Great book, I did not read it as a child, but when I came here and saw the LibraryThing recomendations of "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" I knew there was a reason I liked it.

It is simple, silly with some darker undertones. I think would be soothing to and sound good read out loud. (Most of the books from my childhood were read to me out loud. ( )

The 13 Clocks is a fairy tale-like story about an evil and cold Duke, his captive and beautiful niece-Princess, and the mysterious stranger who seeks to marry her. To free the Princess, the stranger must complete an impossible task in an impossible amount of time.

I became aware of this book through an NPR story about the reprinting of this classic children’s tale. Intrigued by Neil Gaiman’s forward claiming it to be “probably the best book in the world,” I picked it up at my library.

Though I wouldn’t go as far as Gaiman’s claim, I can say that this book was entertaining. It was a very fast and quirky read, full of jabs at fairy tale cliches and clever word usage. I read an older edition of the book and found that its whimsical illustrations added to my enjoyment of the story. I can understand how this book was likely a progenitor to many of the modern fantasy novels I’ve enjoyed. Maybe part of its charm lies in its concise simplicity, but ultimately, it wasn’t long enough or interesting enough to bring me under its spell.

http://decklededges.wordpress.com/200... ( )

I'm not quite sure what to make of James Thurber's The 13 Clocks. To be honest, the biggest reason that it caught my eye was the introduction by Neil Gaiman. Then I discovered it was on the 1001 Books list, so I thought that it would be worth picking up. And it was; but I just don't know what to think of it. In his introduction, Gaiman says that The 13 Clocks is one of the best books ever written, or something like that. I have to agree that it is a fun book, but calling it one of the best books ever written I think is stretching it a bit far.

The 13 Clocks is a hard book to label; is it YA? A child's fairy tale? Something written for adults? I can honestly say yes to all these questions. It has just about every aspect of the typical fairy tale present: there is a damsel in distress, an evil duke, a prince who comes to the rescue, impossible tasks, magical creatures, curses and a happily ever after. The Princess Saralinda is something of a captive to her wicked 'uncle,' the Duke, who is actually not her uncle, but her kidnapper, and who plans to marry her on her 21st birthday. She has had many suitors over the years, but each the Duke gives an impossible task to complete for her hand, or he simply kills them for practically no reason. Along comes the prince, Zorn of Zorna, disguised as a traveling minstrel, who goes on an impossible quest set forth by the Duke. Accompanying Zorn is the Golux, who seems to be something of a wizard, but maybe not, and together they accomplish the task, but just barely. I'm giving nothing away here, as we all know how these fairy tales end, and this particular tale follows in the footsteps of every one before it.

Marc Simont's illustration are very simplistic, but they match the tone and feel of the story perfectly. I found them a fresh accompaniment to the story.

Don't take me the wrong way, I really enjoyed reading The 13 Clocks. Thurber created a fun little story, but I'm just not 100% convinced that it deserves the amounts of praise that has been heaped on it, though. ( )

Like any good children's story, there is a dark undertone to Thurber's book. Nothing is clear-cut, which makes it an enjoyable read for children and adults. The seemingly simple story is well-matched by the fab illustrations. ( )

Too silly for my tastes. I don’t mind a fairy-tale setting, but the characters were too one-dimensional for me. ( )