Clockwork Angels #5

This is basically a novelization of the 2012 album Clockwork Angels by Rush. Which is maybe less weird than it might sound, as Clockwork Angels is one of those concept albums whose lyrics, somewhat loosely, tell a story. In this case, the story is a sort of steampunky homage to Voltaire's Candide. It features a young man who grows up in a society run both like and by clockwork, following the dictates of a godlike figure known as the Watchmaker. The young man goes off and has lots of adventures, during which he comes to question everything he was brought up to believe.I am, I should probably say at the outset, a huge fan of Rush. But, this isn't my favorite entry in their discography. Heck, it's probably not even my favorite SF-dystopia concept album of theirs, even if I do generally prefer their more recent sound to that of their 2112 days. I certainly don't dislike it. It's decent enough. But it's never going to number among my favorites.The book, however, I did dislike. Possibly more than it deserves. Don't get me wrong, it's not a good book. The writing is rather clunky and simplistic. The story and the characters are flat, and much less interesting than whatever I might have vaguely imagined for myself while listening to the album. And Anderson does an awkwardly obvious job of incorporating the album lyrics, as well as other random bits of lyrics from other Rush songs. No doubt this was intended to be cute and fun, a little easter egg for the fans. But I found it incredibly distracting, as if the author were constantly winking at me and going, "See what I did there?" Honestly, though, I've read worse SF novels than this one and felt much less irritated by them. I can only conclude that the problem here is that the whole exercise took something I liked okay by an artist I love, and made me like it less, rather than more, made it more boring, rather than more interesting.Which is a pity, because it's a very pretty book, physically, with rich, colorful illustrations, and a lovely parchment-y pattern marking the first page of every chapter. Also because I can't help feeling that it would be possible for a really good author to do something worthwhile with the story, something that would add to, rather than detract from, the experience of listening to the album. But Kevin J. Anderson is not that author. And, yes, Neil Peart apparently worked very closely with him on the story. But, look... Neil Peart's lyrics have meant a hell of a lot to me over the years, and seeing him doing his virtuoso drum performance live may be the closest I've come to a spiritual experience in my life. But he's not a novelist, and if a project like this was going to be a real success, I think he needed to be paired with someone more skillful in that area.

Clockwork Angels is the companion book to the new Rush album of the same name. It's a steampunk fantasy describing a young man's dissatisfaction with his safe, ordered life in the Watchmaker's precisely ordered realm (even the rain arrives on time) and his embarkation on an impulsive adventure that rapidly spirals out of control. Through the book, the hero - Owen Hardy - changes from a naive boy to a young man.

However, if you are expecting complex plotting and multi-layered characters, you will not find them. Clockwork Angels is an allegory; Owen's physical journey represents his (and everyone's) journey to maturity, with the inevitable disillusionments and discoveries along the way. As you travel with him, you get to think about the virtue of balance, and the fact that extremes of either order or chaos can be equally undesirable; the nature of life and death; the purpose of imagination; and freedom - the freedom to choose, and the freedom to fail; and more. Some of these concepts occur as themes throughout the book (such as freedom) and others as vignettes covered only in one scene or part of a scene.

Anyone with an interest in philosophy or French literature will recognise a strong resemblance to Voltaire's Candide; in some ways, Clockwork Angels might be regarded as a retelling of Candide for a modern audience; the authors - for I include Neil Peart, Rush's drummer - say in an afterword that Candide 'was an early model for the story arc'. For Rush fans, there are also plenty of references to Rush's previous work.

So in conclusion, you can read this just as a steampunk fantasy and enjoy it, but by doing so I think you would miss out on the best bits. Read it slowly, and allocate it the brain space and time for some good thinking. You'll be glad you did.

An OK novel derived from a Rush album of the same title. Some new concepts, but nothing groundbreaking.

I loved this book. It presents a really cool world, one I wish had more books about it. The concept of intersecting worlds introduced in this story is lovely, and I really love the aesthetics of the clockwork angels. It's also satisfying that while we see in this novel how the seeming utopia of Albion is not perfect, we also see how it does provide a happy, safe, fulfilling lifestyle for most of its people. This is a much more nuanced concept than just criticizing the clockwork society for its restrictiveness, and offered a lot to think about.

Loved the Rush album (especially BU2B, Clockwork Angels, The Anarchist, The Wreckers and The Garden) but really disliked the book.

The story here is a pretty classic coming of age story and everyone reading it will find something that mirrors their own experiences growing up in the world. The loss of our created illusions is clearly exposed by Owen Hardy's journey across his steampunk world, one world of many worlds. And the battle between anarchy and order should be familiar enough to everyone; a clear unmasking of the dangers that come from extreme ideologies. But though the concepts are not new, the way the story is told has a more modern feel.The book is the companion novel to the current RUSH album of the same title, the first concept album the band has done since Hemispheres (Release in 1978). It's a fantastic idea, having a novel that tells the more intricate details of the story initially unveiled in the music. It almost has me pining for Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart to go back and write the novel for 2112.The artwork throughout the book is also a big plus for the story; Hugh Syme does a damn fine job capturing the feel of this world. Clearly the collaboration of the writer, the musician, and the artist is capably of producing a stunning work; it all comes together perfectly.P.S. I've been a huge RUSH fan since I was 12, so I may be a bit biased.

It continued in in much the same vein. Some beautiful prose and imagery. but I found the plotline to be severely lacking. I actually think I flashed back to the plot of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Whilst it didnt involve jailing all children, it definitely put me in that frame of mind, with everyone having to follow the plan and do exactly what the Watchmaker said...

The Watchmaker has spent a couple hundred years bringing absolute precision to the lives of Albion. The Anarchist is trying to tear the order apart. In between the two of them is a rather unassuming young man, Owen Hardy, who is almost at the age of adulthood and is ready to propose to a pretty girl and take over running the apple orchard for his father. He is noticed by the Watchmaker and the Anarchist as a possible hiccup in the order of things and they try to sway him to their respective views. The anarchist takes the first shot by literally snatching him onto a steamline train, off to take raw supplies to Crown City and to possibly see the legendary Clockwork Angels. The reader follows Owen as he arrives in the city and naively makes his way around until he runs out of funds. He comes across a traveling circus and starts working for them, traveling through many small towns like his home and he gets strong and more attached to the beautiful trapeze artist. Later he joins a steamliner captain and also works on a ship and is wrecked by pirates. He sees the good and bad in order and chaos and wants to find a good balance between the two.The reader is treated to an interesting world full of alchemy and follow the growth of a young man who gets hard lessons during his journey. A fun read.

In a world where order is precisely controlled by the Watchmaker, Owen Hardy, an apple farmer, yearns for adventure and to visit Crown City and to cast his eyes upon the famed Clockwork Angels. But nobody leaves their village. It's not allowed. He takes a chance in sneaking out of his house just before midnight to meet his girlfriend, who doesn't show up and unwittingly embarks on an adventurous journey beyond his wildest dreams when he impetuously leaps aboard a Steamliner. Life, as he knew it, crumbles as he engages with pirates, encounters and falls in love with a carnival artist named Francesca, knows not what to make of makeshift island, is awed by Chronos City and meets with a host of complex characters. The ever changing landscape, exciting machines and people are described in such colorful detail as seen through Owen's eyes that we share in his awe, his excitement, his fear, his sorrow and his joy. As the Watchmaker exerts control over most of the population, providing them with a safe and orderly world, so does the Anarchist introduce chaos in an attempt to disrupt order, and Owen experiences the struggle of one against the other, and the importance of balance.This steampunk book is beautifully illustrated and I chanced upon it, not realizing that it was based on the lyrics of songs by the band Rush. I think the story does well standing on its own for those unfamiliar with the band and their songs. I understand that the experience is enhanced if one listens to the band before, during or after reading the book. I may have to download some of their songs and re-read this.

Out of context, this might seem to be a somewhat by-the-numbers steampunk quest novel. With a little (or a lot) of knowledge of the album which inspired it, it takes flight as part illustration, part explanation. I liked it a lot, but I'm a Rush fan. Mileage will undoubtedly vary for non-fans, but I still recommend it; in fact, I'd be interested to hear what people who haven't heard the music think of it.

First off, I have to say, the hardcover version of this book is a beautiful book. The jacket is excellent, the cover, binding and paper are good quality, each new chapter page is in a parchment style and there are appropriate interior illustrations. If you aren't familiar with it, this is the novelization of the Rush album Clockwork Angels. It faithfully turns the story that's told in the songs from the album into a novel. Even if you aren't a fan of the steampunk genre, this is appropriate for fans of fantasy. It was a fun and interesting read with little bits of Rush-dom thrown in for Rush fans, though if you aren't a fan they won't bother you. Really well done.

Prior to reading Clockwork Angels I would have rated Kevin J. Anderson’s outstanding Terra Incognita trilogy as his best work. Kevin has published many superb novels, and while I love them all, I really clicked with the Terra Incognita books. In fact, I had Kevin sign all three of my copies when I met him a few years ago. But Clockwork Angels is a special book. A stand alone novel based upon and inspired by Neil Peart’s lyrics for the Rush album of the same name, Clockwork Angels is a dazzling coming of age story. Part fantasy, part science fiction and part Steampunk, Clockwork Angels tells the story of young Owen Hardy who yearns to see more of the world. He does just that, and soon he discovers that his world isn’t what it seems, and his adventures test his endurance and willpower. He finds himself pulled between the forces of order and chaos. Learning to survive on his own, Owen falls in love, travels to remote parts of the world, and experience extreme loneliness and extraordinary adventures. Bibliophiles take note: the paperback edition from ECW Press in Canada includes stunning cover and interior images designed by Hugh Syme thus making this a real collector’s item. Neil Peart’s lyrics are included along with an essay by Peart on the book’s origin. Kevin J. Anderson has crafted a wholly original and heartfelt story that will touch readers of all ages. I really loved this book and I’m rating it a modern classic alongside Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere. This is one you won’t want to miss. The Anarchist, the Watchmaker, Francesca, Cesar Magnusson and his carnival extravaganza, Commodore Pangloss, the seven cities of gold and other characters and places are all waiting to be discovered in the pages of this wonderful book.