Product Description

From the master storyteller comes a tale of gothic mystery as elegantly crafted as the most intricate clockwork. A tormented apprentice clock-maker - and a deadly knight in armour. A mechanical prince - and the sinister Dr Kalmenius, who some say is the devil- Compelling characters and superbly constructed narrative create a story that is funny, frightening, exciting, and clever. A gem.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3969 in Books
• Published on: 2004-11-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
While Philip Pullman's greatest popularity is as a creator of novel-length magical realism for young adults, such as The Northern Lights, he continues to explore and stretch the limits of other children's and young adult genres. Clockwork is no exception. With its inspiration lying solidly in the German romantic tradition of E.T.A. Hoffmann and the Brothers Grimm, the story begins, as all good fairy tales do, with someone whose human weakness sets events inescapably in motion. As the townspeople of Glockenheim gather in the White Horse Tavern on the eve of the unveiling of a new figure for their great town clock, Karl, the clockmaker's apprentice, reveals to Fritz, a young storyteller, that he has not been able to construct the figure. A new clock figure is expected of all apprentices, and Karl is the first in hundreds of years to fail. Fritz, in his turn, has the beginnings of a new story to tell, and as it rolls off his tongue, its dark antagonist materializes and offers Karl his dearest wish. Not surprisingly, Karl's Faustian pact brings him destruction, but an innocent child is the deus ex machina that saves another child and the spirit of the town from seemingly ineluctable oblivion. With its eerie black-and-white illustrations by Leonid Gore and its happily-ever-after ending to some thrilling suspense, Clockwork is a fine fairy tale for younger children and a thought- provoking twist on the art of narrative for older ones. --Barrie Trinkle

Synopsis
From the master storyteller comes a tale of gothic mystery as elegantly crafted as the most intricate clockwork. A tormented apprentice clock-maker - and a deadly knight in armour. A mechanical prince - and the sinister Dr Kalmenius, who some say is the devil- Compelling characters and superbly constructed narrative create a story that is funny, frightening, exciting, and clever. A gem.

From the Publisher
A classic Philip Pullman tale, reissued in a stunning new format.

Customer Reviews

I'd say better than 'his dark materials'
i bought this book because when i was at junior school (yr 6) my teacher read this to the class, and i was encased in the story from then on, this is a brilliant story even if after you read it you're not quite sure what it was about. it isn't a very long book so it's perfect to read to your kids (those that don't scare easy) i am now 17 and still look on this book with fond memories.

Nice idea, but could have been better
This is typical Pullman stuff - fantastical, pleasantly grim and unconventional. In this case the story is about clock makers in Germany, and though no specific date is given, it can be assumed that it is around the turn of the nineteenth century. In the margin there are occasional text boxes containing extra information, as though the voice of the author, which adds a little extra context.

The tale itself contains a story within a story, and this, along with the fact that the subject matter concerns time, has inspired Pullman to be inventive with chronology. This is a nice idea, but isn't so good in it's execution, leaving it a little confusing in places, though without detracting from the story. It is very readable, and surprisingly violent for it's target audience (this would have a younger readership than His Dark Materials) - at one point a man is killed by being stabbed through the neck by a clockwork knight. A good book, but not quite there.

The clock is ticking
A fantastic Gothic fairy tale for 9-12 yr olds. Set in that old Germanic world of the Nutcracker, Coppelia and the Tales of Hoffmann, this short novel has suspense and horror aplenty in its 92 pages and the conflict is neatly resolved by the power of love.
To finish his apprenticeship, Karl has to make a new clockwork figure for the town's clock - but with one night to go has got nowhere; Fritz, a writer, has come to the inn to tell them a scary story, but suffering from writer's block hasn't finished it ... they have both set wheels in motion and this story needs to be wound up!
I loved it to pieces.