Cox

More about the book

A vibrant novel about an extravagant Chinese emperor and an English clockmaker, exploring themes of transience and the power of storytelling over time. The most powerful man in the world, Qianlong, Emperor of China, invites the English automaton builder and clockmaker Alister Cox to his court. The master from London is tasked with creating clocks in the Forbidden City that reflect the varying speeds of happiness, childhood, love, illness, and death. Ultimately, Qianlong, who claims to be the sole master of time, demands a clock to measure eternity. Cox realizes he cannot fulfill this outrageous request, but refusing the will of the god-emperor could mean death. Thus, he begins his work, caught between the demands of a ruler and the limits of his craft.