The Brass Sun: The Wheel of the Worlds

In a strange mechanical solar system that runs on a cog—built by the extremely mysterious Blind Watchmaker—lives young Wren, a girl tended to by her grandfather. Her world is ruled by religious fanatics who choose to ignore the increasingly cold weather—and the evidence that their world is ceasing to turn on the cog. Wren is forced into action when her grandfather is seized by the authorities; she and a companion named Conductor Seventeen begin a quest, riding the “rails” of the machine to different worlds and using magical objects, hoping to put together the pieces of the keys that can recrank the sun. A familiar structure—reminiscent of The Magician’s Nephew and A Wrinkle in Time—is given spark by the intricate world building, which evokes the heaviness of the past and the dread of a possibly doomed future. Edginton (Stickleback, Leviathan) is an experienced writer in the steampunk and imagined-history genres, and he’s created a strange, wonderful comic that feels consistently original and entertaining, even with a few hokey touches. Culbard is best known for his Lovecraft adaptations; his clean storytelling and vivid imagination are perfect for this striking adventure. (Dec.)