The Wrench in the Machine
"Forgive my enthusiasm, Mr. Ol'Barrow. Remedying the elements of failing biology is a passion of ours. Too often people assume their flaws as incurable. I discourage you of doing the same."
- The Perfect of the Signalites
In 1875 Inspector Ol’Barrow of Dover’s borough police is still, coming to terms with the advent of the radio dramas when he is confronted by a murder mystery. During their investigation, he and his colleague Bibsby come eye to eye with an assassin with otherworldly origins.
Spurred on by his sense of duty and a desire to redeem himself, inspector Ol’Barrow collaborates with a clandestine organization called the Association of Ishtar. They claim to be mere advisors who aid the authorities with the containment of anomalies known as Rifts. These are harmless gateways to other worlds, but also provide access to the many threats lurking inside the multiverse. Ol'Barrow's eyes are opened to a reality in which Napoleon used alien weapons to bombard England. Companies are developing out of this world technology. And worst of all, everyone takes the progress it created for granted.
Humanity is advancing into an increasingly technocratic future. Where will it end? As far as certain groups are concerned, biology is a dead end, and humanity needs to ascend.
"In the way of all murder-mysteries I can’t tell you exactly what happens in THE WRENCH IN THE MACHINE. But I CAN say that it includes steampunk, sci-fi, cyberpunk and fantasy elements, and along the way you’ll meet Golems, automatons, electro-implants and much more in a world where there are multiple realities."
"A wonderful new Steampunk world.
Bought the kindle version and started reading it and now I'm hooked. Bonsart has created a fascinating new world in which anything can happen...but you can tell that there is a master grand plan. The best way to describe the Association of Ishtar is a "multiversal investigative/adventuring agency," and this book series explores the various adventures of the AoI as it travels through multiple rifts on a planet and explores various strange new worlds. It's an incredible feat of the imagination and I'm enjoying it immensely.
Steampunk, science fiction, murder mystery, this page-turner follows Detective Ol'Barrow down dark alleys and on nightmarish trains, to visit "Rifts", a sort of tear in the fabric between other planes. Sometimes they're harmless, but there are those who use them to access our world in order to augment humans; equip them with artificial limbs with special capabilities, replacing flesh and blood body parts. There is a murder to solve, a child with more talent than meets the eye, and a scramble for power. Mr. Bokel has created a world so complete you will think about this tale long after you finish it. Be sure to check out his companion comic, S-36: The Call Girl (The Association of Ishtar), also on Amazon.