The Clockworm: and Other Strange Tales

by Karen Heuler

"As Tonia watched the world slide by, strapped in her seat in the car, she felt another presence always, slightly to the right and behind, almost leaning against her, a pressure, an existence that was intimately reliable. This is good, she would think, and then there’d be an echo, ‘I like it too.’ The other voice always liked motion, and it soothed them both, to be lifted, to be carried, to be rocked, to be bathed.
Tonia eventually called the other voice Vivian. Vivian was the ghost in her head, the sly voice next to her heart."

You find you’re just one of many copies being generated by a 3-D printer, or hear that the earth is the subject of a rather cheerful invasion. Whatever the trouble, you still have to find your way . . .

Playful, sober, profound and profane, the characters in Karen Heuler’s stories may build bridges that no one else wants, or join up with a vengeful doll to fight the evil that men do, or remark upon the incursions of a worm that can change time. No matter what impossible event transpires, they face it. Rise up, they seem to say; rise up and meet the unexpected and the unacceptable, and make them yours.

Cover illustration ‘Twisted Twelve’ by Eric Freitas.

195 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 2, 2018

About the author

Karen Heuler’s stories have appeared in over 100 literary and speculative journals and anthologies, such as F&SF and Asimov's and Conjunctions. She has won an O. Henry award, been nominated for Pushcart and Best American Short Story awards, and was a finalist for the Bellwether Award and the Shirley Jackson Award. The New York Times called her first collection, "The Other Door," “haunting and quirky.” Her short-story collection, "The Inner City," was listed as one of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2013. Her novels include "Glorious Plague," about a beautiful apocalypse. Her last book, "The Splendid City," from Angry Robot Books, exiles a novice witch and the man she illegally turned into a cat to Liberty (formerly known as Texas), where constant parades and missing water make life interesting. Her newest collection, "A Slice of the Dark," messes up reality a bit--just a bit--maybe a little more than a bit--with strange tales that might explain a lot.

Reviews

[Nicholas Kaufmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another exceptional collection from Karen Heuler, a fantastic writer -- and writer of the fantastic -- whom I wish more people were reading. If you like the short fiction of Kelly Link, Robert Shearman, and Helen Marshall, I think you'll really enjoy Heuler's work as well. Her stories are whimsical, surreal, and flavored with a sense of humor that often masks something dark hiding beneath.

The nineteen stories in THE CLOCKWORM AND OTHER STRANGE STORIES include some of Heuler's best work yet. My favorite among them is probably "Figaro, Figueroa," in which an author becomes obsessively jealous when two of her fictional characters get together romantically. It may sound like a comical premise, but it's actually one of the darkest stories in the collection. Because it's more to my taste, I find myself drawn to Heuler's other dark stories as well, like "The Reordering of Tonia Vivian," in which a young girl forms a competitive relationship with the unborn twin she absorbed in utero, and "The People in the Mirror," which, at least structurally, is the most like a classic horror story, focusing on one family's descent into madness and tragedy, ostensibly because of a cursed mirror.

I own the Tartarus Press hardcover edition, which is beautifully produced and printed on high-quality paper, but it's also quite expensive. A much cheaper e-book edition is currently available, and I hope there will be a reasonably priced paperback edition soon, so that more readers can experience the magic of Heuler's stories. After working quietly and steadily in the science fiction and fantasy genres for decades, mostly under the radar, she's an author who deserves your attention.

[Karen Heuler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Publishers Weekly
*Starred Review*
The 19 effervescent fantasy stories in Heuler’s fourth collection (after 2017’s In Search of Lost Time) sparkle with wit and imagination. In the title tale, mechanical worms infest time, wreaking havoc that causes the scientists exploring them to age prematurely. “The Lovely Kisselthwist” tells of an insectlike creature whose airborne eggs rampantly catalyze amorous attraction between those exposed to them, between people and inanimate objects, and eventually between heavenly bodies. Though the tone of most of these tales is light and breezy, Heuler invests them with serious subtexts that counter their often comically absurd premises: in “Alien Corn,” invading extraterrestrials slowly take over the planet by catering to humanity’s fondness for distractions from serious issues; “Egg Island” concerns an evolutionary leap by which humankind and animals slowly begin to incorporate polluting plastic waste into their organic bodies; “Here and There” is a beautifully poignant tale in which society’s dismissal of the impossibly complex bridges a young girl constructs in the confines of her miniscule backyard highlights the status quo’s undervaluing of ingenuity. Heuler’s voice is refreshingly original, and readers will find these stories remarkably inventive and brimming with ideas not found anywhere else in contemporary fantasy fiction. (Jan.)

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED THIS COLLECTION !I am not a book reviewer, just someone who likes to tell my friends when I've read some good stories. The stories in The Clockworm: and Other Strange Tales, a collection of witty short stories that deal with serious issues,should not be read in one sitting; rather they should be savored like a good wine.
I find that Heuler is a master creating atmosphere. In "People in the Mirror" the reader travels with Agnes as she slides into her disturbing thoughts. To name a few "Searching for Penny" raises questions about a little girl's disappearance decades earlier . Every story is unique - The Clockworm, Right Chemistry, A Thing of Beauty and so many more! I love Heuler's books. If you enjoy stories with twists and imagination, this collection is for you. Read her others as well: The Other Room, In Search of Time

[Clare Rhoden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended for the reader who likes the unusual and profound. More about this later after other reviewing commitments!

[Des Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my gargoyle, and I am its highrise cleaner.

The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long to post here.
Above is its conclusion.