Ticker

Written by Lisa Mantchev

A girl with a clockwork heart must make every second count.

When Penny Farthing nearly dies, brilliant surgeon Calvin Warwick manages to implant a brass “Ticker” in her chest, transforming her into the first of the Augmented. But soon it’s discovered that Warwick killed dozens of people as he strove to perfect another improved Ticker for Penny, and he’s put on trial for mass murder.

On the last day of Warwick’s trial, the Farthings’ factory is bombed, Penny’s parents disappear, and Penny and her brother, Nic, receive a ransom note demanding all of their Augmentation research if they want to see their parents again. Is someone trying to destroy the Farthings…or is the motive more sinister?

Desperate to reunite their family and rescue their research, Penny and her brother recruit fiery baker Violet Nesselrode, gentleman-about-town Sebastian Stirling, and Marcus Kingsley, a young army general who has his own reasons for wanting to lift the veil between this world and the next. Wagers are placed, friends are lost, romance stages an ambush, and time is running out for the girl with the clockwork heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Dec 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491536506

Lisa Mantchev

Lisa Mantchev is the acclaimed author of Ticker and the Théâtre Illuminata series, which includes Eyes Like Stars, nominated for a Mythopoeic Award and the Andre Norton Award. She has also published numerous short stories in magazines, including Strange Horizons, Clarkesworld, Weird Tales, and Fantasy. She lives on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State with her husband, children, and horde of furry animals. Visit her online at www.lisamantchev.com.

Reviews for Ticker

[conniejo_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A quick read, and a nice story. Steampunk, set in a fictional place, a girl with a mechanical heart transplant has to work with the local authorities to save her family and recapture the doctor who saved her life, but murdered many people to develop the technology to do so.My only complaint, really, was that it was a little non-stop-action-y, and it took me out of the story. On the day we meet Penny, she's speeding across town to get to work on her bike and crashes, and when she gets to work, the factory blows up. She pulls her brother from the wreckage and the two race across town to their house, to find it burgled and their parents kidnapped. They get into a fight with the police at the house, thinking they're the kidnappers. Penny changes, and she heads to the library with her friends to recover some documents. When she gets there, there's a group robbing her parent's vault, and she gets into a fight with them, then into a fight again with the police when she interferes with a sting of some type. She's arrested, taken away in an airship, then drafted into the police force herself. A busy day! I kept waiting for the day or scene to change, but most of this happens over the course of about three days.As a result, the romance feels a little rushed. Penny immediately falls in love with the head investigator, but the speed of events made everything ring false to me. But it was still a cute romance.I enjoyed Penny's family story, and her relationships with her brother and friends. All the characters were really well-done, and I thought the main conflict was an interesting one (she had basically resigned herself to die, refusing treatment from the doctor who murdered so many to develop the technology for her heart). There was a lot to love in here, I just wish it had happened a little slower. It would have been a fantastic long book, too!

[claireemckenna · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I got Ticker through the Kindle First November 2014 selection. I was immediately drawn to the Steampunk genre which I enjoy, though I've found it can be very hit or miss. It took me a while to get through this book, I spent a number of nights struggling to continue reading but I'm glad I forced myself to keep going. While slow to start, once you get past the immensely complex technology that is thrown at you in rapid succession, it becomes easier to focus on the group of characters.

Penny seems to be perpetually straddling the line between a proper lady of her society and a loud, rambunctious, thrill-seeking, fast talking smart mouth. I found her to be a bit of a turn off in the beginning and often was rolling my eyes at how quickly she could switch between her two personalities. One moment she's fighting off trained assassins and the next she's blushing at the thought of a gentleman caller seeing her in her nightdress. Her group of friends also seemed to serve their purpose without growing as characters throughout the plot which I found a bit disappointing. The resolution to their own particular troubles came swiftly after Penny solved the main problem and worked to defeat the antagonist but it did not seem to change them in any way or the changes were brushed aside to be dealt with another day.

Ultimately I do have to say I enjoyed the book, I was entertained by the fast paced plot and enjoyed the variety of adventures we got to watch Penny, Marcus, and the group solve. If there had been more focus on character growth and maybe cutting some of the less important adventures which could be curtailed into smaller scenes, I think I would have enjoyed the story that much more.

[elam11 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A little more world-building would have been nice, and the romance was a bit quick (which, okay, isn't untypical, but....). Love interest is a young man with an unrealistically high position in the world: so YA.

But the thing that I really disliked was the main character's lack of conflict over having her heart upgraded by the antagonist (who was, at least, not evil for the lulz). It was necessary, and it's a good thing for her, but it seems obvious that a good person would feel conflicted over receiving help that was developed through such horrible, cruel methods. It just seemed so unrealistic, and it wasn't as though Penny was shown to have a an overpoweringly practical survival sense, reckless as she is.

So... lots of superficial fluff, not even thought, characterization, and nitty-gritty. Penny's friend felt like she had a giant "Cosplay me!" sign over head, right down to her BAKE CAKE knuckle tattoos.

[tldegray-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I adored the world Mantchev has created here. It's a whimsical steampunk world, with mechanical butterflies and Goth bakers. I wasn't as taken with the story as I could have been, mostly because I feel as if I've overloaded on this type of betrayal of a good person gone bad story. But I will most definitely read anything else Mantchev writes in this world because a more whimsical approach to steampunk is apparently just what I needed. [I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Penny Farthing lives with an artificial heart - a ticker - that was installed by a doctor now on trial for mass murder. He kidnapped, experimented on, and murdered a number of people to improve the heart and other augmentations. When the Farthing's factory is bombed and her parents kidnapped, Penny and her twin Copernicus (Nic) recruit some friends including baker Violet Nesselrode and entrepreneur Sebastian Stirling to help them find their missing parents and the papers the kidnappers have demanded as a ransom for them. They are assisted by Marcus Kingsley who is in charge of the local police and who has his own reasons for wanting to find the kidnappers.This was a great steampunk story filled with wonderful gadgets not least of which was Penny's augmented heart which was in danger of failing throughout the story. The story had sort of a Victorian feel in terms of manners and costumes. It was a very nice mystery and a very nice romance too. I liked the relationship between Penny and her brother Nic and Penny and her best friend Violet. I would be very happy to read more stories set in this world.

[mickyfine · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Penny Farthing is not having an easy time of it. The doctor responsible for implanting her prototype clockwork heart is on trial for multiple murders he committed while working on an improved heart for her. While heading to the trial there's an explosion at her family's warehouse and shortly thereafter Penny discovers her parents have been kidnapped. And then all hell really breaks loose. Working with her twin brother, Nic, and their two best friends Sebastian and Violet, Penny must find her parents and thwart the doctor's plans that threaten the entire empire of Industria.A rollicking good read. Mantchev creates a wonderful steampunk world in which to let her characters loose. While the first half of the novel feels a bit breakneck in its pace as one calamity after another arises, the book is never dull. Penny and her crew of friends are a delightful bunch and while the plot moves along so quickly that character development becomes a secondary concern, they aren't just stick figures on which to hang fantastic Victorian costumes and impressive steampunk weapons. I also enjoyed that the minor paranormal element that's included in the novel is in line with the Victorian era's obsession with seances and mesmerism. A completely fun read that I highly recommend whether you're a steampunk fan or have never encountered the genre before.

[laphenix · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Quirky, interesting, and unexpected, though less compelling and engaging than I'd hoped.

[krau0098 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have had this book to read for quite a while. This was a decent YA steampunk novel. I enjoyed the characters and the setting, although there are some story plot points I just didn’t get. Penny Farthing has a clockwork heart. She acquired this heart when she nearly died and the family friend and famous surgeon (Calvin Warwick) gave her this clockwork heart. It has been discovered that Warwick has murdered a number of people in his quest to augment them with mechanical bits. Now on the eve of Warwick’s trial Penny finds her home ransacked and her parents kidnapped. Penny ends up having to work with the ostentatious and handsome Marcus Kingsley to try to solve this case and save her parents.This was an okay story. I had a bit of trouble engaging with the characters; they were just all such stereotypical steampunk characters. I enjoyed Penny some but she was just so careless and selfish that she was hard to root for as a heroine.There was one plot point I really really struggled with. Throughout the book Penny’s heart is giving out and Warwick is the only one who can fix it...yet Penny spends the majority of the book trying to stay away and flee from Warwick. It makes no sense, she has no back-up plan. Why did she fight so hard to stay away from the person who could fix her ticker for her? I mean seriously. The worst this mad surgeon could do is kill her trying to save her and she is going to die any second anyway.I enjoyed the steampunk devices throughout and Penny’s plucky attitude. This was a quick and fun read that was action packed and fast-paced. Overall this was an okay steampunk YA read with some flaws in the plot and characters that were a bit too stereotypical. I did enjoy the steampunk devices throughout and Penny’s plucky attitude. While I enjoy Gail Carriger's books quite a bit more, this was still a fun steampunk YA read. I would tentatively recommend this if you are looking for a fun steampunk read, however if you haven’t read Gail Carriger’s books check those out first because they are much better.

[ekanderson_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There are just so many things to love in TICKER by Lisa Mantchev that I don't know where to start. It's steampunky goodness, with mystery and scandal and fun tech and all the subversion that a girl could want in a spunky heroine. I had so much fun reading TICKER. Here's why:1. There aforementioned spunky heroine isn't afraid to take down the boys. Literally. I think her first encounter with the "hero" is slamming straight into him and attacking him with her "pixii" which, so far as I can tell, is something like a miniature steampunk lightsaber.2. I say "hero" because there are multiple heroes. There's the leading lady, Penny Farthing, who does her share of kicking ass, Buffy/Scully/Starbuck style. And there's her brother, who is basically steampunk Q, making some super gadgets and doing his best to keep Penny from overworking her clockwork heart (heart attacks are bad, y'all). And then there's Penny's BFF who runs a bakery and has adorable tattoos. And then there's Penny's brother's BFF who can ply anyone in town with either money or charm -- and he doesn't discriminate when it comes to charming either gender.3. Did I mention the heart attacks? Penny has a clockwork heart. Which means she really probably shouldn't be riding around on her motorbike and chasing down bad guys. But when it turns out that her parents seem to have been kidnapped by the man who MADE her clockwork heart, she's not going to take that lying down. Plus, as the kids say these days, you only live once, and Penny doesn't want to waste what time she has left.4. And then there's the dude who's leading the police force. He makes Penny's heart go pitter pat. Or tickety tock. But she can't tell what side he's on. Hence the pixii attack. Among other things.5. In case you couldn't tell from items 1-4, these characters are 100% real. They make mistakes, they have ambitions. They have loves and losses and talents and disastrous flaws.There isn't a slow moment in this book. Not one. Which makes this book one you absolutely must not miss. MUST NOT. I really hope there are further books in this universe. Lisa Mantchev is a genius. Fantasy and sci fi readers alike will enjoy this. And I'd like to think that contemporary readers will dig it as well. Someone give TICKER some awards already!

[kr15tina · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A great read from beginning to end!

[theoriginalbree · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I love steampunk. I really wanted to love this book, but it's so boring I can't finish it.

[berly_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have only read one or two steampunk, so I am not sure if this book falls into the category or not. Penny Farthing had a bad heart and a brilliant surgeon figured out how to give her a clock heart, a "ticker" if you will, and so she becomes the first of his augmented patients. The only problem? It turns out the surgeon sacrificed lots of people in his practice as he experimented. Can Penny find him and stop him? Can she afford to stop him since he is the only one who can fix her ticker? Adventure, romance. Hoping there is a sequel...