The Clockwork Man

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Karl Gruber, a world-famous builder of automated clocks, has reached the pinnacle of his art in Ernst a man constructed entirely of clockwork. Educated and raised in the Gruber household to be a gentle, caring soul, Ernst begins to discover a profound love for his masters daughter, Giselle. Just as their relationship becomes intimate, however, tragedy strikes and the family falls apart. Abandoned, knowing no other life but the one he has led, Ernst allows himself to wind down in a kind of suicide. Over one hundred years later, he awakens in a strange new land, the world hes known long gone. Along with his mentor and guide, a well-meaning if slightly unstable homeless man, Ernst attempts to piece together the events that brought him to his new home and to let go of the century-old tragedy that still haunts him.

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William Jablonsky is originally from Rock Falls, Illinois, and is a graduate of Bowling Green State Universitys creative writing program. His first book, a collection of short fiction titled The Indestructible Man, was published by Livingston Press in 2005. His stories have appeared in many nationally distributed literary journals, including the Beloit Fiction Journal, the Florida Review, the Southern Humanities Review, and Phoebe. After a seven-year stint in the Milwaukee area, he now lives in Iowa with his wife and three cats and teaches fiction writing at Loras College.