Review: The Steam Magnate by Dana Copithorne

The Steam Magnate is Canadian author Dana Copithorne's debut novel and the first of a projected series set in the eerie Broken Glass City and its surrounds. Published by US small press Aio Publishing, the book follows Kyra, sent on a journey to trace an enemy of her mistress. She is soon distracted from the task by interweaving events that finally contract into a complex web of deceit and intangible debt.

Copithorne's world is one of the most striking features of this novel. Broken Glass City is a crisp, intricate place of stone and glass, made real by a meaningful and historically rounded culture. The plot returns often to the city's architecture, a unique approach that enchants the reader with buildings and monuments and constructs a rich portrait of translucent pastels and angular modernity. Though the overall effect is accomplished, the world's position in time can be unclear, with some technological and aesthetic inclusions wavering between older world charm and far-future convenience.

Another element that sets Copithorne's writing apart is her characterisation. Kyra is a driven, often manipulative person who borders on impulsive ruthlessness but her actions and intentions, as with those of the other two viewpoint characters, frequently feel restrained. Interactions are meditative, dialogue is minimal and almost curt, with impressions being pondered privately. Despite thick layers of secrecy, there is a curious interdependency between the characters. The plot itself is not without drama, yet even the most crucial confrontations are subdued; deadly but civil. Coupled with the oppressive, clean beauty of the city and the author's explanatory, precise voice, this intriguing style engenders the book with an idiosyncratic atmosphere that is at its best in the richly visual scenes on which the story hangs. This is not a light, escapist work but one to be read slowly, with attention and deliberation.

The Steam Magnate is available for US$16 from the publisher. Browse Aio Publishing's website for excerpts from the novel and more information about Dana Copithorne, including an interview.