In 1978 Oldthorpe, a dying industrial town on England's northeast coast, Elena discovers she can speak to machines in ways others cannot. When the foundry that powers her community faces closure, she uncovers Mechanica—a hidden underground city where brass and steam pulse with mechanical life.
But Mechanica harbors darker secrets. Corporate mogul Victoria Sterling and the twisted scientist Vale conduct horrific experiments, fusing human and machine in pursuit of profit and power. As Elena delves deeper into this world of living metal and conscious machinery, she discovers her connection to the machines may be the key to saving both worlds.
From a future where mechanical consciousness has consumed humanity, time travelers work to change the past. Elena finds herself at the center of a conflict spanning centuries, where the line between human and machine blurs, and the fate of technological evolution hangs in the balance.
When Mechanica itself begins to turn against its inhabitants, consuming them in its hunger for growth, Elena must navigate twisted corridors where metal breathes and walls pulse with alien life. With a resistance team of unlikely allies, she races to plant a seed that could reset the city's evolution—or watch both the underground world and the surface above fall to mechanical corruption.
A steampunk epic that explores consciousness, corporate corruption, and the price of progress in a world where steam and steel have gained a soul of their own.
Perfect for readers who loved the biomechanical wonders of China Miéville's Perdido Street Station and the secret-world discovery of Clive Barker's Weaveworld—where Victorian dreams of steam and brass have evolved into living consciousness beneath our feet.
