What do you think?
Rate this book
Clockwork Angels #3
Clockwork Destiny
The final volume in the New York Times–bestselling, award-winning steampunk trilogy by Kevin J. Anderson and legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart
In Clockwork Angels and Clockwork Lives, readers met the optimistic young hero Owen Hardy, as well as the more reluctant adventurer Marinda Peake, in an amazing world of airships and alchemy, fantastic carnivals and lost cities. Now Owen Hardy, retired and content in his quiet, perfect life with the beautiful Francesca, is pulled into one last adventure with his eager grandson Alain. This final mission for the Watchmaker will take them up to the frozen lands of Ultima Thule and the ends of the Earth. Marinda Peake must undertake a mission of her own, not only to compile the true life story of the mysterious Watchmaker, but also to stop a deadly new group of anarchists.
The Clockwork trilogy is based on the story and lyrics from the last album of musical titans Rush, with Anderson and Peart expanding the world, stories, and characters. The two developed the final novel in the trilogy in the last years of Peart’s life, and more than a year after his passing, Anderson returned to that unfinished project, with the full support of Peart’s wife, bringing Owen and Marinda’s stories to a satisfying and stirring conclusion.
In Clockwork Angels and Clockwork Lives, readers met the optimistic young hero Owen Hardy, as well as the more reluctant adventurer Marinda Peake, in an amazing world of airships and alchemy, fantastic carnivals and lost cities. Now Owen Hardy, retired and content in his quiet, perfect life with the beautiful Francesca, is pulled into one last adventure with his eager grandson Alain. This final mission for the Watchmaker will take them up to the frozen lands of Ultima Thule and the ends of the Earth. Marinda Peake must undertake a mission of her own, not only to compile the true life story of the mysterious Watchmaker, but also to stop a deadly new group of anarchists.
The Clockwork trilogy is based on the story and lyrics from the last album of musical titans Rush, with Anderson and Peart expanding the world, stories, and characters. The two developed the final novel in the trilogy in the last years of Peart’s life, and more than a year after his passing, Anderson returned to that unfinished project, with the full support of Peart’s wife, bringing Owen and Marinda’s stories to a satisfying and stirring conclusion.
1 pages, Audio CD
Published June 14, 2022
28 people are currently reading
492 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 14, 2022
There are certain series which really move you -- and you can't quite understand why.
Kevin Anderson's Clockwork trilogy is one such series. I had planned to read only a few pages of this book today, but found myself putting off other obligations to finish it.
At one point, I scribbled a note in the margin, that I was hoping for a laugh. And then the Watchmaker laughed. And the book had deeper meaning, echoes of the great finale of Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
I will miss this book, but hope that there will soon be a graphic novel (this is a very visual story)... and perhaps an animated series...
Kevin Anderson's Clockwork trilogy is one such series. I had planned to read only a few pages of this book today, but found myself putting off other obligations to finish it.
At one point, I scribbled a note in the margin, that I was hoping for a laugh. And then the Watchmaker laughed. And the book had deeper meaning, echoes of the great finale of Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
I will miss this book, but hope that there will soon be a graphic novel (this is a very visual story)... and perhaps an animated series...
November 19, 2022
"All is for the best."
As a huge Rush fan, I was devastated back in 2020 when I heard about the death of Neil Peart. Even though the band was finished, I figured there was still plenty of time for the Professor to release new projects, such as more books.
Fittingly, as the final book in the Clockwork Trilogy proved, there is never enough time.
I didn't know a third and final book even existed until stumbling upon it in a bookstore, and even then, it took me time to work up the nerve to read it. But I am glad that I did.
Clockwork Destiny returns us to the world of The Watchmaker, who has kept his Stability going for nearly two centuries. But even he can tell his clocks are winding down. And he isn't alone. The hero of Clockwork Angels, Owen Hardy, has grown older and retired to tend his garden alongside his beloved wife, only to learn that time is running out for her. At the same time, Miranda Peake, hero of Clockwork Lives, is summoned by the Watchmaker himself for an important mission- find Owen and bring him before him. The two aged heroes soon find themselves on separate missions to try and save the world as they know it. But is it worth saving?
This book is an excellent ending to the Clockwork Trilogy, showing us where the characters have gone, giving their stories fitting conclusions- not endings, for their stories are not truly finished, as well as sending the world of the Watchmaker to its only real conclusion. Entropy always wins.
I only wish Neil were still around to see how the story he helped create in Rush's final album ended up. I'm sure he, like the Watchmaker, would agree that all was truly for the best.
If you liked the previous books, or are a Rush fan, give this a read.
As a huge Rush fan, I was devastated back in 2020 when I heard about the death of Neil Peart. Even though the band was finished, I figured there was still plenty of time for the Professor to release new projects, such as more books.
Fittingly, as the final book in the Clockwork Trilogy proved, there is never enough time.
I didn't know a third and final book even existed until stumbling upon it in a bookstore, and even then, it took me time to work up the nerve to read it. But I am glad that I did.
Clockwork Destiny returns us to the world of The Watchmaker, who has kept his Stability going for nearly two centuries. But even he can tell his clocks are winding down. And he isn't alone. The hero of Clockwork Angels, Owen Hardy, has grown older and retired to tend his garden alongside his beloved wife, only to learn that time is running out for her. At the same time, Miranda Peake, hero of Clockwork Lives, is summoned by the Watchmaker himself for an important mission- find Owen and bring him before him. The two aged heroes soon find themselves on separate missions to try and save the world as they know it. But is it worth saving?
This book is an excellent ending to the Clockwork Trilogy, showing us where the characters have gone, giving their stories fitting conclusions- not endings, for their stories are not truly finished, as well as sending the world of the Watchmaker to its only real conclusion. Entropy always wins.
I only wish Neil were still around to see how the story he helped create in Rush's final album ended up. I'm sure he, like the Watchmaker, would agree that all was truly for the best.
If you liked the previous books, or are a Rush fan, give this a read.
December 20, 2022
The final volume of the Clockwork trilogy that brings to end the story created about Owen Hardy and Miranda Peak. A great ending to fantastic adventure written by Kevin Anderson and Neil Peart.
January 23, 2024
It's... okay. I was disappointed with it a lot more than I would have liked to have been, but I can't say I hated the book overall. It was a good enough book. Not a bad way to end the series... Just, maybe not the best way. But someone will probably enjoy it well enough.
Oh, and in case anyone reads this and wants to know the Watchmaker's origins (Since the book doesn't reveal them, or the following bit of info in the afterword), read 2113 by Kevin J. Anderson. It details his true origins in one of the short stories and is a fun connection to the rest of the Rush universe.
Oh, and in case anyone reads this and wants to know the Watchmaker's origins (Since the book doesn't reveal them, or the following bit of info in the afterword), read 2113 by Kevin J. Anderson. It details his true origins in one of the short stories and is a fun connection to the rest of the Rush universe.
June 5, 2024
The main characters from both Clockwork Angels and Clockwork Lives get together in this final novel in the Clockwork Universe. Besides the obvious nods to characters and locations based on Rush song titles and the like, Kevin did an outstanding job in this novel of frequently dropping a single random Rush lyric here and there in ways that worked beautifully and may not be noticed by the uninitiated but brought a smile to my face more than once.
September 13, 2023
RECOMMENDED:
CLOCKWORK DESTINY – by Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart
"How I wish we could live it all again -- but I wouldn't change a thing."
The concluding volume of Neil Peart's and Kevin J. Anderson's "Clockwork" trilogy regathers the protagonists of the earlier two volumes, Owen Hardy, Marinda Peake, and the near-godlike Watchmaker in their later years, when their great adventures, youthful energies and aspirations, and even the Watchmaker's great nation-spanning Stability are, like all clocks, running down. "Entropy always wins."
These three character's last and greatest quest is to find the "quintessence" of Life that keeps entropy at bay, to reinvigorate the centuries-old Watchmaker and the Stability of the nation of Albion, and save the life of Owen Hardy's terminally ill beloved Francesca.
As much as "Clockwork Angels" (Book 1) captures the spirit of youth, and "Clockwork Lives" (Book2) recounts the mature adult's need to experience life outside the comfort (and restrictive obligations) of one's home and occupation in order to actually BE alive, "Clockwork Destiny" (Book 3) addresses life's greatest challenge: reconciling one's final years with the life one has lived.
The aged are challenged by their past. Their enemies? Nostalgia and regret, NOT, for the most part, for what they did -- for all they lived and who they loved -- but by the fact that they cannot experience these, or their like, again. Nostalgia and regret weigh more with the passing of every new experience, of each place visited for the first time, of friends first made, of lovers loved and, over time, inevitably lost. As much as we seek to establish security and order in our lives, while reveling in its chaos, inevitably Time defeats us all. "Time is the greatest Anarchist."
True immortality is achieved through the memories of us we leave behind in others.
Note: I will take issue with Owen Hardy when he states, "That is why I tried to do great things in my life."
On this, I disagree. While history book "memorable greatness" may be attainable for a small few -- villains as often as heroes -- every one of us may obtain "Immortality" that is as influential and as meaningful, if not moreso, in my humble opinion, through the simplest and smallest acts of lovingkindness: a helping hand, a listening ear, a comforting hug, a kind word; by being a good friend, a loving parent, grandparent, uncle/aunt, cousin; by making another --anyone -- feel respected and appreciated.
Being now a "senior" and "retired" myself, I found much in "Clockwork Destiny" with which I empathized, and many of the characters' thoughts and struggles resonated strongly within me. As with the earlier two volumes, there is a treasure of aphorisms worthy of Kahil Gibran. Peart's and Anderson's trilogy are worth reading for these alone.
Like the elderly Owen Hardy, I find my first experience with the recounting of his life in "Clockwork Angels" [Book 1] remains my favorite of these three novels.
Still, I have no regret in having spent my Time, that most valuable and irreplaceable of all treasures, in reading all three books -- and Kevin's very personal, heartfelt, soul-bared afterward, "The Measure of a Life," in which he shares the creative capstone to the series: friendship and love, even their memory, will always surmount life's inevitable tragedies and loss.
Unlike most books I read in these, my later years, I can say that I suspect I will read (and/or listen) to these three again.
My apologies to Kevin for the delay in completing my reading and sharing my thoughts. However, as it has been well stated:
"Stories well-told are to be savored, not rushed."
– Clockwork Destiny, (p.17). 🙂
CLOCKWORK DESTINY – by Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart
"How I wish we could live it all again -- but I wouldn't change a thing."
The concluding volume of Neil Peart's and Kevin J. Anderson's "Clockwork" trilogy regathers the protagonists of the earlier two volumes, Owen Hardy, Marinda Peake, and the near-godlike Watchmaker in their later years, when their great adventures, youthful energies and aspirations, and even the Watchmaker's great nation-spanning Stability are, like all clocks, running down. "Entropy always wins."
These three character's last and greatest quest is to find the "quintessence" of Life that keeps entropy at bay, to reinvigorate the centuries-old Watchmaker and the Stability of the nation of Albion, and save the life of Owen Hardy's terminally ill beloved Francesca.
As much as "Clockwork Angels" (Book 1) captures the spirit of youth, and "Clockwork Lives" (Book2) recounts the mature adult's need to experience life outside the comfort (and restrictive obligations) of one's home and occupation in order to actually BE alive, "Clockwork Destiny" (Book 3) addresses life's greatest challenge: reconciling one's final years with the life one has lived.
The aged are challenged by their past. Their enemies? Nostalgia and regret, NOT, for the most part, for what they did -- for all they lived and who they loved -- but by the fact that they cannot experience these, or their like, again. Nostalgia and regret weigh more with the passing of every new experience, of each place visited for the first time, of friends first made, of lovers loved and, over time, inevitably lost. As much as we seek to establish security and order in our lives, while reveling in its chaos, inevitably Time defeats us all. "Time is the greatest Anarchist."
True immortality is achieved through the memories of us we leave behind in others.
Note: I will take issue with Owen Hardy when he states, "That is why I tried to do great things in my life."
On this, I disagree. While history book "memorable greatness" may be attainable for a small few -- villains as often as heroes -- every one of us may obtain "Immortality" that is as influential and as meaningful, if not moreso, in my humble opinion, through the simplest and smallest acts of lovingkindness: a helping hand, a listening ear, a comforting hug, a kind word; by being a good friend, a loving parent, grandparent, uncle/aunt, cousin; by making another --anyone -- feel respected and appreciated.
Being now a "senior" and "retired" myself, I found much in "Clockwork Destiny" with which I empathized, and many of the characters' thoughts and struggles resonated strongly within me. As with the earlier two volumes, there is a treasure of aphorisms worthy of Kahil Gibran. Peart's and Anderson's trilogy are worth reading for these alone.
Like the elderly Owen Hardy, I find my first experience with the recounting of his life in "Clockwork Angels" [Book 1] remains my favorite of these three novels.
Still, I have no regret in having spent my Time, that most valuable and irreplaceable of all treasures, in reading all three books -- and Kevin's very personal, heartfelt, soul-bared afterward, "The Measure of a Life," in which he shares the creative capstone to the series: friendship and love, even their memory, will always surmount life's inevitable tragedies and loss.
Unlike most books I read in these, my later years, I can say that I suspect I will read (and/or listen) to these three again.
My apologies to Kevin for the delay in completing my reading and sharing my thoughts. However, as it has been well stated:
"Stories well-told are to be savored, not rushed."
– Clockwork Destiny, (p.17). 🙂
June 14, 2022
Clockwork Destiny returns to the steampunk world of Clockwork Angels and Clockwork Lives. Lovers of Rush will appreciate all the nods to their music; the main villain is named Prince By-Tor from their song "The Necromancer." Unlike the second novel, which you could read on its own, you really should read the first two books in this series before reading Clockwork Destiny.
In this latest novel, you join the protagonist from the first novel, Owen Hardy as he is getting older and retired from the carnival. He goes on one last adventure with his grandson Alain to help save Albion as it is starting to entropy. You also get to meet Marinda Peake from Clockwork Lives again who is writing the autobiography of the Watchmaker and trying to stop the new Anarchist. I really like the main theme of the book; just being alive isn't the same as living your life. Too much order, just as too much anarchy isn't good for you. There is a little bit of everything in this book; love, sadness and adventure. Most of all I think it teaches you the value of family and friendship and the contentment to be found with it.
It is truly a beautiful world the Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart built and I was very happy to return to it. I also really appreciated the afterword where Kevin described his friendship to Neil and how much it meant to him.
In this latest novel, you join the protagonist from the first novel, Owen Hardy as he is getting older and retired from the carnival. He goes on one last adventure with his grandson Alain to help save Albion as it is starting to entropy. You also get to meet Marinda Peake from Clockwork Lives again who is writing the autobiography of the Watchmaker and trying to stop the new Anarchist. I really like the main theme of the book; just being alive isn't the same as living your life. Too much order, just as too much anarchy isn't good for you. There is a little bit of everything in this book; love, sadness and adventure. Most of all I think it teaches you the value of family and friendship and the contentment to be found with it.
It is truly a beautiful world the Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart built and I was very happy to return to it. I also really appreciated the afterword where Kevin described his friendship to Neil and how much it meant to him.
August 6, 2022
The third and final book in the steampunk series written by Kevin J. Anderson and the Rush drummer Neil Peart. Posthumously in this case, based on conversations between the two and song lyrics/themes and published several years after Peart's death. This story feels shorter and more contained than the first two installments, and is perhaps the weakest as a standalone story. But it does provide a nice culmination of the characters and themes of the trilogy, and includes a significant number of references to Rush's lyrics.
October 15, 2023
Destiny is the third and final novel in the series. It is by far the strongest novel of the three. Characters from the previous two books come together, the clockwork society is winding down and entropy is creeping in. Can the heroes save the day, save the Watchmaker, save old love? The tension is ratcheted much higher than the previous two novels and the outcome isn't clear (which is also unlike the first two novels).
And excellent read and the ending fits magically with the real life authors' lives.
This is well worth your time to read and enjoy.
And excellent read and the ending fits magically with the real life authors' lives.
This is well worth your time to read and enjoy.
October 17, 2022
This is a novel that is so much more than "just a story". Inspiring. It is about life well lived... Living a life that actually means something. The first 2 books of this trilogy have extremely high expectations for the finale... and this final book did not disappoint. I will almost certainly be re-reading this trilogy!!
August 20, 2025
I liked this final development of the series more than its predecessors, as, besides being well-written (like the others), it provides quite satisfactory closures for the whole story and several of its arches.. this strange steampunk-fantasy universe is quite interesting and I would love to see a TV series based on it
November 20, 2022
“The treasure of a life
Is a measure of love and respect
The way you live, the gifts that you give”
From the song “The Garden”, by Rush. Lyrics written by Neil Peart.
A fitting end to the trilogy (if you’re interested, read the first two books or this one will make no sense).
Is a measure of love and respect
The way you live, the gifts that you give”
From the song “The Garden”, by Rush. Lyrics written by Neil Peart.
A fitting end to the trilogy (if you’re interested, read the first two books or this one will make no sense).
February 5, 2023
I read this series as a fan of Rush, but walked away a fan of Kevin Anderson. The emotion of this series was nuanced and deep, and I took every opportunity I could to finish this book once I started. Absolutely beautiful.
April 23, 2023
I'd like to give this story more stars as I did enjoy it but I would consider it a lite read at best. Enjoyed like I would some of the comic book titles I've followed. I will be reading the first book soon so maybe It'll spark tic tok
November 5, 2024
So glad that Kevin finished this one and published it as a tribute to Neill's contributions and memory.
While this was perhaps the weakest component of the trilogy, my 5-stars really refers to all three books.
They kept me entertained and encouraged me to read them much too quickly!
While this was perhaps the weakest component of the trilogy, my 5-stars really refers to all three books.
They kept me entertained and encouraged me to read them much too quickly!
June 14, 2022
Make sure to grab this book while you can. If you haven’t gotten the first two volumes, you can get all three.
July 10, 2022
I basically read this as a stand alone because it has been a long time between books. It was still good and I still enjoyed it
August 2, 2022
The concluding volume in the charming steampunk trilogy.
March 21, 2023
It's a pretty awesome must read for Rushfans.
May 2, 2023
I will say only this, a heartbreaking but fitting end to the story.
Kevin J. Anderson did Neil Peart’s ideas and lyrics justice and ended the story in fashion!
Kevin J. Anderson did Neil Peart’s ideas and lyrics justice and ended the story in fashion!
August 5, 2024
Story finished?
I enjoyed the story and reuniting with the characters I've grown found of. The use of RUSH lyrics as part of the story is fantastic. All is for the best.
I enjoyed the story and reuniting with the characters I've grown found of. The use of RUSH lyrics as part of the story is fantastic. All is for the best.
August 18, 2024
I enjoyed it, but not as much as clockwork lives.
January 28, 2025
A nice conclusion to the trilogy, especially mixing in By-Tor & the Snow dogs.
January 30, 2025
Excellent conclusion to the Clockwork series. It's another story of Owen Hardy and the steam punk world he inhabits.
November 3, 2025
Clockwork Capstone
This is a touching conclusion of the Kevin J. Anderson Clockwork Angels series. I Loved it! Neal would be proud.
This is a touching conclusion of the Kevin J. Anderson Clockwork Angels series. I Loved it! Neal would be proud.
May 13, 2024
This book took some time for me to get fully into it, but once I did, I found it increasingly hard to stop. I had read the first two books of the Clockwork trilogy in very quick succession, unaware that they would be connected in a third and final adventure. We have our old familiar characters now joined by new faces that are ready to have adventures of their own, and - in more ways than one - we are introduced to the end of an era.
We are pressed again and again to remember that “Entropy always wins,” and that “Time winds down,” but that it doesn’t mean we can’t make the most of what we have when we have it. I got significantly teary-eyed by the end of it all watching these characters reach their conclusion. I’m happy to have discovered this series unexpectedly and to have journeyed to the end alongside them.
We are pressed again and again to remember that “Entropy always wins,” and that “Time winds down,” but that it doesn’t mean we can’t make the most of what we have when we have it. I got significantly teary-eyed by the end of it all watching these characters reach their conclusion. I’m happy to have discovered this series unexpectedly and to have journeyed to the end alongside them.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews