"the world building is terrific with lots of wild steampunk technology" - Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
Florence in the year 1518 is fragmented by scientific and sociological change. Leonardo da Vinci - the greatest engineer of his age - works from behind the walls of his castle, while anti-technologists and Raphaelites call for his excommunication.
Young artist Pasquale di Cione is witness to an attempted assassination attempt. Finding himself accused of a crime he did not commit, he is soon on the run from engineers and artists, and must team up with an alcoholic investigative reporter, Niccolo Machiavegli. By working together, can they solve the murder and prove Pasquale's innocence?
Born in Gloucestershire, Paul McAuley has a Ph.D in Botany and worked as a researcher and lecturer in various universities, including Oxford, St Andrews and the University of California, Los Angeles. His first novel won the Philip K Dick Award; his fifth the Arthur C. Clarke and John. W. Campbell Awards. His novels and stories have also won the British Fantasy, Sidewise and Theodore Sturgeon Awards. Although he lives in London, he spends as much time as possible getting lost in the woods.You can find his website at: www.unlikelyworlds.co.uk