Clockwork Angels
Ratings8
Average rating2.9
From a New York Times bestseller, “firmly planted in the steampunk genre, an epic-scale story . . . with beautiful illustrations” based on the album from Rush(Booklist). A remarkable collaboration that is unprecedented in its scope and realization, this exquisitely wrought novel represents an artistic project between the bestselling science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson and the multiplatinum rock band Rush. Rush’s concept album, Clockwork Angels, sets forth a story in Neil Peart’s lyrics that has been expanded by Peart and Anderson into this epic novel. In a young man’s quest to follow his dreams, he is caught between the grandiose forces of order and chaos. He travels across a lavish and colorful world of steampunk and alchemy with lost cities, pirates, anarchists, exotic carnivals, and a rigid Watchmaker who imposes precision on every aspect of daily life. The mind-bending story is complemented with rich paintings by the five-time Juno Award winner for Best Album Design, Hugh Syme. “Stands on its own merits as a grand adventure tale woven with threads of various themes enough to keep it fresh, exciting and engaging. Ultimately, Clockwork Angels is one of the most human of stories.” —Book Reporter “A fine piece of dystopian fiction, and it will appeal to readers young and old.” —Booklist
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2 primary booksClockwork Angels
Clockwork Angels is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2012 with contributions by Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart.
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I have been a huge Rush fan for years, and Neil Peart has always been an intriguing lyricist, particularly in the world of rock music. It was pleasant to have Rush return to the concept album with their most recent record of the same name as this book. This is a fleshing out of the story, giving more context to the songs.
In that regard, it works very well. Listening to the album now, I feel I have a better understanding of each of the songs, they work together in a better, more cohesive manner.
However, the novel really doesn't go much beyond that. With the exception of the main character, all the others are incredibly flat, with little depth to them. And even the main character doesn't get much more treatment than that. The only reason we have a better understanding of his motivations is because we spend more time with him than the others. The wider world is there, waiting to be plumbed and mined for a very interesting story. Sadly, we don't ever get that. Instead, we get a sweat, enjoyable, quick coming of age story that compliments the album nicely.
By no means essential reading, still, it is quick and easy to get through, and I already find I enjoy the album more now than I did before, so I felt it was worth it.
