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Bradley W. Schenck

Thrilling Tales of the Downright Unusual - The Lair of the Clockwork Book Paperback – April 2, 2012

by Bradley W. Schenck (Author)

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The Clockwork Book of Retropolis sits in its lair below the city and contains answers. It accumulates stories.

Its huge graven face looms over the stainless steel sheets that are its pages and when it’s not otherwise occupied, which is most of the time, it reads. From time to time it adds a footnote or a cross-reference. But mostly, it reads. And it waits.

The Book accumulates stories by trading the stories it knows... for new stories. This sounds harmless: in fact, it sounds beneficial, until you think about it.

Because stories are not neutral. Stories always say something about the person who tells them. They often say more than the teller realizes, and it's easy to become so wrapped up in the telling that we tell too much.

Everything that the Book learns becomes part of the Book. And the Book grows by trading the stories it knows - to anybody who asks. Anybody. If that doesn't worry you, you're probably one of those people that natural selection hasn't noticed yet.

Over the many years since the Clockwork Book collected its first story people have gradually learned to avoid the Book despite the fact that, in general, people really want to know things. And there must be a reason why they avoid the Book.

There's a way to find out for certain, of course: you just have to bring something to trade.

The Clockwork Book's lair lies far beneath the city of Retropolis, in the world of the Future That Never Was. As far as anybody knows, it's always been there - slowly collecting the stories, the ideas, and the secrets of its visitors, and then sharing them to those who come after. If you were to visit the Book yourself, you might realize that in its own retro-futuristic world the Book serves the purpose of a social network - a mechanical social network. With that in mind you could hardly be surprised at the misadventures its clients seem to have.

And what is the Book, really, and who constructed it, and why? That's one of the few stories that the Book is not allowed to tell.

On the other hand... the Book has learned how to bend the rules.

The Lair of the Clockwork Book, with its 129 full color illustrations, began its life as a serial which ran from February of 2011 to April of 2012 at the Thrilling Tales of the Downright Unusual web site. It's now available in this handsome print edition.

Print length

134 pages
Language

English
Publication date

April 2, 2012
Dimensions

8 x 0.32 x 10 inches
ISBN-10

1475066600
ISBN-13

978-1475066609
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Patently Absurd: The Files of the Retropolis Registry of Patents by Bradley W. Schenck Paperback $14.75
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Product details

Publisher : CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (April 2, 2012)
Language : English
Paperback : 134 pages
ISBN-10 : 1475066600
ISBN-13 : 978-1475066609
Item Weight : 12.6 ounces
Dimensions : 8 x 0.32 x 10 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,968,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,194 in Steampunk Fiction

Customer Reviews:
8 ratings

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5 star		64%
4 star		11%
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Teresa and Robert McElhinny

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2018

Verified Purchase

Very creative story.

Helpful

Gemini 11

It's a good book and the 3D work is fine

Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2014

Verified Purchase

It's a good book and the 3D work is fine, but if they gave the images in the book to a couple of digital artists to remove the "computer animated" look, I think it would have been a great book.

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Danelle Feist

Very entertaining

Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2013

Verified Purchase

All of his characters are very smart and his women are equally strong and capable. I love the intelligence of the story and the way you really need to pay attention to the illustrations. It is a delightful read

One person found this helpful

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T. Hickman

Rare combination of fun and Retro!

Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2012

I participated in Mr. Schenck's Kickstarter project for this book because of his GORGEOUS art work. Now that I've got the book in hand, I'm even more impressed. I love visiting his web site and browsing all over the place - he revels in Retro SF and the art is delicious.

The story is fun and fast-paced, and as Retro-Futuristic as your little heart could want, with aircars, square-jawed heros, dashing heroines, brainy scientists, clanking robots and hair-raising chases. It's on my coffee table now and I'll be picking it up for (yet another) re-read before long.

Helpful

Jon Nials

Fun Retro steampunk adventure set in the future

Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2012

It's a fun retro steampunk adventure set in the future. How does he do that? Through deft visuals, loads of details and decent storytelling.

While the story is not as strong as it could be, in my opinion this is an artifact of the episodic nature through which it was originally developed and published on the web. What makes it worth every penny is the stunning visual color plates that accompany every page. I highly recommend it.

I bought the hardcover version off kickstarter, I have #19 signed copy and my son has #20,

Helpful

SRG

Fascinating retrofuture

Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2012

Bradley Schenck is a creative genius. This richly illustrated book is set in a unique retrofuture that is its own genre. It is not steampunk, though there are similar overtones It is not an attempt at 40's SciFi, though it pays homage to that venerable past. It IS humorous and witty. But it is much, much more than I can say in words. You simply have to read it and let those gorgeous illustrations seep into your brain. Enjoy!

Helpful

Kindle Customer

Warning: Time Flies

Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2012

It's a pleasure to find a book I can read in quick, short bursts and then - when I finally have time to settle in - curl up and get lost in. The language is direct and lean, but descriptions give plenty of cues and the characters are well-developed. This is a winner.

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