I’m always impressed by creators—whether they are artists or writers or something in between—who have the wherewithal to sit down and create something new. Creativity is hard work. It takes time, energy, and patience. I’m in awe of writers especially who can sit down and put a plot together, create characters, and tell a story.
Because of this, there seems to be a disconnect when I praise the work but don’t find the finished piece, well, very good. It feels traitorous somehow. I have never written a book or painted a picture so who am I to judge?
But that’s the thing about critiquing: you may not have had the experience creating but you do have experience in appreciating creative endeavors and also figuring out what appeals to you.
All of this is to say that Lords of Invention, a self-published work by Trenor Rapkins, does not appeal to me. It is neither good nor bad, it’s just fine, but it is not something I would recommend. There seems to be a disconnect with the author’s intent and the final result which is a shame because the period of history (early 20th century) and the concept are ripe for picking.
The Lords of Invention is a take on Edison vs Tesla. If you’re not familiar with the rivalry, Edison and Tesla were two inventors at the turn of the 20th century who competed against each other, notably Tesla’s AC current for electricity vs Edison’s DC current. (Tesla “won.”) It wasn’t just about electrical currents, but it was about anything really that powered the scientific mind. Edison ended up with over 1000 patents to Tesla’s 300, but some argue that Tesla’s work held more importance to science than Edison’s.
In The Lords of Invention, the main character, Augustus Scott, is a world-renowned inventor who sails to Europe to demonstrate his new inventions. While he is gone, his house is robbed and the robber kills Scott’s wife and daughter and then burns the place down. The hint is that a man named Levi Pickett is to blame. Pickett is an inventor himself who works at manual labor and can’t quite get the funds or interest to fuel his work. The rest of the story is Scott’s determination to prove that Pickett is responsible for the death of Scott’s family and stealing Scott’s work.
Except, we don’t really get that impression that Pickett is indeed the person who burgled Scott’s home and killed his family. We get a shadowy character caught by Mrs. Scott one evening but there is no suggestion that this is Pickett or any indication that would tie Pickett to the dastardly plan. Could it have been someone else? This is the biggest downfall of the book is the plot is haphazard and all over the place. It is often slow and events are not tied together in a coherent way. I found the “is it Pickett or is it not” plotline to be confusing. The book is self-published and there is no nod to an editor, which this story definitely needed to get the plot moving and cohesive.
The art is also done by Rapkins as a digital painting. Rapkins has a several page addendum to the story as to how and why he created the work as well as how long it took him. He chose digital painting to give it a steampunk feel and I can see that but it’s very subdued. I found the art to be strong in some places and weak in others, especially with shading and coloring. The lettering is the Blambot typeface which is to give it the comic book style appeal. Again, an editor and an actual letterer would have been a plus for this book, since the placing of the font was inconsistent with the story and some of the color choices faded in with the background making it hard to see.
Digital painting also gave the figures and objects a very flat appearance. The figures seemed to be blocky and their movements stiff. They didn’t feel, well, human.
The Lord of Invention looks and feels like a school project and not a professional piece of work. Rapkins has some talent, and it pops here and there, but ultimately not enough to make this book a success.
The Lords of Invention
By Trenor Rapkins
Art by Trenor Rapkins, 2021
ISBN: 9781736425916
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16)
