The Demon Engines of Eden

In an age of mechanized marvels, the continent-girdling land-shapers—towering steam-and-arc machines built to coax deserts into gardens—turn traitor. A blasted relic, dug from a Nile tomb by an ill-starred dig, whispers through their electrical brains and bends iron to a malign will. A hardy engineer and a skeptical archaeologist race across dust-choked plains and ruined cities, racing aeroplane and motorcar to recover the idol and break its spell. Equal parts scientific romance and occult adventure, this saga pits modern industry against ancient malice in a battle for the future of civilisation.