Think Pinnochio and Toy Story meets Boxtrolls and you’re most of the way there.
Plot: We have robots, they can be made of wood or metal and given life with a special sort of magic. Unsurprisingly, they aren’t treated with the utmost respect in the city of Loretz. Coppelia, a thief in her own right, has met a few of these small creatures and together, they have formed something of a thieving ring to survive, but the eye of the law is on them, and suddenly the intrepid rag tag team finds itself at the heart of a new threat to the city, and the key to averting disaster. Shenanigans ensue.
If you’ve heard about Tchaikovsky but are intimidated by the scale and scope of his other stories, or perhaps you’re trying to ease someone into his writing style and tempt them into the larger works, this is the way to do it. It’s very short, straight forward, and dare I say kid friendly? Maybe not kid, kid, (there’s some swearing and violence) but certainly accessible for younger readers than his other works.
It’s certainly not as meaty as his other works. The narrative is fairly linear, with a surprisingly simple story of obviously unjustly treated creatures overcoming the odds and bigots getting their comeuppance. The characters lack the deep characterization of his longer works, and the plot doesn’t have the same twists and turns. It does have a neat twist that really underscores Tchaikovsky’s commitment to peaceful resolutions, but if you’ve already read and loved his other books, this one might be a little thin for you.