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