Ekaterina Sedia
Author of The Alchemy of Stone
About the Author
Image credit: Tait Chirenje
Works by Ekaterina Sedia
Clarkesworld: Issue 026 (November 2008) — Editor — 4 copies
Cherrystone And Shards Of Ice 3 copies
Tin Cans 3 copies
Virus Changes Skin 2 copies
By the Liter [short fiction] 2 copies
Citizen Komarova Finds Love 2 copies
Zombie Lenin 2 copies
The Disemboweler 2 copies
Herding Vegetable Sheep 2 copies
Redemption of Nepheli 1 copy
The Taste of Wheat 1 copy
Manuel and the Magic Fox 1 copy
Red 1 copy
Whale Meat 1 copy
Two Of Cups 1 copy
The Mind of a Pig 1 copy
Fungal Gardens 1 copy
You Dream 1 copy
Ebb and Flow {short story} 1 copy
Seas of the World 1 copy
Just Chutney 1 copy
A Handsome Fellow 1 copy
Associated Works
The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities: Exhibits, Oddities, Images, and Stories from Top Authors and Artists (2011) — Contributor — 429 copies
Lost Transmissions: The Secret History of Science Fiction and Fantasy (2019) — Contributor — 120 copies
We See a Different Frontier: A Postcolonial Speculative Fiction Anthology (2013) — Afterword — 65 copies
Fantasy Magazine, Issue 59 (December 2015) - Queers Destroy Fantasy! Special Issue (2015) — Contributor — 44 copies
Professor Charlatan Bardot's Travel Anthology to the Most (Fictional) Haunted Buildings in the Weird, Wild World (2021) — Contributor — 15 copies
Clarkesworld: Issue 018 (March 2008) — Contributor — 2 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Sedia, E.
Sedia, Kathy - Birthdate
- 1970-07-09
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- Russia
- Birthplace
- Moscow, Russia
- Places of residence
- New Jersey, USA
Moscow, Russia - Education
- Moscow State University
Rutgers University-Camden - Occupations
- fantasy writer
fantasy novelist
professor
magazine editor - Short biography
- Ekaterina "Kathy" Sedia, née Holland, was born in Moscow, Russia and attended Moscow State University. She came to the USA to work as a research assistant at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and then enrolled for graduate studies at Rutgers University-Camden, New Jersey, where she earned a Ph.D. in 2001. She is a professor of plant ecology and evolution at Richard Stockton College of NJ. She is best known as a fantasy novelist, her most famous work to date being The Alchemy of Stone (2008). Her other novels include The Secret History of Moscow, According to Crow, and The House of Discarded Dreams. She has also written short stories, poems, and nonfiction books. She was the editor of Jigsaw Nation and the World Fantasy Award-winning Paper Cities: An Anthology of Urban Fantasy.
Members
Discussions
The Secret History of Moscow in Fans of Russian authors (January 2016)
Reviews
Lists
io9 Book Club (1)
Gaslamp Fantasy (1)
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 41
- Also by
- 56
- Members
- 2,395
- Popularity
- #10,719
- Rating
- 3.5
- Reviews
- 118
- ISBNs
- 38
- Languages
- 5
- Favorited
- 5
Thoughts: I enjoyed this book but found the plot to be a bit messy and poorly paced. The story follows Mattie, an intelligent automaton who has gained independence from her maker to become an alchemist. Mattie is approached by the gargoyles to help them find a cure to their slow demise. Then Mattie is unfortunately drawn into a political conflict between the gargoyles, the alchemists, and the mechanics that is tearing the city of Ayona apart.
I enjoyed Mattie as a character, she was unique with a very unique set of concerns. Watching her struggle between hating her creator and still wanting to obey and support him was both tough and intriguing. She also wanted to form connections with other humans but her dreams would be dashed when the humans didn't recognize her need for connection.
I really loved the gargoyles who built this stone city and watching them try to adjust to the changes in their world. The city of Ayona itself was another aspect I loved about this
Where the story fell short was the plot. There are a few different plot threads going on here. Mattie's search for an alchemical cure for the gargoyles, Mattie's struggle to leave her creator behind, and then the turmoil between the different factions of the city. These storylines weren't woven together very well and would get dropped and then picked back up. It made the story feel fractured.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this. It was heartfelt, unique, and engaging. I loved Mattie, the city, and the gargoyles. I did struggle with how fractured the storyline felt. It is hard to find decent steampunk reads and this is one I would definitely recommend if you enjoy reading steampunk themed books. I do plan to check out additional books by Sedia in the future; there were some very unique ideas in here.… (more)