Clockwork Angels: The Novel Discussion

[softfilter]

I lost interest in reading science fiction completely by the time I reached 17 years of age. So I never really had a strong desire to invest in CA the novel(curious yes) but after reading so many negative reviews, my curiosity is over and done with. I still have no problem with Neil being a co author trying his hand in fiction novel writing and the album is still amazing to me and highly enjoyable. But wonder didn't Neil once say he thought about writing a science fiction book or fictional short story essays for magazines but decided it wasn't for him? Edited September 9, 2012 by softfilter

[Bangster of Goats]

Well, I finished it last night. I think if you're a fan of the album and are intrigued by the story, it's certainly worth a read.

 

For a non-fan just browsing the bookshelf and picking it up, though, I think it might seem a little too light. And speaking *as* a fan, I wouldn't have minded some areas being fleshed out a little more, but, you know, not to the extent of George R.R. Martin or anything.

 

The lyrics references still made me roll my eyes though, especially when two or three are crammed into the span of a couple paragraphs, lol.

 

On that note, I'm surprised that given how the Anarchist and the Watchmaker were battling for control of Owen, that Anderson didn't throw in some reference to Hemispheres (eg: "Owen's spirit was divided into blinded hemispheres.") C'mon Anderson, it was a perfect opportunity for another groaner!

[StellarJetman]

QUOTE (HalfwayToGone @ Sep 8 2012, 05:36 PM)

@Stellar Jetman Sorry if I came off a bit hot there, but you seem to think I'm pompous and self-aggrandizing with my post, and your response was dismissive if not frankly insulting, when really I was referring to fans exactly like you (surely not myself), and trying to be complimentary rather than calling you a bunch of snobs or jerks or anything else insulting to your intelligence. Really, your entire diatribe essentially proves my point about Rush fans being highly discriminating. You're the perfect example, in fact. Perhaps I was being a bit too absolute about it, but you're possibly taking my original post a bit way too seriously and thinking I'm self-congratulatory, which I'm absolutely not (I rarely read anything aside from the interweb these days). And maybe I took your response too personally also. And yeah, I know kids read a Wrinkle In Time--it was the first summer homework I ever had as a kid, and I resented having to do homework during vacation. Tremendously. I got through it only because it was a very good book. But my point wasn't that kids don't ever read good books, it's that the basic lesson behind CA is absolutely worth telling to kids. Especially when the country is so divided with each half telling the other how they should act, think and feel about just about everything. OK, off my soapbox now. And again, sorry if I reacted too harshly last post, but hey, I didn't start out trying to insult anyone.

All right. It's all good.

[Tick]

QUOTE (GeminiRising79 @ Sep 9 2012, 12:06 AM)

Honestly, Anderson's writing has never impressed me. I know that he's Neil's friend and all, but he was definitely the wrong guy for the job.

Interesting. Seems there are a few people in the Rush camp who are the wrong guys for the job.

What does this even mean?

[StellarJetman]

QUOTE (Tick @ Sep 10 2012, 05:32 AM)

QUOTE (GeminiRising79 @ Sep 9 2012, 12:06 AM) Interesting. Seems there are a few people in the Rush camp who are the wrong guys for the job. What does this even mean? Probably talking about Raskulinecz.

Edited September 10, 2012 by StellarJetman

[Lerxster]

 

Honestly, Anderson's writing has never impressed me. I know that he's Neil's friend and all, but he was definitely the wrong guy for the job.

Interesting. Seems there are a few people in the Rush camp who are the wrong guys for the job.

What does this even mean?

You're asking a troll what he means by a negative statement about Rush? Every post he makes about "new" Rush is negative. C'mon, Tick. Don't you know everything Rush has sucked since after1979?

[Tony R]

I've only read the downloadable opening chapters but I won't be reading any more.

 

I can't believe that Peart has allowed this utter shite to go to print. I'm sure Peart could have done better himself, Anderson writes like a 12 yr old.

 

Caveat emptor.

[SlyJeff]

QUOTE (StellarJetman @ Sep 7 2012, 01:50 PM)

QUOTE (HalfwayToGone @ Sep 7 2012, 06:40 AM) That said, this novel is playing to probably the most literate and discriminating crowd of any rock band fanbase in history. The word that you're looking for is "nerdy". Nothing against nerds, but sheesh that's some hyperbole. Unless Rand, Tolkien, and Asimov constitute the literary canon now. A) The bar isn't exactly high- it doesn't take much to be the "most" literate and discriminiating crowd of a rock band.   You need to add Nietzsche, Voltair, and a few other less "nerdy" authors to your list.

[HalfwayToGone]

FWIW, most of this thread's posts prove my point. More criticisms than compliments. If I were wrong, everyone would be gushing over this novel. The fact that anyone is on a rock band's forum having any sort of discussion of literature is exactly what I was getting at. I doubt you'll see a thread about literature any other rock band's fan forum.

 

And you're absolutely right, the bar is not high. Also a very good point. The bar has been getting lower and lower, IMHO.

Edited September 12, 2012 by HalfwayToGone

[Snaked]

I just finished the book and I have not read anything in this thread.

I will simply give my short and sweet review.

 

 

I was not expecting much from this book. My expectations were very low.

At times while I was reading it I was very glad I had such low expectations because there are parts that just did not work for me.

 

However, by the end I was quite happy with it.

 

Is Clockwork Angels a "Modern Masterpiece" of a novel?

Not a chance.

 

Is it a satisfying read for RUSH fans who want to delve a little deeper into the characters that were introduced to us with the album?

You bet'cha!

 

I'm sure some people will complain about the end but I rather liked it.

It took me by surprise although it shouldn't have.

I closed the book for the last time with a smile on my face, very satisfied.

 

 

There were a couple things that bothered me about the book though.

 

1. I thought KJA took a few too many liberties at forcing in song references where they simply did not fit.

2. Certain parts of the story were drawn out much longer than they needed to be while others that I wanted to read more about were rushed through. Especially the ending.. I really do want more but I am still happy just knowing...

 

 

 

All in all I'm happy I bought it.

[Bangster of Goats]

I haven't purchased the hardcover version, just read the digital version on a company-loaned e-reader, but I may buy it because it might be an interesting keepsake in 20 years' time. Kinda like my old weathered copy of B-Man's Visions that I bought back in 1992. Edited September 12, 2012 by Bangster of Goats

[gangsterfurious]

I'm working my way through it right now and I have to say it's just OK in my opinion. I feel that any sort of flow is missing and it hasn't drawn me in as I expected it would, as was the case with the album.

 

Oh well.

 

[Snaked]

IMO there is a bit of a payoff at the end that makes it worth fighting through some of the middle chapters.

 

The book never drew me in but it kept my attention enough to want to finish it and I'm glad I did.

[HalfwayToGone]

I guess I'll break down and get a regular copy. I'm dying to open up one of the limited ones (especially since my silver edition has #74 on it--I can't imagine they'd send one separated from the manuscript page, so maybe it's really 374, 474 or 574).

[Amy Farrah Fowler]

I'm about 8 chapters in and it's keeping me drawn in. I was feeling the "oh, come ON!" with the lyrics placements here and there...but, it's what makes it special to Rush fans.

 

I think I enjoy it purely because it's clearing up the lyrics for me. This album, unlike a lot of their other albums, kind of NEEDS a story behind it so it all makes sense. 2112 was pretty well laid out within the song itself, CA needs a little more clarification, and from a marketing standpoint, they couldn't have done a better job.

 

I'll continue to read it. I do have to agree with whomever said Neil should have just taken this task upon himself. I have enjoyed Ghost Rider and Far and Away.

[The Cat 3]

I'm just at the half way mark and the story is starting to heat up a bit.

 

There is a simplicity to the book that reminds me of The Alchemist or even The Wizard of Oz, with a bit of The Hobbit thrown in for good measure.

 

I keep getting that, "there's no place like home feeling", or "how I long to be back at The Shire".

 

There is a lesson here...I'm finding that I don't quite know who to root for.

 

Pretty enjoyable read so far.

[The Lofty Oaks]

The Novel will debut in the #18 position on the NY Times bestseller list. Follow the link to the announcement on the ECW Press webpage. Hope it climbs higher.

 

ECW Press Announcement

[The Cat 3]

Finished it today...

 

...the further I got into it, the better I liked it.

 

Don't want to give away the ending, so all I can say is, enjoy.

[CygnusGal]

I'm about page 100-ish. Not a bad read actually. I'm enjoying it more than I was expecting to. Very dense in lyrical references.

 

I like the graphics very much. I didn't realize from the CD that the SCOG painting had the city in the picture. Good detail in the larger print. Of course, maybe I just need glasses...

 

[micgtr71]

I thought the best part of it was the artwork. To be honest, it flowed like a great treatise for a book. There was not enough development of the characters or the plot for that matter. I found myself not caring too much about the lead, not being too involved in his love interest to care, and not having any animosity toward the anarchist or the watchmaker. In fact, the whole Clockwork Angels could have been the Clockwork Easter Bunnies. Maybe I need to read it again. It was a decent read for a high school level kid I think. Maybe I am being too harsh. I don't mean to be. I finished it and at my age I don't do that with every book I start. Edited September 18, 2012 by micgtr71

[Coltonz]

I'm listening to the audiobook, and am about 3 1/2 hours in (What Did I See, Fool That I Was).

 

I had hoped to pick up the actual book, because I prefer to imagine how the characters speak and things like that on my own, but there weren't any copies that I could find and I got impatient.. Haha

 

Some of the lines are a bit cheesy, but overall I'm quite liking it! It's a bit simple but a pretty good story none the less.

 

[drbirdsong]

I'm just starting the audio book. I've never "read" anymore than an audio short story because they put me to sleep, but since it's Neil I thought I'd give it a try with daylight and caffeine.

[Cygnus 2112]

I'd love to buy a second copy and mark down where all the RUSH lyrics are.

[Astroboy2112]

I loved it. Really dug how they incorporated so many themes and not so cryptic social commentary into it. The book provides a lot of food for thought in just 290 pages. If you are the type that listens to The Trees and hears a story about well trees then you wont get too much out of this book but if you listen to the Trees and hear a story about social injustice, racism, etc then I think you'll find a lot to like here.

[jc4gd]

...........enjoying it so far.................halfway...........nice simple story.................(wtf you expecting people?)

 

................get over it people..........if there's some Rush lyrics or song titles in the book, so what? It's no big deal...........after all it is a book by Rush.........a book by

 

..................Are they any other Rock albums which have a book written to the same?