The lights of Hollowmere never go out. The great clocktower never stops ticking. But what powers the perfect city is far more sinister than anyone dares to admit. What they don't tell you is that you'll still be conscious.
In the steampunk metropolis of Hollowmere, progress demands sacrifice. The poor are offered a deal: sign their names, surrender their bodies to the Sovereign's Cradle, and be "transcended" into pure energy. The Church of the Mechanismus promises eternal purpose. The doctors promise it's painless. Your family receives wealth beyond imagining. Callum Vane was supposed to be one of them. Born into the aristocratic family that built the city's infrastructure, Cal possesses a terrible gift: he can hear the voices of the bound souls trapped in the mechanism. After two years imprisoned in Ravencrest Institute-where the Church tried to "cure" him of his dangerous ability, Cal has documented what no one else knows.