Cogheart

Cogheart

Cogheart is about a girl who lost her Dad in a jet accident and is desperate to find him.

She and her mechanimal fox Malkin set off on an adventure because Lily is determined that her Dad isn’t dead. Lily makes lots of friends along the journey who help her with her mission.

This is a book with a great heroine and an intriguing storyline, set in an alternate Victorian Era. It talks about friendship, kindness, and hope.

Chapter 1

In this chapter, Lily Grantham, a student at Miss Octavia Scrimshaw’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies, struggles with the strict and outdated rules of the institution and her own desire for adventure. As she navigates her deportment class, led by the stern and demanding Mrs. McKracken (whom Lily nicknames “The Kraken”), Lily finds herself caught between the drudgery of her Victorian education and her fascination with penny dreadful, particularly Varney the Vampyre Versus The Air-Pirates. During class, Lily’s attempts to read the magazine hidden inside her schoolbook cause a commotion, leading to a clash with the Kraken, who confiscates her magazines and reprimands her for her disobedience. The chapter further explores Lily’s dissatisfaction with her current life and her longing for excitement, setting the stage for her decision to hide her remaining penny dreadful and avoid her French conversation class.

Later, Lily finds solace in the dormitory, where she encounters Molly Tarnish, a mechanical maid who is distressed over accidentally dyeing the bed sheets. Lily helps Molly fix the mistake, showing her compassionate side despite the harsh environment. Their moment of camaraderie is interrupted by two other girls, Alice and Lucretia, who mock Molly and escalate the situation into a physical altercation with Lily. This leads to Lily’s punishment, as the Kraken locks her in the dark, ominous coal bunker. The chapter ends with Lily in the bunker, grappling with her fear and the unsettling discovery of a dismembered arm among the coal, symbolizing the dark underbelly of the academy’s facade of propriety.

Chapter 2

In this extract, Malkin, a mechanical animal, flees through a misty forest to deliver John’s final message to Lily before time runs out. As he navigates the dense undergrowth and boggy ground, he is pursued by men from the wrecked airship and their mechanical dog. Despite the harsh weather and difficult terrain, Malkin perseveres, moving stealthily to evade his pursuers. He faces various obstacles, including thorny bushes and a muddy field, while the searchlight of the airship sweeps the forest in search of him. Malkin is struck by a bullet from one of the pursuers, which severely injures him but fuels his determination to complete his mission.

As Malkin continues to evade capture, he struggles with the pain from his injury but remains focused on delivering John’s message. He uses the fog to his advantage and manages to escape the men’s immediate grasp. Reaching the edge of the forest, he sees Brackenbridge village in the distance, symbolizing the near end of his perilous journey. The extract closes with Malkin’s resolve to fulfil his promise despite the dangers he has faced, emphasising the themes of courage and sacrifice in the face of overwhelming odds.

Chapter 3

Robert Townsend, awakened by a mysterious noise early in the morning, observes an unusual military airship and a group of men and a mech-dog approaching the village. He follows a mechanical fox, which leads him to an old shed where he discovers the fox, unwound and apparently abandoned. By misleading the men away from the fox’s location, Robert uncovers a hint of a larger, sinister plot involving the airship and its crew.

Back in the clock shop, Robert struggles with his apprentice duties, further distracted by the morning’s events. His father scolds him for breaking a valuable clock but encourages him to keep trying. After work, Robert returns to the shed, reflecting on the strange occurrences and the potential dangers they represent, as he begins to sense that there are deeper mysteries at play in the village.

Chapter 4

In this chapter, Lily, recently punished and confined to the freezing coal bunker, is summoned to Miss Scrimshaw’s office. There, she discovers that Madame Verdigris, her father’s housekeeper, has come with distressing news: Lily’s father’s airship has crashed, and he is presumed dead. Overwhelmed by the news, Lily faints, but soon recovers to find Madame Verdigris preparing to take her back to Brackenbridge. Madame Verdigris explains that Lily will wait at the family home for further updates, while Miss Scrimshaw arranges for Lily’s immediate departure.

At the airdock, Lily and Madame Verdigris board a zeppelin bound for Brackenbridge. As they prepare to leave, Lily reflects on her memories of saying goodbye to her father at the same terminal, feeling a profound sense of loss and uncertainty about her future. The chapter closes with Lily boarding the zeppelin, contemplating her isolation and the difficulties that lie ahead under Madame Verdigris’s guardianship, all while a mysterious man in the crowd reminds her of her father but remains out of reach.

Chapter 5

In Chapter 5, Lily and Madame Verdigris board a zeppelin to Brackenbridge after receiving the tragic news of Lily’s father’s presumed death in an airship crash. While on the zeppelin, Lily encounters Mr. Roach, a mysterious man with mirrored eye sockets who introduces himself as a fellow passenger. Mr. Roach engages in unsettling conversation with Madame Verdigris and tries to offer Lily sweets, but she declines under the guidance of Madame Verdigris. During the conversation, Mr. Roach makes cryptic remarks about upcoming changes in Madame Verdigris’s life, which Lily finds both intriguing and alarming. After Mr. Roach departs, Lily and Madame Verdigris arrive at Brackenbridge Airstation, where Captain Springer, Papa’s mechanical driver, greets them and takes them to the manor.

At the manor, Lily is struck by the cold, unwelcoming atmosphere of the house that was once filled with her father’s warmth. Madame Verdigris immediately takes over the master bedroom, displacing Papa’s belongings and setting herself up as the new head of the household. Mrs. Rust, the mechanical cook, welcomes Lily and informs her of Madame Verdigris’s recent actions, which include rummaging through Papa’s office. As Lily settles into her old room, she is filled with grief over her father’s death and unease about Madame Verdigris’s intentions. The chapter ends with Lily trying to push away her worries and sleep, troubled by thoughts of the enigmatic Mr. Roach and Madame Verdigris’s recent behaviour.

Chapter 6

Robert discovers a damaged mechanimal, a mechanical fox, in his da’s workshop after finding it hiding in the lane, having been chased and shot by men from the village. His da, Thaddeus, recognizes the sophisticated design as the work of the reclusive Professor Hartman from Brackenbridge Manor. The discovery of a letter addressed to “Lily,” the professor’s daughter, prompts Thaddeus to consider helping both the fox and the professor, despite the risks. The chapter delves into the father-son dynamic as Thaddeus reflects on the nature of good and evil, the existence of mechanical souls, and their responsibilities in a world filled with violence.

Together, Robert and Thaddeus work late into the night to repair the fox’s damaged internal mechanisms. During their labor, they discuss philosophical questions about the essence of life and the nature of mechanical beings, with Thaddeus sharing insights from his past experiences working with Hartman. As they finish the repairs and wind the fox in hopes of reviving it, they leave the letter on the workbench, indicating their intent to deliver it to Lily and their readiness to face the challenges ahead.

Chapter 7

In this chapter, Lily Hartman wakes to a snowy morning and finds two unusual steam-wagons in the driveway: a luxurious Rolls-Royce Phantom and a smaller, unremarkable vehicle. She notices that two of her father’s mechanical servants, Mr. Wingnut and Miss Tock, have been left out in the cold to freeze, a sign of Madame Verdigris’s neglectful behaviour since her father’s disappearance. Lily goes to the kitchen to seek comfort from Mrs. Rust, who reveals that Madame Verdigris has been careless with the mechanicals and has taken all the winding keys. Mrs. Rust also mentions that Madame Verdigris has been probing into the family’s affairs and that there is a lawyer, Mr. Sunder, visiting today to discuss legal matters related to Lily’s father’s disappearance. Despite the warm atmosphere of the kitchen and Mrs. Rust’s kind words, Lily is overwhelmed by grief and anxiety over her father’s fate and the future.

When Lily meets with Madame Verdigris, Professor Silverfish, and Mr. Sunder, she learns that her father’s will has named Madame Verdigris as her guardian and appointed Professor Silverfish as an informal advisor. The lawyer discloses that the estate is deeply in debt, and there might be a need to sell off valuable assets, including the mechanicals and the house itself. Lily, devastated by the news, argues that her father would have wanted to protect his creations and their home. Professor Silverfish, acknowledging Lily’s distress, offers to help by storing her father’s work at the Mechanists’ Guild and urges her to keep an eye on Madame Verdigris. After their conversation, Professor Silverfish departs, leaving Lily with a card for contacting him in London and a renewed sense of hope and resolve. As he leaves, Lily watches him drive away, reflecting on the heavy decisions she must face under Madame Verdigris’s guardianship.