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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Somehow, I can’t tell if I find this book morbid or cute. In any case, it’s a really original and compact tale about clockwork, stories come to life, and interpersonal relations. It’s very plot-driven, but well done so - except the ending, which is stylistically sweet but kind of anticlimactic given the series of events that led up to it. Still, a solid short story/novella overall.
I got this book for Christmas and read it in one sitting with a cat purring in my lap. That may have affected my rating, but it's a good book in its own right. Nice illustrations and some themes to make adults chuckle whether or not they read this story to a child (or cat).
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As intricately constructed as a clock, this little fairytale spins in unexpected directions. Surprisingly dark, I found it difficult to shake later--the harsh, desperate actions by uncomplicated-seeming people resonated like Jackson's The Lottery or, I suppose, all of the original Grimm tales. Artful, creepy, and just right for reading on a cold night when the wind howls outside.
this was super scary.
I liked it even though it was bloody and people got murdered.
I liked it even though it was bloody and people got murdered.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
It gets the aesthetic right, but Dr. Kalmenius ultimately fails as a devil archetype. He just shows up and causes chaos. You can't try to tie your story to Faust, then have your devil character fail to collect on a character explicitly saying that the devil can have their soul if they get the outcome they want.
"Some stories are like that. Once you've wound them up, nothing will stop them; they move on forward till they reach their destined end, and no matter how much the characters would like to change their fate, they can't."
Clockwork is a tightly wound novella that doesn't waste a word. The creepy tone is established in the preface and the story marches on, switching viewpoints in an occasionally disorienting but impactful journey that holds true to the feel of a dark fairytale. It felt very much in the vein of Neil Gaiman's Ocean at the End of the Lane if it had been written for children. Its so short that its only about an hour read, but I highly recommend it if you run across it at the library or used book store.
www.lonslibrary.com
Clockwork is a tightly wound novella that doesn't waste a word. The creepy tone is established in the preface and the story marches on, switching viewpoints in an occasionally disorienting but impactful journey that holds true to the feel of a dark fairytale. It felt very much in the vein of Neil Gaiman's Ocean at the End of the Lane if it had been written for children. Its so short that its only about an hour read, but I highly recommend it if you run across it at the library or used book store.
www.lonslibrary.com