Clockwork Angels

The Novel

By: Neil Peart - contributor, Kevin J. Anderson

Narrated by: Neil Peart

Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Finalist, Package Design, 2014

I can’t stop thinking big....

International best-selling author Kevin J. Anderson teams up with Rush lyricist and drummer Neil Peart to expand the story set out in Clockwork Angels, the 20th studio album by the legendary rock band.

All the journeys of this great adventure -

It didn’t always feel that way

For more than two centuries, the land of Albion has been ruled by the supposedly benevolent Watchmaker, who imposes precision on every aspect of life. Young Owen Hardy from the village of Barrel Arbor dreams of seeing the big city and the breathtaking Clockwork Angels that dispense wisdom to the people, maybe even catching a glimpse of the Watchmaker himself.

I was brought up to believe....

He watches the steamliners drift by, powered by alchemical energy, as they head toward Crown City - never dreaming that he is already caught between the grandiose forces of order and chaos, between the Watchmaker and his nemesis, the Anarchist. Owen’s journeys begin at a fabulous carnival with clockwork wonders beyond his imagination, and take him aboard airships, far into the Redrock Desert to seek lost cities, through storms at sea to encounters with pirates...and give him a chance at love.

Clockwork Angels: The Novel is a remarkable, innovative story unlike any other.

The basis for this novel, Clockwork Angels: The Album by Rush, is available now at rush.com.

©2012 Kevin J. Anderson (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Order vs Chaos

Extreme order vs extreme chaos. The Watchmaker vs the Anarchist. These opposing forces push and pull Owen through his adventures outside of his comfortable upbringing. Like God and Satan playing with Job, they both try to show how their world is better than the alternative. Rush fans will enjoy the many references to lyrics and titles and Neil's voice is expressive and comfortable.

I love this man

But he puts me to sleep listening to him read. Very baratone. Great story though! Even better album!

A fantastic story from Neil Peart and Kevin Anderson

Having listened many times to the Rush album Clockwork Angels, to listen to the story narrated by Neil Peart with such a rich scenery and characters, and the underneath background of so many of his lyrics, it was quite a delightful experience. Being a Rush fan myself, this novel also let me grateful to Neil Peart for building such an extraordinary piece of work before leaving us.

Adventure

Throughly enjoyed the story and narrative. Neil uses basic voice inflection to relay a precise message.

Amazing Story and Narration

Would you listen to Clockwork Angels again? Why?

The story is so complex with so many references to songs and other great works of art that I would love to read again to catch all of them.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Clockwork Angels?

The main characters decision to hide an achievement to keep other people's dreams alive.

Which character – as performed by Neil Peart – was your favorite?

The clockmaker, although all the characters had unique voices that fit how you think that character should sound. The distinctness of the individual voices made the story very easy to follow.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, unfortunately it was broken up into three sittings for me and when I was not reading the book it was all I could think about.

Any additional comments?

I felt the same way after reading this book as the first time I read Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll.

great story. not the best narration.

I have never been a great fan of Rush and their music but I decided to give this a try because Kevin J Anderson is one of my favorite sci-fi fantasy authors. I think the collaboration between Anderson and Peart worked quite well. The story was good; it moved along at a good pace and it was interesting but it was narrated as if the book were being read to a young child. This story might be okay as a children's story but I think it touches on issues that are beyond a young child's ability to comprehend. I am glad that I bought and listen to this book and now I'm planning to revisit Rush music with a more careful here to the message that music delivers.

Neil!

I was looking forward to this one, was not what I expected but still was entertaining. I thought it was a bit, almost childish at parts. I am a fan of the bands, and album... nice companion for the album.

Great book, even better for Rush fans

great collaboration. loved it. RIP Neil Peart..

Thanks for the autograph, Kevin!

can't wait to listen to the sequel

Owen chose free will!

Outstanding in every way. Kept my attention and was greatly entertaining from start to finish. The strategically placed Rush lyrics were a nice touch!

Started out great but fell short of expectations

If you could sum up Clockwork Angels in three words, what would they be?

Good, not great

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I would have had more interactions with the Anarchist. I feel like his character wasn't explored enough. He acted as a catalyst for the story but yet he disappeared and we didn't hear from him for much of the story.

Which character – as performed by Neil Peart – was your favorite?

The Anarchist. Neil Peart surprised me with his performance. I never would have guessed that he would do voice work. I was beyond impressed with his ability.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

We are brought up to believe.

Any additional comments?

Though Neil's performance surprised me, I had to look at it objectively...that's why I only gave him four stars. The novel starts out great and very interesting but I feel like it lost its intrigue along the way. As stated above, I would have loved more with The Anarchist and getting into his character. The story kind of faded out while I was expecting it to "go out with a bang". Still a good book. I would recommend this to any RUSH fan. I would also recommend it to any high school students. I had to do a paper on a dystopian novel and this would have been great for that!