The Queen's Necklace

[marycatelli]

The Queen's Necklace by Teresa Edgerton

An early clockpunk work -- intrigue and drama in a world where the tyrannical Goblins, the Maglore, have been overthrown, but the hundred human realms are dependent on the hundred surviving Goblin "Jewels" -- in actuality, magical pieces of clockwork that do such things as maintain mines or keep the shores safe.

It opens with two of the allegedly extinct Maglore going to another Goblin -- one of the inferior breeds that are known to have survived -- to find a Maglore child.  

A few years later, Wilrowan Blackheart -- Will -- is discouraged from attending court after a duel.  His wife Lilli -- they had both been tricked into agreeing to the marriage by her ambitious father -- was off and about on secret studies of magic, as part of a secret society, and so much to his surprise, she's not at home.

Meanwhile, in another kingdom, King Jarred's cousin Lucius is about to go on a journey to work on his history, which doubts much of what is told.  For instance, whether the Maglore actually existed-- they are an awfully convenient explanation for a lot of things.  But when he leaves -- among others, to visit a land ruled from a madhouse, because the king is insane and does not have a regent -- the Maglore child, now grown, carries out a twisted Cinderella to bewitch Jarred.  And all about the Jewels are stolen, trailing disaster in their wake as they move about the land, and worse when they come into proximity.

All of which weave together into a tale including a young woman who comes from a palace on the Moon (or so a mad king says), mirrors, drinking poison, the dangers of salt to Goblins, easing the servants out of Jarred's household, a great deal of gossip, how Will's grandmother survived the persecution of her family without ever coming to trial, ravens, the sect known as the Levelers and what they think is a miraculous child, and much more.

Comments

[mythusmage.livejournal.com]

Once came up for a reason why efficient steam engines were invented in a world with magick. Seems that only about 2% of the population can do magick, of which about 25% (0.5% of the total) can cast. Which meant that there weren't enough casters around to keep mines cooler, drained, and ventilated. Not only that, but sending slaves down to work the pumps and fans meant more heat in the long run, thus making matters work (And then you have the cost of supporting all those people).

Then people got ideas; since steam engines could move water and air, how about using it to move other things? And what if putting the engine on the object to be moved proved to be more efficient? This resulting in steam powered boats, steam powered wagons, and the latter give rise to steam powered locomotives pulling cars (the rails were cribbed from the Athenians and the German states).

So France has railroads, as does Albion, Brettony, Germania, some of the Italic states, Aegypt, and even Babylon. Ch'in, Sung, and Japan are experimenting with the railroad. And this in a milieu where the tech is early 17th century at best, and more often medieval or renaissance.

Is there gunpowder?

No. The gods don't like booms just anybody with the ingredients can produce, so they forbade it. But they never thought about steam explosions, and since the gods of Aerth are fond of consistency they have no choice but to allow working steam engines.

[marycatelli]

All sorts of reasons why one might have 'em. . . mages are rare, magical materials are rare, the magic doesn't do exactly what you want. . . .