Mechaniek: The King of Tertessos

Power has changed hands in Toweren: after the assassination of King Viryankar and the arrest of Rufus Doreabris, Nex Denisov has taken the throne through a coup, and the kingdom is at war with the island kingdom of Tartessos. He and King Byryam of Tartessos both rely on a personality cult and militias to secure their power and are racing to create hybrids from the DNA of giant creatures found in the ruins of ancient civilizations.

Arnau Donovan transfers to the Royal School of Mechanics from a remote region at the age of eighteen. The son of a lumberjack but a genius mechanic, he immediately attracts the jealousy of his classmates. As he struggles with bullying and a conservative school board trying to make the school more religious, he finds solace in his friendships with Alistair, Miro, a relative of the king, and his teacher Goram, whom he falls in love with. But Nex Denisov is not ready to let hisformer rival have such a genius by his side...