Magic Clock Hidden in the Wall
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Description
Book Introduction
A mix of weirdness and glamour, horror and fantasy Welcome to the world of Gothic fairy tales! Since its publication in the United States in 1973, The Magic Clock in the Wall has been loved by readers around the world. John Bellaires, the author of this book, has created a unique worldview with a story that crosses the lines between fantasy and horror. The term that expresses the atmosphere that flows throughout this worldview is 'Gothic'. Gothic, originally a branch of art style, was a word that referred to the architectural style of churches, but its meaning expanded to include literature, music, and thought. If we look at it solely in terms of literature, it is a story set in the Middle Ages, with a series of brutal and bizarre events leading to a terrifying conclusion. Often, the dead are brought back to life, fight with magic wands, and horrific curses and magic spells are used. Mary Shelley, author of "Frankenstein," and Edgar Allan Poe, famous for his short story "The Black Cat," have used many of these Gothic elements. This characteristically gothic atmosphere of gloom, terrifying secrets, and a fantastical ending permeates 『The Magic Clock Hidden in the Wall』. This book is Bellaire's first foray into 'Gothic fairy tales' and serves as a cornerstone for various stories that follow. Although it is a fairy tale, it is dark and does not necessarily feature a good protagonist. This story is suitable for children, but it is also suitable for adult readers who enjoy fantasy literature. Even though it's been a long time since its publication, this book has a charm that doesn't fade, and it's now been made into a film by young horror master Eli Roth, and it's about to be released. I look forward to seeing how fresh the production will be in introducing the Gothic fairy tale to the audience. |
- You can preview some of the book's contents.
Preview
index
Hello, New Jebidy
The Secret of the Mansion
Uncle Jonathan the Wizard
Louis's grand plan
The dead rise
Midnight Chase
The appearance of a strange neighbor
The identity of the clock
Louis's counterattack
Where is the clock?
New courage
Translator's Note
The Secret of the Mansion
Uncle Jonathan the Wizard
Louis's grand plan
The dead rise
Midnight Chase
The appearance of a strange neighbor
The identity of the clock
Louis's counterattack
Where is the clock?
New courage
Translator's Note
Into the book
At that moment, the bell ringing overhead signaled the hour.
Jonathan stopped talking.
And he froze in place.
I dropped my suitcase and let my arms hang limp.
Louis looked at his uncle in fear.
Jonathan's eyes lost focus.
The bell continued to ring at regular intervals.
Louis raised his head.
The sound came from a tall brick spire across the street.
The arches of the bell tower were shaped like a roaring mouth and glaring eyes.
Below that mouth was a large, shiny clock with metal numerals.
Ding.
--- pp.11~12
The hallway was mostly dark, although a dimly lit gray window could be seen in the distance.
But Louis heard the sound of someone moving in his ears.
Soon, a flashlight flickered across the wallpaper.
Louis was scared and closed the door, then opened it again just a little.
The lights stopped.
A shadow holding a flashlight slammed its fist into the lower part of the wall.
Louis heard crumbs falling between the walls.
The shadow knocked and knocked again.
Louis looked around quietly and then opened the door a little further.
--- pp.27~28
Jonathan lifted the moon and looked at it from all sides.
The moon looked cold and chilly, twinkling like freshly fallen snowflakes.
I kept staring at it and my eyes started to hurt.
Jonathan blew the moon out to the back of the yard.
The moon disappeared into the dark grass where four elm trees stood.
Then Jonathan took his staff and ran to find the moon.
Even though there was light shining around, the yard was so long that I couldn't see what Jonathan was doing.
--- p.73
Louis stopped crying and looked around.
A minute has passed.
The door opened and Mrs. Zimmerman appeared.
The woman calmly descended the stairs and walked along the brick path.
I hummed a tune the whole time I was walking.
The orange flames on the hem of his cloak were gone, and the magical light that had illuminated his face was nowhere to be found.
He was just holding an old umbrella in one hand.
A tiny purple spark still burned inside the glass bead attached to the handle.
In his other hand he held Uncle Jonathan's cane, the glass beads still dark.
"Hello, Florence."
Jonathan stopped talking.
And he froze in place.
I dropped my suitcase and let my arms hang limp.
Louis looked at his uncle in fear.
Jonathan's eyes lost focus.
The bell continued to ring at regular intervals.
Louis raised his head.
The sound came from a tall brick spire across the street.
The arches of the bell tower were shaped like a roaring mouth and glaring eyes.
Below that mouth was a large, shiny clock with metal numerals.
Ding.
--- pp.11~12
The hallway was mostly dark, although a dimly lit gray window could be seen in the distance.
But Louis heard the sound of someone moving in his ears.
Soon, a flashlight flickered across the wallpaper.
Louis was scared and closed the door, then opened it again just a little.
The lights stopped.
A shadow holding a flashlight slammed its fist into the lower part of the wall.
Louis heard crumbs falling between the walls.
The shadow knocked and knocked again.
Louis looked around quietly and then opened the door a little further.
--- pp.27~28
Jonathan lifted the moon and looked at it from all sides.
The moon looked cold and chilly, twinkling like freshly fallen snowflakes.
I kept staring at it and my eyes started to hurt.
Jonathan blew the moon out to the back of the yard.
The moon disappeared into the dark grass where four elm trees stood.
Then Jonathan took his staff and ran to find the moon.
Even though there was light shining around, the yard was so long that I couldn't see what Jonathan was doing.
--- p.73
Louis stopped crying and looked around.
A minute has passed.
The door opened and Mrs. Zimmerman appeared.
The woman calmly descended the stairs and walked along the brick path.
I hummed a tune the whole time I was walking.
The orange flames on the hem of his cloak were gone, and the magical light that had illuminated his face was nowhere to be found.
He was just holding an old umbrella in one hand.
A tiny purple spark still burned inside the glass bead attached to the handle.
In his other hand he held Uncle Jonathan's cane, the glass beads still dark.
"Hello, Florence."
--- p.190
Publisher's Review
Moving towards the end of the world
A magic clock hidden in the wall!
“This book will keep readers captivated for a long time.”
- The New York Times Book Review
Louis, who becomes an orphan overnight, goes to live with his extraordinary wizard uncle.
A mansion filled with the sound of ticking clocks, stained glass windows that change color, and even shadows that knock on the walls at midnight.
Interesting events begin to take place one by one in the timid life of Louis.
Even my next-door neighbor wasn't ordinary, Mrs. Zimmerman, an elite magician obsessed with purple, was my uncle's best friend.
Louis' peaceful daily life with magic is soon turned upside down.
It all started when I tried to win over Tabi, my first friend.
It was pretty cool to pester my uncle, who revealed himself to be a 'hobby magician', into putting on a magic show.
However, it was a big mistake to read a magic book without telling my uncle and go to the cemetery to convince Tabi, who didn't believe in magic.
Louis ends up waking the dead.
The person who was brought back from the dead was, of all people, Isaac Izard's wife, Selena Izard.
Isaac, the original owner of the mansion where Louis and his uncle live, is an evil wizard who has spent his life researching ways to bring about the end of the world.
The gruesome research was fortunately interrupted by the couple's deaths, but Louis's mistake opened the door to the 'end of the world'.
Moreover, the clock that awakens them from silence every day is the murderous couple's last weapon! What choice will Louis make after accidentally hastening the end? How will this story, filled with ghosts, villains, and bloody screams, end?
Drawn by a master of gothic fairy tales
A story of good and evil, right and wrong
Louis shuddered.
And then, out of the blue, a strange thought occurred to me.
"Is that the case for you too, Uncle?" Louis asked quietly, his voice terrified.
Then Jonathan looked up with a strange smile.
"Would it be scary if I said that?" "No.
I like my uncle's unique personality.
It doesn't matter if it's a moon rock.
"I know he's not a bad wizard." "Depends on what 'bad' means to you," Jonathan said with a laugh.
-From the text
The protagonist, Louis, is not entirely kind.
He brags in front of his friends who tease him for being fat, reads magic books without his uncle's knowledge, and runs away in shock at his own mistakes.
The same goes for other characters appearing in the story.
If we are to be strict, there are more than one or two behaviors that need to be corrected.
My uncle is a heavy smoker and plays poker often.
Mrs. Zimmerman is affectionate, but often speaks harshly to her uncle.
Wizards like Uncle and Mrs. Zimmerman are often seen as bad or to be avoided, and are often misunderstood by their neighbors.
However, despite being both wizards, the Izards make evil choices.
In this way, good and evil are not innate but are a matter of choice.
Louis's role in this story is often subverted.
He was a pure and innocent orphan, then a troublemaker who awakened evil, and eventually became a hero who saved the world.
As I mentioned in the last part, the concept of what something refers to changes frequently, and this story shows that it is my choice to decide what it is.
A blend of reality and fiction
Fantastic scenes that will shake your imagination!
New Jebedee, in Copanium County, Michigan, is not on any map.
It is a fiction created by the author's imagination.
Fiction mixed with reality creates a strange atmosphere, and the boundaries between them become increasingly blurred.
But as the story progresses, it becomes less important what is real and what is fiction.
The author, through Uncle Jonathan, says, "People only see what they can see," and hopes that readers will see beyond what is invisible.
The splendid and fantastic scenes that appear throughout the story also add to the atmosphere.
The card game magic that Louis witnessed on his first day at New Jebedee, his uncle's magic show with Tabi, and the warm yet fantastical Christmas scenery add a colorful touch to the spooky story.
A magic clock hidden in the wall!
“This book will keep readers captivated for a long time.”
- The New York Times Book Review
Louis, who becomes an orphan overnight, goes to live with his extraordinary wizard uncle.
A mansion filled with the sound of ticking clocks, stained glass windows that change color, and even shadows that knock on the walls at midnight.
Interesting events begin to take place one by one in the timid life of Louis.
Even my next-door neighbor wasn't ordinary, Mrs. Zimmerman, an elite magician obsessed with purple, was my uncle's best friend.
Louis' peaceful daily life with magic is soon turned upside down.
It all started when I tried to win over Tabi, my first friend.
It was pretty cool to pester my uncle, who revealed himself to be a 'hobby magician', into putting on a magic show.
However, it was a big mistake to read a magic book without telling my uncle and go to the cemetery to convince Tabi, who didn't believe in magic.
Louis ends up waking the dead.
The person who was brought back from the dead was, of all people, Isaac Izard's wife, Selena Izard.
Isaac, the original owner of the mansion where Louis and his uncle live, is an evil wizard who has spent his life researching ways to bring about the end of the world.
The gruesome research was fortunately interrupted by the couple's deaths, but Louis's mistake opened the door to the 'end of the world'.
Moreover, the clock that awakens them from silence every day is the murderous couple's last weapon! What choice will Louis make after accidentally hastening the end? How will this story, filled with ghosts, villains, and bloody screams, end?
Drawn by a master of gothic fairy tales
A story of good and evil, right and wrong
Louis shuddered.
And then, out of the blue, a strange thought occurred to me.
"Is that the case for you too, Uncle?" Louis asked quietly, his voice terrified.
Then Jonathan looked up with a strange smile.
"Would it be scary if I said that?" "No.
I like my uncle's unique personality.
It doesn't matter if it's a moon rock.
"I know he's not a bad wizard." "Depends on what 'bad' means to you," Jonathan said with a laugh.
-From the text
The protagonist, Louis, is not entirely kind.
He brags in front of his friends who tease him for being fat, reads magic books without his uncle's knowledge, and runs away in shock at his own mistakes.
The same goes for other characters appearing in the story.
If we are to be strict, there are more than one or two behaviors that need to be corrected.
My uncle is a heavy smoker and plays poker often.
Mrs. Zimmerman is affectionate, but often speaks harshly to her uncle.
Wizards like Uncle and Mrs. Zimmerman are often seen as bad or to be avoided, and are often misunderstood by their neighbors.
However, despite being both wizards, the Izards make evil choices.
In this way, good and evil are not innate but are a matter of choice.
Louis's role in this story is often subverted.
He was a pure and innocent orphan, then a troublemaker who awakened evil, and eventually became a hero who saved the world.
As I mentioned in the last part, the concept of what something refers to changes frequently, and this story shows that it is my choice to decide what it is.
A blend of reality and fiction
Fantastic scenes that will shake your imagination!
New Jebedee, in Copanium County, Michigan, is not on any map.
It is a fiction created by the author's imagination.
Fiction mixed with reality creates a strange atmosphere, and the boundaries between them become increasingly blurred.
But as the story progresses, it becomes less important what is real and what is fiction.
The author, through Uncle Jonathan, says, "People only see what they can see," and hopes that readers will see beyond what is invisible.
The splendid and fantastic scenes that appear throughout the story also add to the atmosphere.
The card game magic that Louis witnessed on his first day at New Jebedee, his uncle's magic show with Tabi, and the warm yet fantastical Christmas scenery add a colorful touch to the spooky story.
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of publication: October 19, 2018
- Page count, weight, size: 224 pages | 421g | 136*202*20mm
- ISBN13: 9788952239891
- ISBN10: 895223989X
- KC Certification: Certification Type: Conformity Confirmation
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