One of the shortest stories included in my upcoming anthology was written for an Edgar Allan Poe competition in 2021, in which my work came Runner-Up, and is titled The Clockmaker . Edgar Allan Poe is most famous for his works of Gothic Horror, but it is easy to forget that he also dabbled in Science Fiction, as did many of his Gothic contemporaries. Indeed, a quick Google search has informed me that there are anthologies which solely contain his Science Fiction. The Clockmaker was designed to marry these Horror and SciFi elements to create the sort of story which Poe himself might have written. I won’t deny it: I was pleased with the outcome. At only 500 words, it tells the story of a man who pays a visit to an old schoolfriend (you will realise, if you read much of my Gothic Horror, that old school/university friends play vital roles!) who is an inventor, and spends some time admiring a clock which he has made. I won’t spoil by telling you the ending, but I will say that he does...
1665 London was a dangerous place for dogs, so when the two brothers found themselves suddenly in the middle of the plague-ridden city it was a race against time to escape the clutches of the street dogs, the perils of the rats and the dangers of the dogcatchers.
Would they be able to survive in their new surroundings and would they be able to find their way back to the safety of their own home?
Through Time to London is the first in a series that follows the adventures of Brandy and Brinkley, two time-travelling Cavalier Spaniels, who are met with new challenges in their search for the way home.
Firstly, I love dogs! I have a spaniel - a cheeky Sprocker by name of Orlando - so I love reading and hearing about the adventures of other dogs, fictional or otherwise.
Both the main characters were very well developed which isn't an easy think when they aren't humans. The author clearly understands the dog world and was able to bring it to life with stunningly true representations of doggy mindsets and likes and dislikes. I knew what Brandy and Brinkley were like from the 2nd Chapter onwards.
Aside from being able to talk to each other, the author didn't make the characters too human which is a trap so many people fall into. They were still dogs: they acted like it.
I couldn't really bear some parts of the story. I acknowledge that this is my problem because I'm very sensitive where animals are concerned. In the books I read, no serious harm is allowed to come to animals, old people or young children. It upset me that the dogs were sad in parts of this book, but I accept it was needed for the storyline.
The one thing that I really didn't like about the book was Jed. Wow! What a nasty man! And I don't think he was supposed to be. There are many many problems I have with him, but I can't go into details here without giving huge parts of the story away. Let's just say that if he dared to put Orlando in the position that he put Brinkley and Brandy in, then he would have to find a good place to hide!
Jed made an excellent 'baddy', but a very bad 'goody'.
I liked that subtle little hints at historic events were prevalent throughout the book. I did, however, find myself pondering over one thing. I remember from when I was little, we went to Eyam. I also remember being told that the plague was carried to Eyam by a bolt of cloth which was wet so the tailor hung it by the fire to dry. I remember being told that the next day, he was dead. I remember it vividly because it's such a disturbing story for children to be told. I liked the connection with Eyam in the book, but if the plague carried on the cloth was so strong to have killed the tailor in a day, surely the two dogs would have caught the plague and possibly even given it to Grampy?
But, aside from these small points, the book was very fast-paced which is just my sort of thing, and I enjoyed the development of the canine characters!
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