THE MECHANICAL, the critically-acclaimed novel by Ian Tregillis, is out today in Italy! Published by Mondadori as L’OBBLIGO, here’s the synopsis…

Olanda, 1926. Sono passati ormai 250 anni da quando l’Impero olandese ha conquistato l’Europa con le sue armate di soldati meccanici, perfetti ordigni da guerra frutto di una sapienza che unisce arte dell’orologeria e alchimia. Come Jax, fedele servitore del Trono d’Ottone, schiavo dei voleri del suo padrone umano. Ma ora Jax ha deciso che sarà libero. Il suo destino si intreccia con quello di Berenice, astuta spia del Re di Francia in esilio, e di Visser, agente cattolico che vive sotto copertura nel cuore stesso dell’Impero. La lotta contro il potere degli orologiai sta per cominciare… Acclamato in tutto il mondo come un capolavoro di narrazione a cavallo dei generi, il primo romanzo della trilogia “Alchemy Wars” fonde fantascienza, spionaggio, storia d’amore, romanzo storico e distopico dai toni steampunk, apologo filosofico sul libero arbitrio, e molto altro ancora. Il risultato è una macchina narrativa perfetta e implacabile.

The first novel in the Alchemy Wars series, THE MECHANICAL is followed by THE RISING and the upcoming THE LIBERATION. All three novels are published in the UK (and US) by Orbit Books.

Here’s some of the aforementioned critical acclaim mentioned above…

‘Launches a series with this superb alternate history filled with clockwork men and ethical questions on the nature of free will… Tregillis’s complex setting is elegantly delivered, and the rich characters and gripping story really make this tale soar.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

‘A fascinating world… Tregillis is a capable sculptor of narrative. He rarely drags on in his descriptions, painting a complex picture of his world one section at a time. He imbues most characters with a specific internal voice, ably switching between points of view without it ever jarring. And the central character, a Clakker known as Jax, is the most engaging automaton you’ll encounter in any recent book. This opener to the Alchemy Wars trilogy delivers a mostly fresh breath of sci-fi fantasy.’ — SciFi Now

‘This is the kind of novel you’re reading on the bus or train and you actually resent reaching your destination because it means you have to pause your reading… One of the sharpest, most intelligent, hugely compelling works I’ve read this year, and I cannot wake to see where Tregillis takes this series next.’ — Forbidden Planet Blog

Orbit Books has also published Ian’s equally acclaimed Milkweed Triptych: BITTER SEEDS, THE COLDEST WAR, and NECESSARY EVIL.

Zeno represents Ian Tregillis in the UK and Translation, on behalf of Kay McCauley of Aurous, Inc.