The tremendous first novel in Ian Tregillis‘s Alchemy Wars series, THE MECHANICAL, is due to be published in Italy in two weeks! 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 MECHANICAL is published in the UK by Orbit Books. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

My name is Jax.

That is the name granted to me by my human masters.

I am a slave.

But I shall be free.

Set in a world that might have been, of mechanical men and alchemical dreams, the new novel from Ian Tregillis confirms his place as one of the most original new voices in speculative fiction.

THE MECHANICAL was met with a storm of praise upon publication. Here’s just a small selection from the great reviews…

‘The first thing readers will say after finishing this splendid book is: “Wow.” … This is a rousing SF/fantasy adventure, with a brilliantly imagined and beautifully rendered alternate world… a major leap forward.’ — Booklist (Starred Review)

‘… 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)

‘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

‘An excellent novel. Truly excellent: I have rarely found myself this gripped by a book… Tregillis has an excellent eye for characterisation, and a master’s grasp of how to build tension to a breaking point: the sheer narrative drive here, the way in which the storylines of the three point-of-view characters support and reinforce the tension in each other, is a thing of beauty.’ — Locus

The second novel in the series, THE RISING, is also out now. The third, THE LIBERATION, is due to be published in December 2016.

Orbit Books has also published Tregillis’s critically-acclaimed Milkweed Triptych in the UK: BITTER SEEDS, THE COLDEST WAR and NECESSARY EVIL.

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