A review by yirra2112
Clockwork Angels by Kevin J. Anderson
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.