Steampunk Book Review: Clockwork Prince (Infernal Devices 2)
After I read Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, I knew I had to continue the journey. I just had to find out more about Tessa and her mysterious ability to change into anyone, living or dead, just by holding something they owned. And what was the origin of the tiny titan, the clockwork angel, that seemed to come to life just in time to save Tessa’s?
The Clockwork Prince picks up only a few weeks after the events of the last book. Charlotte’s grip on the Institute is tenuous in the wake of the discovery that Tessa’s brother had been a spy in their midst. The Council gives them only two weeks to locate Mortmain, the man who claims to have “made” Tessa and shaped her ability (not to mention he intends to marry her for a still as yet unknown reason). They may have recovered the volatile volume that gives warlocks the ability to bring clockwork to life, but Mortmain has already perfected his technique and it is only a matter of time before the clockwork army makes its move against the Shadowhunters.
As Tessa tries to pick up the pieces of her shattered life she finds comfort in Jem, a kind soul destined to die young from addiction to a drug that both cures and kills him. She has to find some way to to take her mind off Will, Jem’s brother from another mother and resident blue-eyes heart throb, who has done his best to push her away. If only her heart didn’t pitter patter faster every time he entered the room…
Their search for answers about Mortmain, not Warlock nor demon but a human with a vast web of downworld allies, takes them to the countryside. Will, Jem and Tessa don’t expect to find anything at his old homestead, but they are met with both an automaton with a warning and the past that Will has been desperately trying to flee. Somehow his family has become intertwined with the enemy, but a vow he made long ago makes him powerless to help them.
The Council also declared that Tessa and any untrained servants at the Institute needed combat training. The Lightwood family is all too happy to provide the stoical Gideon and sarcastic Gabriel to assist in the training, and of course, to do a little spying. If only the Lightwoods were the only ones inside the hallowed halls working against them…
I had a great time reading this book. There are a lot of teen romances out there, and even a lot of teen romances between teens with super powers, but I think Clare crafts and especially robust and heart rending narrative and weaves it throughout an exciting story in a way that does not feel at all forced. I didn’t get my questions about Tessa or the angel answered, but of course I didn’t really expect to, that is for the final installment 🙂 She does get to eliminate some possibilities, which makes me wonder even more what the truth will turn out to be.
I will definitely be picking up the third book, The Clockwork Princess.
Music to Steampunk By: BirdEatsBaby
The Trouble by BirdEatsBaby.
I have just started listening to “dark cabaret” music and this group is a great example. If you are a Londoner you can check them out on April 2. Get more info and free downloads here.
Steampunk Songbirds by Mullanium
Steampunk Cardinal by Mullanium (BD1)
I first saw these birds years ago in a store in San Francisco. I made a point of always visiting that store whenever I was in the area just to see the gorgeous and ever changing array of songbirds. I didn’t know who made them until today when I found Mullanium.com! Below are just some of the many examples of birds on their website, but because they are decorated and perched on found objects each one is unique.
Click on the thumbnails for larger images.
Treasure Planet (2002) Reimagines Treasure Island with a Space-age Twist
Have you ever been watching a pirate movie and said to yourself, “Gee, what this really needs is some aliens!” Then this is the movie for you.
But seriously, it is a really cool re-imagining of the tale of young Jim’s adventure, which originally ran as a serial in a boys magazine in the 1880’s. There have been tons renditions of this story; plays, movies, comics, you name it. But this is the first one I have seen that really does anything to ‘punk’ it. Well, besides the Muppets of course, but even that was a pretty straight (if more kid-friendly) version of events.
Jim Hawkins
Here is what is the same: Jim, the son a tavern-keeper, has big dreams for his future, but feels doomed to sweep up after sailors his whole life. A treasure map falls into his lap, and with the help of financial backer he sets off on a journey to find buried treasure. Jim (voiced by the adorable and talented Joseph Gordon-Levitt) befriends the cook, who turns out to be the leader of the mutinous band of pirates who make up the hastily conceived venture.
Here’s what’s different: They are freaking space pirates! They travel in ships that resemble the beautiful wooden pirate ships of old , but the sails glitter with electricity and ports perch precariously on a crescent moon.
Captain Amelia concept art
There are aliens galore, including the catlike Captain Amelia (Emma Thompson) who is a woman in this version of the story. I love places like the Star Trek universe where no one seems to balk at how anyone else appears or acts pretty much ever, they are totally open-minded.
The whole movie is an interesting intersection of the old and new. John Silver (Brian Murray) is in fact both an alien AND a cyborg and it is his metal leg that gives him John’s iconic limp. The “map” that Jim encounters gets a nice spacey make over as a metal sphere that only he figures out how to open.
Once they reach the Treasure Planet, Jim meets a robot who has literally lost his mind (Martin Short). There is a vital part of his memory bank that is missing, but that doesn’t keep him from helping out however he can and adding fun along the way.
I thought this was a really fun movie and definitely worth watching on a big television. Too bad I missed this one in the theaters! The animation is absolutely gorgeous and is a combination of hand drawn 2D laid over 3D computer graphics.
Kids and adults will really enjoy this movie. There are clever jokes that kids won’t get but parents will appreciate. Moreso than in the book, this film really puts Silver into the role of surrogate father for Jim and explores that relationship more.
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Who are your favorite spaceship and airship pirates?
Some Steamy Home Decor from an Unexpected Place
Pier 1 is definitely not somewhere I was expecting to be blogging about, but I found some really charming metal sculptures that were shaped liked bicycles. I took the pictures a few weeks ago so you can probably still find them in stores, and definitely at the Pier 1’s website.
I also really liked this wire umbrella stand that was shaped like an umbrella, which is cute but also really smart because of how umbrellas try to fall open once they are upside down in a stand.
There were also some lovely antiqued clocks that were probably 2 feet in diameter that looked like giant pocket watches, but those pictures were on my mother’s cell phone instead 🙂
Have you ever fun across something that reminds you of Steampunk in an unexpected place?
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Mall Security Frowns on Steampunk Shenanigans
The Carousal Cavalry
This is an excerpt from an article by Pam Kragen, you can read the full text here.
“CARLSBAD — A group of adult carousel riders dressed in Victorian gowns, morning coats, bowler hats and pith helmets were kicked out of the Westfield Plaza Camino Real mall last week because security guards claimed their costumes violated mall rules.
About 25 members of the loosely organized SD Steamy Carousel Cavalry met at 1 p.m. Feb. 9 to enjoy the indoor mall’s old-fashioned, 18-animal carousel. But before the group of nattily attired adults in their 30s to 60s could mount the painted horses, bears and giraffes, a trio of mall security officers ushered them outside and called Oceanside police to ensure against a ruckus in the parking lot.
Members of the costumed group are furious over their eviction.
“These were mature people in Victorian finery with a little sci-fi edge,” said San Diego resident Mercy Baron, who is in her late 50s. “We were very civil, very polite, because we espouse Victorian manners … We were treated like criminals.”
Check out the rest of the article, including the petition this incident has sparked here.
WIN! A copy of Steampunk Style
Check out this short story competition from my friends over at the Steampunk Journal! I am getting ready to pack and move again so I don’t know if I have the time, but maybe you will get a chance.
Steampunk Style writing competition
Would you like to win a copy of Steampunk Style that I recently reviewed? It received an Editor’s Choice award because of the quality of the book, beautiful photography and “How to” projects for you to try to build your own steampunk accessories.
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Steampunk side-car
Here is another one for my Steampunk vehicle post! https://forwhomthegearturns.com/2013/12/30/vehicle-gallery/
Steampunk side-car
I first saw this side-car on Facebook from a post by the facially elusive Captain Constance Bashford. It’s designed by Italian 3D artist Marco Furlanetto. His website is currently undergoing maintenance but I managed to harvest a few photographs from AutoEvolution and the article they covered on his work.
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For Whom the Gear Turns 