Life was very simple for Marinda Peake. That is until her father bestowed her with a copy of a rather unique book that would change her life in more adventurous ways than she could ever have imagined.
Clockwork Lives sees the continuation of the fantastical steampunk world brought to life in Kevin J. Anderson and Rush drummer Neil Peart’s Clockwork Angels, as they return to the Watchmaker’s world to tell the story of Marinda Peake and a rather unique alchemical book.
Marinda lived an organized and peaceful life in the quiet village of Lugtown, but all that was to soon change as she inherits a rather unusual gift from her dear departed father that comes with a very specific set of instructions. Not every daughter dreams of inheriting their very own alchemical book that must be filled with other people’s stories, but Marinda suddenly finds herself thrown into a life changing task as part of her father’s mysterious inheritance, that would take her far from her comfortable life in Lugtown.
Taking her across the skies and beyond – from airships, to carnivals and travelling bookshops – to collect stories fit for this rather unusual book. From the interwoven tales around the mysterious Watchmaker who has brought order to the people, to the astonishing strongman, Golson, and his journey with the Carnival Extraganza, each story is brought together to fill her book of unique stories as Marinda finds herself on a journey of her own that she could never have dreamt of.
Clockwork Lives brings each story together along the way, as we follow not just Marinda’s journey but the paths of each individual that she meets along the way, making for a rather steampunk-styled Canterbury Tales of stories, all interwoven together in ways that Marinda herself could never have imagined.
A rollercoaster of a tale that makes for a wonderfully entertaining read, whether you enjoy the whimsical steam-powered world of steampunk or not you’ll certainly find it an intriguing and wonderful story.
CLOCKWORK LIVES / AUTHOR: NEIL PEART, KEVIN J. ANDERSON / PUBLISHER: ECW PRESS / RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 15TH
