sass_quigley's review against another edition
4.0
Yes, I'm a Rush fan and that is probably the only reason I read this book. Actually, I hadn't planned on reading it until a friend of mine suggested I read it saying it was pretty good. And it was pretty good. I read it in a couple days and enjoyed the story and characters. Throwing some Rush lyrics in there was fun but I don't think it would detract anyone else from reading it as they wouldn't know anyway. Yeah, the story is a bit predictable in my opinion but that did not detract my enjoyment at all as the it was well-written and even though I thought I knew what would happen I did not know the direction (hmm...sounds like a book a bit). Now that I've read this I will probably take a look at some of his other books.
kcook7's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
proggeddy's review against another edition
5.0
I'll start off my saying I'm a huge Rush fan. My name is Geddy Lee after all. That said, when I read a book of any kind, I try to base my thoughts and feelings on the book, not on any preconceived notions of the author(s), the reviews I've seen, or my affinity for any such associations it shares. When I say that I truly enjoyed Clockwork Angels, I mean that it fulfilled much of the criteria I find important when determining the merits and value of a body of literature.
Clockwork Angels is the story of a boy fast approaching is 17th year, and thus his manhood. In his world he's the assistant manager of an apple orchard owned and run by his father. His life is scheduled and ruled by routine. But so is everyone's. The Watchmaker's Stability has made it so for some 200 years. This boy is a tad different from the rest of the people living in Barrel Arbor though. He reads his mothers vivid books detailing countless adventures and dreams of seeing the clockwork angels in person. When the boy decides to do something as daring as a midnight date with his wife to be, he ends up boarding a steamliner instead and his life is never the same again.
I thoroughly enjoyed following the boy on his journey, seeing his structured life stripped away and watching as he swings between complete order and absolute anarchy. He's much to learn.
And, also, as a Rush fan, it was interesting to see how the story portrayed in the album was novelized and more fully explained/realized. It gives the album a new depth of it's own.
Clockwork Angels is the story of a boy fast approaching is 17th year, and thus his manhood. In his world he's the assistant manager of an apple orchard owned and run by his father. His life is scheduled and ruled by routine. But so is everyone's. The Watchmaker's Stability has made it so for some 200 years. This boy is a tad different from the rest of the people living in Barrel Arbor though. He reads his mothers vivid books detailing countless adventures and dreams of seeing the clockwork angels in person. When the boy decides to do something as daring as a midnight date with his wife to be, he ends up boarding a steamliner instead and his life is never the same again.
I thoroughly enjoyed following the boy on his journey, seeing his structured life stripped away and watching as he swings between complete order and absolute anarchy. He's much to learn.
And, also, as a Rush fan, it was interesting to see how the story portrayed in the album was novelized and more fully explained/realized. It gives the album a new depth of it's own.
dfallasf21's review against another edition
4.0
The quality of the book itself is actually quite good. The characters and story gets you involved in what's happening and what will happen. The progression of action and storytelling is adequate. The story keeps constantly moving at a great pace without actually feeling slow. The reason I give it four stars instead of five is simply because I didn't feel that at the end of the story itself even though the events are enjoyable and nostalgic, it does feel a little bit like the main conflict is just simply forgotten or put aside. Other than that the book is totally enjoyable and fully recommended to be read by anyone who is either a fan of the band or just a fan of adventure story.
nisha_huff's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
lochmcg's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
rlly long and boring dnd campaign with a depthless main character
subtleassiduities's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
andrewgraphics's review against another edition
3.0
A young boy leaves his quiet peaceful village on a whim to explore the vast unknown world filled with magnificent clockwork metropolises and hidden cities of gold. Unfortunately he finds himself caught between the Watchmaker, who brings order to the world, and the aptly-named Anarchist.
Based on synopsis and songs by Rush drummer/lyricist Peart, this is a fun little novel in the steampunk genre, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, Peart's tone and cadence as he read this made it seem like he was reading to children, annoying to say the least.
Based on synopsis and songs by Rush drummer/lyricist Peart, this is a fun little novel in the steampunk genre, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, Peart's tone and cadence as he read this made it seem like he was reading to children, annoying to say the least.
yirra2112's review against another edition
3.0
Like very many of the other people who have reviewed this book, I'm a die hard Rush fan. They tend to inspire the love them or hate them response, and those who love them seem to do so unconditionally and over a life time. This is not without reason, and Peart's incredible lyrics and books about his travels reveal a brilliant and creative mind. Clockwork Angels is a collaboration between himself and Kevin Anderson, and it was Peart's first real foray into the world of fiction (he mentioned in Roadshow that he had attempted briefly another novelization of an album but promptly scrapped it after about 50 pages).
This is the story of Owen Hardy of Barrel Arbor and his adventures. I will admit that I had a bit of a hard time getting into the beginning of the story because the references to Rush lyrics were VERY heavy handed. Maybe if one isn't a fan and won't recognize them they won't be as jarring, but for myself some of them seemed very out of place in relation to the context in which they were placed. The more subtly placed references and lyrics were a pleasure, so it's not so much the concept as the execution in the early parts of the story. It almost seems to me like once Anderson got it out of his system and focused more on the story things became a lot more interesting. His descriptions of Crown City (through Owen's country-boy eyes), Owen's first carnival experience, his visit to the Clockwork Angels themselves and aspects of his life with the Carnies were all fabulous. The Anarchist was delightfully sinister, and the scene in which we are introduced to the Watchmaker and his dalmatian (hello there Signals! I rather enjoyed this particular reference) allowed one to both sympathize with him a bit and become alarmed at his loss of humanity. What really carried this story along was Owen Hardy's innocent and optimistic character. Although he becomes jaded at times it's a fleeting experience and even after enduring pain and shattered dreams he retains these characteristics. Rather than idealistic, this evolution comes across as refreshing in a day when realism means that things must be dark.
The over usage of alchemy and steam as explanations for how everything functioned also began to bother me after a while. It's a difficult thing in fantasy and similar genres to not use magic/future science as a quick fix way to not describe what is really going on or to set the tone of an environment and sometimes I found myself wondering why it was that a little push cart needed to be steam powered? Again however, this small complaint became less relevant towards the end of the book as Owen moves away from the steam/alchemy-centric environment of Crown City. There are still plenty of dirigibles and alchemical mineral shipments, but they are more integrated and less forced.
One of the things which I really appreciated about this book was the aesthetic beauty of it. The cover (beneath the dust jacket that is, though that is lovely too) has the red alchemical Clockwork Angels logo embossed on it, each chapter begins with a sepia toned page and the text is pleasing and all throughout the book are beautiful images by Hugh Syme. These contributed a great deal to the tone of the story for me.
The book ties up with the lyrics from the titular album, and a short essay from Peart about the experience and inspirations for the book which was enlightening and enjoyable. The entire book was the brain child of old friends doing what they loved, and this love shows through to provide fans with a pleasant read. Much of it is tongue in cheek, allusions to other stories, music and personal experiences. If you read it for what it is, a fun little ride, it's an enjoyable story. Taken too seriously it loses its charm, so I highly recommend this one be saved for that day when you're looking for something whimsical.
This is the story of Owen Hardy of Barrel Arbor and his adventures. I will admit that I had a bit of a hard time getting into the beginning of the story because the references to Rush lyrics were VERY heavy handed. Maybe if one isn't a fan and won't recognize them they won't be as jarring, but for myself some of them seemed very out of place in relation to the context in which they were placed. The more subtly placed references and lyrics were a pleasure, so it's not so much the concept as the execution in the early parts of the story. It almost seems to me like once Anderson got it out of his system and focused more on the story things became a lot more interesting. His descriptions of Crown City (through Owen's country-boy eyes), Owen's first carnival experience, his visit to the Clockwork Angels themselves and aspects of his life with the Carnies were all fabulous. The Anarchist was delightfully sinister, and the scene in which we are introduced to the Watchmaker and his dalmatian (hello there Signals! I rather enjoyed this particular reference) allowed one to both sympathize with him a bit and become alarmed at his loss of humanity. What really carried this story along was Owen Hardy's innocent and optimistic character. Although he becomes jaded at times it's a fleeting experience and even after enduring pain and shattered dreams he retains these characteristics. Rather than idealistic, this evolution comes across as refreshing in a day when realism means that things must be dark.
The over usage of alchemy and steam as explanations for how everything functioned also began to bother me after a while. It's a difficult thing in fantasy and similar genres to not use magic/future science as a quick fix way to not describe what is really going on or to set the tone of an environment and sometimes I found myself wondering why it was that a little push cart needed to be steam powered? Again however, this small complaint became less relevant towards the end of the book as Owen moves away from the steam/alchemy-centric environment of Crown City. There are still plenty of dirigibles and alchemical mineral shipments, but they are more integrated and less forced.
One of the things which I really appreciated about this book was the aesthetic beauty of it. The cover (beneath the dust jacket that is, though that is lovely too) has the red alchemical Clockwork Angels logo embossed on it, each chapter begins with a sepia toned page and the text is pleasing and all throughout the book are beautiful images by Hugh Syme. These contributed a great deal to the tone of the story for me.
The book ties up with the lyrics from the titular album, and a short essay from Peart about the experience and inspirations for the book which was enlightening and enjoyable. The entire book was the brain child of old friends doing what they loved, and this love shows through to provide fans with a pleasant read. Much of it is tongue in cheek, allusions to other stories, music and personal experiences. If you read it for what it is, a fun little ride, it's an enjoyable story. Taken too seriously it loses its charm, so I highly recommend this one be saved for that day when you're looking for something whimsical.
bickleyhouse's review against another edition
3.0
I went back and forth on my rating for this book. There were parts that I really liked, and parts that I didn't like much at all. The book is based on Neil Peart's lyric and story for the Rush album by the same name. I've been a big fan of Rush for many years, but don't agree with Neil's philosophy on life. I'm a Christian, and he's pretty much an atheist, and believes in complete "free will." At first I thought that his "Watchmaker" was supposed to be a representation of God, but I decided that it couldn't be, because God is nothing like the Watchmaker in this story. But then, when people who don't believe in God try to represent him, they always get him wrong, because they don't understand him.
Anyway...the book follows the adventures of young Owen Hardy, a youth from the city of Barrel Arbor, in Albion. He lives his life in the realm of the Watchmaker, who predetermines everything, even down to what time it rains. The Watchmaker brought about what is known as "The Stability" in the land. There are catch phrases galore, such as, "All is for the best," and, "Everything has its place and every place has its thing." One day, Owen decides to rebel against what he is supposed to do and hops a freightliner bound for Crown City. He plans to only spend a few days there and go back home, but one thing leads to another, and he winds up having some pretty incredible adventures, from travelling with a carnival to search for Cibola and the Seven Cities of Gold. In many ways, the book is quite fun, but I found young Owen Hardy to be quite the whiner, and frequently grew weary of him. It is also unlikely that someone as fresh and inexperienced in life as he was could have successfully pulled off some of those adventures, even with the help he had.
Other Rush fans will quickly recognize many song titles that Anderson worked into the novel. I found "Vapor Trail," and "Nobody's Hero" on the same page, just to name a couple. (Didn't see "Red Barchetta" anywhere.) The book also comes with the complete lyrics of the album, after the story ends, along with a nice afterword by Neil Peart, describing the process by which the book came about.
Anyway...the book follows the adventures of young Owen Hardy, a youth from the city of Barrel Arbor, in Albion. He lives his life in the realm of the Watchmaker, who predetermines everything, even down to what time it rains. The Watchmaker brought about what is known as "The Stability" in the land. There are catch phrases galore, such as, "All is for the best," and, "Everything has its place and every place has its thing." One day, Owen decides to rebel against what he is supposed to do and hops a freightliner bound for Crown City. He plans to only spend a few days there and go back home, but one thing leads to another, and he winds up having some pretty incredible adventures, from travelling with a carnival to search for Cibola and the Seven Cities of Gold. In many ways, the book is quite fun, but I found young Owen Hardy to be quite the whiner, and frequently grew weary of him. It is also unlikely that someone as fresh and inexperienced in life as he was could have successfully pulled off some of those adventures, even with the help he had.
Other Rush fans will quickly recognize many song titles that Anderson worked into the novel. I found "Vapor Trail," and "Nobody's Hero" on the same page, just to name a couple. (Didn't see "Red Barchetta" anywhere.) The book also comes with the complete lyrics of the album, after the story ends, along with a nice afterword by Neil Peart, describing the process by which the book came about.