Matthew's review
The 13 Clocks
by James Thurber
Matthew's review
The 13 Clocks by James Thurber
Matthew's review
rating:
recommended for: everyone
James Thurber's The Thirteen Clocks is an allegorical fairy tale for adults that primarily showcases Thurber's wit and mischievous wordplay. Although it's ostensibly about an evil Duke who keeps his niece, the Princess Saralinda locked in his cold dark castle, where time has been stopped by his own sword, and feeds her potential suitors to his geese, I don't recommend it as a bedtime story to your six-year-old unless you want them to turn out like me. Thanks dad! I mean that. The 13 Clocks is simply one of the most brilliant tales ever spun. The Princess can only be saved by a prince who's name begins with X, the Golux wears an "indescribable hat" and, by his own admission is the only Golux, and not a Mere Device. The Dungeon is inhabited by the Todal, an unseen horror that "feels as though it's made of lip and makes the sound of rabbits screaming." This, like the great WB cartoons of the '30s is perfect entertainment for the young, yet is fraught with puns and...more
