The Iron Dragon's Daughter

I’m a sucker for fantasy blended with industrial strife. In Michael Swanwick’s Jane, we see a character trapped in an industrialized fairy-world, forced to work in a factory building bio-mechanical dragons. The Iron Dragon’s Daughter blends biting social commentary with a thoughtful coming-of-age narrative, resulting in a powerful story that’s accumulated a stack of award wins and nominations. 

How I wish I had read this book as a teenager! Swanwick’s brilliant tale of a human changeling, stolen by the Sidhe and growing up on her own in a hard world that resembles ours all too closely (think jet-powered dragons and the all-powerful rich who corrupt people’s souls) is the best coming of age story, here or in the Other Lands. The closing pages will leave you shaken, and maybe a tiny bit wiser about our shared condition.