so this is steampunk. i've only vaguely heard of the genre so i didn't know what to expect. it's like a science fiction book that starts grounded in a historical event. so some true and some outlandish. in this case, it's the start of WWI where the british are known as Darwinists and the germans are Clankers. one group champions the use of layered organisms, the other favours machines. each group strongly distrusts the other group's technology.

this is the first of a trilogy and i plan to continue.