"Engines of Empathy" is charming, clever, funny, and a rollicking good read...

There is always class in Paul Mannering's novels, the Kiwi-born writer has a head full of knowledge, a charming and unique way of writing and Engines of Empathy is seriously witty and funny and definitely packs an emotional punch in this tightly-knitted story.

Engines of Empathy is one of those books that at first glance of the cover art, you’re not quite sure what you’re going to get yourself into. I mean, the cover looks like a cross between Dr. Who and Harry Potter, and the world is just wonderous as those two great worlds.

I loved the world that Charlotte Pudding lives in, a world in which technology was run by emotion. A world in which if you were gloomy and negative your toaster would burn (or eat) the toast, a world in which cars required therapy. It is a lovely, imaginable world where the insane is truly alive and at every turn, you just don't know what is around the corner.

Culturedemandsgeeks still has no idea what Charlotte, our protagonist, looks like, or what she typically wears. I know that Drakeforth wears a suit (as most men have in the last few hundred years).

The cast was diverse and well-developed, from main characters down to antique dealer mercs and other supporting characters and bit-part players. Characters who could easily have only been there for comic relief were handled with respect and even affection (lookin’ at you, Hoptoad.) With the intense pace, the clever world-building, and the self-sufficient female protagonist all reminded me of the quirky imaginative nature of Douglas Adam' and Terry Pratchett's many worlds but there something uniquely kiwi about it all.

Any writer knows that finding ideas for stories is probably the easiest part of the job. We get countless ideas each day. The problem is some of the ideas are so “out there” that trying to weave a story around it seems almost impossible, yet, Paul has found a unique way, and a talented blend of absurdness and fun to his storytelling.

4.5/5 STARS

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