Demon Engine
A downloadable book
Bold, surprising, and impressive!
--Seth Haddon, author of The World of Reforged series
Moby-Dick by way of Tamsyn Muir, Demon Engine is the grimy, gritty, gay sea adventure you didn’t know you needed. Rife with horror both body and cosmic, Demon Engine transports you to a flooded future packed with storm saints, abyssal demons, and lovably unsavoury characters. Marten Norr’s darkly funny, imaginative, and trans as hell debut will have you singing his praises and cursing his name by the end.
--Rachel A. Rosen, author of Blight
Sally Delavega, the best demon-binder the world has ever seen, would do anything to banish the two hundred ghosts trapped in his head-even if it means swimming up from the bottom of his tankard. When the Navy that destroyed his life comes sailing back to offer enough coin to get the job done, Sally agrees. All he has to do is help the crew of the Steadfast track down the ancient abyssal that lies sleeping at the heart of their drowned world. Why the Navy wants the demon isn't Sally's problem. But as they sail on, Sally begins to dredge up disturbing truths about how the world flooded and their ancient eldritch quarry that might just want to be found...
Imaginative and poignant, funny and bizarre, Demon Engine brings us a bold, queer high-seas adventure that asks how deep we might venture for what we aren't willing to lose.
[CW for graphic death, alcoholism, body horror, abusive relationships.]
Due to length, a special print copy will sadly not be available, but you can check HERE if you are interested in a paperback.
Purchase
In order to download this book you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $5 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Set in a flooded world, this story follows the crew of the Steadfast on their mission to capture an ancient abyssal. Sally, a very powerful demon-binder, also called a cleaver, is asked to come along on the mission. Haunted by his own ghosts (quite literally, in this world remora, the remains of the deceased, attach themselves to cleavers and exist as voices inside their mind), he agrees, hoping to be able to use the coin to soon free himself from the worst of them.
This story features a lot of very interesting world building, making use of excerpts of fictional documents in the beginnings of chapters to tell the readers a bit more about the world in increments without becoming info-dumpy. From the magical and religious systems, to the nautical lifestyle, to the way trauma and relationships are explored, the narrative weaves a beautiful tapestry that is very fun (and often heartbreaking) to follow along. Sally is the main character a traumatized trans man, who copes with his issues by drinking until the voices quiet, but the other characters are equally as interesting. Mary is a trans woman, who can summon demons, with a past and a failed summoning that haunt her. Dru is a young girl, orphaned too soon and only cared for by a man barely able to take care of himself, who suddenly finds herself wanted for her unusually strong summoning powers. Y, the ship’s captain, a former pirate turned Navy after his town was destroyed, struggling between the bonds he has caged himself in and his desire to save himself and his crew. And Weatherby, a scholar, who seems to know a lot more than they let on. Plus of course, the demons and their reasons for allow themselves to be summoned and the way they work with and against the constraints placed upon them by the summoners.
Another strong point of this narrative is the representation of platonic t4t (and as in all my favorite stories the t stands both for trans and for trauma) in the companionship between Mary and Sally. They start out not really trusting each other, then are forced to share a cabin and after discovering that Mary’s touch can help Sally quiet the remora in his head find themselves slowly growing closer and supporting each other.
If you enjoy cosmic horror, swashbuckling adventures, traumatized characters, really intriguing worldbuilding and some incredible action scenes alongside really touching emotional connections, you will want to check this book out!
TW: alcoholism, abuse (sexual and emotional against an adult, physical, emotional and neglect against a child, both are in the past), body horror, multiple character deaths, torture