The Clockwork Man is a science fiction novel by British author E. V. Odle.
This is the original cyborg novel. Steampunk before steampunk was cool — one of the first appearances of a cyborg in science fiction literature, and a delicate commentary on modern humanity and its great enemy, time.
In the future, thousand years from now, advanced humanoids known as the Makers will implant people with clockwork devices in their heads which, among other things, allows them to travel through time and space, and to live regulated lives.
However, when one of these devices goes awry, a “clockwork man” appears accidentally in the 1923, at a cricket match in a small English village. Mind-blowing, yet comical events will follow.
The Clockwork Man by E. V. Odle is believed to be the first instance of a human-machine cyborg appearing in literature.
The Clockwork Man was first published in 1923. E-Book: ePUB, 44,300 words, average reading time 3 hours, 40 min. Unabridged full version. Also available as Audiobook narrated by Mark Nelson, running time 4 hours, 54 min.
Edwin V. Odle (1890 — 1942) was a British playwright, critic, and short-story author. From 1925–35, he was the founding editor of the British short-story magazine The Argosy.
