Journey back the universe of The Gearheart. In this prequel novella, agents Augustus Elsworth and Isabelle Carriker battle wise guys, betrayal, nefarious powers on high and each other, while attempting to unlock the secrets of Augustus’ mentor and harness the full potential of a hybrid mechano-alchemic engine before its power is unleashed on an unsuspecting world. Just so you know, I hadn’t intended for this to become the Alex White month of reviews, it just worked out that way.

We get to see Augustus in a completely different light in this story. In The Gearheart, he was much a follower. In this tale, he is a rebel; loud, cantankerous and proud, not at all the shy and retiring Elsworth we were used to. And while this tale is clearly about the mechanic, we also get to see another side of Isabelle; one where she isn’t defined by her relationship to Jonathan.

I stumbled across this novel by happy accident. It was a joy to listen to. Alex has created a rich world with relatable characters and a deep back story that serves to flavor, rather than overwhelm his tale: secret organization recruits callow youth to save world. Along the way he encounters: souls trapped in immortal automatons; fractured alchemy; shape-shifters; unkillable assassins; genetic ancestor possession; mechanical magic run amok and hyper-intelligent, pan-dimensional, brain-sucking arachnids. It’s a fast-paced, rollicking ride; so grab your gat & fedora, hop on the sideboards and let’s go! I highly recommend that you reserve the time to give this a listen. You won’t be sorry that you did.