A BBC Between the Covers Book Club pick and Sunday Times Historical Fiction Book of the Month, for fans of PANDORA, THE ESSEX SERPENT and THE NIGHT CIRCUS.Longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2023 and the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award 2023.''I just fell in love with it within the first two sentences . . .'' - Ruth Jones''One of the best books I''ve read this year . . . completely unforgettable'' - Bonnie Garmus------Zachary Cloudesley is gifted in a remarkable way. But not all gifts are a blessing...Leadenhall Street, London, 1754.Raised amongst the cogs and springs of his father''s workshop, Zachary Cloudesley has grown up surrounded by strange and enchanting clockwork automata. He is a happy child, beloved by his father Abel and the workmen who help bring his father''s creations to life.He is also the bearer of an extraordinary gift; at