The First Book of Ore: The Foundry’s Edge by Cam Baity (review)

Phoebe enjoys her privilege, even taunting Micah, the servant’s son, about their different states; nonetheless, she misses her father when he travels for business, and even she would have to admit that her life has more comfort than meaning. A daring rescue attempt at saving her father after he is kidnapped leads to Phoebe’s finding horrors and depths behind the extravagant life she lives. She discovers that nearby Mehk is a place essentially pillaged for the gadgets, tools, and mechanics used in Phoebe’s life, and she and Micah, who travels with her, see that the world seems to be ravaged by people, damaged and polluted and threatened in ways that feel cruel, even while they acknowledge the potential benefit of the materials taken from there for humans. The animation background of both of the authors is apparent: readers may imagine how cool the world of Mehk would be in movie format, based on the lush, extravagant descriptions of the dying but still beautiful metal world. Less smooth is the shift of the protagonist from utterly loathsome to scrappy heroine in such a short amount of time that it stretches plausibility, as do the sudden dramatic shifts in other characters that squander carefully written personalities for plot-convenient transformations. Even so, there is potential in this anticipated trilogy, particularly for plot-driven readers who like machines and imagined worlds all mixed together.