Firstly
my aplologies as I couldn’t read book for long due to some personal tie ups .I
finally decided I should post a review
for Blogadda as I crossed the dead line already. I started reading but was
stuck with few issues. I had to go on an unplanned trip, was sick for a week,
had job interviews etc so as there was lot in my plate I couldn’t finish it.
Even now I feel I wont be doing justice to the review as I read it in a
disturbed mode and as I was asked to submit by EOW(End of the Week)
The
way Ernst behaves and talks as per the commands given to him and the way he
falls for Giselle (Gruber’s daughter) I remembered the movie Robo (South Indian
movie in which hero is Rajnikanth) and the robot falling for for Aish . In some
pages I remembered I- Robot ofcourse.
I
picked up ‘The Clockwork Man’ by William Jablonsky with great enthu as it is of
scifi genre which usually is not my cup of tea. I previously read Time line by
Michael Crichton and I don’t remember many short stories I read. I for sure remember movies like E.T, wall- E etc .The tagline is catchy
“Created to fascinate, designed to serve, until he broke free”. This book is
about Ernst, a mechanical clockwork man, invented by Karl Gruber who is a world
famous clockmaker and Ernst is his priced possession and the best of his
creations. Ernst is treated like a family member. Every one used to like
him except the grandmom who visits now and then and Giselle’s brother who
always used to play pranks on him.
The
way Ernst behaves and talks as per the commands given to him and the way he
falls for Giselle (Gruber’s daughter) I remembered the movie Robo (South Indian
movie in which hero is Rajnikanth) and the robot falling for for Aish . In some
pages I remembered I- Robot ofcourse.
image courtesy: Google !(I felt this fits the making of our Ernst)
I liked the way the story starts in monologue
tonne, which is Ernst’s diary, which he wants to write as humans may get
interested in his experiences. The story dates back to 19th century,
when Ernst starts scribbling his daily happenings, experiences with his master
and family, especially Giselle, the inventor’s daughter with whom he falls in
love an emotion which is unlikely for a machine. Many other emotions too are
embedded in it like guilt / fear which he feels is actually due to some fault
in the system! He is mostly admired but is always in dilemma whether the society will
accept the real him or not. Does he have to live like a lifeless machine and
will he forgive himself because of the happenings? This you have to read for
yourself and see the interesting turn of events .
Am not
in to sci fi category like I told but honestly this book is engaging . This
would be my 3rd sci fi book after Time line by Michael Crichton(
Who also wrote Jurrasic Park) and Dooms day conspiracy (Sidney Sheldon) . I
would definitely say this book is better than the other two. As I watched
similar kind of movies, I could very
well connect to the storyline wound around a clock work man who wakes up and continues
his diary again in 2005. The different timelines are narrated perfectly.
The
characters are also well portrayed. The beautiful Giselle, Master mind Karl ,
his son Jakob who is rude and jealous towards Ernst all were nicely sketched. Germany, the second world war and its history are also
interestingly described. When characters like Thomas alva Edison and Henry ford
enter I could almost imagine their real self! Ernst’s intimacy with Giselle and
his logical persona during adventurous encounters for sure make him a hero.
Read for yourself and know how the story ends.
When I
started reading the book I thought I may
not go beyond 50 pages but strangely It was engaging and I was able to finish
it . Do read if you love sci fi genre and do try if you are not a sci fi lover
.You will not be disappointed! William Jablonsky a name which I never heard
before but am glad I know him now. I wonder why he is not so famous. Special
kudos to him for awesome narration and making the otherwise monotonous storyline
an interesting one! Lastly I felt human feelings which lead to complications in humans if are generated in a machine will lead to a bigger mess :) I tried my best to present a good review!
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