The Thirteen Clocks

The Thirteen Clocks follows a prince in disguise who seeks to win the hand of Princess Saralinda from her uncle, the cold Duke who keeps thirteen clocks frozen in time. The Duke creates impossible tasks for all of Saralinda's suitors, ensuring their failure and subsequent death. A mysterious being called the Golux aids the prince in his quest to complete the Duke's challenges and free Princess Saralinda. The tale mixes fantasy and adventure with wordplay, while incorporating elements of traditional fairy tales and adding unexpected twists. The story moves between moments of darkness and light, examining themes of time, courage, and the nature of good versus evil. Through its unconventional structure and lyrical prose, the book transcends typical fairy tale conventions to create something new.

Readers call this a fairy tale that breaks traditional rules through wordplay, dark humor, and unconventional storytelling. The unique writing style and poetic language resonates with adults while remaining accessible to children. Readers highlighted: - Neil Gaiman's introduction in newer editions - Memorable phrases and rhythmic text - Marc Simont's illustrations - Works equally well read silently or aloud Common criticisms: - Plot can be hard to follow - Some find the language too complex for young readers - A few scenes may frighten sensitive children Ratings: Goodreads: 4.2/5 (5,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.6/5 (280+ ratings) Reader quotes: "Like Dr. Seuss meets Edgar Allan Poe" - Goodreads reviewer "The language dances and spins in unexpected ways" - Amazon reviewer "Too dark for my 6-year-old but perfect for my 9-year-old" - Common Sense Media review

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🕰️ James Thurber wrote The Thirteen Clocks while nearly blind, dictating most of the text to his wife and friends. 📚 The book's unique style blends fairy tale elements with wordplay and invented words, creating what Neil Gaiman called "probably the best book in the world." 🏰 Though written in 1950, the book deliberately breaks traditional fairy tale rules, featuring a villain who actually succeeds in stopping time within his castle. ✍️ Thurber created his own illustrations for the book despite his severe vision problems, drawing with thick black crayon and working very close to the paper. 🎭 The book was adapted into a successful musical in 1960, with music by Mark Bucci and book/lyrics by Fred Sadoff, and was performed at the New York City Opera.