A strong cast of characters all yearning to be "proper," or, as Pinocchio would say, "real." It's an exciting rescue quest set in a world of "mechanicals," metal creations brought to life by magical glyphs. There are rules governing their essence and creation, but the protagonists all begin in the possession of a black market engineer who skirts the law, and their adventure sees them caught between the world's preeminent pioneer engineers who are all about pushing boundaries. So all sorts of states of existence seem possible, and in the background of the action are thoughts about what makes someone a person. I loved this little band of misfit not-quite-robots and couldn't help cheering them on. A rousing tale.