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The Artificer's Apprentice
Can a man fashion justice as he would a clock?
Cast out of the craft hall in his prime and bitter from his many losses, a blind artificer has taken on an apprentice to make what he no longer can: a device that will enter him into the Grand Competition.
But does the artificer even want to win? Or does he only care about revenge? And will that be enough?
The Artificer’s Apprentice is a short story set in a medieval city where magic and technology blend seamlessly and where the Artificer guilds make handsome profits keeping the city's systems running. The leaders of these guilds have complete control over their members, but one man is about to challenge that authority.
Follow the tale of The Artificer’s Apprentice to see what he shall fashion in his shop...
Cast out of the craft hall in his prime and bitter from his many losses, a blind artificer has taken on an apprentice to make what he no longer can: a device that will enter him into the Grand Competition.
But does the artificer even want to win? Or does he only care about revenge? And will that be enough?
The Artificer’s Apprentice is a short story set in a medieval city where magic and technology blend seamlessly and where the Artificer guilds make handsome profits keeping the city's systems running. The leaders of these guilds have complete control over their members, but one man is about to challenge that authority.
Follow the tale of The Artificer’s Apprentice to see what he shall fashion in his shop...
21 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 9, 2012
27 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
D.J. Edwardson
13 books63 followersDJ Edwardson traveled a lot when he was younger. These days he’s busy crafting exotic destinations of his own. Although he has written both Science Fiction and Fantasy novels, he likes to say he writes in the “genre of imagination.”
He has a degree in English from Cornell College where his emphasis was on the works of Shakespeare. He’s tried his hand at both acting and directing in the theater, but these days is happiest with a pen in his hand. He lives in Tennessee with his family amidst an ever-growing library of wonderful books.
You can find out more about DJ, his books, and all the crazy things he's invented in his head at www.djedwardson.com.
He has a degree in English from Cornell College where his emphasis was on the works of Shakespeare. He’s tried his hand at both acting and directing in the theater, but these days is happiest with a pen in his hand. He lives in Tennessee with his family amidst an ever-growing library of wonderful books.
You can find out more about DJ, his books, and all the crazy things he's invented in his head at www.djedwardson.com.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 18, 2017
Possibly 3 stars, but I’m bumping it up to 3.5 stars since I keep thinking about it even after finishing it (which is impressive).
It’s a little hard for me to pinpoint the exact genre, which on the one hand confuses me, and on the other hand I like that it’s not pigeon-holed because that helps make it original and complex. I’d say it’s mostly Science Fiction, with a bit of Steampunk, and perhaps a dash of Fantasy. Highly original, imaginative, different, and strange, this is a short story (so it doesn’t take long to read) and is the tale of an old man who is a blind but still active “artificer”—sort of a high-tech inventor.
It’s hard to tell much about the story without giving it away, but it contains Sci-fi gadgets, betrayal, revenge, and a plot twist which I suspected and when it came true made me super happy. On that note, the other main character is a mute boy, the titular apprentice, and I quite liked him. Although I don’t read much Sci-Fi, the glimpses around the edges of the story of this world really intrigued me and made me curious about it.
It’s well written and absorbing and I couldn’t really stop reading till the final sentence. The ending was fairly satisfactory too. I was occasionally confused as I read, and the Juice guy was weird, and I was worried it wouldn’t turn out okay, but overall not a bad story.
It’s rather short and not my usual reading fare, but despite that, an original tale which I rather enjoyed. And it’s free on Kindle. If it intrigues you at all, I recommend giving it a try. I’ll be looking forward to more by this author. :)
It’s a little hard for me to pinpoint the exact genre, which on the one hand confuses me, and on the other hand I like that it’s not pigeon-holed because that helps make it original and complex. I’d say it’s mostly Science Fiction, with a bit of Steampunk, and perhaps a dash of Fantasy. Highly original, imaginative, different, and strange, this is a short story (so it doesn’t take long to read) and is the tale of an old man who is a blind but still active “artificer”—sort of a high-tech inventor.
It’s hard to tell much about the story without giving it away, but it contains Sci-fi gadgets, betrayal, revenge, and a plot twist which I suspected and when it came true made me super happy. On that note, the other main character is a mute boy, the titular apprentice, and I quite liked him. Although I don’t read much Sci-Fi, the glimpses around the edges of the story of this world really intrigued me and made me curious about it.
It’s well written and absorbing and I couldn’t really stop reading till the final sentence. The ending was fairly satisfactory too. I was occasionally confused as I read, and the Juice guy was weird, and I was worried it wouldn’t turn out okay, but overall not a bad story.
It’s rather short and not my usual reading fare, but despite that, an original tale which I rather enjoyed. And it’s free on Kindle. If it intrigues you at all, I recommend giving it a try. I’ll be looking forward to more by this author. :)
August 5, 2013
This is a world with great steampunk possibility. Even in this short story, we get a sense of a very interesting background. Unfortunately, the writing itself is often clunky and awkward, and the plot is thin. Here's hoping the writer explores the world again with more finesse.
June 17, 2017
I wanted to like the story, but it fell a bit short for me. I would say it is leaning towards 3 stars.
The author calls it "imaginative fiction". It is not quite sci-fi, nor is it fantasy and it is probably a good description. It could definitely fall in the category of "steampunk".
Things that put me off are:
(1) lots of technobabble - you expect some in a sci-fi type story, but they seemed to just be thrown in. Now, it can be used to some comedic effect , or as a wink to the reader, but he doesn't quite carry it off.
(2) some archaic word usage and awkward sentence structuring - I can live with this in fantasy books, but it always strikes me as unnecessary.
(3) should have been shorter and more to the point. Too much of the writing has no relevance to the conclusion, serving only as filler - ok, this is a common complaint I have of a lot of books and stories.
(4) the big revelation at the end seems a bit forced and there should have been more foreshadowing of it.
(5) there is a colourful character (Mister Juice) that is simply too colourful and throws off the rhythm of the story whenever he appears.
The author calls it "imaginative fiction". It is not quite sci-fi, nor is it fantasy and it is probably a good description. It could definitely fall in the category of "steampunk".
Things that put me off are:
(1) lots of technobabble - you expect some in a sci-fi type story, but they seemed to just be thrown in. Now, it can be used to some comedic effect , or as a wink to the reader, but he doesn't quite carry it off.
(2) some archaic word usage and awkward sentence structuring - I can live with this in fantasy books, but it always strikes me as unnecessary.
(3) should have been shorter and more to the point. Too much of the writing has no relevance to the conclusion, serving only as filler - ok, this is a common complaint I have of a lot of books and stories.
(4) the big revelation at the end seems a bit forced and there should have been more foreshadowing of it.
(5) there is a colourful character (Mister Juice) that is simply too colourful and throws off the rhythm of the story whenever he appears.
July 11, 2013
Like another short story I read recently, "The Artificer's Apprentice" has a lot of potential to be a great steampunk tale. The characters are original and the plot is creative and moving. Yet, it seems sort of incomplete to me. It took a while for the ball to get rolling and then it ended abruptly, leaving the reader wondering what happened after that. I got the gist of the story and the fictional high-tech/ Italian Renaissance/ steampunk world it was set in, but there was so much left unexplained. After inventing such an amazing fantastical realm, the concept should have been elaborated on to really bring the readers into it.
December 16, 2015
A somewhat different approach to steampunk: just out-and-out make up names and words for magical devices and what they do, with no pretense at doing anything else. I admire that aspect, but the story itself, and the quality of the prose, are average, and there are a number of editing issues, "here" for "hear" being the worst.
August 19, 2025
Guess I wasn't in the right place to enjoy this story the first time I tried it. One of those good, old fashioned short stories that loops back on itself. Magical machines, a chance at revenge, and just a little luck combuned with careful world details made this a winner for me (though Hipster Mr Juice still seems a bit odd).
May 15, 2013
Decent short story.
November 24, 2018
Interesting setting! Ideas! Prose!
A scientific bend to the story, reasonably short, perhaps novella length, has an underlying tale the involves a separation of a father and his son that climaxes on a satisfying note.
A scientific bend to the story, reasonably short, perhaps novella length, has an underlying tale the involves a separation of a father and his son that climaxes on a satisfying note.
February 6, 2021
It's Wonderful!
This is a very short but touching and sweet fantasy story. I love the ending. In fact, I really enjoyed the whole thing. The world they are in, and the inventions, are fascinating. I have only read a few steampunk themed stories but they were all fascinating.
This is a very short but touching and sweet fantasy story. I love the ending. In fact, I really enjoyed the whole thing. The world they are in, and the inventions, are fascinating. I have only read a few steampunk themed stories but they were all fascinating.
November 1, 2018
Excellent steampunk short story.
February 7, 2018
An imaginative setting, cool tech, and heart-tugging plot! I discovered DJ Edwardson because he "liked" one of my reviews (Sinclair Ferguson's
John Owen on the Christian Life
). Because Edwardson writes speculative fiction from a Christian perspective (as I do), I was curious about his work and checked out his website, which led me to this story. At the time of this writing, "The Artificer's Apprentice" is a free short. It's billed as steampunk, and although I haven't read a lot in this genre, I've enjoyed everything I've read so far. "The Artificer's Apprentice" is no exception!
I especially appreciated the imaginative setting (rather than Victorian England, the author depicts a medieval Italian city-state) in which guilds compete to produce some very cool high-tech gadgets that felt more sci-fi to me than simply anachronistic.
The plight of the protagonist tugged at my heartstrings from the beginning (and pulled ever harder as the plot unwound). Even though in the end it's unclear what the future holds for any of the characters, I still appreciated the resolution. In fact, I would be interested in finding out What Happens Next (although given this is a short, the author might not be planning a sequel). I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from Edwardson!
I especially appreciated the imaginative setting (rather than Victorian England, the author depicts a medieval Italian city-state) in which guilds compete to produce some very cool high-tech gadgets that felt more sci-fi to me than simply anachronistic.
The plight of the protagonist tugged at my heartstrings from the beginning (and pulled ever harder as the plot unwound). Even though in the end it's unclear what the future holds for any of the characters, I still appreciated the resolution. In fact, I would be interested in finding out What Happens Next (although given this is a short, the author might not be planning a sequel). I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from Edwardson!
June 23, 2016
First it should be noted that this is not a novel it is a short story. That said, we find an aging artificer who's going blind and has taken on a young mute apprentice. The artificer has been banned from the Artificers Guild and so he isn't allowed to actually train this young man, but there is natural talent.
After the young apprentice creates a device he takes both the young apprentice and the device to the guild for a competition and it's here where we find out why the old artificer was banned and who the young apprentice is.
All in all this was a well written little bit of steampunk with a touch of fantasy. I liked the characters and their interactions and would like to see more of the apprentice in future work.
After the young apprentice creates a device he takes both the young apprentice and the device to the guild for a competition and it's here where we find out why the old artificer was banned and who the young apprentice is.
All in all this was a well written little bit of steampunk with a touch of fantasy. I liked the characters and their interactions and would like to see more of the apprentice in future work.
November 29, 2015
Wonderful little tale
Good clean fun! The only thing missing is the full three book series. The wonderful hints of the built world are more than enjoyable. I want the rest of the book: >Pout<
Good clean fun! The only thing missing is the full three book series. The wonderful hints of the built world are more than enjoyable. I want the rest of the book: >Pout<
August 31, 2013
I would have liked it better if it had been a little longer. It was still an enjoyable read though and I liked how well developed the characters were for such a short story.
January 19, 2017
It was way too short and bounced around too much.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews