Clockwork Lives

First, this is not a set of short stories. It is a story of stories, every one of them an epic. I love how all the stories are seamlessly wrapped around the main story, that of Marinda Peak, who has to be adventurous and travel out of her comfort zone to get stories of other people to fill the book bequeathed her by her father, to obtain access to her dad’s inheritance. She is transformed in the process. Kevin J. Anderson is a master storyteller. I’m working on my MFA in Creative Writing, with 81 credits towards a 45-credit program. I’ve read hundreds of books, but I don’t know anyone who could tell stories better than Kevin.Kevin sets the standard for his storytelling up front when he tells the story of Arlen Peake, creator of the Clockwork Lives alchemy for capturing stories with a drop of blood. Here’s what he says: “let me explain how the special alchemy on these pages works, and also how the magic of storytelling works …Chronicling a person’s life does not entail including every tedious moment of it.The magic of a story is to take the totality of a life and winnow it down to the important events, strip out the dull everyday existence,The alchemy in this volume has a very selective reactive mechanism, a filtration effect that hones the story down to a fine gem.”Every story in the book is a fine gem. In this masterpiece, Kevin has taught us how to tell stories perfectly.They are not just stories. They are stories with life lessons in them that really helped me evaluate my own life. Here are a few of the nuggets of wisdom, which beat the wisdom in classics like The Alchemist:“You need to push yourself and realize that you are truly capable of more than you think you can do. That’s how you get better.”“Life is but a candle, and a dream must give it flame. Who was I to extinguish the flame?”“When you steal, what is stolen from you?Kevin starts the book saying, “Some lives can be summed up in a sentence or two. Other lives are epics.” This book made me examine my own life. Can my life be summed in a sentence or two? I’m now determined that my life will be an epic.Kevin’s descriptions were phenomenal. Here is the description of a commodore: “He was a dark-skinned man with a bald head and an enormous black beard that looked as if it had exploded from his chin. He had a bearlike build, broad shoulders, and sturdy legs; he also had a twinkle in his eye and a smile as he supervised the unloading of his cargo.”An extensive amount of research has gone into each story. E.g. The Alchemy miner’s tale is so rich with world building, as are all the other tales. The bookseller’s alternate universes concept is incredible.

I was skeptical about how much I'd like this book when I started reading it. I read the first book in this series, Clockwork Angels and I thought it was well-written, but the genre didn't interest me much. However, I didn't have anything else I wanted to read, and I thought I'd give this a try. I was pleasantly surprised at how the story sucked me in. It's a well-crafted and written story and I found myself rooting for the main character on more than one occasion. I was a bit melancholy reading this book and thinking about one of my literary and musical heroes, Neil Peart. I now look forward to reading the 3rd and final book in the trilogy, Clockwork Destiny.

While Clockwork Lives is technically a follow-up book to Clockwork Angels, there isn’t any real need to read the other book first. Both are self-contained, but if you read Clockwork Angels first, you will see the same characters making an appearance here.I picked up this book on the recommendation of a friend. I was playing with the idea of how you take short stories and link them together with an overall narrative. That’s what you get here and it is amazing.Marinda Peake gave up everything in order to take care of her aging father. During those long years, she sets up a strict schedule and adheres to it with tenacity. She prefers logic to flights of fancy. She has everything she needs in the small home she shares with her father and has absolutely no desire to go anywhere else. When her father passes away, her entire world is turned upside down.Her only inheritance is a large book. It contains alchemically treated pages that can distill a person’s life story with only a single drop of blood. In order to receive the rest of her inheritance, her father stipulated she needed to head out into the world and collect enough stories to fill her book. The first story she is given is her father’s. This is the first short story contained within the whole and provides the blueprint for the rest of the book.As Marinda travels in the search of stories, she quickly comes to realize that most people’s lives can be distilled to a few sentences. As time goes by, she decides she wants the book filled with epic tales.The stories themselves are amazing. Each one mingles with another in some small way. Whether it’s a mention of a person from another story or a spinoff from something Marinda has experienced herself, they’re all wonderfully written. Every epic tale is also accompanied by a drawing that gives the reader insight into the story to come. I will admit I didn’t pay close attention to them. I have an overly active imagination and couldn’t wait to read the story and watch it come to life in my mind by the excellent writing skills of Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart.By the end of the book, you can’t help but wonder. If Marinda were to take a drop of blood from you, would your story be only a few sentences, or would it spin out an epic tale?

While I really enjoyed this book, my biggest complaint was that it ended up being a collection of short stories. I mean that was the entire point of the main character, to travel around and collect life stories in her magical book. Most of the stories were charming but I'd almost have liked it better if there was another book that each of these stories had eluded to, or another chapter in the book where they later came back up. Overall I enjoyed the atmosphere and the pacing of the book. One of those I also enjoyed reading with the book in my hand over a digital copy. The feel of the book in my hands while reading a steampunk-esque story just helped it that much more.

So good...the perfect compliment to the music. A must have for Rush fans. The characters bring it all home for me.

Liked the story and how it ties in with ‘Clockwork Angels’.Very imaginative and creative series. Interesting characters and setting.

Still reading it

Fantastic book that ties in with Clockwork Angels although you don't need to have read that one before but it helps.Once more simplistic in storyline but engaging allowing you the reader to decide how far you want your imagination to take you.Publisher also provides a pdf electronic copy on proof of purchase which is a nice touch.

As a lover of the Band Rush, I was compelled to read the accompanying book titled "Clockwork Angels". This book introduced me to the author, Kevin J. Anderson. I loved that book and wanted more of the Clockwork Universe. I was not disappointed with Clockwork Lives. I could not put it down!

I would have read this regardless due to the Neil Peart connection but in reality I found it compulsive, immersive and difficult to put down! The central characters growth as a person, the stories of the characters she encounters all draw you into the narrative and leave you wanting to follow the other plot threads as well as the one in the book. I would love to know what went on at Underworld books in Crown City after Marinda left for example. Sadly there will be no more and we are poorer for it.

Neal Peart RUSH what else can I Say!