Construct is the first book in The Chronicler Saga. Samuel is a construct - a type of artificial intelligence - who wakes in a burning building with no memories except some flashes of a brutal murder. He does have genuine human emotions, though, something supposedly impossible for a construct. We follow Samuel as he travels away from his “birthplace” and attempt to find clues about who or what he is. The book is slowly paced, but deliberately and meaningfully so. The characters and world are fleshed out, well-written, and interesting. The writing style is really enjoyable, and well-matched to the story’s pace and feel of the world. All around a really, really good book.

The world of Construct is very well-crafted. It feels real - it has meaningful history, vibrant locales, and relevant lore. At the time our story takes place, constructs have been reduced to beasts of labor. Though they were once near-equals to their human counterparts, there was war between human and construct, after which the humans subjugated the constructs, limiting their rights and autonomy. Constructs, and other technologies, are powered by khet - a type of pure energy “life force”. Humans with the ability to manipulate khet are wizard-analogues in this world, and each has a talent for one particular application of their abilities.

Samuel is a very Iron Giant type protagonist - his memories are lost to him, and he doesn’t know where he came from or why. When he wakes in a burning building, all he remembers are flashes of a brutal murder. He sets out to find out what or who he is, and why he is being targeted Samuel is easy to care about pretty much immediately. Despite not knowing who he is in the context of the world, he knows who he is - he is a good person, he cares for others and is kind, and he is confident in his personality. He’s a very strong character and very well-written.

Samuel meets several other people along the way, most notably Kaleb - a man with a colorful and incriminating past that he spends most of his time running from; Eriane - a young orphan girl who is taken in as an apprentice to a wizard; and Pare - another young orphan and foster-brother-of-sorts to Eriane. Both Pare and Eriane have tragic, but mostly unexplored, pasts. The contrast of Samuel’s lost memories and quest to get answers about his past and the human characters’ struggles to escape or move on from their pasts is really compelling.

Our two antagonists, Colton and Bales, are assholes to everyone they meet, including one another. We get POV chapters from them, which helps build suspense as we see where they are in relation to our protagonists, and also solidifies that these guys are evil. Don’t look for redeeming qualities, reasoning, or humanity in these two, they’re the bad guys and that’s that.

Recommended for people who particularly enjoy character-focused stories. Those who enjoy a slower paced adventure would appreciate this book. There are some elements of coming-of-age, as well.

5/5, The characters are easy to care for and their stories are captivating. The plot is well-developed and never reveals too much to the reader so we are always kept invested in Samuel’s mystery. The world is well-constructed and feels fleshed out and vibrant. All around a really excellent book. ( )