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The Clockwork Forest
'Life would be a whole lot easier if dead things had the decency to remain dead.'Nothing is how it seems in the forest. Your best friend may turn out to be your worst enemy. A deadly poison might save your life. And two smiling children could become the most horrifying monsters of all.Morton is sure of one thing, however. His four treasures are lost somewhere in this forest and he has to find them, or life is not worth living. Mind you, with bizarre perils lurking behind almost every tree, Morton's life could end at any moment. If that isn't bad enough, he is travelling without a hankerchief.Funny and sinister, this is Doug MacLeod at his scary and entertaining best.
211 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
35 people want to read
About the author
Doug MacLeod
40 books22 followersDoug MacLeod is a Melbourne-based writer and TV producer who has worked on many of Australia's most popular comedy shows, including The Comedy Company, Fast Forward, Big Girls' Blouse, The Micallef Program and SeaChange. He was also the script editor on Kath and Kim.
While he enjoys the TV work, he prefers writing books for young people. After leaving his full-time job in TV, Doug wrote the teenage novel Tumble Turn, which was published by Penguin in 2003, and is on the syllabus at Deakin University.
On The Cards is a book of ridiculous greeting card rhymes with an introduction by Ben Elton that Doug wrote for the international charity Comic Relief in 2002. A second book of creepy rhymes, Spiky, Spunky, My Pet Monkey, was released in 2004. Both books are illustrated by Craig Smith and published by Penguin. Craig and Doug again collaborated on Leon Stumble’s Book of Stupid Fairytales, published by Working Title in 2005.
Doug’s second young adult novel for Penguin, I’m Being Stalked by a Moonshadow (2006), was shortlisted for the New South Wales Premier’s Awards, and published in America by Front Street Press.
Two fantasy novels, Kevin the Troll (2007) and The Clockwork Forest (2008), came next and were also published by Penguin. The Clockwork Forest was presented as a play at The Sydney Theatre Company in 2008.
Doug’s third young adult novel, Siggy and Amber, was released by Penguin in 2009.
But he’s probably best known for a book called Sister Madge’s Book of Nuns, which was published in 1986. He's less well known for The Life of a Teenage Body-snatcher, which was published by Penguin in 2010 and is a much better book, especially if you like your comedy a little black.
Recent non-book-related activities include co-devising the animated TV series, Dogstar, for which he has won two Australian Writers’ Guild Awards and the inaugural John Hinde Award for Science Fiction. There are 52 episodes. Doug wrote half of them. Philip Dalkin wrote the other half. The show plays all over the world and premiered on the BBC.
With satirist John Clarke and composer Alan John he wrote a play based on May Gibbs’ famous children’s book, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. It was directed by Neil Armfield and premiered at The Sydney Festival in 2007.
With comedian Tracy Harvey he co-wrote the musical Call Girl in 2009, which had two Melbourne seasons.
In 2008 Doug received the Fred Parsons Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to Australian Comedy at the Australian Writers’ Guild Awards.
While he enjoys the TV work, he prefers writing books for young people. After leaving his full-time job in TV, Doug wrote the teenage novel Tumble Turn, which was published by Penguin in 2003, and is on the syllabus at Deakin University.
On The Cards is a book of ridiculous greeting card rhymes with an introduction by Ben Elton that Doug wrote for the international charity Comic Relief in 2002. A second book of creepy rhymes, Spiky, Spunky, My Pet Monkey, was released in 2004. Both books are illustrated by Craig Smith and published by Penguin. Craig and Doug again collaborated on Leon Stumble’s Book of Stupid Fairytales, published by Working Title in 2005.
Doug’s second young adult novel for Penguin, I’m Being Stalked by a Moonshadow (2006), was shortlisted for the New South Wales Premier’s Awards, and published in America by Front Street Press.
Two fantasy novels, Kevin the Troll (2007) and The Clockwork Forest (2008), came next and were also published by Penguin. The Clockwork Forest was presented as a play at The Sydney Theatre Company in 2008.
Doug’s third young adult novel, Siggy and Amber, was released by Penguin in 2009.
But he’s probably best known for a book called Sister Madge’s Book of Nuns, which was published in 1986. He's less well known for The Life of a Teenage Body-snatcher, which was published by Penguin in 2010 and is a much better book, especially if you like your comedy a little black.
Recent non-book-related activities include co-devising the animated TV series, Dogstar, for which he has won two Australian Writers’ Guild Awards and the inaugural John Hinde Award for Science Fiction. There are 52 episodes. Doug wrote half of them. Philip Dalkin wrote the other half. The show plays all over the world and premiered on the BBC.
With satirist John Clarke and composer Alan John he wrote a play based on May Gibbs’ famous children’s book, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. It was directed by Neil Armfield and premiered at The Sydney Festival in 2007.
With comedian Tracy Harvey he co-wrote the musical Call Girl in 2009, which had two Melbourne seasons.
In 2008 Doug received the Fred Parsons Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to Australian Comedy at the Australian Writers’ Guild Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 23, 2013
Ok. I admit that when I read The Shiny Guys, it took me a couple of days for the penny to drop and for me to get some of the things that happened in the book... I have given this one that time for things to fall into place and I'm still waiting.
I did pretty well but it was just the end that left me a little confused and as I type this, maybe the penny has dropped for this one. If I'm wrong, that's ok.
I like these characters, very diverse and the creepy fungus children were also kinda cute.
A really interesting book, great for a a strange little read.
Now, now, we won't get anywhere by being sarcastic. When people hear bad news, sometimes they don't think carefully about what they should say. As for your lack of friends, I'm sure you're exaggerating or doing the opposite, whatever that's called - I'll think if it in a moment. You must have friends. Even sarcastic people have friends, just not as many as other people.
I did pretty well but it was just the end that left me a little confused and as I type this, maybe the penny has dropped for this one. If I'm wrong, that's ok.
I like these characters, very diverse and the creepy fungus children were also kinda cute.
A really interesting book, great for a a strange little read.
Now, now, we won't get anywhere by being sarcastic. When people hear bad news, sometimes they don't think carefully about what they should say. As for your lack of friends, I'm sure you're exaggerating or doing the opposite, whatever that's called - I'll think if it in a moment. You must have friends. Even sarcastic people have friends, just not as many as other people.
July 1, 2015
Wonderful real, gutsy lonely characters come together in this tale of circumstances.
Sometimes things happen and we just have to get on with it.
Sometimes we like and dislike someone at the same time.
Sometimes we have to trust our intuition in enticing and unusual situations because things and people aren't always what they seem to be.
Sad and lonely doesn't always mean unhappy and can even lead to more than one expected.
A great tale for a long drive which gave us many smiles and lots of laughs.
Sometimes things happen and we just have to get on with it.
Sometimes we like and dislike someone at the same time.
Sometimes we have to trust our intuition in enticing and unusual situations because things and people aren't always what they seem to be.
Sad and lonely doesn't always mean unhappy and can even lead to more than one expected.
A great tale for a long drive which gave us many smiles and lots of laughs.
March 4, 2014
This book is well written, with a strong protagonist, but some of the stuff does get a little weird. Still, I've read it more than once, partly to 'get' it more and also because I generally enjoyed it.
March 18, 2014
Great adventure.
April 29, 2014
A quirky book with some lost characters on an adventure to find their way.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews