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The Nine Pound Hammer: Book 1 of The Clockwork Dark Audiobook
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(3.04) - 311 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
What if John Henry had a son? Twelve-year-old Ray is haunted by the strangest memories of his father, whom Ray swears could speak to animals. Now an orphan, Ray jumps from a train going through the American South and falls in with a medicine show train and its stable of sideshow performers. The performers turn out to be heroes, defenders of the wild, including the son of John Henry. They are hiding the last of the mythical Swamp Sirens from an ancient evil known as the Gog. Why the Gog wants the Siren, they can’t be sure, but they know it has something to do with rebuilding a monstrous machine that John Henry gave his life destroying years before, a machine that will allow the Gog to control the will of men and spread darkness throughout the world.
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"Nice young adult book set in the rural south following the Civil War. It has steampunk elements (for those who liked Scott Westerfield's Leviathan) but the real focus of the book is magic. Not Harry Potter magic, but the magic of old Appalachian folktales and southern superstition. Nice read for teen boys or girls (good strong characters of both genders). No sex, no gore, but good intrigue and action."
— Linda (4 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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Winner of New York Public Library Book for Reading and Sharing, 2009
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Winner of Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Award
The Nine Pound Hammer Listener Reviews
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" The Nine Pound Hammer is an eclectic mix of American Folk Lore and Steampunk which adds up to a charming story. I listened to the audio CD version of this book and it was excellent. John Mayer did a great job performing the characters voices which helped add to the down home feeling of the book. I look forward to reading the next book in this series. "
— Sherrie, 2/11/2014 -
" Loved the American folklore premise. Sort of Lionboy meets Levon Helm. Could have been because I was listening to the audiobook, but I had trouble following the storyline. Ray walks and talks to a lot of people and learns things about his missing father. Now that the characters are established the action will rev up in book 2. "
— Camille, 2/6/2014 -
" Overall, the whole plot was interesting, but the book kind of just ended in the middle of nowhere. "
— Hanna, 1/30/2014 -
" Local Hillsborough author (and nice guy). The first of a YA adventure trilogy that pulls inspiration and references from American folk tales. I think people have been calling it steam-punky, that may be a stretch, but a train is heavily featured in the plot. I'll read the next one, The Wolf Tree, which came out at the end of this Summer. "
— Elizabeth, 1/29/2014 -
" Good promise in the premise ... but didn't quite work for me. "
— Kevin, 1/28/2014 -
" Probably a good 5-6th grade read, but a little too full of legend and fantasy for my taste. "
— Jill, 1/19/2014 -
" Original! Loved the concept and how Bemis weaves in American mythology with steampunk. "
— Kami, 1/5/2014 -
" I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice fantasy break. Looking forward to reading the next two books in this series. "
— Amy, 12/29/2013 -
" This is a children's book that I enjoyed tremendously. It builds on folk tales/tall tales/ and imagination. I think it will be fun to read to my children. "
— Jlnpeacock, 12/15/2013 -
" The American tall tale tie in was my favorite part of this book. The ensemble of heroes worked well too. The action scenes seemed a little drawn out. "
— Jennifer, 12/13/2013 -
" Folklore. Trains. A bit of steampunk. What's not to like? I am very jealous that today's kid lit seems so much better than what I remember being on the children's shelves in my childhood. Looking forward to book 2! "
— Jinksb, 12/27/2012 -
" Fun unique book with a nice take on the old American songs and fables. The characters are great but the narrative is a little shallow sometimes and its a tad hard to follow the action. That said I do look forward to reading the next one as the characters and setting keep you going. "
— P_Racemosa, 10/21/2012 -
" Excellent book using American legends, and I would give to boy or girl who loved the Percy Jackson type of books. Lots of action and adventure. "
— Debbie, 6/20/2012 -
" A book with good intentions but I just didn't enjoy it. And I have the feeling that the constant referrals to John Henry will go right over the head of the target audience of this book -- middle school readers. "
— Kathy, 2/12/2012 -
" At the beginning I was like oh no, this has got to be the slowest book ever. At chapter 16, I really got hooked. "
— Alexandria, 11/11/2011 -
" started really liking it up to the end "
— Eric, 10/23/2011 -
" Part of the concept is intriguing but the story was rambling and not well executed. The plot is also rather vague. I don't recommend it. "
— Tabitha, 9/16/2011 -
" A sophisticated story weaving together pieces of Americana and folk magic to make an enthralling adventure. Great characters who felt like family, and I loved everything about the Ramblers. "
— Edie, 7/31/2011 -
" More Americana than the steampunk it's marketed as, this book overcomes a rambling plot and way too many adults by the sheer power of its funky American coolness, with John Henry, riverboat pirates, dueling steam trains and a medicine show. "
— D.J., 5/21/2011 -
" Excellent book using American legends, and I would give to boy or girl who loved the Percy Jackson type of books. Lots of action and adventure. "
— Debbie, 3/21/2011 -
" I think the author could have done a better job of world building in this one. It took me too long time to understand what was going on. Plus I've listened to too many tall takes lately, so I wasn't interested in this one. "
— Jennifer, 12/19/2010 -
" Fun unique book with a nice take on the old American songs and fables. The characters are great but the narrative is a little shallow sometimes and its a tad hard to follow the action. That said I do look forward to reading the next one as the characters and setting keep you going. "
— P_Racemosa, 9/4/2010 -
" Inventive, entertaining mix of American folklore and fantasy. "
— Ed, 5/19/2010 -
" The American tall tale tie in was my favorite part of this book. The ensemble of heroes worked well too. The action scenes seemed a little drawn out. "
— Jennifer, 5/5/2010
About John Claude Bemis
John Claude Bemis is an award-winning author, musician, and educator. His novels include The Prince Who Fell from the Sky and the Clockwork Dark trilogy: The Nine Pound Hammer, The Wolf Tree, and The White City. John was chosen as North Carolina’s Piedmont Laureate for Children’s Literature. Visit him online at www.JohnClaudeBemis.com.
About John H. Mayer
John H. Mayer, author and Earphones Award–winning narrator, is a character actor whose voice has been heard on numerous commercials, animated programs, audiobooks, and narrations including E! Entertainment’s Celebrity Profiles. He was a five-year member of the Groundlings comedy theater company in Los Angeles. He is also the co-author of Radio Rocket Boy, an award-winning short film.