Clockwork Angels, (Conclusion)

I must admit to being pleasantly surprised at just how well this book wrapped up.  Although it covered a lot of territory – story-wise and song-wise as well as geography-wise! – it didn’t feel rushed at all.  To take considerably more time to tell the remainder might well have become tedious, and perhaps a good editor helped out here.  Owen’s lone trek through the wastelands to find the Seven Cities of Gold was covered well in only one medium length chapter.  His revelations upon finding what he sought were also well wrought. Mr. Anderson’s prose takes on an almost allegorical cast, which fits very well, here. 

For this reader, the prose was greatly improved, or perhaps just more fitting to the scenes throughout this entire quadrant.  The battle between the Wreckers and the Regulators was told at just the right pace and pitch as well.  Owen’s escape was quite cleverly designed into the plot, with a nice touch of inventiveness.  His difficulties finding his way back to land and to the carnival crowd were well depicted, too.  Perfect pacing throughout this section, as far as I’m concerned, though it seemed a more demanding task than those posed by the plot line earlier in the book. 

Throughout the story, the lyrics and the plot linked up very well, with a little give and take in sequencing.  Too much alignment with the sequencing might have been awkward.  The consistent sprinkling in the text of lines from the lyrics never became boorish (though some might not agree, I acknowledge!) and the inclusion of lines from other Rush songs on other albums became almost amusing.  I’m pretty sure I caught them all, though my knowledge of Rush lyrics on the whole isn’t quite as encyclopedic as some. 

Owen’s reuniting with the carnival people, especially with Francesca, was poignant enough to moisten the eyes, maybe more than a little, and was a very fitting emotional climax to the story as a whole.  The Garden, which is the last song on the album, is one of Rush’s most beautiful songs ever.  Getty Lee spoke of it in an interview I saw online as an important departure from the band’s normal musical approach and he seemed excited and proud of what they had done with it.  The book plays it up very nicely to conclude things. 

The text even fleshes out the ideas in the song somewhat, especially pointing out the importance of both Love and Respect, in combination: “…everybody wants to be loved and respected.  And neither is any good without the other.  Love without respect can be as cold as pity; respect without love can be as grim as fear.”  Anyone with a familiarity of Neil Peart’s lyric-writing isn’t too surprised at something as profound as this line – and yet I have to wonder if this one is Kevin’s?  My hat is off to both these fine gentlemen for treating us to such a meaningful experience.  Thank you, sirs!



February's book: Bloodland: A Family Story of Oil, Greed, and Murder on the Osage Reservation, by Dennis McAuliffe!  First segment, Part One on Feb. 1.

Clockwork Angels, (Chapter 15 up to Chapter 22)

CJ:  Maybe I'm too well read (not likely) or am just a tad jaded because I had hoped to see more originality. 

FM:  In a fledgling literary genre like Steampunk, the authors that dabble in it necessarily borrow from one another to a greater extent than in other genres.  One of the most well-known works in Steampunk is the His Dark Materials trilogy, by Philip Pullman, which begins with The Golden Compass.  Making our way through Clockwork Angels, we begin to see some deep parallels, including the significance of small, pocket-watch-like or compass-like devices such as the one that The Golden Compass was named for.  There is also the young boy (or girl in the case of the Materials saga) who is taken under the wing of a lone airship owner/operator and given a lift to far-off lands (or, "somewhere over the rainbow," perhaps...). 

CJ:  In these chapters we've covered "The Magical Mystery Tour" when the Anarchist returns to the college, Captain Ahab, Oliver, Tale of Two Cities, Around the World in 80 Days, Gremlins (the Underworld Bookstore) with a splash of WaterWorld/Mad Max when Owen meets the Wreckers. 

FM:  Steampunk is, by nature, an “alternate universe” genre, depicting what our world might have been like if electricity had never been developed, and steam power and mechanical kinetics had become sophisticated to the point that even when electricity had eventually become known, it would have been shoved aside, much as solar power is in our universe.  (Alternatively, why not envision a universe in which solar power had been discovered and developed ahead of steam?  “Solarpunk,” anyone?)  Anyway, Steampunk writers will inevitably be tempted to include the idea of traveling between alternate universes in their storylines.  The authors of both the works mentioned here have given in to the temptation.

CJ:  The revelation of Owen's mom actually had me excited for a bit but those hopes were dashed with the revelation that the book was written by his "other mother". 

FM:  Owen discovers a bookshop that has books from “other worlds.”  He hooks up with the Commodore, who collects such books and becomes the Commodore’s helper on his airship, eventually discovering in the Commodore’s library a book written by Owen’s mother telling of her travels.  Only he knows it couldn’t be his mother; she’s been dead in her grave back home since he was a small child, and he remembers her death clearly.  It’s always interesting to see how quickly characters in books like these accept these unbelievable developments.  She’s the mother that didn’t die in an alternate universe, of course!

CJ:  Owen's search and finding of the 7 Cities made me think of Mesa Verde New Mexico. The description of the mesa and the empty villages brought back visions of that hauntingly beautiful place whose civilization, like that in Owen's world mysteriously disappeared. Again, nice story, far from original. 

FM:  I’m not really bothered by any of this, so I shouldn’t be so facetious.  These are not really flaws, after all. I just like a little less predictability in my reading.  That being said, Owen’s trek to find the Seven Cities of Gold and what happens from that point on is completely unpredictable, even to one who has heard the lyrics to the remaining songs.  Short of someone giving him a pair of ruby slippers, telling him to click his heels together three times, and winding up back in Barrel Arbor, anything that happens from this point is a keenly anticipated mystery. 

CJ:  The moral of the story is starting to become more and more evident. Neither "Stability" nor "Chaos" is the best choice, and Owen is realizing that. Cliche as I find the book I could see it rising to the top of high school reading lists. The book carries a heavy message to society and I think it illustrates the political extremes we are seeing around the world today.  I may very well suggest it to my literature teacher friends. Picking this one apart and finding the influences of all the classics could be fun.

 

FM:  I still sense a rigidity in the flow of the prose, almost as if Mr. Anderson is trying not to get too chummy with his readers, or as if he’s following a set of guidelines intended to produce a “classic” style.  This includes an occasional re-hashing of events and ideas; you can almost hear him say, “Okay, let’s review.”  I’ve noticed other writers doing something similar in less obtrusive ways, and appreciated it.  After all, sometimes we do put down a book for several days before we get back to it.  I almost want to tell him to have a couple of beers before he sits down to write.  Let’s see if he loosens up in the final quarter.

CJ:  Looking forward to seeing how this one wraps up. Will it be cliche? Chapter 22 seems to indicate so. I'm beginning to think it is best for us to stick to what we're good at. I know what is going on in Mr. Peart's head has got to be more original and intricate than this story. For someone who does such a superb job telling a story in music, he just hasn't hit the mark with this book.




Next week: Conclusion



February's book: Bloodland: A Family Story of Oil, Greed, and Murder on the Osage Reservation, by  Dennis McAuliffe!

Clockwork Angels, (Chapter 7 up to Chapter 15)

CJ:  There have been several surprises and revelations throughout these chapters. The term clockwork is taking on a whole new meaning as we see that the Watchmaker is creating part human, part machine creatures to keep his Stability intact. Now the book is starting to have a bit of a creepy Stepford Wives feel. Are any of the characters real or is this all a creation of part human, part machine creatures playing out the Watchmakers fantasy?

FM:  A major criticism of the Star Wars saga is that its plot is what can be derogatorily called a “Space Opera.”  It’s been said that Star Wars is a Western disguised as Science Fiction, that there is really nothing new here in terms of plot or storyline.  I think that’s a valid argument.  Clockwork, viewed narrowly, is essentially the same old “bored-country-boy-runs-away-from-home-and-joins-the-circus” cliché.  Even if it turns out to be much more than that – which I think it will – I would have avoided going there.  Neil Peart has made it a trademark in his lyrics of brilliantly turning clichés on their heads: “The point of departure / Is not to return”.  Let’s hope this happens here!

CJ:  I think my greatest fascination with the novel is the melding of all these stories with which we are somewhat familiar and then the turns that take us down another path. 

FM:  One unusual theme that gets close attention in this book, usually avoided in literature, is Anarchy.  It’s a controversial, perhaps poorly understood topic that gets more fairly analyzed here.  Much has been made of Ayn Rand’s influence on Neil Peart, and many dismiss Rand as an Anarchist, which is totally inaccurate.  The Anarchist in this story may well believe in a total absence of government; it isn’t yet clear.  But he is fundamentally opposed to the “benevolent dictatorship” of the Watchmaker, and is doing what he can to disrupt the Watchmakers plan, called the “Stability” in this book.

CJ:  The foreshadowing of potential mutiny by the Angels kind of has me hanging on the edge of my seat, as well as how young Owenhardy is going to deal with his situation of holding the smoking gun. 

FM:  The quasi-religious fawning of the townspeople over the giant mechanical contraptions known as the Clockwork Angels is a nice touch.  The “sweet-smelling smoke” that emanated from hidden vents all around the square seemed to add a lot to the ritual – the early southwestern American Indians with their peyote could have told us a lot about that!  Our hero, who was mesmerized by the spectacle (along with the sweet-smelling smoke) is surprised to find that his love interest had been observing him with a smirk the whole time.  Carnies are harder to impress with gimmicky show-biz ploys than impressionable farm boys!

CJ:  Is the Watchmaker going to send him back to his home to live a dull existence with Lavina? Is he going to take the blame for all the Anarchists destruction? Are the Angels going to rebel? 

FM:  One of my favorite songs from the album is “Halo Effect”, which is as close to a ballad as you’ll see from Rush – they aren’t known for their sensitivity!  This song is a real beauty, though, exploring the Unrequited Love theme masterfully:  “It’s shameful to tell / How often I fell / In love with illusions again”.  So Clockwork, still following the run-away-and-join-the-circus cliché, has our hero falling in love with the beautiful trapeze artist, proposing to her, and being soundly rejected.  Did this story really need this segment?  I suppose so, and it did make for a great song.  Certain readers might regard this as the most interesting part of the book – but will those readers ever pick up a book like this? 

CJ:  Another item that I overlooked as the foreshadowing was laid out was the Fortune Teller. So the Watchmaker was so intent on becoming a creator that he experimented on his own daughter & left her a side show freak? There  was a hint at reproduction not being quite human. I wonder if we will have more revelations pointing to the answer of my first question. Is anyone in this world real?




Next week's Chapters: Chapter 15 up to 22

Clockwork Angels, (Beginning up to Chapter 7)

FM:  This book represents a fascinating experiment in combining art forms; in this case, the combination of novel-writing (sci-fi novel-writing in particular) and songwriting.  This story, created by Neil Peart of the band Rush in collaboration with the established sci-fi writer, Kevin J. Anderson, has been outlined in lyric form for Rush’s album, and developed here, in novel form. The result is pretty remarkable.  

CJ:  This one caught me quite by surprise. I chose not to read any reviews, just let the authors take me on a journey. 

FM:  I found it enlightening to become familiar with the album first, so as to recognize when key phrases found in the lyrics are used in the novel; often word for word.  (In an odd twist, some phrases from other Rush albums even find their way into this book!) 

CJ:  The journey begins in a pastoral setting that is a pleasant blend of some favorite childhood memories, both mine & my children. It is perfect blend of the Wizard of Oz, Thomas the Tank Engine, Polar Express and a variety of Disney features set in pleasant European villages.

FM:  Both the CD and the book are intended to evoke the relatively new aesthetic genre known as Steampunk, perhaps more accurately termed, as is done in other venues, “Victorian Futurism.”  It combines elements of Goth, Sci-Fi, Alternate Universe Fantasy (yes, absolutely the Oz books!) and other genres and is, as yet, rather vaguely defined beyond those broad parameters.  The first line of lyrics to be heard on the album says a lot: “In a world lit only by fire,” meaning that the energy source in this universe is not electricity, but steam; hence the name, Steampunk. 

CJ:  But quickly there is a bit of suspicion dashed in with the Watchmaker. Initially I got the feeling it was a lash at deities and the blind, childlike faith that is necessary to be followers, but then it went a bit deeper. The lyrics of "Freewill" keep going through my head. I question whether the Watchmaker is a deity or a man? References to his age make me lean towards man (the Wizard maybe).

FM:  The book isn’t quite as clear on this Steampunk point early on, but the cultural consequences are readily apparent.  Another important subtext in this book (besides the “Freewill” question), as in many of the Ayn-Rand-influenced lyrics by Peart, is that of central political control.  The Watchmaker, a presumably benevolent dictator, has everything under control, even, to some degree, the weather!  The hero’s father “…sat by the fire with a sharpened pencil and his ledger, going over how many barrels of fresh cider were to be delivered, how many would remain in storage to ferment into hard cider, how many were reserved for vinegar, and how much the Watchmaker allowed him to charge for each.  Every villager had a role to play, and all accounts balanced.”  Price controls, a centrally planned economy, each citizen knowing his place; our own politicians only dream of such influence! 

CJ:  Owen plays the part of a Pinocchio type character. He wants to be a good boy, but somehow a piece of him has survived the brainwashing and he has questions.  The Anarchist character has me guessing. Is he the old man from the stream liner? Is he the Watchmaker just trying to relieve the boredom? 

FM:  An earlier book by Anderson, Resurrection, Inc., was said to have been inspired by an earlier Rush album, Grace Under Pressure.  Those looking for similarities between the two had to stretch the imagination pretty far to link them.  In Clockwork Angels, however, the alignment is very close.  When we find, at the end of the first quarter of the book, that the Pedlar was the Watchmaker in disguise, it’s something of a surprise.  That revelation doesn’t seem to be given in the lyrics. Other details are fleshed out as well, including a brief background on how the Watchmaker came to power.  He discovered, through alchemy, how to make gold and “simply purchased everything he needed, every building, every factory, in such a swift and methodical manner that he controlled the city before the economy collapsed under a blizzard of cheap gold.”  The fact that this passage shows a rare understanding of how economies really work will be lost on some readers – as well as on almost all congressmen, apparently!   

CJ:  Nice choice CC!

Next week's Chapters: 7 up to 15