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Move Over, Buffy! Tinker Not Only KicksSupernatural Butt
Shes a Techie Genius, Too!
Inventor, girl genius Tinker lives in a near-future Pittsburgh which now exists mostly in the land of the elves. She runs her salvage business, pays her taxes, and tries to keep the local ambient level of magic down with gadgets of her own design. When a pack of wargs chase an Elven noble into her scrap yard, life as she knows it takes a serious detour. Tinker finds herself taking on the Elven court, the show more NSA, the Elven Interdimensional Agency, technology smugglers and a college-minded Xenobiologist as she tries to stay focused on whats really important her first date. Armed with an intelligence the size of a planet, steel toed boots, and a junk yard dog attitude, Tinker is ready to kick butt to get her first kiss.
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This is excellent. It starts with a lot of action, and never slows down. The protagonist, Tinker, is a brilliant theoretical physicist and shade tree mechanic in an alternate reality Pittsburgh. She is also a teenaged girl, which is a very nice twist. There is a complicated backstory, which is brought in as needed and is clearly explained. There is a lot that Tinker doesn't understand, so we find out about elvish culture and alternative reality planes as she does.
There are a lot of good characters here, and excellent world-building with respect to the Elven culture. Tinker is particularly well-written. She is a very talented genius, but she has major blind spots, particularly in regard to other people. She doesn't understand them, and show more doesn't really try. She doesn't ask questions about things that don't make sense to her, and simply doesn't notice a lot of things. She means well, and once she realizes the consequences of her various actions, she tries to set things right.
I went ahead and requested the next two volumes from library loan, because I don't want to be force to stop after volume 2 like I have been after volume 1. Highly recommended. show less
There are a lot of good characters here, and excellent world-building with respect to the Elven culture. Tinker is particularly well-written. She is a very talented genius, but she has major blind spots, particularly in regard to other people. She doesn't understand them, and show more doesn't really try. She doesn't ask questions about things that don't make sense to her, and simply doesn't notice a lot of things. She means well, and once she realizes the consequences of her various actions, she tries to set things right.
I went ahead and requested the next two volumes from library loan, because I don't want to be force to stop after volume 2 like I have been after volume 1. Highly recommended. show less
Tinker was an absolute delightful melding of science fiction and fantasy. Within the first few pages I found myself immediately drawn into the world, and loving every second of it. A quarter way through the book I realized what was so entrancing about the story, it seriously reminded me of reading a manga (japanese style comic). There is a type of genre of manga that meld high fantasy with sci/fi which I have never before seen actually expressed in just writing, and I must say I was damn well impressed. There are several scenes in the books I could imagine easily as a comic page, and in fact inspired me to draw myself! Curious, I looked online and found with no suprise that the author is indeed a fan of anime and manga, and that show more influence has blossmed into a wonderful tale that will have you clutching the book every inch of the way, putting off sleep for just "one more chapter". show less
Tinker is an inventor and a girl genius who lives in Pittsburgh. But it's not the Pittsburgh you and I would be familiar with. It's a Pittsburgh which has been pulled into another dimension called Elfhome, complete with elves. During a "shutdown" where Pittsburgh is temporarily returned to Earth an elvish noble is chased into Tinker's scrapyard chased by a number of huge doglike animals called Wargs. Tinker knows the noble as Windwolf, the elf who had years before saved Tinker's life and cursed her with a life debt thus entertwining their destinies together. Realizing that Windwolf being killed in her scrapyard would be really bad for her as well Tinker pulls out all the stops (not to mention her entire home) to save his life.
I found show more Tinker to be a very enjoyable fantasy story. Although I couldn't begin to keep up with the science/mathmatical part of it that was Tinker's guiding light I found that not understanding didn't detract from the adventure. Tinker was a very strong central female character which I found very compelling. I loved how Tinker was always saving the lives of the men around her, and they didn't feel threatened because of it. If you like fast paced fantasies with a bit of humor I would definately recommend Tinker as a top pick. show less
I found show more Tinker to be a very enjoyable fantasy story. Although I couldn't begin to keep up with the science/mathmatical part of it that was Tinker's guiding light I found that not understanding didn't detract from the adventure. Tinker was a very strong central female character which I found very compelling. I loved how Tinker was always saving the lives of the men around her, and they didn't feel threatened because of it. If you like fast paced fantasies with a bit of humor I would definately recommend Tinker as a top pick. show less
I have to say, when I saw this book listed, I forget where, I thought it might not be all that much, but it was at hand, so I picked it up. Oh. My. God. I could not have been more wrong, or more happy to be so.
"Tinker", and the follow-up, "Wolf Who Rules" are extraordinary. The concept of science as the foundation of magic is one I have always wished someone would write about - and Spencer does it in a believable, extremely well developed, and well written manner. I picked up the book for an 'easy' read, and within a few pages was totally hooked.
Admittedly, I am a sucker for BOTH fantasy and science books. The "multiverse" and "bubble universe" studies, as well as the whole concept of quantum physics, fascinates me. No, I am not a show more scientist, never got to learn, but I can still read about it, right? Many authors use alternate universes to base their stories. Spencer takes it further, placing her stories in a possible future, where layers of universes flow-through to a possible future Earth we all recognize. And set in Pittsburgh, no less? Ok, you write about the city you know, and even though I laughed when I read where it was set (who would think Pittsburgh for a land of fairie?) Spencer really makes you feel like you are there, walking the streets of Pittsburgh, that you know the people she writes about. And she makes you really care about them.
Tinker is fascinating. In a way genetically engineered to become the creature of her grandfather's dreams, she is a genius at mathematics and mechanics in a Pittsburgh moved to a land of magic. Good hearted, down-to-earth, intelligent, and smart as a whip, she is a perfectly realized character, with enough confidence in herself to be strong, and yet not a total screaming bitch as some authors like their heroines to be. She knows that she is not always right, is often unsure of herself, but still takes care of business, taking care of the people who depend on her for their safety and their own. She takes physical change, pain, and uncertainty and becomes the stronger for it. She never gives up who she is - amazing given the situations she finds herself thrown into with no preparation, no training, and socialization to the laws and goals of the group she suddenly finds herself a part of. Kudos, Ms. Spencer, for a beautifully developed group of characters, firmly based in both fantasy, and reality!
Tinker's grasp of technology, as well as her grasp of magic theory and the integration between the two makes this a fascinating new meld of my two favorite fields. I can hardly wait for "Elfhome" due out in July! I picked these up at the library, but am purchasing both of these books for my library to pull out again and again - and have already pre-ordered "Elfhome". Thank you, Ms. Spencer, for writing wonderful characters!!!!! show less
"Tinker", and the follow-up, "Wolf Who Rules" are extraordinary. The concept of science as the foundation of magic is one I have always wished someone would write about - and Spencer does it in a believable, extremely well developed, and well written manner. I picked up the book for an 'easy' read, and within a few pages was totally hooked.
Admittedly, I am a sucker for BOTH fantasy and science books. The "multiverse" and "bubble universe" studies, as well as the whole concept of quantum physics, fascinates me. No, I am not a show more scientist, never got to learn, but I can still read about it, right? Many authors use alternate universes to base their stories. Spencer takes it further, placing her stories in a possible future, where layers of universes flow-through to a possible future Earth we all recognize. And set in Pittsburgh, no less? Ok, you write about the city you know, and even though I laughed when I read where it was set (who would think Pittsburgh for a land of fairie?) Spencer really makes you feel like you are there, walking the streets of Pittsburgh, that you know the people she writes about. And she makes you really care about them.
Tinker is fascinating. In a way genetically engineered to become the creature of her grandfather's dreams, she is a genius at mathematics and mechanics in a Pittsburgh moved to a land of magic. Good hearted, down-to-earth, intelligent, and smart as a whip, she is a perfectly realized character, with enough confidence in herself to be strong, and yet not a total screaming bitch as some authors like their heroines to be. She knows that she is not always right, is often unsure of herself, but still takes care of business, taking care of the people who depend on her for their safety and their own. She takes physical change, pain, and uncertainty and becomes the stronger for it. She never gives up who she is - amazing given the situations she finds herself thrown into with no preparation, no training, and socialization to the laws and goals of the group she suddenly finds herself a part of. Kudos, Ms. Spencer, for a beautifully developed group of characters, firmly based in both fantasy, and reality!
Tinker's grasp of technology, as well as her grasp of magic theory and the integration between the two makes this a fascinating new meld of my two favorite fields. I can hardly wait for "Elfhome" due out in July! I picked these up at the library, but am purchasing both of these books for my library to pull out again and again - and have already pre-ordered "Elfhome". Thank you, Ms. Spencer, for writing wonderful characters!!!!! show less
I have to say, when I saw this book listed, I forget where, I thought it might not be all that much, but it was at hand, so I picked it up. Oh. My. God. I could not have been more wrong, or more happy to be so.
"Tinker", and the follow-up, "Wolf Who Rules" are extraordinary. The concept of science as the foundation of magic is one I have always wished someone would write about - and Spencer does it in a believable, extremely well developed, and well written manner. I picked up the book for an 'easy' read, and within a few pages was totally hooked.
Admittedly, I am a sucker for BOTH fantasy and science books. The "multiverse" and "bubble universe" studies, as well as the whole concept of quantum physics, fascinates me. No, I am not a show more scientist, never got to learn, but I can still read about it, right? Many authors use alternate universes to base their stories. Spencer takes it further, placing her stories in a possible future, where layers of universes flow-through to a possible future Earth we all recognize. And set in Pittsburgh, no less? Ok, you write about the city you know, and even though I laughed when I read where it was set (who would think Pittsburgh for a land of fairie?) Spencer really makes you feel like you are there, walking the streets of Pittsburgh, that you know the people she writes about. And she makes you really care about them.
Tinker is fascinating. In a way genetically engineered to become the creature of her grandfather's dreams, she is a genius at mathematics and mechanics in a Pittsburgh moved to a land of magic. Good hearted, down-to-earth, intelligent, and smart as a whip, she is a perfectly realized character, with enough confidence in herself to be strong, and yet not a total screaming bitch as some authors like their heroines to be. She knows that she is not always right, is often unsure of herself, but still takes care of business, taking care of the people who depend on her for their safety and their own. She takes physical change, pain, and uncertainty and becomes the stronger for it. She never gives up who she is - amazing given the situations she finds herself thrown into with no preparation, no training, and socialization to the laws and goals of the group she suddenly finds herself a part of. Kudos, Ms. Spencer, for a beautifully developed group of characters, firmly based in both fantasy, and reality!
Tinker's grasp of technology, as well as her grasp of magic theory and the integration between the two makes this a fascinating new meld of my two favorite fields. I can hardly wait for "Elfhome" due out in July! I picked these up at the library, but am purchasing both of these books for my library to pull out again and again - and have already pre-ordered "Elfhome". Thank you, Ms. Spencer, for writing wonderful characters!!!!! show less
"Tinker", and the follow-up, "Wolf Who Rules" are extraordinary. The concept of science as the foundation of magic is one I have always wished someone would write about - and Spencer does it in a believable, extremely well developed, and well written manner. I picked up the book for an 'easy' read, and within a few pages was totally hooked.
Admittedly, I am a sucker for BOTH fantasy and science books. The "multiverse" and "bubble universe" studies, as well as the whole concept of quantum physics, fascinates me. No, I am not a show more scientist, never got to learn, but I can still read about it, right? Many authors use alternate universes to base their stories. Spencer takes it further, placing her stories in a possible future, where layers of universes flow-through to a possible future Earth we all recognize. And set in Pittsburgh, no less? Ok, you write about the city you know, and even though I laughed when I read where it was set (who would think Pittsburgh for a land of fairie?) Spencer really makes you feel like you are there, walking the streets of Pittsburgh, that you know the people she writes about. And she makes you really care about them.
Tinker is fascinating. In a way genetically engineered to become the creature of her grandfather's dreams, she is a genius at mathematics and mechanics in a Pittsburgh moved to a land of magic. Good hearted, down-to-earth, intelligent, and smart as a whip, she is a perfectly realized character, with enough confidence in herself to be strong, and yet not a total screaming bitch as some authors like their heroines to be. She knows that she is not always right, is often unsure of herself, but still takes care of business, taking care of the people who depend on her for their safety and their own. She takes physical change, pain, and uncertainty and becomes the stronger for it. She never gives up who she is - amazing given the situations she finds herself thrown into with no preparation, no training, and socialization to the laws and goals of the group she suddenly finds herself a part of. Kudos, Ms. Spencer, for a beautifully developed group of characters, firmly based in both fantasy, and reality!
Tinker's grasp of technology, as well as her grasp of magic theory and the integration between the two makes this a fascinating new meld of my two favorite fields. I can hardly wait for "Elfhome" due out in July! I picked these up at the library, but am purchasing both of these books for my library to pull out again and again - and have already pre-ordered "Elfhome". Thank you, Ms. Spencer, for writing wonderful characters!!!!! show less
Tinker, the 18 year old genius tech wiz in a Pittsburgh that spends all but a day of each month in the alternate world of Elfholme, has her life upended when she rescues an elf just as the city returns to earth. She knew she had family connections to the murdered scientist who developed the star gate technology that caused Pittsburgh's shifts, but that was long before she was born - in human time. And within days present, past, and an undreamed of future are hurling Tinker though adventures and mishaps. Fast, fun, and interesting, this book is very hard to put down.
This is the second time I’ve tried a Spencer book with a premise I find really attractive and an execution I hate. Tinker is a teenaged supergenius living in Pittsburgh, which has accidentally been transported into the elven realms and only reconnects with the human world every couple of months. Windwolf, an elven noble, takes an interest in her, which means that others do too. I stopped halfway, after Windwolf had sex with her (consensually) and transformed her physically (nonconsensually), which led immediately thereafter to the “nice guy” who’d been courting her to sexually assault her. She had almost no internal/psychological reaction to the transformation before I stopped reading. I can actually find all of this behavior show more and lack of immediate reaction plausible for humans, especially teenaged ones, but I didn’t trust Spencer to tell this story. The promo copy mentions Buffy several times, but that’s not a flattering comparison: Buffy integrated emotion into the fantasy plot in a way that enriched both. show less
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Tinker may be several hundred steps ahead of the reader scientifically, but on a personal level she's often the last to figure things out, which makes her both endearing and exasperating. The nebulous ending is a bit of a letdown, but leaving room for a sequel means the reader may see more of Elfhome and its inhabitants.
added by jenex
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Tinker
- Original publication date
- 2003-11-03
- People/Characters
- Tinker (née Alexander Graham Bell); Wolf who Rules (aka Windwolf); Lain Shanske; Oilcan (née Orville Wright); Nathan Czernowski; Tooloo (show all 12); Pony (Stormhorse); Sparrow Lifted by Wind; Tomtom (oni Lord Tomawaritomo); Riki (a tengu); Chiyo (a kitsune); Derek Maynard (EIA director)
- Important places
- Elfhome; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Quotations
- Between him (Nathan) and Oilcan, it was no wonder she didn’t date - not that there was anyone she wanted to date. Pittsburgh had a stunning lack of young male humans who weren’t buttheads.
No smile. Maybe God didn’t have a sense of humor. She often suspected that. (re: Maynard)
The hallway beyond opened to woods idealized; surely no random lot of trees could be so beautiful without careful, invisible work.
…Pony finally took pity on her and reorganized the layers. He held it out then, by the shoulders, for her to see. It was a deep, rich, mottled bronze that looked lovely against her dusky skin, a silk as soft as ... (show all)rose petals. While the skirt flared out full, the bodice seemed to be skin-tight, with long sleeves that ended in a fingerless glove arrangement. It wasn’t something she’d pick out for herself - to start, there was no way to roll up the sleeves to keep them out of grease…. Over the bronze silk was another layer of fine, nearly invisible fabric with a green leaf design, so that when the bronze silk moved, it seemed like sunlight shimmering through forest leaves.
(weighing losing Pittsburgh) But Oilcan, Lain, her data pad, the hoverbikes, people that understood physics, clever little gadgets, pizza, pierogies…
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