Clockwork
Alternate title : Clockwork, or All Wound Up
Imagine you’re an apprentice clock-maker. It is the day before you are supposed to unveil your personal masterpiece – an addition to the great clock tower in the center of town, the final step in your training. But you haven’t created a masterpiece. You haven’t created anything. Tomorrow will be your greatest humiliation, rather than a triumph.
But then a shadowy, sinister figure steps out of a story and offers you a clockwork statue of a knight, so intricate, so real, that to pass it off as yours would make you forever famous. Would it matter that this knight will seek out and kill anyone who utters the word “devil”? Would it matter that the price might be your soul?
The stories of Karl, the apprentice; Dr. Kalmenius, his nefarious “savior”; Gretl, the brave daughter of the town innkeeper; and a young prince whose clockwork heart is in danger of winding down come together in surprising and magical ways in a story that has behind it the relentless urgency of a ticking clock.
With this novella, as finely wrought as an exquisite timepiece, Philip Pullman shows again why he is considered one of the great writers of our time.
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Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman is a writer whose imagination knows no bounds, a master of crafting worlds both fantastical and deeply thought-provoking. Known best for His Dark Materials, a trilogy that blends epic fantasy with philosophical musings, Pullman has captivated readers of all ages with stories that challenge the very nature of belief, freedom, and the human spirit.
Born in Norwich, England, in 1946, Pullman’s early life was shaped by both his experiences and his interests—particularly a fascination with literature and history. His love of storytelling began at a young age, influenced by the books he read and the characters he encountered, but it wasn’t until later that he fully embraced writing as a career. After studying at the University of Oxford, Pullman worked as a teacher and a writer, initially focusing on children's books that contained subtle nods to history, science, and philosophy.
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