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William and the Clockwork Devil
After the death of his mother, a young man named William finds himself transported to another world. This strange place seems like the Middle Ages, but the villagers are threatened by mechanical monsters and centaur highwaymen. A masked doctor explains that poison has driven the kingdom mad, and William is the only remaining knight. Is the doctor trustworthy, or has he been struck with the madness, too? William must choose between pretending he's brave enough to battle an invincible clockwork dragon, or letting the masked doctor "cure" him with medieval brain surgery.
42 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 10, 2024
8 people want to read
About the author
D.N. Schmidt
9 books19 followersD.N. Schmidt began performing magic shows at age thirteen. While his friends were earning extra cash with paper routes or mowing lawns, he was on stage telling jokes, reading minds, and walking on broken glass.
After a few years, he decided that writing was more fun than performing, and presented much less risk of being heckled. (This was before he found out about internet trolls.) He turned to writing stories. He writes science fiction, horror, urban fantasy, anything weirder than real life.
Although D.N. Schmidt mostly writes speculative fiction, his first novel was a mystery. “They Ate the Waitress?” is the story of a murder at a restaurant for wealthy cannibals. After that came a collection of science fiction short stories called The Doom Tapes, and then The Screaming Void and The Stolen Planet, two space opera novels. He also wrote Inspiration Overdose, a writing prompt generator.
Interested readers can find free stories and writing tips at https://dnschmidt.com.
After a few years, he decided that writing was more fun than performing, and presented much less risk of being heckled. (This was before he found out about internet trolls.) He turned to writing stories. He writes science fiction, horror, urban fantasy, anything weirder than real life.
Although D.N. Schmidt mostly writes speculative fiction, his first novel was a mystery. “They Ate the Waitress?” is the story of a murder at a restaurant for wealthy cannibals. After that came a collection of science fiction short stories called The Doom Tapes, and then The Screaming Void and The Stolen Planet, two space opera novels. He also wrote Inspiration Overdose, a writing prompt generator.
Interested readers can find free stories and writing tips at https://dnschmidt.com.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 3, 2024
Great fun and imaginative
Highly entertaining novella that reads like a fever dream mixed with some horror and some humor. I loved the fantasy and horror blend. The things William encounters are very imaginative, and I would have liked to spend more time with them.
William is an older teen struggling with the loss of his mother when he finds himself in a strange world full of weird science, strange creatures, and people who think he is someone he is not.
The pace is frenetic, but I would have liked to find out more about the world and how William got there.
Highly imaginative and entertaining, I had great fun reading this and will be sure to read more by this author.
Highly entertaining novella that reads like a fever dream mixed with some horror and some humor. I loved the fantasy and horror blend. The things William encounters are very imaginative, and I would have liked to spend more time with them.
William is an older teen struggling with the loss of his mother when he finds himself in a strange world full of weird science, strange creatures, and people who think he is someone he is not.
The pace is frenetic, but I would have liked to find out more about the world and how William got there.
Highly imaginative and entertaining, I had great fun reading this and will be sure to read more by this author.
June 16, 2024
I picked up a copy of William and the Clockwork Devil after the author left a lovely review for one of my own works and I believe as part of the indie author community – and writing community as a whole – it’s always nice to return the gesture. So here are my thoughts on the book.
William and the Clockwork Devil is a brief read, falling in the realm of novella. What I liked about the book was how I felt compelled to keep reading by the main character’s need to understand the world he finds himself in. William is dealing with the recent death of his mother and wakes one day to find himself inexplicably transported to another world. Here I got massive Terry Gilliam vibes as his screenplays often land in the bizarre and outlandish, as does William and the Clockwork Devil.
The title originally had me thinking YA, though from the opening, it is clearly not. If I were to place it somewhere, I would say new adult, due to the themes of death and finding oneself in the wider world. William encounters unconventional and very eccentric companions along his journey, each one a curious read which I enjoyed most about the story. The world building is done through the characters’ interaction with William and makes for an engaging read. I just wished the book was longer so I could see more of these characters and watch William develop further.
Now, I’m also an editor and “editor vision” is somewhat hard to turn off, so the first thing that struck me was the formatting being perhaps slightly different from what I am accustomed to, but that by no means impeded the story at all.
The style of writing – a predominance of interior monologue – took a little mental adjustment (but that’s because of my reading style, not the writing). Yet it fit well with the story being told and is distinct as an author voice.
In brief
Overall, an intriguing read, pleasantly peculiar in places, with a poignant ending. Vibing elements of Monty Python logic, and tone of MirrorMask (directed by Dave McKean and written by Neil Gaiman). D. N. Schmidt’s William and the Clockwork Devil is a journey into the mind of a young man handling the recent death of his mother, and makes for an offbeat fantastical read.
William and the Clockwork Devil is a brief read, falling in the realm of novella. What I liked about the book was how I felt compelled to keep reading by the main character’s need to understand the world he finds himself in. William is dealing with the recent death of his mother and wakes one day to find himself inexplicably transported to another world. Here I got massive Terry Gilliam vibes as his screenplays often land in the bizarre and outlandish, as does William and the Clockwork Devil.
The title originally had me thinking YA, though from the opening, it is clearly not. If I were to place it somewhere, I would say new adult, due to the themes of death and finding oneself in the wider world. William encounters unconventional and very eccentric companions along his journey, each one a curious read which I enjoyed most about the story. The world building is done through the characters’ interaction with William and makes for an engaging read. I just wished the book was longer so I could see more of these characters and watch William develop further.
Now, I’m also an editor and “editor vision” is somewhat hard to turn off, so the first thing that struck me was the formatting being perhaps slightly different from what I am accustomed to, but that by no means impeded the story at all.
The style of writing – a predominance of interior monologue – took a little mental adjustment (but that’s because of my reading style, not the writing). Yet it fit well with the story being told and is distinct as an author voice.
In brief
Overall, an intriguing read, pleasantly peculiar in places, with a poignant ending. Vibing elements of Monty Python logic, and tone of MirrorMask (directed by Dave McKean and written by Neil Gaiman). D. N. Schmidt’s William and the Clockwork Devil is a journey into the mind of a young man handling the recent death of his mother, and makes for an offbeat fantastical read.
July 19, 2024
Comedy to stop a zombie horse dead in its tracks
A fun, imaginative adventure with frequent maddingly funny witticisms. I would like to have some some more explanation of William's situation, but the story works well as a tight, hip fairytale.
A fun, imaginative adventure with frequent maddingly funny witticisms. I would like to have some some more explanation of William's situation, but the story works well as a tight, hip fairytale.
July 17, 2024
interesting little piece
A good read that’s engaging on a moment-to-moment basis and has some solid moments in William’s character. High praise for the atmosphere, too.
A good read that’s engaging on a moment-to-moment basis and has some solid moments in William’s character. High praise for the atmosphere, too.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews