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jenpaul13's review against another edition
4.0
Robots seem to be the way of our future, but they've also been an integral part of our past, too. Daniel H. Wilson's The Clockwork Dynasty explores a world where automatons have become nearly indistinguishable from humans.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
June is fascinated by machinery, spurred into studying mechanical dolls and automatons after her grandfather gave her a relic from a World War II "angel" to protect and keep secret when she was a young girl. While examining a three hundred year old mechanical doll that was a gift to Tsar Peter, June learns the term avtomat, which is what these living machines call themselves. Learning their name draws June unknowingly into a war between these machines over the relic she wears around her neck. Saved from being killed at the hands of one avtomat by another called Peter, June works with Peter to find the vessel for the relic she carries in an effort to end the centuries-long war.
Alternating between June's experiences in current time with those of Peter throughout the centuries of his long life, the story intricately unfolds details in its portrayal of the hidden world of avtomats. I found it a bit annoying that there were things about Peter that were reiterated without adding meaning or anything new to his character, such as what his Word is and what it means, and describing in detail his rather unique dagger. Spanning across thousands of years, the continued presence of avtomats didn't seem too far-fetched and is quite an exciting prospect to consider given the contemporary growing dependence upon robotics and artificial intelligence.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
June is fascinated by machinery, spurred into studying mechanical dolls and automatons after her grandfather gave her a relic from a World War II "angel" to protect and keep secret when she was a young girl. While examining a three hundred year old mechanical doll that was a gift to Tsar Peter, June learns the term avtomat, which is what these living machines call themselves. Learning their name draws June unknowingly into a war between these machines over the relic she wears around her neck. Saved from being killed at the hands of one avtomat by another called Peter, June works with Peter to find the vessel for the relic she carries in an effort to end the centuries-long war.
Alternating between June's experiences in current time with those of Peter throughout the centuries of his long life, the story intricately unfolds details in its portrayal of the hidden world of avtomats. I found it a bit annoying that there were things about Peter that were reiterated without adding meaning or anything new to his character, such as what his Word is and what it means, and describing in detail his rather unique dagger. Spanning across thousands of years, the continued presence of avtomats didn't seem too far-fetched and is quite an exciting prospect to consider given the contemporary growing dependence upon robotics and artificial intelligence.
tinlizzyd08's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting Read!
Overall, I found this book enjoyable and I read it pretty quickly. It took me a little bit to understand what was happening, so don’t get discouraged if you’re confused at first!
We start out with a WWII backlash and a possible angel? and then scoot into modern day stories of a girl who researches clockwork mechanical dolls. Next we have strange beings coming to life and chasing said girl! Is it magic? Machinery? Ancient vampires?
Per the title, it’s pretty clear clockwork is at play, but it’s not just machines but some kind of beings that have a soul! Robots? AI? What is this? The questions all find answers and it’s a wild ride. Without giving things away, the girl, June, finds herself caught up in this secret world of clockwork creations that puts her very life in danger. The more she uncovers, the more she realizes these beings are not quite the “dolls” she thought! Wilson’s writing is highly detailed and pulls you into a story that spans centuries!
The reason I give it a 4 not a 5 is that I found the ending all too tidy and the final conflict sort of boring. The story is so in depth and detailed throughout the book and it feels like Wilson just wrapped it up to get it done instead of fully exploring all that could have happened! It feels like there’s a lot more story to be told and the ending didn’t have the oomph it could have.
That said, I enjoyed the journey through time with my new clockwork friends and I look forward to redoing more of Wilson’s books!
Overall, I found this book enjoyable and I read it pretty quickly. It took me a little bit to understand what was happening, so don’t get discouraged if you’re confused at first!
We start out with a WWII backlash and a possible angel? and then scoot into modern day stories of a girl who researches clockwork mechanical dolls. Next we have strange beings coming to life and chasing said girl! Is it magic? Machinery? Ancient vampires?
Per the title, it’s pretty clear clockwork is at play, but it’s not just machines but some kind of beings that have a soul! Robots? AI? What is this? The questions all find answers and it’s a wild ride. Without giving things away, the girl, June, finds herself caught up in this secret world of clockwork creations that puts her very life in danger. The more she uncovers, the more she realizes these beings are not quite the “dolls” she thought! Wilson’s writing is highly detailed and pulls you into a story that spans centuries!
The reason I give it a 4 not a 5 is that I found the ending all too tidy and the final conflict sort of boring. The story is so in depth and detailed throughout the book and it feels like Wilson just wrapped it up to get it done instead of fully exploring all that could have happened! It feels like there’s a lot more story to be told and the ending didn’t have the oomph it could have.
That said, I enjoyed the journey through time with my new clockwork friends and I look forward to redoing more of Wilson’s books!
sarah1109's review against another edition
Stopped at 87%. Found myself no longer invested in the story once they started solving where to find the original avtomat. Not sure why, just suddenly felt disconnected.
lenorav's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
darkknightrising's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
martydah's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
sglaser's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
cornmaven's review against another edition
2.0
A steampunk type of story involving automatons whose origins are thousands of years old, and whose destiny is nefarious. I rarely, rarely do this, but I abandoned this book with about 30 minutes left to listen. Just couldn't stand it anymore, and I grew to not care about what happens. Which is sad.
The writing wasn't very good in the beginning, and got worse as the novel progressed to the "exciting" parts. TOO MANY ADJECTIVES!!!!!!! And bad ones at that. So much so, that the readers were forced to be over the top on their voicing, and this just made it worse. I also grew to hate the idea that some ancient force 5 thousand years ago had created these things. Maybe a 1000 year BCE, but not before that.
I would have much preferred an I Robot sort of theme with automatons placed in the 19th century when they became more popular, and moved on from there.
The writing wasn't very good in the beginning, and got worse as the novel progressed to the "exciting" parts. TOO MANY ADJECTIVES!!!!!!! And bad ones at that. So much so, that the readers were forced to be over the top on their voicing, and this just made it worse. I also grew to hate the idea that some ancient force 5 thousand years ago had created these things. Maybe a 1000 year BCE, but not before that.
I would have much preferred an I Robot sort of theme with automatons placed in the 19th century when they became more popular, and moved on from there.