Clockwork Angels - the novel

So I've waxed lyrically about the album, gone nuts about the live show now I've read the book too.

And...

Brilliant.  The book is an expansion of the story line that the album first brought out.  Essentially a fantasy novel set in an alternative Steampunk reality.  A young man Owen Hardy lives in Albion a beautiful and ordered country run by the Watchmaker who makes sure all runs to time, including the weather as his alchemists ensure that rain arrives on the very minute it is forecast.  However Owen dreams, he dreams of going to Crown City to see the Clockwork Angels perform under the orchestration of the Watchmaker, he dreams of far off lands like Atlantis and the legendary Seven Cities of Gold.

One night he is swept up by a helping hand and starts his epic adventures to visit these places.  He also finds he is a pawn in a dangerous power struggle between the Watchmaker and his Nemesis The Anarchist.

Written superbly by Kevin J Anderson with huge input from Neil Peart and Hugh Syme (illustrator) this is a story that draws you in and you ride the waves with Owen from this his hopes and loves, his losses and betrayals.

The ending is lovely and I can't help slightly give the ending away but it ends with Owen still hoping that he gains from at least one person love and respect that will then mean his life has been a success.  I can't help having a big amount of agreement with that really - who needs riches and power if those things are bought at the expense of love and respect.

Lovely book which I'd highly recommend even if you are no fan of Rush it stands up well on it's own as a work.

I'm glad I was reading it this week - I have had another addition to my crap 2013.  An old colleague sadly died suddenly - at the age of only 42.  Love and Respect.

Comments

  1. The Unbearable Banishment18 June 2013 at 22:23

    An interesting cross-pollenization of media.

    All condolences for your loss.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nic 19 June 2013 at 06:32

    Sorry to hear about your friend, F. I hope 2013 gets better for you very soon.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Judith20 June 2013 at 04:33

    Thank you for sharing the review. I'll have to make a point if reading it.

    So sorry about your colleague. 42 is terribly young.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tom Edwards' Poem "Why I don't drink anymore"

Thanks to my friend DeeJay for pointing this out to me - it was on a BBC2 show. An excellent summary of alcoholism I changed because I have the sickness of alcoholism, alcoholism doesn't come in bottles it comes in people. You should have seen me. I drank for happiness and became unhappy; I drank for joy and became miserable. I drank to be out-going and became self-centred; I drank for sociability and became argumentative and lonely; I drank for sophistication and became crude and obnoxious. I drank for friendship and made enemies, I drank to soften sorrow and wallowed in self-pity; I drank for sleep and awakened without rest. I drank for strength and felt weak. I drank for masculinity and it sapped my potency; I drank medicinally and got sick. I drank because I thought my job called for it and lost my job. I drank to stimulate thought and blacked out. I drank to make conversation and got to where I couldn't talk at all; I drank to forget and became haunted. I drank for freedom...
Read more

Guitar Review - Vintage VE2000GG Gordon Giltrap Signature 12 string

Image
Folks will remember my purchase a few weeks back of the Vintage Gordon Giltrap VE2000GG 12 string to replace my old Yamaha which sadly has seen better days... My requirement was for a nice playable 12 string electro-acoustic.  Most of my stuff is as you know acoustic rock orientated in the David Gray, John Mayer genre.  I'd had my eye on a Gordon Giltrap for a couple of years now anyway since a) I'm a big Giltrap fan b) I'd heard said Mr Giltrap use the 6 string version live a couple of times and was impressed c) it seems incredible value for money. Now then my life was made a touch my complicated by the appearance of the Paul Brett signature 12string.  This is a slight oddity in that this is a parlour sized guitar which to be honest wasn't my initial desire but has received rave reviews and also has been designed as a 12string from the ground up - unlike the Gordon Giltrap which is an adaptation of a 6 string design.  Not unusual to be fair most 12 strings ar...
Read more