467. The 13 Clocks

The 13 Clocks

James Thurber
1950
Around 125 pages

Two fantasy novels in a row?! I'm not usually too excited by wacky styles (I just want a good story) but the structure of this book was undeniably impressive. It's also nice to get a book written for a younger audience. Children's stories should not be underestimated in value.

The evil Duke of Coffin Castle prevents his beautiful niece Saralinda from marrying by setting her suitors impossible tasks. This reminds me of Pericles, but as this is a children's story, we don't really get into the exact nature of the Duke's possessiveness. He gives the latest gentleman caller (who also happens to be a prince) the task of obtaining a thousand jewels and somehow unfreezing the castle's 13 clocks.

This is a fun plot, but Thurber's clever use of wordplay and strict implementation of his own meter make this story truly unique. Even though this is a children's story, Thurber is definitely not writing down to anybody and is trusting a younger audience to appreciate complex poetic structure.

We have quite the roll going on here in 1950, and I trust Greene not to screw it up for us.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

By the time he wrote this, James Thurber was blind.

Adapted into an opera 2002. That happens a lot on this List.

UP NEXT: The Third Man by Graham Greene.