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The Effigy Engine
Meet the Honorable Company of Red Hats. Misfits, eccentrics, pranksters, nonconformists... and professional killers without peer. Mercenaries for hire in a war-torn world, the Red Hats always seem to end up fighting for sides that are more righteous than strong, for clients who are more desperate than wealthy, in circumstances that are more exciting than survivable.
In this excerpt from the chronicles of the Red Hats, as told by their self-appointed historian, the sorcerer called Watchdog, the company faces an armed and armored war machine that threatens to break an army of thousands and crush a free republic beneath its steel tread.
Originally published in 2013, "The Effigy Engine" is a black powder fantasy of magic, musketry, and mercenary banter.
In this excerpt from the chronicles of the Red Hats, as told by their self-appointed historian, the sorcerer called Watchdog, the company faces an armed and armored war machine that threatens to break an army of thousands and crush a free republic beneath its steel tread.
Originally published in 2013, "The Effigy Engine" is a black powder fantasy of magic, musketry, and mercenary banter.
45 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 9, 2018
About the author
Scott Lynch
66 books27.6k followersI was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on April 2, 1978, the first of three brothers.
The Lies of Locke Lamora, my first novel, was bought by Simon Spanton at Orion Books in August, 2004. Prior to that I had just about every job you usually see in this sort of author bio-- dishwasher, busboy, waiter, web designer, office manager, prep cook, and freelance writer. I trained in basic firefighting at Anoka Technical College in 2005; from 2005-2016 I served as a paid-on-call firefighter in the city of New Richmond, Wisconsin.
In 2007 The Lies of Locke Lamora was a World Fantasy Award finalist.
In 2008 I received the Sydney J. Bounds Best Newcomer Award from the British Fantasy Society.
In 2013, The Republic of Thieves was a New York Times and Times of London bestseller.
In 2025, The Lies of Locke Lamora burst back onto the USA Today bestseller list thanks to its selection as a monthly pick at Barnes & Noble.
In 2026, I was nominated for my first Hugo Award, in the novelette category, for my story "Kaiju Agonistes."
I live in Massachusetts with my wife, acclaimed SF/F writer Elizabeth Bear, and our four cats and two Icelandic horses.
The Lies of Locke Lamora, my first novel, was bought by Simon Spanton at Orion Books in August, 2004. Prior to that I had just about every job you usually see in this sort of author bio-- dishwasher, busboy, waiter, web designer, office manager, prep cook, and freelance writer. I trained in basic firefighting at Anoka Technical College in 2005; from 2005-2016 I served as a paid-on-call firefighter in the city of New Richmond, Wisconsin.
In 2007 The Lies of Locke Lamora was a World Fantasy Award finalist.
In 2008 I received the Sydney J. Bounds Best Newcomer Award from the British Fantasy Society.
In 2013, The Republic of Thieves was a New York Times and Times of London bestseller.
In 2025, The Lies of Locke Lamora burst back onto the USA Today bestseller list thanks to its selection as a monthly pick at Barnes & Noble.
In 2026, I was nominated for my first Hugo Award, in the novelette category, for my story "Kaiju Agonistes."
I live in Massachusetts with my wife, acclaimed SF/F writer Elizabeth Bear, and our four cats and two Icelandic horses.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
October 12, 2018
Lynch can do no wrong.
August 17, 2019
Nice tale of a kind of thaumaturgical arms race told in Scott Lynch's wonderful fun and easy style.
December 26, 2018
Of course,greed!
Definitely enjoyed this. I'll repeat the I'm sure broken record just wanting MORE. The novels were great, this world very interesting also. The paragraph with the arcane bracelet could spawn many books by itself! I guess it's good that I've never highlighted anything, I personally enjoy lines like "shaking like a barstool with delusions of grandeur" . Guess that's not as literally appealing, classically, or some such thing. LOL. I would definitely recommend it.
Also I, along with my dog Goblin and cat One-Eye, appreciate the shout out given in the dedication! I'm sure it was appreciated and rightly so.
Apologies for this horribly rambling review!
Definitely enjoyed this. I'll repeat the I'm sure broken record just wanting MORE. The novels were great, this world very interesting also. The paragraph with the arcane bracelet could spawn many books by itself! I guess it's good that I've never highlighted anything, I personally enjoy lines like "shaking like a barstool with delusions of grandeur" . Guess that's not as literally appealing, classically, or some such thing. LOL. I would definitely recommend it.
Also I, along with my dog Goblin and cat One-Eye, appreciate the shout out given in the dedication! I'm sure it was appreciated and rightly so.
Apologies for this horribly rambling review!
May 18, 2023
Trying to fill the Gentleman Bastards void already. Nice short story in very classic Lynch style. He seems to have a thing for dynamic duos including a skinny, brainy dude and a heavy, hard-hitting dude. Liked the amount of lore and world building he managed to do in a much more condensed form.
November 22, 2025
literally the book version of hydrogen bomb vs coughing baby
...well, you’ve squeezed fruit before, haven’t you?
...well, you’ve squeezed fruit before, haven’t you?
August 15, 2024
This short story was like getting a few swigs of a drink made by your favourite bartender. And you are equally satisfied and upset when it is finished. This fantasy warfare story by Lynch is an excellent example of fantasy war told quite engagingly. Lynch, who is well know for his mastery, provides another example of his skills as an author. This story only makes me want his Gentleman Bastards novellas and heavily anticipated 4th Lamora book more. Sadly, we are all destined to wait longer.
October 12, 2018
Entertaining as always, this is a short episode in what I hope is a longer series of stories that is clearly inspired by The Black Company (I mean, there's a dedication to Glen Cook!), but with Scott Lynch's own unique writing style and sense of humor.
July 6, 2022
Divertido libro que trata de contestar a la pregunta "what if wizards had invented tanks?"
Y la respuesta es bastante satisfactoria.
Y la respuesta es bastante satisfactoria.
September 2, 2022
i love this.
November 5, 2019
I found this a little light but it was ok
November 15, 2018
Fun, but I feel like Lynch can do better.
(Also no idea why this is an audiobook default)
(Also no idea why this is an audiobook default)
September 15, 2018
I owe Mr Lynch republishing so many of his wonderful short works for getting me to read anything this month.
I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as In The Stacks, perhaps because I didn't enjoy the narrator quite as much (Watchdog was, perhaps, a little too dour and traditional for what I'd come to expect from Mr Lynch). However, this is definitely classic Lynch; inventive, evocative settings with a lovable bundle of rogues dashing about wreaking merry havoc in it, littered with magic and history, and all conveyed with his unique and unmistakable humorous streak. The fruit metaphor got a little old, but Rumstandel in particular made up for absolutely all of it and then some.
If more Red Hats projects appear in future, I could almost certainly be coaxed into investigating them.
I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as In The Stacks, perhaps because I didn't enjoy the narrator quite as much (Watchdog was, perhaps, a little too dour and traditional for what I'd come to expect from Mr Lynch). However, this is definitely classic Lynch; inventive, evocative settings with a lovable bundle of rogues dashing about wreaking merry havoc in it, littered with magic and history, and all conveyed with his unique and unmistakable humorous streak. The fruit metaphor got a little old, but Rumstandel in particular made up for absolutely all of it and then some.
If more Red Hats projects appear in future, I could almost certainly be coaxed into investigating them.
January 12, 2019
Quality over quantity
Scott Lynch is not a prolific author, but he is a fantastic one. This study is no exception and I was sorry to see it end. It was well worth the paltry sum removed from my purse. Its length was the only reason it didn't get five stars. I want more of this world.
Scott Lynch is not a prolific author, but he is a fantastic one. This study is no exception and I was sorry to see it end. It was well worth the paltry sum removed from my purse. Its length was the only reason it didn't get five stars. I want more of this world.
October 29, 2018
A short story with a few very interesting ideas, The Effigy Engine had me hooked throughout. It would be interesting if Lynch would develop the universe further through other stories of either similar or even larger scope. I did like the magical system quite a bit. Here's to hoping for more!
September 11, 2019
With The Effigy Engine, Lynch brings us to a wonderful little piece of military fantasy. The influence of The Black Company is acknowledged in the introduction, and what a great influence it is. Think of musket and cannon level war tech with both offensive and defensive magical applications mapped out. We follow the chronicles of The Red Hats are a magical mercenary unit tasked with thamaturgical support during war. Their contribution to the war effort is turning the tire, until the other side brings to bear a secret weapon, basically a massive magical tank. They have to figure out how to destroy it, or lose the war.
The action is smooth, the world building top notch, the humor sharp, and as always, the characters and their interactions shine through. The introduction mentioned future installments, and I enjoyed this so much that I now need more Red Hats in my life. I hope we get many more tales from them, be it short ones like this one, or longer ones.
The action is smooth, the world building top notch, the humor sharp, and as always, the characters and their interactions shine through. The introduction mentioned future installments, and I enjoyed this so much that I now need more Red Hats in my life. I hope we get many more tales from them, be it short ones like this one, or longer ones.
August 22, 2025
“‘Here! Here! Over here!’ yelled the green imps. The reader may assume they continued to yell this throughout the engagement, for they certainly did. I cannot find the will to scrawl it over and over again in this journal.”
A very fun military adventure where mages play a unique role on the battlefield. The group of mercenaries, the Red Hats, created by Scott Lynch is funny and full of personality. I particularly liked the dislikeable Rumstandel, with his blue beard populated by tiny animated ships and its own weather system.
Everything was so creative about this story, proving again to me that Scott Lynch’s work will soon become highlights of the genre in my collection.
The writing is funny and voicy, in what seems to be characteristic of Lynch, and yet sounds distinct from In the Stacks that I have read previously.
A very fun military adventure where mages play a unique role on the battlefield. The group of mercenaries, the Red Hats, created by Scott Lynch is funny and full of personality. I particularly liked the dislikeable Rumstandel, with his blue beard populated by tiny animated ships and its own weather system.
Everything was so creative about this story, proving again to me that Scott Lynch’s work will soon become highlights of the genre in my collection.
The writing is funny and voicy, in what seems to be characteristic of Lynch, and yet sounds distinct from In the Stacks that I have read previously.
September 30, 2018
just okay for me
I think I just don’t particularly like this genre, so it would have to be very good for me to like it, and this isn’t. It’s okay and I liked the characters, but the story is short and not enough happens in it to really make you care. The Watcher almost gave me enough, with his mother being the Red Hat leader, but it just missed, IMO.
I think I just don’t particularly like this genre, so it would have to be very good for me to like it, and this isn’t. It’s okay and I liked the characters, but the story is short and not enough happens in it to really make you care. The Watcher almost gave me enough, with his mother being the Red Hat leader, but it just missed, IMO.
October 7, 2018
It was an entertaining sketch. It could lead to interesting stories in the future. Unfortunately, and probably unfairly, it is not Locke Lamorra, and I suspect everything by Mr. Lynch is going to suffer in comparison to the series that I love. However, I would read more stories about these characters in the future in hopes that they'd be fleshed out somewhat.
December 10, 2019
A fun read but
This was quite a fun short novella. The narrator is a wizard and part of a mercenary band fighting for a country invaded by a much larger and better-equipped force.
However, I'm still waiting for the next in the Gentlemen Bastards series. If Mr. Lynch has abandoned that series, I do wish he would let people know
This was quite a fun short novella. The narrator is a wizard and part of a mercenary band fighting for a country invaded by a much larger and better-equipped force.
However, I'm still waiting for the next in the Gentlemen Bastards series. If Mr. Lynch has abandoned that series, I do wish he would let people know
December 19, 2020
Lynch has an amazing way with words that seamlessly paints a scene and a story and has you chuckling at the same time. This story is a very different creature to the Gentleman Bastard series and merges the grim and gritty atmosphere of war with a cleverly incorporated high-magic element. An array of entertaining characters deliver this setting in a way that left me wanting more of the same.
January 3, 2020
I very much enjoyed this quick read. Slick prose, funny characters, interesting premise -- what happens when sorcerers invent tanks? The story leaves me wanting to see more from the Red Hats, which according to the preface should be coming out soon!
February 5, 2020
Classic Lynch
As I wait for the Locke book, thought I would hide my time with this short story and it delivers. Dense fantasy, he’s the master of description, and witty repartee. Now hurry up with the next Lamorra.
As I wait for the Locke book, thought I would hide my time with this short story and it delivers. Dense fantasy, he’s the master of description, and witty repartee. Now hurry up with the next Lamorra.
January 21, 2021
Red Hats are a group of mercenary wizards
Who hire out to the underdogs to help them win wars. This is the story of one battle against the Iron Ring and their war machine. Taken from the notes of the wizard Watchdog.
Who hire out to the underdogs to help them win wars. This is the story of one battle against the Iron Ring and their war machine. Taken from the notes of the wizard Watchdog.
June 9, 2021
A really fun short story in the same vein as The Black Company. Just a mercenary company (with magic) running around dealing with other people's problems. This is just one short battle, and I hope that Scott Lynch adds more to this universe.
July 11, 2021
Як би я не любив стиль Лінча, проте в цій короткій історії все дуже просто склалось. Я навіть здивувався) Чарівникам треба подолати потужну машину під керівництвом інших колег. Все склалось, але як... 😁
September 14, 2021
I would read more Red Hat tales (assuming more eventually materialize). I enjoy Scott Lynch's writing style and sense of humor. This is an exceptionally quick read (short story) and I recommend it for Lynch Fans.
November 15, 2025
I love love love Scott's writing, and while I did like this short story, I found it... predictable? That shouldn't reduce the enjoyability of the 'book', but I felt that something was lacking anyway.
Honestly, I'm just coping while waiting for GB #4...
Honestly, I'm just coping while waiting for GB #4...
November 17, 2018
A quick and enjoyable read
Battlefield story of mercenaries and wizards, well told, with characterizations that are engaging. I would read more of this world.
Battlefield story of mercenaries and wizards, well told, with characterizations that are engaging. I would read more of this world.
December 2, 2018
Really nicely drawn characters in non-stop action. You just can beat fine writing. The only gripe I have is that I wanted to be much long. This was a enjoyable read for me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews