What do you think?
Rate this book
The Clockwork Sky #2
The Clockwork Sky, Volume Two
The conclusion to this exciting all-ages steampunk manga Clockwork Sky!
Madeleine Rosca’s sharp-edged style perfectly matches her sharp-tongued lead character’s personality. Sally Peppers is the highly-curious, ambitious niece of steambot magnate Erasmus Croach, who has supplied Britain's factories with an apparently endless supply of near-perfect robot employees, displacing flesh-and-blood humans. Unemployed people have begun to demonstrate in the streets of London and more than one near-riot has been put down by Croach's latest and greatest invention, the steambot police-boy, Sky.
Sky is troubled by dreams where he, like Pinocchio, has become a “real boy.” Then he meets Sally, who has run away from home, and begins to learn of the poverty and hardships faced by these workers. Together, Sally and Sky venture into the tunnels beneath London in search of a missing child.
Sally has always been a bit of a tinkerer and quickly figures out the terrifying truth about her uncle's magnificent steambot factory. But it might be too late—Erasmus Croach has new steambots ready to deploy—and they are bigger and stronger than the heroic Sky. Can Sally’s wits and Sky’s pure heart save the day?
Madeleine Rosca’s sharp-edged style perfectly matches her sharp-tongued lead character’s personality. Sally Peppers is the highly-curious, ambitious niece of steambot magnate Erasmus Croach, who has supplied Britain's factories with an apparently endless supply of near-perfect robot employees, displacing flesh-and-blood humans. Unemployed people have begun to demonstrate in the streets of London and more than one near-riot has been put down by Croach's latest and greatest invention, the steambot police-boy, Sky.
Sky is troubled by dreams where he, like Pinocchio, has become a “real boy.” Then he meets Sally, who has run away from home, and begins to learn of the poverty and hardships faced by these workers. Together, Sally and Sky venture into the tunnels beneath London in search of a missing child.
Sally has always been a bit of a tinkerer and quickly figures out the terrifying truth about her uncle's magnificent steambot factory. But it might be too late—Erasmus Croach has new steambots ready to deploy—and they are bigger and stronger than the heroic Sky. Can Sally’s wits and Sky’s pure heart save the day?
160 pages, Paperback
First published August 12, 2014
1 person is currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Madeleine Rosca
11 books39 followersMadeleine Rosca is an Australian based manga creator who is well known for her award winning, completed, series Hollow Fields. She has a 37 page short story titled Haunted Housecall that can be found on YenPlus and is currently working on her next project.
You can keep up to date with the mangaka through her twitter, livejournal, and DeviantArt journal updates.
You can keep up to date with the mangaka through her twitter, livejournal, and DeviantArt journal updates.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 4, 2015
I enjoyed this volume alot. It gave the series a good ending. The evil uncle who made children into steambots got turned into one himself, and then the robots that always wanted spare parts ate him as spare parts. Also, the children, who were now steambots, became workers for the neice, making vehicles.
August 9, 2023
It is slightly better than the first volume, but unfortunately, it still follows many of the same flaws. My biggest gripe is how lazy the ending felt. From what I understand, "The Clockwork Sky" was supposed to be a trilogy like its predecessor, but was only made into two volumes. The artwork is still nice and shows promise.
May 14, 2015
Okay. I have some pretty mixed feelings about this second volume, which I understand is the final chapter for The Clockwork Sky.
Negative: If the panel editing was confusing in the first book, then it's even more so in this continuation. Action-lines and streaks accentuate a lot of this book, not to mention an extreme lack of location. Most of the time I found myself wondering whether or not the characters were standing or floating; also, where they were and who they were talking to. (I found the climax especially confusing).
It's a bit obvious to see that this volume was rushed, not just in story but in artistic value as well. Sky, Sally, and Crouch are reduced to quick chibi sketches in moments that called for my emotional attention. On pages 31-32 Sky is nearly indiscernible.
Positive: The aesthetic on its own is pretty neat. I don't read much steampunk but the ideas and machines are cool to be around. Although most of the artwork is very rushed, when Rosca does spend a good amount of time on a character, it shows beautifully. It's the kind of artwork I marvel at, where movement and fluidity empower a character as though they were being animated. It's a talent that is difficult to master and worthy of appreciation.
Overall, it was cute and at the right times perilous. Loose ends were tied up (albeit in a very confusing manner), and the fate of Crouch is something I would like to see on a screen someday.
Negative: If the panel editing was confusing in the first book, then it's even more so in this continuation. Action-lines and streaks accentuate a lot of this book, not to mention an extreme lack of location. Most of the time I found myself wondering whether or not the characters were standing or floating; also, where they were and who they were talking to. (I found the climax especially confusing).
It's a bit obvious to see that this volume was rushed, not just in story but in artistic value as well. Sky, Sally, and Crouch are reduced to quick chibi sketches in moments that called for my emotional attention. On pages 31-32 Sky is nearly indiscernible.
Positive: The aesthetic on its own is pretty neat. I don't read much steampunk but the ideas and machines are cool to be around. Although most of the artwork is very rushed, when Rosca does spend a good amount of time on a character, it shows beautifully. It's the kind of artwork I marvel at, where movement and fluidity empower a character as though they were being animated. It's a talent that is difficult to master and worthy of appreciation.
Overall, it was cute and at the right times perilous. Loose ends were tied up (albeit in a very confusing manner), and the fate of Crouch is something I would like to see on a screen someday.
October 27, 2014
Madeleine Rosca was a hero and an artistic inspiration to my sister and I. Her Hollow Fields series taught me what Steampunk is, and it is now one of my most beloved genres. Her storytelling style is griping, hilarious, and elegant. Which is why I was saddened, disappointed,frustrated and downright shocked by both the art and writing of " The Clockwork Sky" series, especially volume 2. The art is almost completely devoid of shading and extremely hard to read. The it is impossible tell what is going on through much of the volume. Once the story is finally deciphered from the mangled artwork, it seems to be an underdeveloped version of "Hollow Fields". It was heartbreaking to see this woman who had shaped my identity as an artist devolve so much. A side by side comparison of "Hollow Fields" to "The Clockwork Sky" begs the question, "What happened?"
January 14, 2016
I really liked this story! For a manga duology it surprisingly was a fully complete gripping story. I thoroughly enjoyed this second and concluding volume!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews