Book Review - Clockwork

[Silvana Mandeville]

Title: Clockwork or All Wound Up
Author: Philip Pullman
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Steampunk, Mystery, Science Fiction
Summary: It is a cold winter's night when Karl enters the White Horse Tavern looking like he's swallowed a thundercloud. His final task as a clockmaker apprentice is to make a new figure for the great clock of Glockenheim. He has not made the figure - or got any idea of what it could be, and the unveiling is tomorrow.

Good and Bad Points: "Clockwork or All Wound Up" tells the story of Karl, a clockmaker’s apprentice who finishes his schooling and has to create a statue for a clock. It’s a much-anticipated celebration where everyone is excited to see the statue.

The plot explores themes of fate and the interaction between humans and the mechanical world, looking at the consequences of one’s choices in a suspenseful and well-crafted way.

I enjoyed the part where Fritz, the storyteller, begins his tale at the tavern in the evening. The way the author describes Fritz’s storytelling is really captivating and made me feel like I was right there in the story. The author provides a lot of detail in this part. He is really good in building tension for readers.

The story about Prince Otto, Florian, and the doctor is quite dark, with the Florian living with a clock inside its body. It’s a bit creepy to imagine how the baby could survive and even grow up.

One drawback for me was not fully understanding how Florian ends up living like an ordinary human after receiving Gretl’s heart, I mean I was confused because after receiving his father’s heart he live but then sick again. Also, it’s unclear whether the clockmaker doctor is real or just a creation of Fritz’s storytelling, even though he came.