God of Clocks

The God Rys is dead, killed by angels from hell set within mechanical giants. Now, Hell is chasing down its last opponents...including another angel-equipped giant contraption, and a huge airship supported by divine will and pulled by a mortal man equipped with an incredible will and countless thousands of soul pearls. No man can stand against the angels. Even the remaining gods, exiled sons of the goddess, seem powerless. While John Anchor pulls his airship to a doomed assault on Hell, assassin Rachel Hael plots an attack on Heaven. Perhaps they can awaken Ayen the goddess. Perhaps her power could rid the world of Menoa, the God of the mazes, ruler of Hell. Or perhaps they'd only bring destruction even more quickly. Author Alan Campbell creates a rich world and sets it with intriguing characters and interesting paradoxes. The God of Clocks, namesake for this book, for example, controls elements of time, allowing him to send people in loops where they'll meet up with one another, be able to work together, or even fight. But each change he introduces brings a new universe into being, and each universe offers new threats to the castle of time he guards. Campbell's concept of hell as a place built by lost souls of themselves is weird and wonderful. John Anchor, Carnival the fallen angel, and Maybe John, the boy who would be a sword, make for fascinating and twisted characters. I spent the first half of this book trying to figure out what was going on, who I should care about, why things were they way they were. (Okay, perhaps I should have read the earlier books in the series rather than picking it up at the end). But somewhere along, the story caught me and swept me up. I ended up staying up late because I couldn't stand going to sleep without seeing how it all worked out.

I have come to really love this series, with all of its strange characters and improbable settings. God of Clocks is very much the same as the two books before it: violent, bizarre, and absolutely entertaining. I would have given this book four stars due to some little flaws, but I have come to realize that overall without those little quirks it just would not be the same book. ***Mild Spoilers*** I felt completely satisfied with the ending, but I can see where others would need something more definitive. I do wish that the subplot of the book had been written better, with less time spent wandering through hell and more explanation of the final scene at the ninth citadel. It is hard for me to envision a submarine flying/floating(?) its way through hell. Overall I thought it was a great series, often brilliantly written and definitely worth the time it took to read.

Insanity: Check Twisted humor: Check Bizarre characters: Check Inexplicable situations: Check ....Yup, definitely an Alan Campbell book! With all the characters in play, God of Clocks is a madcap scamble that sweeps you up and never lets go......well, except for the ocassional break to scratch your head. Picking up where Iron Angel left off, God of Clocks aims to tie the stories of some of the most bizarre creations in fiction together; and for the most part it succeeds. While it maintains the strange, nightmarish imagery of Iron Angel, its tighter and more cohesive~mixing in a good deal of the cinematic writing that has made the Deepgate Codex such a joy to read. The single best thing (In my opinion anyway) about God of Clocks was the return of the mad angel Carnival to the forefront. Her haunting story, which began in the novella 'Lye Street' and continued in 'Scar Night' was sadly absent in Iron Angel, her re-inclusion in the main storyline elevated the entire book from good to great! The biggest flaw I can find with God of Clocks is that its done. I could have easily handled a few more entries in the Deepgate Codex.....the ending left as many questions as it did answers. And I am so not done with Carnival!

A definite improvement over Iron Angel, but not as strong as Scar Night or Lye Street, God of Clocks brings the Deepgate Codex to a pretty rousing conclusion. Minus Deepgate, of course. Campbell's world grows ever more inexplicable, with a return to the bizarre hell of Iron Angel (more convincing and less self-indulgent this time, although not without those truly peculiar moments that make you think "...why? what's the point?"), and time paradoxes galore. This time, the story is tighter and more focused, and thankfully, the angel Carnival - in my opinion this series' most fascinating character - has a role much expanded from her disappointing cameo in Iron Angel. The setpieces are as cinematic and unhinged as ever, the pace breakneck (I read this in three short sittings), and the humor as twisted as ever. Said setpieces can be a little over-the-top at times: one example being when cheerful giant John Anchor runs across a ghost-collecting little girl living in a grass-and-pony-filled submarine and working for the remains of an old series villain who is now in a box on wheels, leaving you to wonder what goes through the author's head - particulary when most of this weirdness is just taken in stride by the characters. Still, its all part of that deranged Deepgate charm that has really grown on me, and that I will certainly miss now that its over. The ending, unfortunately, felt very rushed, though I find this is a fault of many series' in their final act. All in all, unsatisfying ending aside, I found this to be much a much stronger and more involving entry in the series than Iron Angel. Alan Campbell is a highly original voice in fantasy, and I will definitely be following his post-Deepgate career eagerly.

The King of Hell Menoa appears on the brink of achieving what would have been universally thought of as impossible over the past eons. The god appears ready to take over Heaven and therefore the universe and recreate it in his image. Perhaps the only potential meaningful opposition comes from Menoa's half-brother Cospinol, but he has hurt his chances of usurping his sibling as he tries to boil out the life essence of mad angel Carnival. However, the fallen angel's former allies keep seeking a miracle as humanity as we know it will be extinct if they fail. Assassin Rachel, blood-mage Mina, demon-dog Basilis, sop god Hasp and the ghost Dill turn desperately to whom they believe is the last prayer Sabor the god of clocks who controls time. Menoa sends his invincible arconites to kill the last insurgency, but finally aware of the urgency of stopping his half brother is Cospinol, who sends his top aid to destroy the breach that will release a zombie horde; however, he may be too late. The exciting final tale of the Deepgate Codex fantasy (see SCAR NIGHT and IRON ANGEL) is a gruesome violent finish to a fine trilogy. The story line is fast-paced, filled with bloody action, and a sense of desperation. Adding to the overall feel of violence is none of the Gods care one iota about the lesser beings except as an energy source, which seems apropos for the war of the gods. Although the ending takes a plausible but Twilight Zone twist that supersedes too much history, fans of the saga will overall enjoy the GOD OF CLOCKS. Harriet Klausner