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Out on 26 November 2026

Made Things

Synopsis

Award-winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Made Things is a dark yet whimsical fantasy tale full of magic, half-mages and puppet companions. Includes the bonus short story ‘Precious Little Things’!

In a city built on secrets, the smallest thieves cast the longest shadows.


Welcome to Fountains Parish – a cesspit of trade and crime, where hope rots like week-old bread. Coppelia is a street thief and trickster with a small talent for magic. She also has a hidden advantage: a crew of tiny, living puppet companions, some made of wood and some of metal. They don't entirely trust her, but together they survive the cobbled slums.

But survival is no longer enough when a local crime lord coerces Coppelia into a high-stakes heist – breaking into a mage’s palace. It could make her fortune, or ruin her entirely. But as their plans progress, a secret emerges which changes everything. Suddenly, Coppelia and her companions aren't just fighting for a payday. They’re the only thing standing between the great city and its destruction.

* * *

‘One of the best storytellers in the business’
– John Scalzi, author of Old Man’s War

Made Things is a thrilling parable about the abuse of power’
The Guardian

‘The dashingly roguish cast, clever prose and well-placed moments of heartfelt emotion are sure to delight’
Publishers Weekly

Intriguing, evocative imagery and quirky characters’
SFX Magazine

Details

26 November 2026
224 pages
9781035071715
Imprint: Tor

Reviews

A classically brilliant fantasy writer, a pusher of boundaries, a great storytellerPaul Cornell, author of Witches of Lychford
One of the most interesting and accomplished writers in speculative fictionChristopher Paolini, author of Eragon and To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
Equally deft in the realms of science fiction and fantasy adventure, Adrian Tchaikovsky knows how to take you to a place, no matter the settingSciFiNow on The Tiger and the Wolf
Intelligent, funny, ultimately heart-breaking, and unforgettableStephen Baxter, author of Proxima, on Service Model