Book Reviews

Gearteeth

W.A. Stanleyby
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On the brink of humanity’s extinction, Nikola Tesla and a mysterious order of scientists known as the Tellurians revealed a bold plan to save a world ravaged by a disease that turned sane men into ravenous werewolves: the uninfected would abandon the Earth’s surface by rising up in floating salvation cities, iron and steel metropolises that carried tens of thousands of refugees above the savage apocalypse. Twenty years later, only one salvation city remains aloft, while the beasts still rule the world below. Time has taken its toll on the miraculous machinery of the city, and soon the last of the survivors will plummet to their doom. But when Elijah Kelly, a brakeman aboard the largest of the city’s Thunder Trains, is infected by the werewolf virus, he discovers a secret world of lies and horrific experiments that hide the disturbing truth about the Tellurians. When the beast in his blood surges forth, Elijah must choose between the lives of those he loves, and the city that is humanity’s last hope of survival.

Gearteeth
Written by Timothy Black

I seem to review a fair number of steampunk stories on this website, particularly if you compare the proportion of these to every other genre. Not that I mind; steampunk’s a genre I really enjoy. There’s something captivating about books that present a different world, one where Victorian times ushered in a new form of technology, powered by steam. This alternate view of history—while largely science fiction, due to the alternative technology on display—can open up a raft of storytelling possibilities. One such possibility, which, despite the number of steampunk stories I review, I have never encountered before, is werewolves. With a brilliant title that plays on both the steampunk setting and werewolves, Gearteeth by Timothy Black straddles the line of between a deep steampunk setting and a compelling werewolf horror story.

Set in 1910, Gearteeth doesn’t simply present an alternate history where steam reigned supreme and werewolves roamed, it presents a drastic change of course for humanity. Twenty years after the world was ravaged by a virus that turned most of humanity into werewolves, the people have taken to the sky, living in floating cities above the wasteland to which they called home. With the technology failing them, the story focuses on protagonist Elijah Kelly, who, upon being infected, discovers a conspiracy leading back to an order of scientists, the Tellurians, founded by Nikola Tesla. The setting is fantastic, and Black has built a wonderful world for the novel.

Steampunk stories can vary wildly in how heavily they lean into the setting. Quite often, it serves as dressing or a plot element, and overall the book doesn’t pay much attention to the technology. Gearteeth is not one of those books. It leans heavily on the steampunk elements and presents a heavier steampunk world than most other books in the genre. The technology used in the novel has a harder science fiction bent than many like-minded books. This results in a world that feels further removed from reality—and scientific plausibility—than these contemporaries. It’s still easy enough for the reader to suspend disbelief when looking at it through a science fiction lens, and the writing puts the reader into its world. Gearteeth is written with a true love for steampunk technology that conveys the sights and sounds that come with these machines. While at times, this overpowers the narrative, it immerses the reader in the world, assaulting them with the stimuli its characters themselves are assaulted with.

Likewise, Gearteeth leans into werewolves and their brutality. The book doesn’t present a romanticised view of them; they are violent predators to be feared. If there’s one thing more fearsome than confronting a werewolf, it is becoming one, and this fear is realised through Elijah. His metamorphosis is engrossing as the book takes the reader on his journey, from the realisation of what he will become, to fighting off animalistic instincts and urges, and beyond.

The sights, sounds and smells of Gearteeth’s world are conveyed to the reader through Elijah, in all his states. As the sole point of view character in a novel narrated by him in the first person, the story rests upon his shoulders. He’s a noble character and a strong lead, but most of all, he’s an enjoyable protagonist. He’s very much an alpha male—and the book’s presentation is quite masculine—and while some readers don’t gravitate towards this type of character, thematically, it fits with someone succumbing to lycanthropy. His struggles with his transformation, and how he deals with them, serve to strengthen the character, ensuring he is fully fleshed out. The supporting cast is full of entertaining characters, and while they aren’t deeply developed, Gearteeth isn’t their story.

While Steampunk stories will often sound like the characters live in the United Kingdom—regardless of whether the book is set there—the dialogue in Gearteeth sounds decidedly like it hails from the USA. While the book is relatively light on dialogue, what is there feels evocative of its time, while also heightened for the setting. The result feels akin to a noir story, which suits the novel well. While evoking this tone, the characters all sound unique from one another. Their voices are distinct, and while heightened, the dialogue sounds natural.

At 348 pages in paperback (or an estimated 411 pages on Kindle), Gearteeth is a reasonably long book. It is densely written with long paragraphs comprising of many long sentences. While I can’t say how it translates to the written page, on the electronic “pages” I was reading from, various paragraphs were over a page in length. It results in the book being a slower read than many of a similar length. Resultantly, the novel works best when read closely, particularly given the stimuli I mentioned earlier. With Elijah’s narration telling the story through such a vivid world, at points, the prose sells the character short, with him reading as unlikable at various points.

If you’ve peeked ahead at Gearteeth online, you may see that it is—or perhaps was—the first book in a trilogy. From what I gather, the second book in the trilogy, Judgment of Blood was released, but has since been removed. I don’t know whether this is still the opening of a trilogy, or whether the follow-up book will be re-released like this one. Regardless, Gearteeth reads like a standalone book that tells a whole story. There’s certainly room to expand the world, and I’d like to see Judgment of Blood re-released to continue Black’s story.

Gearteeth infuses steampunk and horror, combining the two to create a story that excels at both. Its deliciously high concept goes far beyond steampunk and werewolves, resulting in a story with a wonderful plot. The characters are all engaging, and while he is sometimes written in a way that makes him seem unlikable, the protagonist, Elijah, carries the novel well.

Favourite Passage

I wasn’t anyone’s prey, not a frightened deer to be claimed by an arrogant hunter. Let the furback come. We’d see who ended up as the feast before the night was done.

“No!” I snarled, shaking my head against the thoughts invading it.

My belly contracted painfully in reprimand, forcing me to my knees as I clutched at it. The wolf growing in me refused to be denied. The change was coming. The violent transformation demanded fuel, victims, to feed it. Had the Heaven’s Grace lifted off already? Were they safe from me? Oh, God, I hoped so.

Gearteeth, Chapter 21

Gearteeth was provided by the author for the purpose of an honest review.

Gearteeth is available in paperback and Kindle, exclusive to Amazon.

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Gearteeth

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