A review by crazygoangirl
The Clockwork Man by William Jablonsky
4.0
Stumbled upon this book on one of my weekend bookstore jaunts. It seemed interesting and on reading, it was!
Based on the intriguing concept of a man made entirely of clockwork and his life in the house of his creator, his 'Master'; a genius German clock maker and a good human being; the story is narrated in the first person by Ernst - The Clockwork Man himself. Written in the form of a memoir, it's a quaint story of love, loss and survival spanning centuries. It's a simple, easy read that is bittersweet and yet strangely uplifting. Ernst is a 'gentleman', and his narrative is appropriately 'gentleman-like'. His love for Giselle and it's consequences - direct and indirect form the crux of the story and yet we are also treated to a glimpse of everyday life in a small German town, and a telling look at the human psyche as the people surrounding him react to his uniquely strange appearance, to the very miracle that is his existence. His interactions with humans - make for some interesting encounters and enjoyable reading.
Ernst's appearance and existence - best described as a transitional form of life, hovering somewhere between robot and human is fascinating. There are times when he seems closer to an automaton and others when he behaves entirely like a human! My only wish was for the author to have described his physicality in as much detail as he did his emotions and thoughts. He lightly touches on the fact of a 'brain' made of light, translucent discs, but never goes into actual details of how, where, and why. Perhaps this is an intentional attempt to enhance the mystery, which it does, but I would have preferred more details. I don't know whether this book fits into the sci-fi slot, coz it reads more like drama, but I suppose one can loosely consider it such based on the basic premise.
All in all, an enjoyable read, that I'm not likely to forget in a hurry.
Based on the intriguing concept of a man made entirely of clockwork and his life in the house of his creator, his 'Master'; a genius German clock maker and a good human being; the story is narrated in the first person by Ernst - The Clockwork Man himself. Written in the form of a memoir, it's a quaint story of love, loss and survival spanning centuries. It's a simple, easy read that is bittersweet and yet strangely uplifting. Ernst is a 'gentleman', and his narrative is appropriately 'gentleman-like'. His love for Giselle and it's consequences - direct and indirect form the crux of the story and yet we are also treated to a glimpse of everyday life in a small German town, and a telling look at the human psyche as the people surrounding him react to his uniquely strange appearance, to the very miracle that is his existence. His interactions with humans - make for some interesting encounters and enjoyable reading.
Ernst's appearance and existence - best described as a transitional form of life, hovering somewhere between robot and human is fascinating. There are times when he seems closer to an automaton and others when he behaves entirely like a human! My only wish was for the author to have described his physicality in as much detail as he did his emotions and thoughts. He lightly touches on the fact of a 'brain' made of light, translucent discs, but never goes into actual details of how, where, and why. Perhaps this is an intentional attempt to enhance the mystery, which it does, but I would have preferred more details. I don't know whether this book fits into the sci-fi slot, coz it reads more like drama, but I suppose one can loosely consider it such based on the basic premise.
All in all, an enjoyable read, that I'm not likely to forget in a hurry.