Five years after the bloody Manfred riots, machine intelligence is still the powder keg no one wants to light on Persephone.
Magician Celinde Fortune prefers her world simple: illusions, music, and keeping her head down. But when she upgrades her act with a Spelvin construct—a sleek piece of tech with a mysterious past—”simple” becomes a luxury she can’t afford.
As the murder of a popular musician rocks the city, and tensions with Realpeace activists boil over, Celinde and her cousin Fanning find themselves caught in a fight they didn’t choose, tied to a machine that may be something… more.
In Dreaming Metal, Melissa Scott crafts a richly layered, slow-burn cyberpunk thriller where the real magic isn’t just sleight of hand—it’s survival.
