 of 5 stars

I know some say this a beautiful prose and I agree. Unfortunately, as a novel it seems disjointed and will take some getting used to but after a few chapters you will settle in and it will become easier to figure out who is speaking. Although the author was new to me I caught the quote on the front by one of my current favorite authors, Cherie Priest, and so I took a chance. Although I will not go out there and say it was great I will say that it was good, hence my rating. The plot is there, cha...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Mandy rated it 2 of 5 stars

A highly imaginative debut with lyrical prose that occasionally hits one too many flat notes to really shine, this is not the novel I expected to get from a glance at it's cover. While the concepts intrigue, this is like being presented with great looking feast to find all the meat is dry and the deserter is merely spun-sugar floss. Pretty, but no real substance. I think we could have done with less lyrical pros gimmickry to get at the heart of the story, which is what matters in the end. All th...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Meaghan rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk, fantasy, dystopia, nebula-2011-nominees

So it turns out there were two steampunky books about circuses released in 2011, Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus and this one. They begin similarly, with descriptions of how outsiders first approach the circus, and from there on the comparison is probably inevitable. The world of Mechanique, however, is very different from the lushly-described world of The Night Circus: where The Night Circus is almost overwhelmingly rich, Mechanique seems barren and dry.

The story takes place in an unidenti...more So it turns out there were two steampunky books about circuses released in 2011, Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus and this one. They begin similarly, with descriptions of how outsiders first approach the circus, and from there on the comparison is probably inevitable. The world of Mechanique, however, is very different from the lushly-described world of The Night Circus: where The Night Circus is almost overwhelmingly rich, Mechanique seems barren and dry.

The story takes place in an unidentified era -- it could be an alternate world, it could be the future or the past: Valentine never specifies -- when the world has been ravaged by some sort of long-term warfare -- again, Valentine never specifies exactly what's happened. The Circus Tresaulti travels around with a cast of fairly typical circus acts such as trapeze artists and tumblers. What is not typical about them is that several of the performers have metal body parts. The ringmaster of the Circus Tresaulti, named "Boss," is a mysterious woman who apparently has the power to raise the dead by turning them into mechanical beings. The trapeze artists have bones of hollow copper pipe; the strong man has a metal spine. At one point, there was also a winged man named Alec, but he died sometime before the story starts, leaving his wings for the potential use of another. There is a woman named Bird and a man named Stenos, both of whom seem to want the wings for themselves.

The Night Circus' main deficiency is that it's not particularly heavy on plot. This is a flaw Mechanique takes to a much more frustrating level, and what exactly motivates all these characters remains unexplained. Much of the novel is focused on Alec's miraculous wings. We are told that Bird and Stenos want the wings, but we have no idea why (aside from the obvious fact that having wings would probably be pretty cool) and there is nothing in particular to indicate why either of them is a good candidate to receive them. In fact, it is implied that Boss will never give the wings to another person, so all of this seems moot for much of the novel. The subplot about a "Government Man" with an interest in using Boss' technology to create super soldiers is what drives most of the action, but in the end, even that is mainly used as a device to push forward the "who gets the wings?" question.

The story is told from various world-weary perspectives in a completely humourless style that tries a little too hard for an oblique, poetic tone. Events are referred to but rarely described; almost all the early chapters end with foreboding references to some tragic occurrence that has yet to be identified. Characters make dramatic gestures and do strange things for unknown reasons. Strangely, Bird is described as frighteningly mad several times, even though nothing she does would seem to indicate that she is significantly more insane than any of the other characters. (The author also has an irritating habit of using brackets to tag tangential information onto the end of a thought. This often occurs several times per page.)

If you only read one 2011-published, circus-based novel, make it The Night Circus. (It's the only one worth reading.)(less)

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Sep 26, 2011 Shannon Wendt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, steampunk

Until last week, I had never heard of Genevieve Valentine. I was reading the latest edition of Clarkesworld Magazine* which had a interview with Ms. Valentine about Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti. The interview intrigued me, so I downloaded a sample of the book onto my beloved Kindle. I read the entire sample that night, bought the e-book, and kept reading.

The novel reads more like a tied-together string of flash fictions than a regular novel. I've never read anything quite like it,...more

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Jul 02, 2011 Pam McNew rated it 5 of 5 stars

I cannot imagine how difficult this book was to write. Seriously. There was decisions to be made, so very many decisions. And with those decisions, ohmygosh, direction forward with consequences. But Genevieve Valentine did it, made those decisions, brought forward character, individual interactions, small social groups, world and worlds. Stunning accomplishment and the novel, to me, is a parallel to the magic and the strenght of the circus, this circus, any circus, future circuses.

This being sai...more

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May 01, 2013 glitrbug rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle

Just finished "Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tressaulti by Genevieve Valentine and loved it. As a kid in school I hated it when I read a good book with a great story and then the teacher ruined it by saying this man represents the king and these people societies restraints and Blah Blah Blah. How many authors write books as propaganda? I'm sure some do, but I like a story like those old sermons that teach without smacking you across the face with a dead fish. This is the only book I can remem...more

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Nov 05, 2011 Ian Thomas rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book moved me in ways which are difficult to explain. The author violates every convention you'd expect to find in fiction. She switches point-of-view characters constantly. She switches from past to present tense and back again. She even jumps between first-person, third-person, and even second-person narration. The story isn't told in linear fashion.

And yet, it not only works, it's absolutely brilliant. This is without question one of the best books I've read in years. That it's a debut n...more

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Sep 22, 2011 Yvensong rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopias-utopias, sf, fantasy

4 1/2 Stars

Wow! I understand that this is G. Valentine's first novel. I sure hope she considers writing other novels. She had me enthralled from the first page on, even though she did something I usually detest in novels. The narrative switches from second person, third person and first throughout the novel. Most authors do that so poorly that it detracts from the story. In this novel, it adds layers of complexity, making this one of the most interesting novels I've read in a while.

The character...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Donna rated it 3 of 5 stars

It took me a while to warm up to this book; only in part because of its somewhat chaotic changing POV, tense, and forays into 1st, 2nd and 3rd person narratives. Actually I had a hard time liking a lot of the characters initially, and it was hard not to make unfavorable comparisons between this and The Night Circus, (which was fabulous.) This world is unlovely, and so are its inhabitants.
But by the time I got through the tangle of back-stories I found that even if I didn't love them, I apprecia...more

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About Genevieve Valentine

Genevieve Valentine has sold more than three dozen short stories; her fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in Clarkesworld, Strange Horizons, Journal of Mythic Arts, Fantasy Magazine, Lightspeed, and Apex, and in the anthologies Federations, The Living Dead 2, The Way of the Wizard, Running with the Pack, Teeth, and more.

Her nonfiction has appeared in Lightspeed, Tor.com, and Fantasy Magazine, a...more

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“I had never seen her this way before, and I wondered why until I realized it was the tattoo; I saw, finally, there was magic at work here that was darker and deeper than I had imagined, that the tattoo was like putting a pair of spectacles on a child with poor vision. I stared up at the camp hill, my heart in my throat, and wondered what everything would look like, now that I could see.” — 4 people liked it

“Even Ayar's back tells the right time twice a day, and it was my turn to be right.” — 3 people liked it

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