Born on the day his mother died, Zachary Cloudesley is the beloved son of a clockmaker in 18th century London. He is blessed with the gift of foresight but after a near fatal accident his leaves his father to live with his rich but eccentric maternal aunt. His father is forced to journey to Constantinople at the behest of the government and is imprisoned as a spy but Zachary never gives up hope and journeys to find his father.
This book is such a joy! The plot is preposterous but works so well, the characters are eccentric in their own ways yet the whole is life-affirming and a delight to read.

Sorry for delay, Thought I had already reviewed this on Netgally.

Absolutely loved this book. Original page turner. I saw this book today taking pride of place in one of the leading book stores today in Hay on Wye and was proud to be able to tell my daughter and the book seller that I had had the privilege to read and review this book! ( It wasn’t until I came into the Netgalley site tonight that while I remonstrated the merits of this book on my social media account months ago I had omitted to put the review on here.
I hope I am forgiven !

Zachary’s mother dies during his birth. His loving father, a decent man, does his best to raise this serious and intent child as best he can.
Starting in 18th Century London, through to young of Zach’s adulthood is essentially the tale of dysfunctional, unconventional family devotion.
Zach is intelligent and develops an ability to be heard or have visions if he touches someone. As such he remains insular and protected by the wet nurse and her daughter who grow up together mostly at Zach’s eccentric aunt’s house.
Abel, Zach’s father is duped into travelling to Constantinople to avert the threat of harm to his son. This being a corrupt and duplicitous city where Abel becomes enslaved. Whilst all consider Abel to have perished, Zach does not and travels after him, somewhat naively, putting himself in peril.
This is a delightfully absorbing read, that paints a vivid backdrop of the world at that time. The backdrop of automations and clockwork are endearing and educational. The characters are memorable and likeable for all their overt foibles, making them highly entertaining.
There is loss, betrayal, peril and politics that allow for a rich tale, amidst beautiful linguistics that flow effortlessly as you read. A comprehensive yet steadily paced story that I fell into cadence with from the oft. Enchanting and visceral.

*A big thank-you to Sean Lusk, Random House, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
This beautiful novel with a touch of magic, well-developed characters and set in the 18th century England and Constantinople was a real treat for me. Zachary, a motherless boy receives all love he can have from those who surround him and develops an amazing gift that is not a blessing.
I particularly enjoyed strong female characters and descriptions of the 18th century England and Constantinople. Highly-recommended!

I’ve enjoyed novels about clockwork and automata inventions before, so I was hoping Sean Lusk’s debut novel, The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley would be just as enjoyable – and it is. It’s a mixture of historical fact and fantasy set in the 18th century, in London and in Constantinople.

It follows the events in Zachary’s life from his birth in London, brought up two strong-minded women, surrounded by the clocks and clockwork automata in his father’s workshop, to his teenage years, when he travelled to Constantinople in search of his father, Abel. Zachary, an intelligent and gifted child, who had visions of future events, had an unusual most unusual life – as indeed, did Abel.

For me this book was as much about Abel as about Zachary and I loved the rich descriptions and all the detail that Lusk packed into his book. It did slow the action down at times, but it didn’t spoil my enjoyment at all. The characters are fabulous, the settings are beautifully described and the historical background is fascinating.

Lusk begins his book with an extensive note about Ottoman heirachy in the mid eighteenth century and ends it with a section of Historical and Other Notes explaining that his inspiration to write his novel came when he discovered an eighteenth century Ottoman clock made in England, in a shop in Istanbul. He finally produced his book after several years of research into clockmaking, Anglo-Ottoman relations and other 18th century matters, and having spent numerous hours in the British Library. He also includes a list of books for further reading. It is a remarkable book on a grand scale that entertained me enormously. I’m looking forward to reading more books by Sean Lusk.

My thanks to Random House, UK for a review copy via NetGalley.

We meet Zachary at the time of his birth in 18th century London. His mother dies in childbirth resulting in his father, Abel, hiring a wetnurse, the fabulous Mrs Morley, who arrives with her own baby.

Growing up, Zachary is close to his father and spends much time in the workshop where Abel and his employees create all manner of incredible clockwork automatons. When an accident results in Zachary losing an eye, one employee – Tom – makes Zachary a new eye from gold and lapis, which seems to further the unusual abilities that he has always held. When a guilt-ridden Abel send Zachary to live with his aunt and accepts a job in Constantinople, Zachary soon realises that his father is in great danger and sets out to discover what has become of Abel.

This is a very interesting book, with some wonderfully descriptive passages. A lot of the characters are fascinating, and I found myself wanting to know more about them, rather than the eponymous Zachary. A fun enough romp for those who enjoy magical realism, and I would read more by this author.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

This book is a fantasy novel, about a young man Zachary, son of a clockmaker, who can read people’s minds. I found that I just could not connect with this book, as fantasy novels are not a genre I enjoy. I did give it a go, and read a few chapters, sufficient to know that it is very well written. It will be enjoyable to anyone who likes the fantasy/magic genre. Unfortunately it’s not for me.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title.

A beautiful, historically significant narrative that is really well written and gripping. I found the humor and the history to be really fascinating. This was my first book by this author, and I'm eager to read more.

Despite having a fictional concept, this book is well researched and, as a result, has merits as a historical novel, according to the author's remarks at the conclusion of the book. Although I occasionally found it difficult to get through the book, I did appreciate it because of the variety and interest of the characters.

The narrative advances at a good rate. There are a couple slower sections where the pace nearly slows but doesn't quite. The narrative quickly got back up because I constantly wanted more to happen. The mood and descriptions were wonderful. There is little doubt that the reader feels a part of these lively surroundings.

Sensitive, horrific and captivating.
Amazing characters and not always what they seem. I loved the way the protagonists were portrayed and the description of their thought processes .
Zachary whose birth results in the death of his Mother Alice. Alice and Abel a truly devoted happy couple, Abel is bereft and struggles to cope with his son, a wet nurse is engaged, Grace, a truly independent and far seeing woman. Grace brings up Zachary and her own daughter Grace, they are like siblings. Franny is Alice's Aunt and schemes to have Zachary to herself, she also tries to adopt Grace, both of these actions result in tragedy.
Abel goes to Constantinople, a marvelous vision of life in the Sultan's palace, where intrigue and cunning are rife.
Abel has invented a chess playing machine which contains secrets, when he is found out he is IN prisoned. Meanwhile in Tring Zachary who has a gift for prophecy, pines for his father. A plan is made for Abel's rescue, will it succeed?

2.5

In the beginning, I really liked this story and read the first half in a few days, but I felt it lost it's way about halfway through and it took me over a month to finish it off.

I did enjoy some of the characters, particularly Frankie and Mrs Morley, but ultimately there were too many of them; too many side plots and it became overly confusing trying to keep it all straight. That was probably my fault for reading it so slowly, but then again, I did so because it had stopped entertaining me. All that said, many others have loved it. I would be willing to try the author again, this is a debut, and I did like it to begin with.

*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a review copy in exchange for an honest opinion.*

We follow Zachary’s father, Abel, as he watches his son grow up with unusual abilities he does his best not to notice, before being sent to Constantinople as a spy concealed within a chess-playing clockwork automaton. When that ends badly, Zachary heads out to find his father equipped with forty-five guineas and his ability to see someone’s future when he holds their hand.

This a slow, character-driven story deeply rooted in the historical setting. It is less fantastical than might be expected from the premise—Zachary’s second sight is the only element of fantasy, and plays only a small part of the story—but there was something almost magical about Abel’s clockwork creations nonetheless.

The characters are really where this story shines: Mrs Morley, the wetnurse turned shopkeeper who often disagrees with Lady PB aka Aunt Frances, an eccentric who quietly schemes to take Zachary as her own, and the kizlar agha, who holds considerable power in Constantinople despite his humble beginnings. I particularly loved Tom, Abel’s apprentice and a gifted clockmaker in his own right, who in modern terms is a trans man.

The plot is less strong, in the sense that the book is ‘literary’ and not as much happens given the volume of words used to tell the story, but it’s still enjoyable, and the prose is wonderful. The descriptions of grey London and beautiful Constantinople are captivating, and every detail is lingered over lovingly.

I received an ARC of this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Abel Cloudesley is a craftsman clock maker and creator of automata. The book opens as his wife is in the late stages of labour, giving birth to a son Zachary but unfortunately losing her own life in the process. Abel is devastated by his loss and hands over the care of Zachary to a wet nurse Mrs Morley, mother to Leonora. Abel loves his son and over time becomes aware of a gift he possesses of being able to see into the future. As the narrative progresses Zachary is handed over into a for care of his aunt and Mrs Morley as Abel is coerced into going to Constantinople to create a chess playing automaton. Things move from bad to worse as befits any coerced person.

For me the book was not a difficult read. There was a lot of novelty to the narrative line but the author failed to bring his ideas to fruition in a way which would really capture the reader's imagination and make the story fly. The bok felt a bit like a Jack of all trades but master of none.

“Zachary is gifted in ways even the child himself cannot perceive….. He is like the best clock we could ever hope to make….a clock that tells of time to come and of time past and missed, yet is driven by blood and a beating heart, not by mainsprings and ratchets and bobs of steel and brass.”

My thanks to Random House U.K. Transworld Publishers for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley’ by Sean Lusk.

The stunning cover of this work of literary historical fiction hints of the delights within. The author prefaces the novel with a Note about the Hierarchy of the Ottoman Empire in the mid-18th Century, including definitions of a number of terms. This proved helpful later in the novel when certain characters leave England for Constantinople.

The novel opens in 1754, London with the birth of Zachary Cloudesley. His father’s joy is tempered by loss as his wife dies in childbirth. Abel Cloudesley is a master clockmaker, who creates strange and enchanting clockwork automatons.

Zachary is raised amongst the cogs and springs of his father's workshop and is beloved by all who know him. He also has an extraordinary gift; as at a touch Zachary can see into the hearts and minds of the people he meets. Yet when Zachary is six a near fatal accident changes everything.

Later Abel is reluctantly drawn into international politics that results in a dangerous mission to Constantinople, where he creates an extraordinary automaton known as the Duke of Derbyshire. When years pass without word from Abel, Zachary impulsively leaves England to follow his father’s path … no further details to avoid spoilers. There are adventures and intrigue, and of course, love.

Sean Lusk was inspired to write this novel after he came across an Ottoman clock in a small shop in Istanbul. The clock dated from c.1750 and was crafted by a clockmaker in Leadenhall, London. A desire to understand this interest in importing clocks from England, led to him researching clockmaking, the Levant company, and Anglo–Ottoman relations during the mid-18th Century.

Overall, I found ‘The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley’ an amazingly rich novel in terms of storytelling, fascinating characters, and a depth of description that brings its period settings vividly to life. A superb debut novel.

Highly recommended.

I was attracted to this book because of the unusual cover and the title, which I assumed meant the book was going to be paranormal! In fact, the main character's ability to see another person's future (or past) is only a small part of the story. The Second-Sight of Zachary Cloudesley is mainly a historical novel, packed with delightfully quirky characters and a hint of magic realism.

In 1754, renowned maker of clocks and automata Abel Cloudesley must raise his new-born son Zachary when his wife dies in childbirth. When an accident leaves six-year-old Zachary nearly blinded, Abel is convinced that the safest place for his son is in the care of eccentric Aunt Frances, who owns a menagerie of weird and wonderful animals. Offered a job by a politician with dubious intentions, Abel leaves his son, his workshop and London behind. This decision will change the course of all their lives forever.

The strength of this book is the impeccable research into 18th century life in London and Constantinople, and the fabulous cast of characters, most of whom are given their own point of view. Abel, a talented clockmaker; wealthy but eccentric Aunt Frances; and dour Grace Morley, who rises from wet nurse to housekeeper over the course of the story. Grace was my favourite character, due to her deadpan commentary on events. The story starts in London but the second half takes the form of a quest, as Zachary travels to Constantinople to discover exactly what did happen to his father.

The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley is an utterly fabulous, real 'around the fireside' read and one of my favourite books this year. It would suit fans of Diane Setterfield (Once Upon a River) and Robert Dinsdale (The Toymakers). Thoroughly recommended!

Thank you to Sean Lusk and Random House UK/Transworld for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

An enjoyable book. As I started to read the book I was unsure as to whether I would enjoy it . It did remind me of "The Clockwork Girl" also about automatons.
Abel, Zachary's father is a clock and automaton making running his own workshop. His beloved wife dies in childbirth so he has to employ a wet-nurse, Mrs Morley to feed Zachary. It is apparent early on that not only is Zachary very intelligent but special in other ways. His great aunt takes special interest in him as do the craftsmen in the workshop.
The story flows well but I'm not sure it needs the sexuality dimension. Fortunately it doesn't detract too much from the main story unless that was the author's main theme.
This is an honest review of a complementary ARC.

A very impressive debut novel.

It starts with the traumatic birth of Zachary which kills the beloved wife of clockmaker/automaton Maker Abel.

Zachary grows up under the watchful gaze of his former wet nurse Mrs Morley (with his childhood friend Leonora, her daughter) and of his eccentric aunt . In the workshop everyone takes an interest in him, but particularly master craftsman Tom who is concealing a secret.

Zachary has premonitions that increase when something catastrophic happens which gives him more second sight.

His father is drawn into the political world of conflict with the Ottoman Empire and is forced to travel there. Zachary is later to follow in his footsteps to find out what has happened.

Great characters like the direct, ambitious Mrs Morley who narrates her own sections, the mysterious Tom and eccentric Aunt Frances who seems to have stepped out of either a Dickens novel or one of Terry Pratchett.

A rollicking plot but told with "light and shade" this is a very accomplished debut effortlessly blending realism with a dash of magic.

Hugely enjoyable and to me much more satisfying than the much feted Miniaturist.

Thank you NetGalley and Random Things Tours for the chance to read and review The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley by Sean Lusk!

The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley came out on the 9th of June and was published by Transworld Publishers, a Penguin imprint. It’s 355 pages long and Sean Lusk’s debut novel. The book is a standalone novel that borders on historical fiction/fantasy, action, and literary fiction. It’s also a great read for Pride month, but I won’t tell you how!

While the blurb is lovely, The Second Sight easily has one of the most magical covers I’ve seen in a while!

The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley is set in 18th century London and Istanbul. It’s the story of loss and love and the ways in which love and loss can make us hurt the people we care about the most. It’s a well researched book and I love that the inspiration came from an English clock in Istanbul!

Zachary’s upbringing is an unusual one; with birds and clocks; fitting though, because he is an unusual boy, clever at understanding things just beyond the reach of others. After a terrible accident his father sends him away to live with his maternal great aunt and travels to Istanbul to unthought off consequences. As Zachary grows up and can see things that others can’t, things that turn out to be true, he travels to his father, long since presumed dead, to try and bring him home.

There was no uninteresting character in this story. Each of them is lovely and real and intensely human and fallible, from Abel and Zachary, his grandmother, Lenora and Mrs Morley, and Tom. I also felt a little sad to imagine that Zachary could see so many things when he touched a persons hand, but couldn’t see what his great aunt had been thinking about for so many years. I also feel bad for Lenore, because I genuinely feel like Mrs Morley will be pretty overbearing and I want her to be able to strike out on her own amidst such strong personalities.

I was sent a copy of The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley by Sean Lusk to read and review by NetGalley. I really enjoyed this novel with its intricacies regarding clockwork automata and the mystical visions of young Zachary. The characters are really well drawn and believable and there is a real sense of place, both in the English countryside and the exotic atmosphere of Constantinople. You can tell that this is a well-researched book but this in no way inhibits the storytelling, which I found to be immersive and intriguing. A great read!

I’m not going to lie, that incredible cover is what drew me into this book. So stunning! And then reading the blurb got me all the more excited. Beautiful historical fiction writing, with a hint of magic? Sign me up. Plus it was described to me as Dickensian, so I went into it hoping for all the things I love about Dickens, but updated for a 21st century audience. And boy did it deliver.

There’s definitely elements of Dickens here. In fact, more specifically it reminded me of The Personal History of David Copperfield (the Dev Patel film). It has the “historical fiction but modern writing” vibes I love in Film/TV, and I definitely need more of in my books

It’s so wild that this is a debut novel (although Lusk has written many a short story). It sometimes takes me a while to get into a novel, but I clicked with Sean Lusk’s writing from page one. It’s a vast story, spanning a number of years across countries, but focuses in on the most wonderful characters.

And it’s the characters who are really at the very heart of the joy of the story. It’s such a wonderful span of different sorts of characters. Zachary himself is a wonderful protagonist, I loved his friendship with Tom and the love of his father is so evident in the story. And Aunt Frances is a brilliant eccentric (think Tilda Swinton’s Betsey Trotwood, although more switched on!). There was also wonderful diversity. There’s some M/M romance, a trans secondary character and a disabled character. Although it’s very much in keeping with the 1754 setting (and so modern terminology isn’t used), none of these characters are seen as outcasts.

Overall, I completely fell in love with this story and Sean Lusk’s writing. I highly recommend it if you’re a fan of wonderfully written historical fiction.

Surprisingly, given the title, the main focus of this book isn’t really Zachary at all – his first word only comes about 20% into the story. Instead this is a found-family story that follows Zachary’s father, Abel; his wet nurse, Grace Morley and her daughter, Leonora; his great-aunt, Frances; Tom, apprentice clockmaker; manservant, Samuels and more. And it didn’t take me long to be thoroughly invested in each and every one of them!

Similarly, Zachary’s ‘gift’ is really secondary to the main plot of betrayals, missteps, regret and loving sacrifice, spanning a lifetime and several countries. The tone gradually moves from Dickensian to Arabian Nights fairy-tale, as the action moves from London to Constantinople, threaded with a steampunk-style aesthetic throughout thanks to the clockwork automata.

While expansive and ambitious in tone, plot and setting, the story sticks closely to its small cast of diverse characters and their very personal experiences and struggles, allowing the reader to become an intimate part of the unusual, endearing family. And said characters are placed in a setting that feels authentic and rich in detail; it is very clear that the author has done extensive research in both time and place.

After such a rich, slow layering of story, I did find the ending a little bit unsatisfying, partly because there was no real ‘climax’ to events, and partly because I simply didn’t want the story to end. I could happily read another whole book just about Samuels, the distinctive manservant and my favourite character!

This is a superbly crafted story, as intricate and magical as the clockwork automatons that Abel and Tom produce, and as warm-hearted as Zachary himself – a feature that outweighed his clear sight, in my opinion. Magical realism fans who love unique characters and detailed historical settings will enjoy this impressive debut.


'‘Stop!‘ a voice commands, high and clear.
‘Stop,’ it says again, more quietly. But it is not Abel’s voice that Frances hears, nor is it Mrs Morley’s.
Mrs Morley, jolted into alarm, says, ‘Oh no, it cannot be,’ her tone conveying the preternatural character of what they have just heard.
Slowly, one by one, they turn to gaze in baffled awe at the infant still held in Frances’s arms.'

– Sean Lusk, The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley


Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog