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Tinker

(Elfhome #1)

Wen Spencer (Goodreads Author)

4.07 · Rating details · 4,962 ratings · 358 reviews

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 hersel ...more

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Paperback, 1st Edition, 448 pages

Published December 1st 2004 by Baen (first published October 1st 2003)

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Jun 11, 2012 Barbara Gordon rated it did not like it

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-dump 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. ...more

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Jan 09, 2017 Crystal Starr Light rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: buddy-reads, romance-in-disguise, hello-my-name-is-mary-sue, what-the-hell-did-i-just-read, science-fiction, audiobook

Bullet Review:

What a silly, ridonkulous book. There is just so much absurd and wrong - and yet it wasn't so terrible that I could rate it 1 star.

Full Review:

I suppose I should stop procrastinating and just try reviewing this crazy book a friend of mine recommended for Books and Soup Buddies (that's a thing, right? It is now!).

So Tinker is actually an 18-year old woman named Alexander Graham Bell. Both of her parents were dead long before she was bo ...more

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Jun 05, 2009 Danielle The Book Huntress (Back to the Books) rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: fans of urban fantasy, faery fanatics

Shelves: kickbutt-heroine, owned-copy, hero-to-die-for, faerie, urban-fantasy, hero-in-pursuit, heroine-i-adore, 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 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. ...more

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Mar 27, 2014 Andrea added it

Shelves: have-e-version, urbanfantasy, fantasy, us, faerie

This book had a lot that I liked a great deal, but more that didn't work for me, and some stuff that made me outright uncomfortable.

The basic set up is that the various mythologies of earth are a reflection of alternate universes. So elves are the inhabitants of one alternate universe, and other alternate universes contain creatures that also form the basis of other stories of earth. Earth found out about this by building a dimensional gate that as a side-effect takes part of a city This book had a lot that I liked a great deal, but more that didn't work for me, and some stuff that made me outright uncomfortable.

The basic set up is that the various mythologies of earth are a reflection of alternate universes. So elves are the inhabitants of one alternate universe, and other alternate universes contain creatures that also form the basis of other stories of earth. Earth found out about this by building a dimensional gate that as a side-effect takes part of a city into the alternate world of the elves for month-long visits, then returning for a single day. Tinker, the protagonist, has lived her whole life in the part of the city that gets transposed, and though she's travelled the bare fringes of the elven world, she's never gone out into the human world.

Both the setup and the heroine were very interesting to me. Magic is a science in this set-up and Tinker is a genius who likes to invent things, and is very interested in the science of magic. She also owns a junk yard, has just recently turned eighteen, and is a bit distrustful of the government (because of a patch of being young without a legal guardian). Tinker I enjoyed, and I liked her science smarts and her bravery in the face of danger and practical response to emergencies.

(view spoiler)[I did not like the tired old "no idea how sexy you are" thing, but I especially disliked the "you're so smart, but you're so naïve" thing. Most of all, I hated how stupid this supposed genius was. It doesn't occur to her that the rigidly caste-stratified elves might behave differently toward someone adopted into the clan of the local lord. She accepts symbolic gifts without asking what they mean, even when she's been warned specifically against that. She agrees to have a "life saving" spell cast on her without any explanation of what exactly that means.

Despite being descended from an elf, having been in part raised by a half-elf, worshipping elven gods, and living all her life in a transposing bit of the elven world, she is almost wilfully ignorant of everything elvish that actually happens in the story. Indeed, of almost everything except physics and electronics. Some of this is hand waved by her grandfather wanting her to focus on the important sciency parts of her education, but it's hard to stay on side with a character who displays such a sheer lack of intellectual curiosity - or common sense.

On the other women aspect, Tinker does at least spend time with two older women who have been in their way mothers to her, but there is also the standard jealous beautiful antagonist that makes Tinker feel grubby and not pretty. The whole crux of the romance in this story seems to be "you're not like elven women, who are cowards". And, sadly, there was a solid serving of aggressive men all puffed up, fighting over Tinker.

The whole "you're legal now" thing made me seriously uncomfortable, and I also struggled with certain racial aspects. The elves are self-constructed immortals who raised themselves up with genetic manipulation. They also created servant castes, designed for particular purposes. It's very unfortunate that the representative of the (strong and a bit stupid) bodyguard/soldier caste we meet also seems to be the only major character with dark skin (it's possible that he's the only named character with dark skin). It doesn't help that he has the cutesy nickname of Pony. [I really liked the character, but didn't really understand why humans needed an English translation of the elves' names. Yes they had long names, but why not just use the primary word of their name in Elvish rather than call them by a translation of the meaning?]

Another uncomfortable point was the antagonists, who come from an alt world that forms the basis of Japanese mythology, and are said to be invading hordes that "breed like mice". (hide spoiler)]

Anyway – I started out really liking this story, but it ended up as a not for me. Too much of the aggressive/domineering male factor, too many actions of the main character that bugged me, and a romance that had serious consent issues.
...more

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Jan 22, 2014 Dan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016, 2019, first-book-in-series, series-i-reread-often, elvez

I loved this book, and the whole series (so far, looking forward to more). Wen seems to come up with very unique story lines. I love all of her books. 7/1/16 Re-read: So enjoyable, every time I re-read it.

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Mar 27, 2014 Mara rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, urban-fantasy, young-adult

3 1/2
A strange experience. I had read other people's reviews, both negative and positive, before buying this novel. And while reading it, I kept nodding my assent with all of them. There's no doubt in my mind both side are right. Yes, this book is lily white, the heroine is a bit of a Mary Sue, etc. etc. But none of it was enough to mar the book for me. (The heroine's MarySueness didn't have that much impact, the enemy was based on Japanese's tradition, but I didn't feel it was based on race. But 3 1/2
A strange experience. I had read other people's reviews, both negative and positive, before buying this novel. And while reading it, I kept nodding my assent with all of them. There's no doubt in my mind both side are right. Yes, this book is lily white, the heroine is a bit of a Mary Sue, etc. etc. But none of it was enough to mar the book for me. (The heroine's MarySueness didn't have that much impact, the enemy was based on Japanese's tradition, but I didn't feel it was based on race. But this are my perceptions.)

Laura had told me this book was YA (before YA become trendy), and I see why. I don't think it's the heroine age that makes this a young adult book (even if she is barely 18). It's the naivité of the story. Yes, the story, not the heroine. Oh, the heroine is borderline (and quite often over line) stupid in her simplicity and naivité, but it's the world and the story built around her that shows the target audience.

There's no grittyness, no gray to the plot. Betrayal hurts, but it's no one important, no one significant. The world is at risk, but never really. No one dies, no one is hurt among the "good" guys. This is a YA feel for me.

Let's be clear: I devoured this book, staying up all night until the end. I growled and threatened to bite my SO when he suggested it was time to go to bed. Still, I can't deny it's far from perfect.

Mostly, because too many characters were too shallow for my tastes. Nathan moved for big brother to stalkerish wannabe boyfriend and then disappeared. I understand this is a world on the Rim between two others, but there was no explanation to his sudden move toward a marriage bed. He was convenient as a comparison to the elf (who by the way isn't that more complex.)
Riki and Sparrow were so self-evident to be painful to read.
I loved Tinker and her brain, but her lack of reaction to the spell was really off-putting. He basically robbed you of a choice, in all facets of life, marriage, jobs, where to live, and how. Yes, she's young and maybe ineffective at expressing her feelings (but she had no problem with rage with the tengu), still.
And about feeling. I'm almost tempted to say that maybe the story would have been better off without the "romance". Because honestly I don't see how two people fall in love in a day. With all their previous background, there's really no sense as a reader that the love is real, but for the author's hand.
(My thoughts on Tinker are better expressed by Andrea Host: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... I don't necessarily agree with everything she says, but I do on this. See spoiler.)

A question to the other readers: am I particularly dumb (or tired) or the magic-science mumble-bumble was too difficult to follow? ...more

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Dec 27, 2008 Lightreads rated it did not like it

Shelves: science-fiction, fiction, romance, fantasy, urban-fantasy

Sci-Fi/fantasy. Due to unexpected consequences of building a transdimensional gate in orbit over Earth, our Pittsburgh spends all but one day of each month on Elfhome. Our intrepid heroin runs a junkyard, builds things, and tangles with elves and other interdimensional troubles. Good God, this is vile. The pseudoscientific set-up is actually sort of interesting, and there was potential in the interdimensional relations aspects of having a piece of the United States on foreign soil, but these thi ...more

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Jan 05, 2017 Chris rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: done, 2017, ebook, urban-fantasy, scifi

Any book I read in a single sitting tends to get top marks from me. This book reminded me a lot of the Bordertown books, with a bit of quantum mechanics and scifi tossed in.

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Sep 20, 2017 KatieV marked it as dnf

Shelves: fantasy

I made it to almost the halfway point and still didn't like the heroine at all. She didn't seem to have any deep emotions and was kind of flippant with others emotions. I got so tired of being hit over the head with how she doesn't know she's the hottest chick ever born. Maybe it's a first book thing, but I just couldn't get into it. To be fair, I highly associate elves with baking cookies in hollow trees and have a hard time seeing them as sexy.

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Jul 02, 2015 Lisa Emme rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Just did a re-read on this after reading Wood Sprites. It continues to be one of my favourite books.

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Nov 06, 2007 Seth rated it liked it

Shelves: sf-f-h, science-fiction

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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Jan 01, 2013 So, I Read This Book Today rated it it was amazing

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 boo 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!!!!! ...more

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Nov 18, 2008 Jess rated it it was amazing

Shelves: heroine-pov, fantasy

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 15, 2012 Olga Godim rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy-scifi

I first read this book when it came out in 2003 and I loved it. Now, after I read the third book in the Tinker series – Elfhome – I decided to reread this one, the book that started Tinker’s adventures. And I loved it again, much more than the book #3.
Tinker is a charming girl, unaware of her allure but full of spunk and wit. A genius in all things mechanical, she is first and foremost a compassionate human being, prone to helping everyone who comes into her sphere. When her lover, the glorious e ...more

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Feb 22, 2015 Alex rated it it was ok

I forced myself through this book because a friend's mom was kind enough to get me the series, but boy howdy, I did not enjoy it. The race and gender politics are beyond problematic, and there's a bucketful of consent issues made worse by the fact that Tinker responds to them all with vague anger/confusion followed by a noncommittal shrug. There's a lot of rape-y bodice ripping topped off by an actual public rape. Incredibly high squick factor with virtually no commentary.

All of that would be e ...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Genevieve Pearson rated it really liked it

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 ...more

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Jun 08, 2009 MB (What she read) rated it it was ok

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 ...more

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Sep 04, 2013 Hopper rated it did not like it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I feel mislead. I read this book on a recommendation from a friend that I would love this strong female character. In addition, the front of the book notes "Buffy fans should find a lot to like." Are you kidding me? How could any reasonable person suggest that a Buffy fan would approve of this drivel.

I gave the book a two rather than a one for the following reasons:
1. The author has some very creative ideas. However, the ideas are not well developed. I'm still unclear on the whole shutdown bus I feel mislead. I read this book on a recommendation from a friend that I would love this strong female character. In addition, the front of the book notes "Buffy fans should find a lot to like." Are you kidding me? How could any reasonable person suggest that a Buffy fan would approve of this drivel.

I gave the book a two rather than a one for the following reasons:
1. The author has some very creative ideas. However, the ideas are not well developed. I'm still unclear on the whole shutdown business and this would have been a better book if the author took the time to paint a better picture of some of the sci-fi/fantasy concepts.
2. I liked that Tinker was scientifically inclined and that she was alright with getting dirty.
3. I enjoyed Pony's character, mostly for his loyalty and devotion to his occupation.

That's about all that I enjoyed in this book.

I'm staring at the book cover and I don't get it. The book is called Tinker. Look at the cover. There are two characters. Do either character look like Tinker? They aren't even female characters.

I hated Tinker's character. Mostly because I didn't feel she had any. I saw her as a weak, silly little girl, who was gifted with intelligence, but had zero sense. I appreciate flawed characters, but with understandable, character building flaws.

I lost all faith that Tinker could be redeemed after she allowed Windwolf to put a spell on her without any explanation just so that she could get laid. Come on. Seriously? The dude turned her into a freakin' elf without her consent and she ended up being pretty alright with it. Oh, and then she finds out that it wasn't just that stole her humanity, but now she is also his wife, but it's ok because she loves him. How? She doesn't know a damn thing about him, and what she does know, should have sent any reasonably intelligent person running in the opposite direction. I would have beat the hell out of him and walked away.

Also, I'm all for violence and sexuality in books, but I found the sexuality in this book oddly out of place with the weirdly romantic overtones. The rape of Chiyo, as everyone, including Tinker just watched was bizarre. It just didn't sit well with me. Speaking of rape, Nathan's attempted rape on Tinker. What the hell? Ok, I get it, Tinker is the absolute worse judge of character ever and she welcomes abusive, controlling men into her life and fantasizes about having sex with them.

A couple pages from the end, after the big battle, Tinker and Windwolf fall into each other's arms and make love. If I had only read that page first, I never would have wasted my time reading this book.

And now, that I have reached the conclusion of my review, I have talked myself into rating this book a one, because, in spite of some great ideas, I really didn't like this book.

Summary:
A twisted romance involving a pathetic, human female who drops everything good in her life, and walks away from her family and friends to follow an elf who deceives her and holds her captive. She gets swept away in a ton of political crap between elves and oni and is traded from an elf prisoner to an oni prisoner, while the whole time dreaming of making love with her elf husband, or her bodyguard, whichever is more convenient. ...more

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Feb 15, 2012 Shannon C. rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: urban fantasy fans, paranormal romance fans

Shelves: magic-special-powers, fae-fey-elves

I just did a re-read of this series and I enjoyed it the second time around even better than the first. I think this would appeal to urban fantasy fans. It is set in an alternate Pittsburgh. The characters and world are well-crafted. I like the mix of adventure, action, mystery and romance. I particularly like that the lead gal Tinker is super smart, quirky, loyal and honorable. She is not your run-of-the-mill urban fantasy heroine. I also really like the supporting cast, like Oilcan, Pony and W ...more

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Mar 11, 2014 Nicole rated it did not like it

There be spoilers ahead. You have been warned.

I'd heard some good things about this book, so I decided to give it a try. I also knew the author was a fan of manga (and therefore presumably Japanese culture) beforehand. Cool. I adore manga too.

Thing is, the concept is interesting. The whole piece-of-earth-in-foreign-realm idea got me absorbed in the first chapter. Trying to make sense of all the new terminology, figuring out the history, politics (especially the inter-spec ...more

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Jun 23, 2008 Jai rated it it was amazing

Great combination of sci-fi and fantasy. Wen (short for Wendy) Spencer explains elves and other mythical creatures in a very original manner: they are from a different dimension. In "Tinker", an interdimensional gate transports the whole city of Pittsburg to Earth once a month for supplies (a day called Shutdown), while the rest of the time it is in Elfland. Unfortunately the designer of this gate is long dead and no one else really understands how it works. Tinker is a girl genius raised in Pit ...more

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Jan 07, 2014 Dee rated it it was amazing

Still 5 stars more than a decade later!

I remember when I first saw this book on the "New Release" shelves in Forbidden Planet. It was clearly a Baen hardback - look at the cover art! A bit of an odd title but I already knew Baen were GOD so of course I read the blurb....and bought the incredibly expensive US import! (Back then the hardback imports were generally about £4-£6 more than homegrown editions).

So freaking worth it! Of course the fact that I then proceeded to wait...and wait.... ...more

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Jan 01, 2014 Debrac2014 rated it it was amazing

This was a re-read for me! I love Tinker and her world!

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Feb 07, 2019 David Zampa rated it it was ok

Shelves: dnf

This story lacks all depth beyond that of the characters' genitals.

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Jan 03, 2012 Chrissi rated it it was amazing

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 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!
...more

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Jan 22, 2015 Jen rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, fantasy, urban-fantasy, romance, adventure, magic, sexy-times, demons, steampunk, read-in-2015

This was an okay book. I can't rate it higher because some of the stereotypes annoyed me.

(view spoiler) This was an okay book. I can't rate it higher because some of the stereotypes annoyed me.

(view spoiler)

There was another weird thing that I didn't really like.

(view spoiler)

That rant being done with, I did like the blend of science and magic in this book so I kept going. I don't really have any interest in reading more in this series. ...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Laura rated it it was amazing · 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 ...more

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Mar 16, 2009 Anita rated it it was amazing

Shelves: urban-fantasy, paranormal-romance, five-star-favorites, 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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Feb 17, 2013 Kara rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, wwe-2013-wogf

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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Jul 10, 2016 Samantha wickedshizuku Tolleson rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Sci-fi fans, High Fantasy fans

Recommended to Samantha wickedshizuku by: Goodreads

Shelves: 4-stars, reviewed, not-manga, high-fantasy, 2016, science-fiction, elves, female-lead, can-i-live-in-this-book, read-it-again

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Hello dog, if your master asks if they should read this. This is how you should respond...

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Hoyt's Huns: Tinker -- November 2018 -- spoilers allowed	3	6	Nov 27, 2018 05:31AM
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About Wen Spencer

Wen Spencer

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John W. Campbell Award Winner Wen Spencer resides in paradise in Hilo, Hawaii with two volcanoes overlooking her home. Spencer says that she often wakes up and exclaims "Oh my god, I live on an island in the middle of the Pacific!" This, says Spencer, is a far cry from her twenty years of living in land-locked Pittsburgh.

The Elfhome series opener, Tinker, won the 2003 Sapphire Award fo ...more