The Clockwork Heart

by Kim Fielding

Dante Winter makes a living repairing broken things. Socially awkward and rejected by his father over his too-fanciful work, he’s alone in the world. Dante's life changes when he finds a badly damaged male golem, a lifelike automaton created for service and pleasure. He does his best to fix the golem, whom he names Talon, and comes to find that the creature is very human—perhaps more human than Dante. But when Talon tempts him with something more than friendship, Dante must decide whether a clockwork heart is capable of love.

Available for free download on the author's website.

Previously published in the anthology Steamed Up

Genres: M M Romance, Steampunk, Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy, LGBT, Short Stories

32 pages, ebook

First published October 20, 2013

About the author

Kim Fielding lives in Oregon and travels as often as she can manage. A professor by day, at night she rushes into a phone booth to change into her author costume (which involves comfy clothes instead of Spandex and is, sadly, lacking a cape). Her superpowers include the ability to write nearly anywhere, often while simultaneously doling out assistance to her family. Her favorite word to describe herself is "eclectic" and she finally got that seventh tattoo.

Reviews

[Drusilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another of Kim Fielding's wonderfully sensitive books.
I had a little trouble getting into the story with this one, but then it warmed my heart.
I don't think the story itself is that unique, but the author's writing is just so beautiful that it always makes me happy.

It was as if everyone else in the world had received a script but his had been misplaced. 🥺💗🥺

I would have liked Dante to have been described a little better, I would have liked to know why he is different. Or, maybe that's the point, that he's not really different, just not really noticed? Bad book, making me have a think …

„I told you from the start, I’m no good with people. I have nothing but a clockwork heart.”
Talon’s answer was almost a whisper. “Even a clockwork heart can love.” 🫠💗🫠

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semicolons~✡~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short but gorgeous story set in an alternate steampunk universe about a reclusive tinkerer who finds a broken machine and makes a man.

[Meags · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Another Kim Fielding short story that has done wildly intrusive but wonderful things to my vulnerable heart.

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

2nd RE-READ: Sep 2019

I read The Pillar also by Kim Fielding a few days ago, and it reminded me of this little gem! Faris, the MC from The Pillar and Dante from The Clockwork Heart are so much alike. Quiet, unassuming, self-deprecating people with big, kind hearts and a skill that can save another person's life - whether it takes the form of an abused slave or a damaged golem.

Sooo good! The most lovely comfort reads for me, both of them ;)

1st RE-READ: Oct 2018

Even better than the first time! ;)

My favourite quotes:

I have nothing but a clockwork heart.” Talon’s answer was almost a whisper. “Even a clockwork heart can love.”

And:

“No. It’s only… this is where I found you.” He pointed at one heap of cast-off wreckage that wasn’t much different from any of the others. “Oh.” “The most valuable thing I’ve ever discovered here.” “But I’m worth nothing. Nobody would buy me.” “You’re worth everything, and I’d never sell you.”

And:

The gears of Dante’s heart moved quickly and the bellows in his chest rushed air in and out. Electricity zipped through the wires of his nerves. And then an amazing thing happened. He looked at Talon and saw a man— an imperfect man, but very beautiful— and at the same time the metal and glass inside Dante softened. Became bones and muscles and hot, salty blood. Dante became a real man too.


ORIGINAL REVIEW:

4.5 stars rounded up.
What a gem!
I usually don't read short stories - unless it's Megan Derr ;) - because they often lack in depth, world-building or character development. I don't read much steampunk either - I have somehow never come around to this genre....
So? Why did I give it almost 5 stars? WHY?!?!
It's Kim Fielding for goodness' sake!!! And she never disappoints! :) Never has and, I hope, never will.

It was a sweet (but not sugar-coated!), thoughtful tale of a tinkerer scavenging the rubbish heaps in search of broken toys. Dante revives those toys, adorns them in beautiful glass and "jewels" and then sells them - not to gain glory or fame of his craft, nor to become wealthy and spoilt. He simply loves what he does and is good at it.
One day he finds a broken golem and brings him home...

That's the beginning. READ the rest! It's really worth it!!! :) :) :)

[Ariana (mostly offline) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3,75 stars*

What a lovely and heart-warming novella!
Loved this short story about a humble, socially awkward man who finds love in a very unexpected way.
One to make you feel all warm inside!

[Drache.... (Angelika) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely steampunk novella about loneliness, acceptance and love.
3,5 stars.
(I loved the author's novellas Speechless, Regifted and No Place Like Home more, though).

[Kaylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Even a clockwork heart can love."

This was such a surprisingly sweet, lovely tale. I really enjoyed the whole premise and would actually like more from these two. It didn't feel awkward or forced and I liked Dante, and Talon. Even though this was short, I liked the work that Dante did and the progression.

Fielding has climbed higher on my list. More convinced that I just chose the wrong books to start with... I really like the cover too!

"Perhaps you weren't built in a workshop like me, but humans are made to want one another, to yearn for friendship and touch and sex and love. You can't stop yourself from needing those things any more than I can."

[Santy · Rating 4 out of 5]

32 pages of awesomeness. Wish it had been longer!

[Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird appropriation of Jewish mythology aside, this is a sweet little story of a tinker who finds a golem at the bottom of a garbage heap, takes him home, fixes him up and finds true love.

This is a really quick read, just a little over an hour at my pace, so there's not much time to develop anything. Still, if you're in need of some brain bleach or something light and fluffy, this is it.

There were some formatting errors on my Kindle file, but it was free so not a sticking point.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I loved the atmosphere in this story and, despite the short length, the characters were well developed.

[fleurette · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, cute story that warms your heart. The loner Dante finds love and companionship in a mechanical golem, which he finds broken and thrown in a landfill. The unlikely pair fit together surprisingly well. Really cute.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ha sido demasiado bello, sin duda de mis relatos cortos favoritos🥺💗. Talon y Dante tienen mi corazoncito ganado🥺.


















•⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱•


"—Tal vez no fuerais construidos en un taller como yo, pero los seres humanos están hechos para quererse los unos a los otros, para anhelar la amistad, el tacto, el sexo y el amor. No puedes dejar de necesitar esas cosas más de lo que yo puedo.

—¡Yo puedo! No necesito a nadie. Te lo dije desde el principio, no soy bueno con la gente. No tengo más que un mecanismo de reloj de corazón.

La respuesta de Talon fue casi un susurro.

—Incluso un corazón con mecanismo de reloj puede amar."




"—¿Has visto algo, Dante?

—No, es solo... aquí es donde te encontré. —Señaló a un montón de escombros desechados que no era muy diferente de cualquiera de los otros.

—Oh.

—Lo más valioso que he descubierto aquí.

—Pero yo no valgo nada. Nadie me compraría.

—Tú lo vales todo, y nunca te venderé."

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending was rushed, even for a short, but I was really enjoying it up until then.

[⚣Michaelle⚣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.1 Stars

Lovely tale. While I'm not a Tinker, I totally understood how the MC felt a disconnect with the world, with people he had to interact with on a personal level and would rather hole up and be alone.

[Antonella · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
I generally like steampunk, and this was a great example of the genre. It is the sweet, but not sappy story of the relationship between a socially awkward, but talented tinkerer and an automaton/golem.

NB: The story is available for free at the moment.

[Susana · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
Dante Winter is a genius repairing and improving clockwork mechanisms, but his heart is as empty as one of those machines he repairs. One day he finds a damaged automaton, a golem, and he takes it home against his better judgement. He repairs it, and soon finds in Talon the companion he's been missing. Maybe it takes a clockwork heart to ignite a human one…
This was a lovely short story, about two seriously damaged characters. Dante is a master at his trade, but his awkward behaviour and his aloofness prevents him from prospering. His strained relationship with his dad, and his social ineptitude make him a loner… Enter Talon, a broken automaton Dante finds under a pile of rubbish. Although physically destroyed, emotionally Talon proves to be exactly what Dante needed. Naive and happy, he weaves his way into Dante's life, changing his world and his heart. There is a hint at future fortune, but for these two, the biggest treasure is always going to be having found each other.
Lovely.

[DC · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very sweet, well-written short story about Dante, a lonely tinker, who finds love in a totally unexpected place; through a badly damaged golem, Talon, that he finds in a garbage heap. While sweet and endearing, this also, seems to me, to be an interesting metaphor of society today and how we see and treat eachother.
The steampunk elements were interesting, but one thing kept nagging at me. So this society had its version of cars, busses, and implied airplanes. It had indoor lighting and was able to create intricate things including the very human-like golems. All that, and they still had outhouses?

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet little story. Dante has never really fit in with people, always feeling more like the machines he works on. When he fixes a golem and names him Talon he suddenly has someone there in his life and begins to get used to him until Talon shows him he can be loved and is capable of loving.

[Tully Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely short story... perfect for reading at bedtime. Really nice world building and characterization despite the short length. This author rarely disappoints!

[Sakuko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very sweet and slightly melancholy short story. I thought the world and characters where pretty well explored for such a short piece, and the romance feels slow and lovely.

[Tereza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe this was my very first dip in the steampunk pool but, boy, was it amazing. Is there more, dear Author? Will there be more? 5 Stars!

[Teffy Saenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

¡Lo amé!
Una historia corta tan dulce, me hubiera gustado que tenga más páginas. 💕

[光彩 · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved it so very much.

[Reiny ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

°3.5 estrellas°

[Poptart19 (the name’s ren) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Excellent world building & character grounding for a story. The ending is a bit rushed, but still worth a read.

[Meep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short sweet little fairytale style story, I've read it before but found it lurking forgotten in my kindle.

[Ela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adorable!

[BevS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Utterly charming.

[Margaret Fisk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

This novelette is available as a free read from the author’s site (http://www.kfieldingwrites.com/free-r...) and it’s well worth the time to check out. The story is beautiful and intense as it brings Dante Winter to life, a man discarded by his family for being flawed and unwilling to stick to the well-made, inexpensive watches his father had built a reputation on. Instead, Dante sees the potential for beauty, wasting time on useless ornamentation in his father’s eyes.

Cast out, the Dante we know trolls the junkyards for machinery he can repair and sell to keep a roof over his head and starvation from caving in his belly. If his finds happen to include colored glass or chipped beads, well then he’s made enough of a reputation of his own to let a little of his flaws out to play. But his father’s voice echoes hard in his head, never more so than when he finds a broken automaton he has neither the skill nor the tools to repair.

I love how he starts out seeing Talon, the automaton, first as a potential meal ticket but then comes to identify the machine as so much more than gears with a scarred covering that allowed Talon to pass as human. The story follows Dante’s becoming as he overcomes his past in part through a friend and shopkeeper who would like to be so much more.

Annette Swan recognizes his talent and values him for the care he takes in bringing discarded items back to rich beauty even greater than they originally possessed. She wants to bask in his vision, but doesn’t fault or press him for his lack of interest. It changes her opinion of his talents not one bit.

I’m trying to give you a sense of the power behind this story without spoiling, but it’s hard and some elements I can’t avoid. Still, this is a story of nuance and character change. Even if I laid out every plot point, the story would not be spoiled because its strength is not in the facts, but in the impact and emotions surrounding those facts.

I think the best part of it is how this isn’t the story of a broken man having to build himself a friend and lover because he’s incapable of attracting a live one. Instead, it’s the story of an imperfect man who struggles to manage social expectations as much as family ones, but has the vision to see beauty in what others disregard. He isn’t willing to overcome his so-called flaws to conform to what is expected of him. It’s a gay love story, but the love is as much for self as for Talon because Dante must accept he’s worthy of something more than quick encounters first.

This review comes months after I read the story, because I rarely review something so short, but The Clockwork Heart has stuck with me this whole time, and so I decided to share it with you.