The Clockwork Mechanicals
(The Complete Trilogy)
by Peter R. Stone
Eleven-year-old
Brad Millner's got a problem.
For starters, he's lost his memory. He can't even remember his own name. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he's stranded on a space station. A space station that’s going to crash into the earth in less than one hour and kill millions of people.
That means Brad’s got less than an hour to disable the space station’s force field so that it burns up when it enters the earth’s atmosphere. The only catch is that a terrible Clockwork Mechanical – the living machine that is behind the diabolical plan to destroy the world – is out to get him.
Join Brad on his frantic quest to disable the space station's force field generator and save the world. See him team up with some unlikely companions - a swarm of little clockwork butterflies, a mechanical spider, and a girl with ADHD - as he tries to outsmart the Clockwork Mechanical.
And once that's done, he's got two more Clockwork Mechanicals to outsmart. Otherwise, the human race is done for.
For starters, he's lost his memory. He can't even remember his own name. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he's stranded on a space station. A space station that’s going to crash into the earth in less than one hour and kill millions of people.
That means Brad’s got less than an hour to disable the space station’s force field so that it burns up when it enters the earth’s atmosphere. The only catch is that a terrible Clockwork Mechanical – the living machine that is behind the diabolical plan to destroy the world – is out to get him.
Join Brad on his frantic quest to disable the space station's force field generator and save the world. See him team up with some unlikely companions - a swarm of little clockwork butterflies, a mechanical spider, and a girl with ADHD - as he tries to outsmart the Clockwork Mechanical.
And once that's done, he's got two more Clockwork Mechanicals to outsmart. Otherwise, the human race is done for.
I know....I know. You are probably thinking why am I reviewing a childrens book when normally I don't. Well, this author also writes Young Adult fiction as well and I love his writing so I want to share this delightful trilogy with you today because it's really a great story that any kid will enjoy.
There are some spoilers with this
review, but I figure it's the parents or an adult that will be reading the
review, therefore it won't ruin it for the actual reader. If you don't want to read the spoilers, then just scroll down to the end where the bold print picks back up.
This trilogy is geared toward Age Level: 7 - 12 | Grade Level: 2 - 6
This trilogy is geared toward Age Level: 7 - 12 | Grade Level: 2 - 6
Book 1
This journey starts with Brad as he tries to
find out why his memory has erased and how he arrived at a strange location
which turns out to be a space station. There he meets the Orb who informs him
that he has a very important mission to complete - he must save millions of
lives on Earth from The Mechanical who is determined to destroy it all. Along
the way, he meets up with Megan who he learns is his classmate and that he was
always mean to her because she is different than all the other children. He finds
out that even though he doesn't remember anything about her, Megan is pretty
smart even if she gets distracted a lot. We also are introduced to Spidey (a
mechanical spider who acts like a dog) and some pretty cool butterfly-like
mechanicals which do some pretty cool things. Can Brad and Megan save millions
of lives before it's too late?
Book 2
Brad, Megan, Spidey have just left the space
station after defeating the Mechanical and turning off the force field
therefore saving millions of lives. They now find themselves upon an offshore
drilling platform – the Orb has another mission for the trio. This mission
involves stopping the Mechanical from lowering a nuclear bomb down a well shaft
that is between two tectonic plates. If this bomb detonates, well, let’s just
say it won’t be a pretty site – again, millions will die. Brad wants nothing to
do with this mission, but the Orb tells him that he made this mess and now he
has to clean it up. Of course, Brad remembers none of this because the Orb had
erased his memories before the Space Station mission. As Brad, Megan and Robby
try to find the bomb within the hour deadline they run into many obstacles. Can
they succeed in this mission or will millions of lives parish?
There are new characters introduced in book two
–Roach and Robby. Robby is from Brad’s world and like Megan, Brad has not been
nice to him in the past either. Of course, Brad still does not his memory back,
but throughout book two, he is acquiring more and more information about his
life. I liked Robby’s character a lot and think he adds a lot of depth to the
story. Roach is a mechanical with some awesome tools that help out a lot with
this mission.
Book 3
Brad, Megan, Robby and their mechanical friends
have just stopped the Mechanical from dropping a nuclear bomb and now find
themselves on a high altitude airship, fifteen miles above the earth over
Antarctica. The mission this time? The gang must stop a Mechanical from
enlarging the hole in the ozone layer. If they fail, all mankind, the animals
and most of the plant life dies. The Orb does let them know that this will be
the last mission.
The many obstacles that must be passed are a lot
harder this time but with Brad having flashbacks of what he has forgotten, he
has a better understanding of what he is dealing with.
Another new character is introduced, Georgia,
and again Brad remembers something – he remembers who this girl is. At school,
he called her Dumbo because she was mentally disabled. Even though he appears
to be getting his memories back, he suddenly does not want them because of the
person he was before.
We also find out what Spidey, Roach, the
butterflies and all of the other mechanical beings really are and Brad finally
understands a very valuable lesson. What’s the lesson you ask? Well, just read
this fun story to find out!
This trilogy is perfect for young kids
as it demonstrates problem solving skills, teaches to be kind to others and to
be more understanding of children with disabilities. It also educates kids on environmental
issues. The author has also included pictures to help the reader visualize the
space station, off-shore drilling platform and the high altitude airship which
really adds to the story. It really is the complete package and I applaud Mr.
Stone for creating this wonderful and entertaining piece of writing.
I like that the Orb wiped Brad's memory so that
he could have a different perspective on his classmates that were deemed
'different' than everyone else. Kids these days can be really cruel to other
kids that seem different, and this story really showed that there is a reason
for everything and they should not be judgmental - if they just stop and give
the 'different' kid a chance, they might just surprise you. At least, that is
what I got out of it.
This well-written and creative trilogy is an
absolutely delightful read that is action-packed and guaranteed to keep young
readers interested. It is a story that will appeal to both girls and
boys.
5 stars
Peter
Stone, an avid student of history, was reading books on Ancient Greece from the
age of four. Periods of interest include the ancient world, medieval era,
Napoleonic times, and the Second World War. He still mourns the untimely
passing of King Leonidas of Sparta and Field Marshal Michel Ney of France.
A
product of the Cold War Generation, Peter Stone studied the ramifications of a
nuclear missile strike when he was in his senior year of high school, learning
the effects of nuclear fallout and how to (hopefully) survive it. He has ever
been drawn to post-apocalyptic and dystopian novels and films, and eagerly
devoured The Day of the Triffids and John Christopher's Tripod Trilogy when he
was a child. He is also an avid fan of science fiction, and his favorite books
include the Lensmen Series by E.E.Doc.Smith, anything by Alastair Reynolds, and
the Evergence trilogy by Sean Williams.
Peter
Stone graduated from Melbourne School of Ministries Bible College in 1988. He
has been teaching Sunday School and playing the keyboard in church for over
twenty-five years. His wife is from Japan and they have two wonderful children.
He has worked in the same games company for over twenty years, but still does
not comprehend why they expect him to work all day instead of playing games.
Peter
Stone, who suffers from major depressive disorder, also writes a blog, Do Not
Let Your Hearts Be Troubled, that offers practical advice and words of comfort
to those suffering from depression and anxiety, in the hope of helping them to
cope with depression and speed them on the path to recovery.
