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!