The Clockwork Crow
by Catherine Fisher
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Pub Date 4 Oct 2018 | Archive Date 15 Jun 2020
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Description
The first book in the award-winning magical trilogy by Catherine Fisher.
The Clockwork Crow is a mysterious gothic Christmas tale set in a frost-bound Victorian country mansion. When orphaned Seren Rees is given a mysterious package by a strange and frightened man on her way to her new home, she reluctantly takes it with her. But what is in the parcel? Who are the Family who must not be spoken of, and can the Crow help Seren find Tom, before the owner of the parcel finds her?
Read the The Clockwork Crow and The Velvet Fox before the last in the trilogy The Midnight Swan publishes on 1 October 2020.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
Winner of the Tir na n-Og Award 2019 | Included in the BookTrust Great Books Guide 2019 | Shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards 2019 | Shortlisted for the Independent Bookshop Week Book Award 2019 | Shortlisted for the YBB Book Awards 2020 | Shortlisted for the 2020 Ealing Junior Book Award
‘Rich in evocative detail and multidimensional characters, this wintry enchantment is suspenseful, resonant of folk tales and perfect to curl up with in the cold.’ Nicolette Jones, Children’s Books of the Year, The Sunday Times
‘Masterpiece for 7-11s … Catherine Fisher is an author of dazzling magical adventures… Like Joan Aiken and Evan Ibbotson before her, Fisher’s crystalline prose shimmers with shivery magic that will entice even a reluctant reader.’ Amanda Craig, New Statesman
‘Magical, atmospheric – funny, this is a slice of Victorian creepiness and a seasonal treat’ Sally Morris, Daily Mail
‘Children of ten and older will find themselves pleasurably lost in this enchanting, candlelit delight.’ Philip Womack, Literary Review
‘Full of deep fairytale resonance, Fisher’s writing stands out in the mind’s eye like blood drops on snow.’ Imogen Russell Williams, The Guardian
‘Gripping and magical, a perfect snowy holiday read for children (and me).’ Daniel Hahn, Spectator
‘Drawing on Welsh folklore, the story is both magical and fantastic. Catherine’s writing sparkles with energy and, quite often, one finds oneself rereading sections and marvelling at the talent of this extraordinary author. The wintery and Christmassy atmospheric prose entertains in bucketloads.’ Simon Fisher, TES
‘Set in a gothic mansion in a landscape of frost and snow, this is a spellbinding story full of excitement and magic. It’s an enthralling Christmas mystery, just right for reading on winter nights.’ The Week Junior Book of the Week
‘The Clockwork Crow is a perfectly pitched middle grade story that doesn’t put a foot wrong. Seren is a spunky, brave and determined heroine and this book is completely gripping from first page to last, poetic without being difficult to read. Catherine Fisher is a wonderfully accomplished writer. This is a highly recommended story.’ BookTrust
Marketing Plan
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Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781910080849 |
| PRICE | US$10.99 (USD) |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
James C, Reviewer
Downloaded this one on netgalley, as a reminder before I tackle sequel which looks even better than the first!
Upon re-read, it’s just as good with a wonderful sense of atmosphere
My Original review:
https://shop.rogansbooks.co.uk/the-clockwork-crow-by-catherine-fisher/
Now this one is very good. The Clockwork Crow is the perfect way to call back to children’s books of the past.
In a story that is reminiscent of old fashioned mystery stories, sort of The Snow Spider by way of Jane Eyre and Rebecca – this story has everything. Mysterious strangers on train platforms, clockwork magical creatures suffering from magical curses, Welsh mythology, locked attic nursery rooms we’re forbidden from entering and suspicious servants in a spooky mansion.
The story centres on Seren who has had a tragic time, losing her parents then her guardian. We join her at a spooky deserted train station on her way to live with the godfather she’s never met, his wife and her son, at a remote house in Plas-Y-Fran. After a chance encounter with a weird stranger in the waiting room she is left with pieces of a clockwork bird with a jewelled eye – and a warning not to put it together.
The house she ends up at is deserted apart from some not-so-friendly staff, and the brother she was desperately hoping for seems to have vanished in mysterious circumstances – which appears connected to why she is not allowed in certain locked rooms in the house….
This has the right blend of spooky gothic chills and fairy tale (and Fairy Folk) elements with a feisty investigative main character, who is given enough agency to not feel like she is being swept through a story.
It’s impossible to believe how few pages this story is told in. The prose is economical, but poetic in places and Seren’s experiences are beautifully realised. This could easily become a future classic, and is a lovely standalone story (although I would totally read a series of stories of a young girl and her gothic, talking, cursed, clockwork crow solving mysteries and battling the supernatural across Wales…)
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