The Cuckoo Clock of Doom

The Cuckoo Clock of Doom

R. L. Stine2003
When his father brings home an antique cuckoo clock, Michael is cautioned not to touch it, but he turns back the hands and suddenly he is getting younger by the minute -- a year younger to be exact.
Sign up to use

Reviews

Photo of alina s
alina s@asupernova
1 star
Aug 23, 2022

wtf

Photo of Maggie Gordon
Maggie Gordon@maggieg
2 stars
Aug 13, 2022

The Cuckoo Clock of Doom has a really cool concept for a horror story, but absolutely abysmal characters. A common fault in the Goosebumps series is that the bad characters are simply intolerable. Sure, this is a series for kids and your villains are probably going to be a bit more transparent than a more nuanced, adult depiction (though this doesn't have to be the case!), but Goosebumps makes little sociopaths who no one but the beleaguered main character notices. In this story, Michael is constantly tormented by his little sister who injuries him and lies constantly to her parents. However, she's seen as an adorable little angel and only Michael gets in trouble. Given little Tara's actions, it seems implausible that her parents wouldn't notice her general evilness, but she's one of our antagonists so I guess she gets a free pass? The central plot of the story revolves around a cuckoo clock with mysterious powers. When Michael turns the head of the bird that pops out on the hour, he begins living his life backwards (but he can't seem to effect much of what happens to him). He retains his memories as he gets younger and younger, which is a horrifying thought. Even when he's a baby, he has the mind of his 12 year old self. (Shudders) On the other hand, my horror was diminished by the fact that as soon as he deaged to a point when Tara didn't exist, I was full of glee that I no longer had to read about that nightmare...

Photo of Colton Ray
Colton Ray@coltonmray
3 stars
Apr 16, 2024
Photo of Karen Scarlet
Karen Scarlet @draculasdaughter88
3 stars
Sep 13, 2023
Photo of C. J. Daley
C. J. Daley @cjdscurrentread
4 stars
May 13, 2023
Photo of Justin Ferrell
Justin Ferrell@justinferrell
3 stars
Sep 28, 2022
Photo of Noha Abdelaziz
Noha Abdelaziz@nouhashawqi
4 stars
Aug 31, 2022
Photo of Bram KnowledgeMDER
Bram KnowledgeMDER@bramknowledgemd11
5 stars
Aug 16, 2022
Photo of Tiffanie Dang
Tiffanie Dang@lovelessdegrees
5 stars
Nov 18, 2021
Photo of Neveen Badr
Neveen Badr@faustianacademia
5 stars
Nov 5, 2021
Photo of Bec
Bec@becandbooks
3 stars
Oct 10, 2021