Clockwork [Import] [Hardcover]

Philip Pullman (Author), Peter Bailey (Illustrator)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; First US Edition edition (October 3, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385407556
• ISBN-13: 978-0385407557
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,327,999 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Philip Pullman does it again, June 25, 1999

By 

[e-mail] - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clockwork (Hardcover)

Great book. Very creepy, with some great suspense. The illustrations are beautiful and very appropriate. Some readers have pointed out that the characters are underdeveloped--yes, they are, but that's not at all a fault, as this is a story in the style of folktales, where the characters aren't meant to be fully developed. They don't have to be. All of you who were enchanted by Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy will want to check this out. It's an entertaining quick read, and it will satisfy your hunger for more Philip Pullman books.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For children and us older kids alike, January 27, 2002

By 

F. G. Hamer "MadManxMan" (Isle of Man) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Clockwork : Or All Wound Up (Paperback)

As you would expect from Philip Pullman, 'Clockwork' is a skillfully written book with more depth than might be apparent to the younger reader. The events and characters fit together as neatly as the teeth of the clockwork Pullman describes, and the illustrations and textual 'asides' are delightful, offering complementary and contrasting views of the action as it progresses. It is a book which has an enormous amount to offer readers of all ages and is gripping enough to keep you turning those pages.

A post-modern version of Grimms Fairy Tales, 'Clockwork' has a certain gothic horror element to it, whilst retaining an underlying 'adult amusement' value. Pullman effectively combines the two, eliciting fear one moment and laughter the next. All the characters are well crafted but Dr Kalmenius is clearly the best, scoring 10 out of 10 on the villainy scale.

CLOCKWORK: OR ALL WOUND UP is an example of 'children's' fiction at its very best.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a fine fairy tale in the tradition of the Brothers Grimm, October 31, 2001

By 

audrey (white mtns) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Clockwork (Hardcover)

Having read and enjoyed Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' trilogy, I decided to read this tale. It is definitely a fairy story in the tradition of the Brothers Grimm -- not for very young readers, but very entertaining for kids over 10, I'd say. Three interconnected stories revolve around the deeds of the mysterious and ingenious Dr. Kalmenius and his dealings with princes, apprentices and clockwork mechanisms. Though it is 109 pages long, the type is big and there are over 20 full-page illustrations, so this would be a good book for a child who shows an interest in the genre and seems ready to move on to a lengthier and more complex format.