Clockwork Looking Glass

by Michael J. Rigg

She woke up naked and alone with no memories, staring up into the eyes of a handsome soldier. She had no idea who she was, how she got here, or the fact that her presence would change reality forever.

Clockwork Looking Glass follows the journey of “Alice” as she struggles to make sense of her surroundings, piecing them together with the strange visions and nightmares that are her only link to who she really is. With the help of a dashing Confederate officer, a teenage witch and a paranoid manservant, Alice soon discovers that this world of airships and Tesla towers is prowled by ghastly magic-wielding monsters, ghostlike “Clockwork Carpenters,” and the cannibalistic greed of corporations like Thorne & Wolfe.

It's a fantasy set in an alternate reality, an urban Steampunk universe that moves from the bronze and iron towers of New Yorke and haunted Philadelphia to the plantations of Louisiana, the Citadel of Thinking Machines and finally to the key that could bring Alice home... or destroy everything: Atlantis.

Genres: Steampunk, Fiction

583 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 21, 2013

Reviews

[Linda B.D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this was different- in a good way. Time travel with a twist. It has romance, deep love, family, gangs,a witch, all put together quite nicely. This is not a regular- "back in time-fall & in love", story. It is much more complex than that. A good, but very different ending.

[Paige Ervin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the story. I liked the characters, except for the main male char, who seemed desperately 2d. I take exception to the writing itself, which read like a second--sometimes first!--draft.I look forward to seeing what else Mr. Rigg does, because it's sure to be entertaining. I'm just hoping he goes through the editing process with a professional editor first. Even diamonds need polishing.

[voodoocactus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clockwork Looking Glass is the first novel of the Heart of Bronze series by Michael J. Rigg, set in a parallel/alternate steampunk universe. Michael is also the creator of one of my absolute favorite audiodramas, COPPERHEART. The AD and the books happen in the same universe but they’re standalone works and you don’t need to read the book to enjoy the audiodrama or vice versa.

The book alternates between 1st person and 3rd person POVs, 1st person being Alice and 3rd person telling the story through the eyes of the ones who live in this alternate world. I’m usually not very fond of 1st person POV but I got used to it pretty fast, mostly because Michael’s writing is easy to read.

The worldbuilding is fascinating, but that might just be because I’m easy because—steampunk! Flying cars, the Tesla bridges and the whole concept of how aircars operate…it’s a curious mix of victorian and modern which always tickles my pickle. The idea of steam-powered everything is fascinating.

What I didn’t like… well.
I guess I’ve been conditioned by way too much good fic but I was sort of having a hard time with reading a female character as damsel in distress swooning for the hero. It made me uncomfortable in so many places and left me wondering why the fuck was Alice such a wimp. Was she supposed to be a timid, vulnerable girl or was that just the male gaze? Also, it’s very heavily implied that Alice comes from our reality or at least from a reality where 9/11 happened and yet she very soon starts to use similar language as the steampunk reality uses. As the story progresses, she turns more and more into a Victorian prude, almost like she’s being slowly assimilated into the reality she’s in. And it’s beyond annoying. And, look, I’m not saying all women should be written as Sarah Connors but come on, there has to be other female molds than just “quirky tomboy,” “giggling schoolgirl,” and “teary-eyed heroine.” Oh, there’s the “devious vamp” of course. This is frustrating because from COPPERHEART I know that Michael is capable of writing strong, independent women but he completely misses his chance with Alice, leaving Pandora as the unsung heroine (I guess that’s why the second book is called Clockwork Pandora).

The other thing that really bothered me was the heteronormativity. I get that the alternate society is supposed to represent some weird victorian era brought to modern times but it’s not like queers were invented after WW2. Especially in the lower classes (or whatever you want to call the airshipyard workers, for example) one would imagine a bit more representation (especially considering the queer romantic and platonic relationships Michael wrote into COPPERHEART).

Ah, no, wait. There is queer representation: we get introduced to an…apparently pa(i)nsexual villain who is a sadistic rapist. *sigh*

And also. Uh. Confederation being the good guys? (Vs. the Imperialists, but…whatever.) I’m not American so I cannot understand how people feel when slave-owners are painted as the decent people and South is the place of the heroes. There are terms and sayings and colloquialisms I don’t get but I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who feels uncomfortable with it all.

However, if I push aside the male gaze, heteronormativity, the weird take on history and whatnot, Clockwork Looking Glass is a reasonably entertaining story. It’s a bit slow to pick up and it took ¾ of it for me to really get hooked but I still feel it was time well spent. It probably would’ve benefited from a solid beta. And in all honesty, I wish this was purely an action and adventure novel without the romance.

The afterword says this was originally a partially interactive webnovel which...does explain some things (*cough* characterization *cough*) although it's not a valid excuse for the obvious shortcomings.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Down the Rabbit Hole

In this time travel, alternate reality, steampunk, fantasy, mystery, Alice awakens in a world that is not her own while suffering from amnesia and is saved by her knight of Confederate royalty. The race is on as her memories return and the significance of her existence is realized.

I enjoyed setting of the alternate reality and how this world is different than our own. I don’t quite understand how magic and artificial intelligence came into being within a steam based society but it sure made things more interesting. I wasn’t thrilled with the ending which turned out to be irrelevant and make the sequel impossible. Maybe I missed something, regardless, overall an enjoyable steampunk adventure.

[Christopher Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful read

I came to learn of this book via the Steamrollers Adventure Podcast. As a fan of steampunk, I was pleasantly surprised by the authors take on the genre. This book has plenty of action and intrigue! The characters all come to life wonderfully. And the villains get under your skin (as they should). This really was a joy to read.

[Volpot · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars. Seemed OK at first, but became a disjointed mess

[Aly · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book did not grab my attention in the beginning and I just couldn't keep reading it.

[Rupert Bathurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

After listening to The Stream Rollers Adventure Podcast, story-crafted by Mr Rigg, I had a compelling desire to hear more of the universe he had created. Upon hearing, in the podcast, that the novel would be free for a limited time I couldn't help but snatch up a copy. Having now completed the novel, I wish I had paid for it. Mr Rigg's Heart of Bronze Universe is unlike any other I have encountered. It is a world "all about domination and warfare through property acquisition" where capitalism and patriarchy have been pushed to the extreme.
While it does stick to the traditional elements of steampunk: no plastics, but plenty of airships, automatons, goggles etc. The book differs from the norm with its use of magic. Products/victims of ethically horrible corporate experiments, Witches are women who use a physical to tell manipulate the world around them and ghouls are boys who have become bestial savage monsters. Well until Teivel Hearse came along.
The villains of this story, Thorne and Hearse, showcase the despicable side of human nature and are the ultimate embodiments of materialism and megalomania. While both presenting strong cases for the nature vs nurture argument. Neither will stop at anything to get what they desire and let's just say you don't want to be on the wrong side of Thorne when "Frustration builds". They are fantastic antagonists their behavior is shocking, but not unbelievable considering the context in which they sit.
Contrastingly, the protagonist, Alice. She is the perfect character to frame the narrative of this story and this world as she wakes up The Centers of World Trade with no memory of who or where she is. Like us this world is completely alien to her allowing the reader, if unfamiliar to steampunk, a chance to adjust before exploring the wonderful nuances of this world. The Tesla bridge was a particular favorite of mine. From the offset it seems like she doesn't belong. A throughly modern women and this causes her to stick out like a sore thumb at times. Alice's Partner in crime is Captain Bryce Landry, He is the definitive article of a gentleman. Charming, kind, considerate and always polite, putting others needs above his, which results in some rather dire consequences.
There are a myriad of other wonderfully written characters, a few are cleverly concealed Chekhov gun's waiting for their moment to fire in the unsuspecting readers face. My only gripe, and it's a small one, is the use of narrative. Most of the book is first person narrative from Alice's point of view. However, a good chunk of the novel is third person omniscient narration, from the perspective of other characters who are away from Alice, but will effect her story. While this allows for a tremendous amount of dramatic irony and the ability to see every side of the story. It also serves to further highlight how out of place Alice is in the heart of bronze world, she doesn't even conform to narrative convention, the nuisance. So upon reflection this gripe only further serves the plot.
In conclusion, if you love science fiction, adventure and intrigue particularly that of the Victorian persuasion. This is the book for you and if you finish it and thirst for more, The Steam Rollers Adventure Podcast takes place in the same universe after the events of the book . New episodes of roughly an hour long are released each week and within them are many opportunities to win a free copy of this fantastic novel.

[Amy Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This adventure is beautifully written in a world that combines the past present and future. Each character is strongly built with their unique quirks and stories that all cross cross throughout the mystery of Alice, the beautiful mysterious woman who has lost all her memories and wakes up in a foreign reality.