Review: The Clockwork Man

Title: The Clockwork Man

Author: William Jablonsky

Find it at: Amazon

Published by: Grey Oak Publishers

Pages: 231

My Rating: 3.5/5

The Clockwork Man is the story of Ernst, a man created entirely of clockwork by a world famous clock maker, Karl Gruber. The best thing I like about science fiction is that it still seems believable. There are things we might have found impossible two decades ago, which happen as a normality now. So when you read about science exploring realms that seem impossible, you naturally get fascinated by it! 

Summary

In the town of Frankfurt, lived a world famous clock maker, Herr Gruber with many famous and intricate clocks to his credit. But his most precious creation is Ernst (made in 1887), a man made entirely of clockwork, who's been taught impeccable manners, knowledge of a variety of subjects, the power to exercise judgment and some knowledge of his own delicate workings and strength. People come from all over the world to marvel at him, such was the intricacy that it made people scared, but fascinated. Ernst is very much a gentleman and he loves his Master's family, comprising Gruber, his seventeen year old daughter Giselle, his ten year old son, Jakob and their househelp Fraulein Gruenwald.

Karl Gruber doesn't think of Ernst as a commodity, but a piece of art, so he gets offended when a fellow scientist suggests he make many similar clockwork men for commercial purposes. His aim is to keep Ernst safe and find someone trustworthy who'll understand the true nature of his creation when he's no longer alive. But does Gruber know to what extent Ernst is capable? Can he develop feelings? Ernst develops a profound love for Giselle and just as their relationship becomes intimate, tragedy strikes and the family is torn apart. Unable to bear the loss and loneliness, Ernst lets himself wind down hoping no one would wound him up again, in a kind of suicide. 

When he wakes up again after being in a museum and now sold to a businessman, he doesn't recognize the people surrounding him or the place where he's kept. Pretending to be a dummy, he notices everything around him, trying to find out what happened when he was wound down. When he finds an ally and confidante in a homeless man who's eccentric but cares for him, Ernst begins searching for books that would tell him about his hometown. Turns out the Master and his family are all long dead, since it's now 2005. Grieving over the loss of his "family", Ernst tries to begin a new life among a series of surprising, scary and heart-warming events.

My Thoughts

When I began reading this book, I was happily surprised to find that it's in the form of Ernst's diary, so everything that's happened is from the clockwork man's point of view. It gives the whole picture, about everything as Ernst understands, which is something I hadn't read in a long while. It shows the depth at which the marvelous man can understand things or things related to human behavior he doesn't really understand. While it definitely gave a unique view at things, people and situations, it became kind of depressing in the first half of the book. The reason might be Ernst's limited knowledge about humans and their behavior, or the fact that all of it was just what one person was thinking all the time. He's sometimes confused as to why some things happen, what he thinks should happen, how he feels happy or sad, though he made a point to let readers know that he's incapable of feeling emotions, but he feels them in his nickel frame nevertheless.

At first when I wasn't even halfway, I felt it's become too melancholy because of the whole plot revolving around the same characters, same place and very similar "feelings" Ernst feels and I thought I'd give it a 2 star rating. After two days I picked it up again and read through and surprisingly, it just got better! It definitely is much better when Ernst winds down, sees his Master's old face for a moment and then after he wakes up a hundred years later. New place, new characters, the probable danger he's in, his new discoveries about himself, doing things he never did before, understanding that the world's not made up of just good souls like his Master's family. 

I loved the descriptive aspect of the book, even though it's told from the clockwork man's point of view, it does the job great! Especially since the first part's based in late 1800s, that too in Frankfurt (which I've always admired in whatever books I've read about it) I loved that part; the niceties, the ancient streets and people, compared with what he sees a hundred years later in America. I loved the twists and turns (seriously, there's one such character who shows up just once and you're dying to know who that is and it only gets revealed towards the end!), the limits to which Ernst stretches himself to stop evil, to find out his Master's fate and the characters who know and understand what and who Ernst really is. I personally prefer happy endings and this one couldn't have been better! Ernst finds out someone, a descendant of his beloved family and the opportunity to get back what he had lost and was "grieving" over, but now without his Master's counsel, it is up to him to decide his own new life and the way it will be. It's a very good perspective on life, if you really think about it. I love such strong messages in books and stories! They're awesome! Before I forget, the characters' description and personality was also very well portrayed. I especially liked the homeless man, Greely and his funny antics!


Some lines from the book I liked and saved!

"If I now live in a world in which I must turn a blind eye toward evil, I do not think I shall grow to like this place."

This one shows the depth of his understanding and the feeling of loss in Ernst.

"I believe my tolerance has reached its limit. While I do not know the Master's original inspiration for creating me, I can say with certainty it was not to be a commodity, a curiosity to be gawked at and abused with the impunity for the amusement of paying clients. Though I harbored some small hope that his attitude might change, it is now clear that my new master will never value me in the same way Herr Gruber and Giselle had; perhaps I must now accept that no living person does." 

PS- The book cover says this:

Created to Fascinate

Designed to serve

Until he broke free

The point is, I don't think the last line holds if we see it from the complete perspective. He didn't "break free". It's making it sound like he escaped, but he didn't. He could very well have stayed with his Master if not for circumstances and people who took him away. Unless it means about the year 2005 when he broke free from his captors, then it makes sense!

Recommended for: Science fiction lovers, robot stories lovers and if you're willing to live through the first slightly monotonous half of the book (but the second half definitely gets interesting and makes it much better), you'd like to read this. :)

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at Blogadda.com. Participate now to get free books!

Meg-a-readers Blog Hop! + Review: Underworld

To celebrate two new releases by Meg Cabot, who's among my top-favoritest authors ever, Mandy at The Romance Bookie and Diana at Little Miss Drama Queen have hosted a blog hop where Meg Cabot fans unite and take turns to do a special, related feature on our blogs! The latest releases are Underworld (release date May 8, 2012), book 2 of the Abandon trilogy and Size 12 and Ready to Rock (release date July 10, 2012), book 4 of the Heather Wells series! 

Meg Cabot

I'm delighted to tell you that it's my turn today! I've read Underworld and feel like sharing its glory on my blog with a review. Without any more blabbering, here it is:

Title: Underworld

Author: Meg Cabot

Price: Rs. 299 (Rs. 224 at Flipkart)/ $ 11.10 at Amazon

My Rating: 4/5

Underworld is the second book of the Abandon trilogy, the story of seventeen year old Pierce Oliviera who's had an NDE, been taken to the Underworld, had a death deity follow her around, trying to keep her away from Furies, one of which happens to be Pierce's grandmother! In a Fury attack at Pierce's high school cafeteria, Pierce has a narrow escape and that's when John takes her to his world, The Underworld! 

Summary

Pierce is in the Underworld, maybe for ever. She knows she loves John, the death deity, but is she ready to progress her relationship with him? Is she really safe in the Underworld? Maybe she is, but what about her family and the ones she loves back on Earth? Her grandmother, for one, is a fury and lives with her cousin, Alex and his dad. So when Pierce sees a very mysterious video that shows Alex in trouble, she's intent on saving him. It might be Alex's own plans that will get him into trouble or Furies might be behind it, it's not clear. Pierce just knows she has to save Alex. But is John willing to take her back to Earth and put her in danger yet again? 

There's John's mysterious past to consider as well. Pierce wonders what it possibly could be and what do those few others in the Underworld have anything to do with it. Is there any way that Furies could be destroyed?

My thoughts

An absolutely wonderful continuation to the story in Abandon! I enjoyed reading about Pierce's and John's progressing relationship, which is somewhat a major focus in this book. John wants Pierce to remain with him in the Underworld forever, not just to keep her safe, but also because he loves her too much. Both of them, in fact, are in conflicting minds over what they want. Of course they know they want each other, but is Pierce ready for what lies ahead, leave Earth and live in the Underworld, in centuries old dresses, with John forever? The way it all was written and put forth, I think is a very clever manner to talk about insecurities and confusion people face. I like the mystery about John and the way he's so protective of Pierce, how he's always present at the right time to make things right and trying to keep Pierce happy, whatever it takes. Even though Pierce's confusion is justified, I sometimes wished it wouldn't rock back and forth too much. But even then, it's alright. She did a few great things, for which I'm proud of her! 

Based on the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone, this book explores the realms of Underworld, the faint world between heaven and hell, the 'station' from where souls depart on their respective final resting places. I personally enjoy Greek myths a bit and so it was interesting to see the Underworld from this point of view. Imagination rules for me!

New characters! I must admit that I felt the book would've been mediocre if it just continued with the small amount of characters from the previous, even though the story is progressing. It was pleasant, therefore, to have new characters, especially with a mystery behind them that Pierce and the readers are not aware of. It was refreshing. It gives a lot to think about and see the amount of trouble Pierce is supposedly in, from a greater perspective of how it doesn't just concern her and her family, but the whole island of Isla Huesos! 

As I've said many times before, I love books that are descriptive and allow the reader to experience a whole different world, complete with pictures and feelings of excitement, nervousness and whatever the character's experiencing! Underworld certainly doesn't disappoint in this aspect and that's among the prime reasons I love it. There's this small video inside my head, where I've got this all pictured. The cemetery, Pierce's home, the Underworld, the palace, the Coffin Night festival and everything! What can be better than this? :)

The story seemed to be running at a constant pace throughout, but it certainly increased its pace towards the end! It was absolutely thrilling, engaging and I was hooked till I reached the end. Surprises, astounding twist and turns of events, some amazing discoveries (at one point I found my mouth slightly open. Just saying), so that I was definitely sad I wouldn't be knowing what's going to happen next! About Pierce, John, others in the Underworld, Pierce's family, her friends, Alex, Mr. Smith - the cemetery sexton and Isla Huesos! Considering her previous series that I've read, I'm sure the ending would be perfect. 

Meg retains her trademark conversational style of writing in this book too, which is what makes me love them so much! It's easy to read, understand and know what's happening and you get inside the character's heads so deep (thanks to the way it's written), you'd think all of it is happening to you. I especially enjoy the humor that's always inside Meg's characters' in some way or the other. It makes for very enjoyable reading! 

If you've read Abandon, you shouldn't be waiting to read Underworld. Grab your copy now! If you haven't read Abandon as well, but would like to red a bit on Greek myth of the Underworld, this series is recommended! Also if you love Young Adult literature.

PS- I adore the fact about Meg Cabot that she can write on a variety of topics with so much ease! I love the mystery in the Heather Wells series, which I'll be re-reading now. :D

Behind the Blog # 6: On colors!

Behind the Blog is a meme to help bloggers connect their life and interests to the content showcased on their blog. The co-hosts, Faye, Kathe, and Melissa will provide a different topic, idea, or question every week that bloggers can relate to themselves and the books, films, or other media they find interesting!  

Did you know that colors have meanings attached to them? Some say that a person’s favorite color can be indicative of their personality or things that they are striving for in their lives. What is your favorite color? Do you think that the meaning behind your favorite color reflects your personality or something that you are trying to achieve? What is your least favorite color? 

In relation to books: What are some books you’ve read that have good use of color? Are there any films you’ve seen where color plays a major role in the plot?

Ever since I can remember, I think my favorite color has always been Pink, the staple color for most little girls. Except that I'm not a little girl anymore, but I can be very stubborn when I come down to it. I guess that aspect has made its effect on my favorite color remaining the same since forever! I mean, what's wrong with liking pink? I've had people smirk at it and to tell the truth, I've grown even more attached to that color because of that! Why does it seem immature, if I like it? It isn't. It's just a pretty color! And it isn't even consciously that I find myself attracted to all things pink.

Otherwise, how would you explain this? Almost half of the clothes I own are in different shades of pink or have some little pink in them, most accessories are in shades of pink, my room's pink and not just one pink, but the walls have three different shades of pink! Obviously, to match the colors, I usually have the bedsheets, etc in a matching shade. I've got some books with pink covers just because they looked attractive. It's just a fact, I'm obsessed with everything pink! 

Now, I don't know much about what colors symbolize and why we're attracted to certain colors more than others. So I just Googled a bit and whoa! I found out so much that made me both, 'yay' and 'ouch' in equal measures. I guess there's always a positive and negative inkling with everything. Anyway, a few short points collected from different websites: (references at the end of the post).

-  The color pink usually serves two purposes.  It can be used to show childish innocence, or a child-like personality.  For example, you want to remain a child. You get pleasure out of very simple, and 'childish' things.  Even so, you also would like to grow up and become an adult woman… but you're afraid of losing your childhood innocence.  Pink is normally a color associated with girls and femininity.

You know what, just this paragraph describes me perfectly. 

- Having a personality color pink as your favorite color means you are loving, kind, generous and sensitive to the needs of others. You also have maternal instincts and your deepest need is to be loved.

Oh boy. They caught me on that 'deepest need' part. I didn't even know it was true, but giving it some thought, it most probably is. Anyway, it also means I can be immature sometimes, which I admit, I can be. 

Even though I'm obsessed with Pink, I've also always been fascinated with Purple! I think I read somewhere, when I was a kid, that purple is the color of royalty. That must have been the trigger for me to love purple! I've always loved all things royal, be it princessy books or TV shows or gowns or costumes! I mean, when Prince William married Kate Middleton, I watched the whole marriage ceremony on TV, from morning till evening; every bit of it. It just fascinates me! When it comes to designing or decorating anything, my top choice for color is pink, but when it doesn't do, it has to be purple. I found this very true piece on purple:

If purple is your favorite color you have a great respect for people but can be arrogant: Absolutely true!

Mysterious is a word that describes you perfectly: Perfectly true!

You like power and royalty and wish to enlighten others with your wisdom: Need I even say anything? 

You are a faithful partner but can be cruel with your words: Damn! It's a sad fact. Not that I've ever been a partner, but sometimes I can speak harshly. :|

Others can mistake your desire for all things to be sophisticated as being intimidating: Seriously? Is there anyone who thinks I'm intimidating? C'mon, just tell me! I said, just-tell-me! NOW! :P

Creativity is something you pride yourself in, though you may not be good at artistic endeavors (such as drawing or painting): This actually cleared my thoughts. I had been wondering why I like 'uniqueness' and creativity, but I'm not exactly a person with many creative ideas.

You tend to be sentimental and have a great amount of empathy for others: Agree. 

It's not that I don't like other colors, I guess I like every other color too, just not so much that I'd want it to be my room color ;) But generally, I love color everywhere, especially when it's where it belongs. Like the different shades of green in plants and trees, the calm blue ocean, the brown and green and sometimes white in mountains, the red of love, the black of power, the yellow of the Sun (but never the harsh one. Or that of bananas), the pink covers of my notebooks ;), etc...


Pssst... Some element of pink and purple will always be on my blogs. I can't just do without them! Though, I changed the template of my other (personal) blog to something blue very recently, it was always something pink before. I've still added a few pinkish/purplish things there, though. ;)

That's what colors I usually like and what I found out it might say about my personality. 

Coming to books, the first one that came to mind was 'Pink or Black' by Tishaa Khosla. It's a high school story about a girl who's decided to understand herself deeply, though she's confused over her favorite color. She likes both, Pink and Black, but doesn't understand why. Her Mother explains something to her that I just loved! It's this: 'That is because our favorite colors have something to do with our personalities too. Pink is just one side of your personality, the side which loves life and wants to live it happily. Black is the other side of you, the stronger side which gives you hope and strength to see you through rough patches. There are so many beautiful colors, why choose only one as your favorite?'

There is this 'TRUECOLORS' series by author Melody Carlson. They're all teenage, high school stories and I've only ever read Harsh Pink- Color me Burned, which was an enjoyable read. I mean, the ones we usually read as teens. I've got 'Deep Green- Color me Jealous' too but I haven't read it yet. The stories are titled according to what the plot is all about, so it's kind of interesting. 

Though I don't have much to say about it, I recently got "The story of my life" by Hellen Keller. I guess reading about how life would have been for her when she couldn't see colors (well, couldn't see anything), it'd really give me a different perspective on things. I haven't read it yet, either.

And.... it's not very related to the topic but I'm just getting many thoughts about anything related with colors and there's a non-fiction book by Sonal Kalra, Editor, HT City, Hindustan Times, titled, A Calmer You. It's a collection of her weekly articles on calmness. Once somebody posted on her FB page asking why's the cover the way it is, and what does it signify. I was all, "Hey.. because it's blue and blue is the color of calmness! Duh!" Errr... that's it. :P 

Oh yeah, the references:

- http://www.three-musketeers.net/mike/colors.html

- http://voices.yahoo.com/what-does-favorite-color-say-you-505832.html

Is it evident from this post that I'm in a kinda funny mood? Sorry about that! I'm just feeling giddy, what with *new* college beginning ten days from now and I don't want to go too soon and I've got so much more *fun* things on my list I still haven't done!

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Book Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Harper Collins
Find it at: Amazon
Pages: 487
My Rating: 5/5!

Many thanks to awesome book bloggers for awesome reviews for this book and its sequel in the trilogy, Insurgent, that made me purchase this one! It’s no wonder I loved every single word of it and just don’t know how to go about telling everyone how it is such a ‘must-read’. If you like fantasy and dystopian.

Storyline

A dystopian fantasy, Divergent is the story of a world that’s divided itself into five different factions, in order to stop the wars between humans. They believed that if people can be trained to stay true to their faction and help in the running of their society with the traits they inherit and skills they learn, there would be no wars. But is living in a divided society with the motto, ‘faction before blood’ and just focusing on five good traits the solution? Humans are humans, after all and it’s only a matter of time before greed and hunger for power consumes them.

The five factions are Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful), Dauntless (the brave), Erudite (the intelligent), Candor (the honest). Sixteen year old Tris belongs to Abnegation and has always been taught innumerable acts of selflessness and living a plain life. Every year, the sixteen year olds are subjected to an aptitude test and then they get to choose the factions they would want to spend the rest of their lives with, during the Choosing ceremony. The aptitude tests are supposed to help the takers understand which faction they’re best suited for, by throwing them in a simulation, but what happens with Tris? Is her test result Abnegation, where she already belongs or another faction where she feels she belongs? Or is the answer neither?

When she chooses her faction and struggles to get through the initiation, so that she’ll finally be accepted as a member of the faction and not just a child, there’s a lot going on. Only no one knows what, since inter-faction communication is not appreciated. Is the society at the brink of war? And what role does Tris have to play?

My thoughts

Brilliantly brilliant! First, the story, with the whole society divided into five different factions with extremely strict rules to adhere to, was quite different for me. Plus the fact that Tris, the lead protagonist doesn’t seem to fit. She’s different and her qualities are such that they scare those in power because of which she and others who’re the same, have to hide this secret, but Tris has no clue why. She doesn’t know why she’s forbidden to use the word what she is and why those few who do know that have forbidden her to use it. I loved the mystery behind it all and I especially felt my breath get caught up when the word ‘Divergent’ was first mentioned. I just knew it then that I’d be loving this book!

I like Tris. I mean, I really like this character! From what I make of it, Tris is the representative of how many of us really feel about our life. I could totally connect with her since page 1 because I think I understood how deep ther portrayal went. It’s not just about any girl who’s a misfit and a danger to those in power. She’s what we all are. She’s been brought up to be selfless all the time, in any action, and she’s learnt to be pretty good. But every human has a set of personal traits that has nothing to do with how you’re brought up. It’s just in you and whatever’s done on the outside, in whichever way you’re groomed and polished, there’ll always be some part of you that’s your true self. Tris likes adventure but it’s considered self-indulgent in Abnegation. She’d like to take the elevator but the Abnegation use the stairs so the elevator can be used by others. The personal preferences aren’t taken into consideration. That’s what happens with us too, right? I loved the way Tris gives a message of how we should be who we are, she’s brave, she can handle leaving her family behind, but she’s also a young girl who’s desperate for some love. She feels lonely without her family, but she loves the independence the other faction provides. I don’t know, I just love you, Tris!

Four (not his real name, it turns out) is Tris’s love interest. He’s the initiates’ trainer and there’s something mysterious about him that attracts Tris. He’s brave, but not really brutal and since that makes him different from the leaders, Tris wonders what the reason could be. Four is an admirable character too, protecting Tris, but mostly he acted as a guy with secrets who likes Tris and wants to keep her away from trouble. I have to say I warmed up to him a lot when he was with Tris and as their relation progressed. Maybe it was the way it was written, but I loved it! This is another love story within a story that I’ve liked!

The writing. Divergent is extremely well written, in first-person account, with perfect amounts of mystery, action, description of characters, their thoughts, the events and every single thing! It isn’t a book I’ve just read, I’ve actually lived the whole story, seen the different factions, the people and gone through the fights and sequences of action. It’s picturesque and not just with the scenery, but with everything. I wouldn’t be surprised if the movie adaptation turns out to be exactly as I saw it in my mind. I just adore such authors! <3

One thing about the whole book, that it’s so not predictable. I didn’t know what to expect, what will Tris choose? Will there be a war? Who are those who’re really dangerous? What is the matter with ‘Divergent’? Though I kind of guessed Four’s secret early on and was so pleased when it turned out to be what I’d thought it’d be, it was otherwise unpredictable and that’s why I think this book is awesome! It was quite clean and light in the beginning and for more than half of the book, in fact. When the action begins, it’s heart-stopping-thrilling and you wouldn’t feel like putting it down before it’s all over! I wouldn’t call the book fast-paced, because it was fast towards the end, but even then, the ending didn’t seem to be rushed.

There are a couple of things I’m not happy about, like the loss that two factions had to face, plus the personal tragedy that Tris goes through. I didn’t want that to happen, at all! Now I’m completely on edge and will be, until I get to read the second book in the trilogy, Insurgent. I’m pretty sure I’d love this whole series! I wouldn’t have said this a few months ago, but now I know that there are too many books I “love a lot”. Really, you cannot just confine yourself to a few books; there are just so many great ones! :D

Some lines from the book I like:

‘I believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another’

‘What good is a prepared body if you have a scattered soul?’

Recommended for: YA dystopian readers, adults, fantasy lovers.

KOMF prompt #1

KOMF is a bloghop hosted by Kathy (Imagine Today) and Jessica (Write. Skate. Dream) on the 15th of every month. They came up with it as a way to meet new friends, help build the blogosphere and (hopefully) spark some creativity. So, here's the prompt:

Write a 200 word or less flash fiction beginning with this phrase: Her eyes shot open...

You are free to change the gender and POV if you'd like. 

Oh well, this is the first time I'll be writing any kind of flash fiction, so I know it wouldn't turn out as well as I would like, but I'd still like to participate since I would have something new to learn for myself! :)

Her eyes shot open and air filled her lungs. As she heaved her chest to breathe, she realized she wasn’t alone. She could feel someone lying a few feet away from her head, in that dark, open-air hovel, but she didn’t dare look that way. The horror of what she’d seen before filled her with a sorrow that seemed to seep into her, consuming, and made tiny sobs escape her.

She heard a moan and immediately stopped her whimpers. She didn’t want to move, to make them know that she still lived but she knew she had to escape, and fast. She needed a companion to influence her enough to run. The one behind her seemed like a man, from what she could figure from his voices of pain and heaving breaths, getting louder, trying to get up. Oh no! She couldn’t be lying there, especially with someone nearby who was probably on his feet. She braced all her energy and got up swiftly and turned around to face the most beautiful person she had ever seen! Moonlight made him look utterly, unbelievably gorgeous and she believed him with all her heart when he said,’We need to get out!’

That's it! 200 words! It wasn't very easy for me, since I have a tendency to overuse words, but it was fun! :)
Drop by the hosts' blogs if you're interested in participating, too. The entries close at 11.59 p.m. on the 15th!