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Duke Gomory's Pocket Watch
“I exist in all the past, present and future.”
When Henry King opens a package sent to him by his eccentric, recently deceased great uncle Roderick, he's no idea his life will change so dramatically. As he attempts to discover if the unusual pocket watch has any value, he meets a sinister stranger who sets him on a journey into a world where he can earn untold riches – but at what cost?
Henry plunges deeper into the murky underworld of the super-rich and becomes increasingly attached to his work colleague, Cristina,. He's unaware of past events enmeshed in the gears of his mysterious pocket-watch.
Events occurring in another land act as a catalyst for the final conjunction of two slithers of bone embedded in the watch’s workings – leading to a preordained happening.
“I am a creation of humanity’s belief.”
When Henry King opens a package sent to him by his eccentric, recently deceased great uncle Roderick, he's no idea his life will change so dramatically. As he attempts to discover if the unusual pocket watch has any value, he meets a sinister stranger who sets him on a journey into a world where he can earn untold riches – but at what cost?
Henry plunges deeper into the murky underworld of the super-rich and becomes increasingly attached to his work colleague, Cristina,. He's unaware of past events enmeshed in the gears of his mysterious pocket-watch.
Events occurring in another land act as a catalyst for the final conjunction of two slithers of bone embedded in the watch’s workings – leading to a preordained happening.
“I am a creation of humanity’s belief.”
230 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 28, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 31, 2016
Firstly, an admission of a potential conflict of interest: I know Darla and we share a publisher - so you may think I'm biased.
Honestly, I'm not. If I didn't think his book had a lot of merit, I wouldn't review it.
This is my review:
Duke Gomory's Pocket Watch is very well written, very well-plotted with a few surprises along the way, and populated by a number of memorably grotesque characters (and a few normal ones). All the main sones well-drawn.
But for me, what counts in a a book is whether it makes me want to know what happens next - and this one did, in spades.
The book is quite brilliant in some ways. I hesitate to say in every way, as that is an accolade I reserve for very few books indeed. Anyway, I highly recommend it - but with the following caveat:
Darla doesn't shy away from describing torture in some detail. As his descriptive skills are highly developed, some readers will find certain scenes unbearable. I confess that I myself struggled at times. I hasten to add that the novel isn't torture porn - although at times it may read as if it is, but those times are always artistically justified. The plot and the author's intentions require that level of detail.
I have two very minor criticisms - so minor as to be barely worth mentioning.
Firstly, I think the novel could be improved by omitting the introduction and jumping straight into the story, where it begins with Henry King.
Secondly, the Duke makes a few observations at the conclusion of the novel. Some of these could be omitted, as some of what he says has been more than amply demonstrated by this stage, and requires no repetition.
But these are minor quibbles. If you have a strong stomach, read this book.
Honestly, I'm not. If I didn't think his book had a lot of merit, I wouldn't review it.
This is my review:
Duke Gomory's Pocket Watch is very well written, very well-plotted with a few surprises along the way, and populated by a number of memorably grotesque characters (and a few normal ones). All the main sones well-drawn.
But for me, what counts in a a book is whether it makes me want to know what happens next - and this one did, in spades.
The book is quite brilliant in some ways. I hesitate to say in every way, as that is an accolade I reserve for very few books indeed. Anyway, I highly recommend it - but with the following caveat:
Darla doesn't shy away from describing torture in some detail. As his descriptive skills are highly developed, some readers will find certain scenes unbearable. I confess that I myself struggled at times. I hasten to add that the novel isn't torture porn - although at times it may read as if it is, but those times are always artistically justified. The plot and the author's intentions require that level of detail.
I have two very minor criticisms - so minor as to be barely worth mentioning.
Firstly, I think the novel could be improved by omitting the introduction and jumping straight into the story, where it begins with Henry King.
Secondly, the Duke makes a few observations at the conclusion of the novel. Some of these could be omitted, as some of what he says has been more than amply demonstrated by this stage, and requires no repetition.
But these are minor quibbles. If you have a strong stomach, read this book.
June 1, 2017
A darkly, cryptic, twisted tale, this read is staggeringly intense.
With a gift of a strange pocket watch and the encounter with an ominous stranger, Henry is plummeted deeper into the shadowy underworld. Penetrating, exhilarating, and somewhat terrifying this is a story that gets your adrenaline pumping.
One of the many conversations I enjoyed in this story was Henry speaking with Gormory asking him if he was a demon, his response:
“I told you once before that I exist in all time. The past, present, and future are as one to me. I will try to explain it to you. Imagine a waterfall. The water cascades down breaking into separate drops. Each drop forms as a separate entity to journey down the fall, but at the end of its journey, it blends back into the flowing water. You are like a water drop, but I am the water. As time flows, so water flows, but the water is always there, always has been and always will.”
Darla is an extraordinary author with a fantastic imagination. Duke Gomory’s Pocket Watch is a great read one not to miss.
October 30, 2016
I am already a fan of this author's short stories, but was equally pleased with this novel which is dark and mysterious and also makes you think. It begins when Henry is given a pocket watch left to him when his Uncle Gregory passes away. This is not an ordinary watch and readers are going to find themselves immersed in how the past,present and future have been known to collide. I found this book interesting and highly recommend it for some intense reading
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews