The Clockmaster: A Short Story

by Betsy Tobin

Short Fiction from the award-winning author of Bone House, The Bounce and Ice Land. A delicately wrought story of anger, yearning and desire...

My mother is dead. She died that I might live, they tell me, though I have no way of knowing. She is all hearsay, conjecture; nothing but other people's pictures painted on my brain. I think of her too often, and she is fluid, mysterious, ever-changing--not one but many people parading through my mind.

15th century Prague. Helen, the daughter of a wealthy nobleman, dwells in an atmosphere of suspicion and concealment, where displays of emotion are scarce, and affection even rarer. When her father hires a talented young craftsman to automate the city's clock, the town reacts in an uproar, alarmed by what they perceive to be the work of the devil. But Helen is intrigued. She becomes obsessed with the clock and its maker, and soon both time and Helen's world begin to unravel.

Praise for Betsy Tobin's novels:
'A gripping narrative shimmering with psychological depth.' The New York Times

'A surprisingly delicate murder mystery, tempered by great detail
and remarkable control.' Los Angeles Times

'A fine gothic novel which burrows under the skin.' The Times (London)

'An elegant, haunting novel.' Publishers Weekly

'An entertaining and highly original first novel.' Harpers & Queen

'Elegant and engrossing.' Chicago Tribune

'Beautiful, tense and moving.' Le Monde

19 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 12, 2014

About the author

Betsy Tobin was born in the U.S. and moved to England in 1989, where she now lives with her husband and children. Her first novel, Bone House, was short-listed for the Commonwealth Prize, and won the Herodotus Prize in the United States. Her other novels include The Bounce, Ice Land, and Crimson China. Crimson China was Radio 4 Book At Bedtime in the UK, and was short-listed for Epic Romantic Novel of the Year.

Her latest book, THINGS WE COULDN'T EXPLAIN, is available for pre-order now on Amazon in the UK. (Digital ebook available in August. Paperback coming in November 2014!)

Watch the trailer at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA_TX...

Reviews

[Sunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this e-book for free on amazon.com. I figured I have the time and it was for free so why not? I was pleasantly surprised with how much detail and depth the author included in the short amount of pages. The characters were well-developed and there was an ending to this story unlike some short stories that leave the story without any clear resolution. Well, I should take that back. There is no clear resolution at the end. However, it leaves the reader with assumptions on how it will turn out. An example I could think of right now will be the edited ending in Charles Dicken's "The Great Expectations" where Pip meets Estella again at the end and the readers can guess they get together but it is not definite what will happen.

Furthermore, I thought it was interesting how the author chose to show the ignorance of the higher class and the lower class. It seemed to be a common thread that ties the two classes together.

In conclusion, personally, I think this short story was interesting and I would recommend it if anyone is interested in a short read with a little romance.