The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley: The spellbinding historical fiction mystery of one young man’s quest for the truth
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- Create Date：2022-11-17 00:51:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sean Lusk
- ISBN：1804990949
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Summary
'One of the best books I've read this year。 Atmospheric， engaging， and elegantly written， this amazing tale of a clockmaker whose son possesses unusual talents is completely unforgettable。。。' Bonnie Garmus， LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY
A Sunday Times Historical Fiction Book of the Month， for fans of PANDORA， THE ESSEX SERPENT and THE NIGHT CIRCUS。
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Zachary Cloudesley is gifted in a remarkable way。 But not all gifts are a blessing。。。
Leadenhall Street， London， 1754。
Raised amongst the cogs and springs of his father's workshop， Zachary Cloudesley has grown up surrounded by strange and enchanting clockwork automata。 He is a happy child， beloved by his father Abel and the workmen who help bring his father's creations to life。
He is also the bearer of an extraordinary gift; at the touch of a hand， Zachary can see into the hearts and minds of the people he meets。
But then a near-fatal accident will take Zachary away from the workshop and his family。 His father will have to make a journey that he will never return from。 And， years later， only Zachary can find out what happened。
A beautifully crafted historical mystery of love and hope， and the adventure of finding your place in the world。
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'A dashing， magical debut 。 。 。 intricately plotted， and peopled with intriguing characters' Daily Mail
'Fans of eccentrically flavoured historical fiction with a touch of magic are in for a treat' Metro
What readers are saying:
'an excellent historical， magical realist novel'
'beautifully written'
'full of love and humour'
'original and rich in historical detail'
'my best book of 2022'
'totally engrossing。。。unforgettable'
A Sunday Times Historical Fiction Book of the Month， for fans of PANDORA， THE ESSEX SERPENT and THE NIGHT CIRCUS。
----
Zachary Cloudesley is gifted in a remarkable way。 But not all gifts are a blessing。。。
Leadenhall Street， London， 1754。
Raised amongst the cogs and springs of his father's workshop， Zachary Cloudesley has grown up surrounded by strange and enchanting clockwork automata。 He is a happy child， beloved by his father Abel and the workmen who help bring his father's creations to life。
He is also the bearer of an extraordinary gift; at the touch of a hand， Zachary can see into the hearts and minds of the people he meets。
But then a near-fatal accident will take Zachary away from the workshop and his family。 His father will have to make a journey that he will never return from。 And， years later， only Zachary can find out what happened。
A beautifully crafted historical mystery of love and hope， and the adventure of finding your place in the world。
-----
'A dashing， magical debut 。 。 。 intricately plotted， and peopled with intriguing characters' Daily Mail
'Fans of eccentrically flavoured historical fiction with a touch of magic are in for a treat' Metro
What readers are saying:
'an excellent historical， magical realist novel'
'beautifully written'
'full of love and humour'
'original and rich in historical detail'
'my best book of 2022'
'totally engrossing。。。unforgettable'
Reviews
Rachel
，
3 - 3。5 stars
Chloe Meyer
，
This book was such a fun read。 Both the characters and the plot were vibrant and colourful。 Would definitely recommend。
Sara House
，
The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley by Sean Lusk ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Loved this book。 Historical fiction set in 1700’s about a clockmaker and his son and their lives and journeys into the Ottoman Empire。 The writing was wonderful， the story just pulled me in。
JohannaK
，
Fascinating story full of wondrous characters in a historical setting。
Laura
，
Such an amazing and impressive debut。 Full of great and unique colorful characters。 Cannot put it down。 It was mesmerizing ！！！ 😀🤩The world building is exquisite， the main characters unforgettable and the prose delicate and poetic。 A real masterpiece 🫶We are immediatly immerse in a wonderful world of automata creations。 The relationship between characters are amazing， trust， love， support despite some deceptions and betrayal。 Strong， witted and fun women。 Loved all these wonderful characters。 Abe Such an amazing and impressive debut。 Full of great and unique colorful characters。 Cannot put it down。 It was mesmerizing ！！！ 😀🤩The world building is exquisite， the main characters unforgettable and the prose delicate and poetic。 A real masterpiece 🫶We are immediatly immerse in a wonderful world of automata creations。 The relationship between characters are amazing， trust， love， support despite some deceptions and betrayal。 Strong， witted and fun women。 Loved all these wonderful characters。 Abel， Zachary， Grace of course and Frances they are flawed but real✨ Adventure， Amazing creations， full of great ideas 👏 The part in Constantinople is more difficult ， the urdles faced by the main characters unfair， revolting and full of emotions but hope is still there。 5 great stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 。。。more
Virginia Tican
，
It was so good for about ¾s of the way then it went where apparently the author wanted it to go。 Yes， that was a fun and entertaining read but this would probably the last book I would read from this author。
Christine Rennie
，
The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley by Sean Lusk is a debut book by the author and is an exquisite story of a bygone era in the 1770’s at the time of the Ottoman Empire。 The characters are all totally eccentric and are part of the live and times of Constantinople and Tring， in England。 There are clocks， machines， clockwork toys， all handmade and Zachary with his second sight and his father， the clockmaker extraordinary， who goes to Constantinople so that Zachary may live。The storyline and the The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley by Sean Lusk is a debut book by the author and is an exquisite story of a bygone era in the 1770’s at the time of the Ottoman Empire。 The characters are all totally eccentric and are part of the live and times of Constantinople and Tring， in England。 There are clocks， machines， clockwork toys， all handmade and Zachary with his second sight and his father， the clockmaker extraordinary， who goes to Constantinople so that Zachary may live。The storyline and the tale are fascinating and enthralling and makes an interesting debut book。Highly recommended。 。。。more
Melissa
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Like a fairytale - quite magical writing
Emily
，
3。5 stars。 All vibes， not much plot。 It felt like the plot was the same throughout the book。 There was the slight detour in the middle but it didn't feel like a journey。 Characters were good。 The atmosphere was done very well。 The descriptions did an excellent job of placing you within the time period。 A good story just missing some elements。 3。5 stars。 All vibes， not much plot。 It felt like the plot was the same throughout the book。 There was the slight detour in the middle but it didn't feel like a journey。 Characters were good。 The atmosphere was done very well。 The descriptions did an excellent job of placing you within the time period。 A good story just missing some elements。 。。。more
Paul Kerr
，
Excellent if bizarre story of adventure， romance and late 18th century steampunk set between London and Constantinople。 Quite indescribable to be honest but hilarious in parts and brilliantly original。 Worth a read。
John Williams
，
Cracking read this， the author has such a beautiful way with words， crafting such readable sentences。 Loved the characters。
Elite Group
，
Clocks and magic working together。 tI wish I could say that I read the book and found it entertaining and absorbing。 Unfortunately， I can’t。 I managed to read a few chapters and realised that no matter how hard I tried， I was not going to get any pleasure from it。I’m pleased to see on NetGalley that many people have discovered and loved the magic the author has given to his readers。Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review。
Julia
，
Zachary Cloudesley is the son of a famous clock maker。 He's a very intelligent and curious child。 Always flitting around his father's workshop。 When an accident leaves him scarred for life， his father decides that Zachary would be better off being raised by Aunt Frances in the countryside。 Abel Cloudesley， knowing his son to be well-cared for takes on a dangerous job in Constantinople， which is going to change his life and that of his son。 Zachary， plagued by visions， knows he has to find his fa Zachary Cloudesley is the son of a famous clock maker。 He's a very intelligent and curious child。 Always flitting around his father's workshop。 When an accident leaves him scarred for life， his father decides that Zachary would be better off being raised by Aunt Frances in the countryside。 Abel Cloudesley， knowing his son to be well-cared for takes on a dangerous job in Constantinople， which is going to change his life and that of his son。 Zachary， plagued by visions， knows he has to find his father。 An adventure begins that will also take him to Constantinople。 "With a Dickensian cast of characters that are brilliantly bonkers one moment and poignant the next， Sean Lusk's debut will take readers on an immersive journey into the wonders of the world of Zachary Cloudesley。" [Blurb]The book is exactly what this last sentence of the blurb describes。 It was a delight reading it。 。。。more
Julie Holmes
，
Thoroughly enjoyed， well done for a first novel。
Harley
，
Automata and clockwork are the stuff of Zachary’s childhood， raised in the spaces of his father’s workshop， as a happy and loved child。 His gift， allowing him to see hearts and minds with just a touch， will carry him through a fatal accident， a journey and a mystery only Zachary can unravel。Wow， this is an ambitious novel。 The cast， which the blurb describes as ‘Dickensian’ and rightly so， is diverse and expansive， populating settings in London， Constantinople and countless places in between。 It Automata and clockwork are the stuff of Zachary’s childhood， raised in the spaces of his father’s workshop， as a happy and loved child。 His gift， allowing him to see hearts and minds with just a touch， will carry him through a fatal accident， a journey and a mystery only Zachary can unravel。Wow， this is an ambitious novel。 The cast， which the blurb describes as ‘Dickensian’ and rightly so， is diverse and expansive， populating settings in London， Constantinople and countless places in between。 It is rich with descriptions and alive with clockwork and machinery， carrying the story towards what doesn’t always feel like an inevitable conclusion。So why， you ask， only 3 stars？ There were so many elements in here that I found enthralling， so much so I wanted to spend more time with the characters and in the places they visited。 This novel for me felt like it had enough in it for a series or certainly another novel – so many stories and characters that we met only momentarily and didn’t get to explore in their richness and complexity。 At times the pace felt rushed， particularly towards the end， where the narrative that had been building steadily felt like it hurtled to its conclusion with barely a chance to reflect and breath within the text。 At other times， particularly in the opening， it felt like we were on the cusp of action for several pages。I also found the breadth of the story seemed to squash out the magical elements of the text。 Zachary’s gift， which forms a key part of the blurb for the novel， didn’t feature as prominently as I anticipated， and seemed to be lost in its entirety for large parts of the novel。In short， all of these brilliant elements and characters warranted a little more room on the page， and I would happily have returned to this world to spend more time with them in more detail。A minor note too on the inclusion at the beginning of the text of a series of explanations for some of the people in the Sultan’s court。 I personally found this an unnecessary addition， and I think the text mostly stood on its own without the explanations。 Indeed， reading on an e-reader， by the time I had reached the sections where I might have needed the definitions， a few days had passed since reading them。All in all， a compelling idea for a novel， perhaps simply the level of ambition and elements to the story didn’t allow it to quite flourish as I truly felt it could。Books in Steel City x*Thanks Doubleday and Netgalley for gifting me this copy in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Tony Brown
，
It’s 1754， and world-renowned clock and automata maker Abel Cloudesley must raise his newborn son Zachary when his wife dies in childbirth。 Zachary grows up amongst the cogs and springs of his father’s workshop， and is ferociously intelligent。 When a fateful accident at six years old leaves Zachary nearly blinded， Abel leaves him in the care of his eccentric Aunt Frances and accepts a precarious job in Constantinople， a decision that will change the course of their lives forever。 Since his accid It’s 1754， and world-renowned clock and automata maker Abel Cloudesley must raise his newborn son Zachary when his wife dies in childbirth。 Zachary grows up amongst the cogs and springs of his father’s workshop， and is ferociously intelligent。 When a fateful accident at six years old leaves Zachary nearly blinded， Abel leaves him in the care of his eccentric Aunt Frances and accepts a precarious job in Constantinople， a decision that will change the course of their lives forever。 Since his accident， Zachary is plagued by visions that reveal the hearts and minds of those around him。 When he grows up， Zachary uses these visions to travel across Europe to Constantinople to find out what happened to his father all those years ago。I studied Britain during the Industrial Revolution as part of my history degree and so as soon as I saw this book I had to pick it up！ I fell in love with it as soon as I started; Sean Lusk created a colourful and vivid picture of every location， and the book is full of diverse， complex characters。 Tom and Zachary were definitely my favourites。 I’ve often wondered how people like these two would have fared in society during this time period， and I think that the author told their story beautifully。All in all， I absolutely loved this。 It was a book full of love and sorrow， and it was a thoroughly enjoyable read。⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 。。。more
Neve
，
Couldn’t put this book down， but would of like to have included more of Zachary’s gift。 Can’t wait to read more by this author。
Muhammed Hebala
，
I picked up this book - and put it down again - multiple times， I found it really hard to keep going。Overall， I found the premise of the story rather confusing。 It reads slowly and， sometimes， tiresomely so。 There were some good descriptions of Turkey， the landscape， political structures and warring factions along the way。 However， underneath it all seemed to run a story of same sex love and commitment which， honestly， I wonder for its inclusion。Somewhere along the road every "magical" element w I picked up this book - and put it down again - multiple times， I found it really hard to keep going。Overall， I found the premise of the story rather confusing。 It reads slowly and， sometimes， tiresomely so。 There were some good descriptions of Turkey， the landscape， political structures and warring factions along the way。 However， underneath it all seemed to run a story of same sex love and commitment which， honestly， I wonder for its inclusion。Somewhere along the road every "magical" element was lost。The only good thing about this book is the magical edition exclusive to Goldsboro， which is very beautiful and is a piece of art。 。。。more
Jo-anne Atkinson
，
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， t 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。 。。。more
Jill Wilson
，
A quirky book with unusual characters。 It intrigued me but not a book I would highly recommend to other tinted。 The talented clockmaker and his son Zacahary who has the amazing ability to see into the future become caught in situations beyond their control。
Beata
，
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 always a blessing。 I particularly enjoyed strong female characters and descriptions of the 18th century England and Constantinople。 Highly-recommended！*A big thank-you to Sean Lusk， Random House， and NetGalley for arc in exch 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 always a blessing。 I particularly enjoyed strong female characters and descriptions of the 18th century England and Constantinople。 Highly-recommended！*A big thank-you to Sean Lusk， Random House， and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review。* 。。。more
Dima
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A very talented author， writing a mediocre story。 The writing is genuinely gripping - it's well paced， energetic， and fun。 The characters are well described and realistic， the steampunk is softly laid in， and the overall plot has an element of thrill that keeps one going （quickly）。 But - the story is just not interesting enough， and it's unclear what it's about。 The various themes just don't fit well together， making it somewhere between messy and boring。 Some things are also describe incredulou A very talented author， writing a mediocre story。 The writing is genuinely gripping - it's well paced， energetic， and fun。 The characters are well described and realistic， the steampunk is softly laid in， and the overall plot has an element of thrill that keeps one going （quickly）。 But - the story is just not interesting enough， and it's unclear what it's about。 The various themes just don't fit well together， making it somewhere between messy and boring。 Some things are also describe incredulously （open/semi-open acceptable of homosexuality and trans behaviours in the 18th century， and in the Muslim Turkish Empire？？ the completely naive and shallow spying idea？？）。 I really hope Lusk continues to write， but aspires to improve not just the form but also the function of his writing。 。。。more
Kendra Jackson
，
Words like enthralling and bewitching come to mind。 The clockwork automata were intriguing， the characters by turns endearing or infuriating， the descriptions of the setting evocative。 This book had everything from mystery to espionage， coming of age and love， the bonds and obligations of family。I think it’s going to have to be on a par with my favourite ever book。 Wonderful。
Margaret
，
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 tra 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。 。。。more
Kerry
，
A beautifully written story of misunderstandings and love lost and found。 Zachary， Abel， Mrs Morley and Aunt Frances are delightfully and sometimes heartbreakingly portrayed。 Even the secondary characters （Samuels， Leonora， Ibrahim， etc。） are described so beautifully that they are no less important to the whole story。 I love the way the book is written mainly in the preset tense - it brings everything home and makes it more ‘real’， somehow。 And it’s such an unusual story - really interesting to A beautifully written story of misunderstandings and love lost and found。 Zachary， Abel， Mrs Morley and Aunt Frances are delightfully and sometimes heartbreakingly portrayed。 Even the secondary characters （Samuels， Leonora， Ibrahim， etc。） are described so beautifully that they are no less important to the whole story。 I love the way the book is written mainly in the preset tense - it brings everything home and makes it more ‘real’， somehow。 And it’s such an unusual story - really interesting to read。 A refreshing breath of fresh air in amongst so many badly written efforts on the market at the moment。 Brilliant。 。。。more
Toni Kely-Brown
，
3。5 stars。 Bookclub choice for July and my favourite kind of genre。 Magical realism grounded in historical fiction。 It's set in 18th century London and Constantinople。 Zachary Cloudesley is raised by his father Abel and wet nurse Mrs Morley， after his mother dies in childbirth。 His father makes clocks and other intricate AI type objects。 From his birth Zachary is able to let others know what he needs and can see into the future by touching others。 He lives with Mrs Morley and his eccentric Aunty 3。5 stars。 Bookclub choice for July and my favourite kind of genre。 Magical realism grounded in historical fiction。 It's set in 18th century London and Constantinople。 Zachary Cloudesley is raised by his father Abel and wet nurse Mrs Morley， after his mother dies in childbirth。 His father makes clocks and other intricate AI type objects。 From his birth Zachary is able to let others know what he needs and can see into the future by touching others。 He lives with Mrs Morley and his eccentric Aunty after an accident in his father's workshop。 His father， Abel goes to Constantinople on a political mission but dosen't return and is presumed dead。 The 2nd half of the story moves to Constantinople when Zachary becomes a teenager to find his father as he has "seen" him alive。 I enjoyed the characters in this novel and how they were interconnected but I would have liked more magical realism than there was。 I'm impressed this was a debut novel and will definitely read more by Sean Lusk。 。。。more
Helen Carolan
，
This started so well， but then got a bit messy and confusing。 Zachary Cloudesley's mother died giving birth to him so he splits his life between his father's clock-making shop in London and his aunt's country pile。 Zach soon discovers he has a gift for seeing people's futures and he will need this gift when his father disappears on a spying mission。 This started so well， but then got a bit messy and confusing。 Zachary Cloudesley's mother died giving birth to him so he splits his life between his father's clock-making shop in London and his aunt's country pile。 Zach soon discovers he has a gift for seeing people's futures and he will need this gift when his father disappears on a spying mission。 。。。more
Ann Graham
，
Quite a good tale of a clockmaker & automata and his son who become prisoners in Constantinople。 Zachary ， the son， has the power to see into the future。 The characters in this story are all slightly off key， but all likeable in their own way。
Dave Cornford
，
Lots of interesting set up and characters。 But in the end， it just doesn’t go anywhere。
Tania
，