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The Clock Winked Ariele Sieling 9781482735857 Books

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The Clock Winked Ariele Sieling 9781482735857 Books

I hate giving a two-star rating to this book, because it had some unusual and ingenious ideas, but the execution wasn't there.

The book is set in the future, in a colony in space, yet avoids dumping info about the technology or culture, which was great. I prefer books that throw you in and make you figure out what's going on. For the most part this was done extremely well. Also, the editing was pretty good. I saw few grammatical or spelling errors, as is common these days with Kindle books.

Some of the ideas in the book are also new and refreshing. It's hard to say more without giving away plot elements. It's also hard to summarize because some of the refreshing ideas are only alluded to, not given outright. For example, you gradually discern that the culture of this space colony involves very long-lived humans, and at least one alien race, where the humans (usually? sometimes?) inherit both a name and an occupation from the previous generation. We're not told outright if they're clones, or if the names are passed from father to son, or what's going on there. It could be interesting to explore this further in another book.

The down sides were:

* Confusing and inconsistent detail. There was no clear naming convention for humans or aliens--there was a mix of familiar names like Samson and William, made-up names like Auvek, Welsh names like Bronwyn, and gang names like "Rathead" and "Stryker." That, together with the overabundance of characters, also made it harder to keep track.

* Some unfortunate choices. The blue-striped aliens follow the unfortunate convention of speaking English badly. The author clearly put some thought into inventing a weird syntax for them, to indicate something about their native language, but it's an unfortunate trope given how consistently it's used for natives and Asians in colonialist writing. It made me wonder whether I was supposed to be looking down on them. I don't suspect the writer of anything more than making an unfortunate decision to adopt this clichéd trope.

* Inconsistent styling. I frequently thought that this was a YA book. In fact I frequently thought that the writer must be a fan of Lemony Snicket: in several places the style was uncannily similar. Which was enjoyable, because I like Snicket too. But the author hasn't managed to find her voice yet, it seemed to me because the tone was inconsistent, as if Snicket suddenly decided to be serious for a few pages here and there.

* Somewhat disappointing climax. Here too the writer had some clever ideas, and left them dangling as unexplained loose ends in a way that I didn't mind. But the part that was explained was disappointing: it made the alien species seem a bit clownish and stupid (see "unfortunate choices" above). In case you read it I don't want to spoil it. It reminds me a bit of the perpetual war in Gulliver's Travels, fought over the correct way to crack an egg. Here I think the author needed to pick a different resolution or else explain things better.

All that said, I did finish the book with some enjoyment. I look forward to reading more by this author. If she finds her voice, and it's anything like what is glimpsed in this book, then she could be really great.


Tags : The Clock Winked [Ariele Sieling] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Soon after young Auvek Oliphant finds himself the unintentional curator of his uncle's bookstore, a series of strange events lead him and his new friend Bronwyn towards unraveling an old mystery - the legend of the winking clock. Meanwhile,Ariele Sieling,The Clock Winked,CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1482735857,FICTION Science Fiction Action & Adventure

The Clock Winked Ariele Sieling 9781482735857 Books Reviews

I liked it! The plot became more exciting and intriguing as the story progressed. I do wish there was a little more time spent on describing the setting to get more of an idea of this other planet, how time and aging happens, and perhaps a little more about the characters. You find out bits of this info as you read, which just leaves more up to the readers' imaginations. A great, mysterious summer read!
Absolutely loved by our 13 year old daughter! She's now off to the second in the series.
I didn't expect much for the price. Instead I got an engaging yarn about the far future that was both the same and different as now. Kinda reminded me of Vance's style of "the future will be the same and not, and the human race will be a different as a whole and the same as individuals"

Good prose, good story. Looking for more!
Lots of characters!
Interwoven plots that make for an enjoyable easy read. Visualize the scenes as you join in the adventures from planet to planet.
I really liked this story. It seems like a Young Adult since the characters are "young" but not really defined as adults versus kids.

The characters were interesting and the plot would make a good introduction to science fiction.
The Clock Winked was fun, imaginative, full of suspense and mystery, while still lighthearted. I love the characters, their memorable personalities, and their surprising developments. An intriguing legend about a clock, on an imaginitive planet, with lore and fateful events leading up to a poetic ending. I found it gave me a better appreciation for books and the mysteries they lock between their covers. After finishing The Clock Winked I was overjoyed to find big boxes full of old books in the dormitory basement with friends. We cheerily dove into them, sorting them, and I enjoyed it all the more because I imagined myself at that incredible bookstore in Pomegranate City. I would strongly reccomend this for anyone who reads.
A cool scifi romp through time. The nutty way, once started feuds can continue to exist through centuries. Each side convinced of its righteous cause. The need to keep fighting the other side especially if one side is for total oblivion and the other says hold on here. There is much goodness in both sides. Time is important but also a construct of human origin. Is life linear and lived best that way? Or is our life just a patch work of moments scattered here and there. Some we cry some we laugh some thoughtful, some beyond words beyond the rational. Is silliness serious. Is the comic our best view of ourselves! The clown as leader.
I hate giving a two-star rating to this book, because it had some unusual and ingenious ideas, but the execution wasn't there.

The book is set in the future, in a colony in space, yet avoids dumping info about the technology or culture, which was great. I prefer books that throw you in and make you figure out what's going on. For the most part this was done extremely well. Also, the editing was pretty good. I saw few grammatical or spelling errors, as is common these days with books.

Some of the ideas in the book are also new and refreshing. It's hard to say more without giving away plot elements. It's also hard to summarize because some of the refreshing ideas are only alluded to, not given outright. For example, you gradually discern that the culture of this space colony involves very long-lived humans, and at least one alien race, where the humans (usually? sometimes?) inherit both a name and an occupation from the previous generation. We're not told outright if they're clones, or if the names are passed from father to son, or what's going on there. It could be interesting to explore this further in another book.

The down sides were

* Confusing and inconsistent detail. There was no clear naming convention for humans or aliens--there was a mix of familiar names like Samson and William, made-up names like Auvek, Welsh names like Bronwyn, and gang names like "Rathead" and "Stryker." That, together with the overabundance of characters, also made it harder to keep track.

* Some unfortunate choices. The blue-striped aliens follow the unfortunate convention of speaking English badly. The author clearly put some thought into inventing a weird syntax for them, to indicate something about their native language, but it's an unfortunate trope given how consistently it's used for natives and Asians in colonialist writing. It made me wonder whether I was supposed to be looking down on them. I don't suspect the writer of anything more than making an unfortunate decision to adopt this clichéd trope.

* Inconsistent styling. I frequently thought that this was a YA book. In fact I frequently thought that the writer must be a fan of Lemony Snicket in several places the style was uncannily similar. Which was enjoyable, because I like Snicket too. But the author hasn't managed to find her voice yet, it seemed to me because the tone was inconsistent, as if Snicket suddenly decided to be serious for a few pages here and there.

* Somewhat disappointing climax. Here too the writer had some clever ideas, and left them dangling as unexplained loose ends in a way that I didn't mind. But the part that was explained was disappointing it made the alien species seem a bit clownish and stupid (see "unfortunate choices" above). In case you read it I don't want to spoil it. It reminds me a bit of the perpetual war in Gulliver's Travels, fought over the correct way to crack an egg. Here I think the author needed to pick a different resolution or else explain things better.

All that said, I did finish the book with some enjoyment. I look forward to reading more by this author. If she finds her voice, and it's anything like what is glimpsed in this book, then she could be really great.