From the author's website:
In a land riven with plague, inside the infamous Walled City, two families vie for control: the Medicis with their genius inventor Leonardo; the Lorraines with Galileo, the most brilliant alchemist of his generation.
And when two star-crossed lovers, one from either house, threaten the status quo, a third, shadowy power – one that forever seems a step ahead of all of the familial warring – plots and schemes, and bides its time, ready for the moment to attack...
Assassination; ancient, impossible machines; torture and infamy – just another typical day in paradise.
For some reason, the description has it reversed: Galileo works for the Medicis, Leonardo for the Lorraines. Not a big deal; the important part is that these two men of science are competing to show off their genius. At the same time, they are peaceful men, and so they work to pacify the warring Houses with mechanical toys and wonders while avoiding building war machines that could devastate the city, the last refuge against the plague. The people in the Walled City are protected from the plague by a spice wine supplied by the competing families, which of course makes it even harder for others to challenge their authority.
Despite the "star-crossed lovers", this story is definitely not just another Romeo and Juliet knockoff. Galileo and Leonardo's inventions give the book a sort of Renaissance-era steampunk feel, and every new gadget introduced is a treat to read about. The author includes just the right amount of description, in my opinion: enough to help me understand the scene or the device, but not so much that by the time he gets back to the action I've forgotten what's going on. It's surprising how difficult this balance is to achieve, and this book does it masterfully.
From the author's website, it appears The Shadow Master is Cormick's first novel for adult readers. This book is an incredible debut, and I highly recommend it.
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