Clockwork Dolls by William MeikleMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Dave Burns is a man living in his past. A past soaked with alcohol and regret and a ton of anger. We all know a guy like this. It's that arsehole who gets dramatic at parties when he's had too much to drink because he can't let go of an old flame and he brings everything and everyone down along with him. I think that a lot of us was this guy at least once in our lives. I certainly know that I was. Dave, however, is that guy full time. And he's terribly fun to watch.
This is just part of the brilliance of this story. And I'm not exaggerating when using the word brilliance. These characters are among the most realistic I have ever read. It could be because they come from my own life, or at least part of it.
And then there's the cosmos, a separate character all its own. When at a party with some old friends, Dave and party members are given the opportunity to throw a request to the cosmos by a woman, Dave's blind date incidentally, who is another person we all know. She's that girl who's into crystals and charms and magick that's spelled with a 'k'. She, of course, knows exactly how to do this, and for fun, they set to it.
Dave, being the bitter soul that he is, throws his request to the cosmos that sets off the events for the remainder of the story. And it is a strange story that would fit right in with the best of the weird tales of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Machan or Blackwood could have written this.
I highly recommended Clockwork Dolls. It's a short read that you could probably get done in a sitting or two. And you'll probably be stuck there, reading, until the story is done. What's even better is that Clockwork Dolls is the kind of story that nourishes your brain with its food for though. A well rounded story that I doubt you'll regret.
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