Dark Steampunk Novel 'The Hollow Clock' Exposes the Cost of Progress in a City Built on Stolen Lives
Dark Steampunk Novel "The Hollow Clock" Exposes the Cost of Progress in a City Built on Stolen Lives
PORTLAND, OR, UNITED STATES, April 22, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Author Elias Keane unveils "The Hollow Clock," a dark steampunk tale that asks a chilling question: What if the perfect city ran on the trapped consciousness of the poor? In the gleaming metropolis of Hollowmere, progress demands sacrifice—and some sacrifices never stop screaming.
The lights of Hollowmere never go out. The great clocktower never stops ticking. But what powers the perfect city is far more sinister than anyone dares to admit.
In Hollowmere, the poor are offered a deal: sign their names, surrender their bodies to the Sovereign's Cradle, and be "transcended" into pure energy. The Church of the Mechanismus promises eternal purpose. The doctors promise it's painless. Your family receives wealth beyond imagining.
What they don't tell you is that you'll still be conscious.
Callum Vane was supposed to be one of them. Born into the aristocratic family that built the city's infrastructure, Cal possesses a terrible gift: he can hear the voices of the bound souls trapped in the mechanism. After two years imprisoned in Ravencrest Institute—where the Church tried to "cure" him of his dangerous ability—Cal has documented what no one else knows.
Three hundred and forty-two names. Three hundred and forty-two people still aware, still suffering, powering the city's lights and trams with their stolen lives.
When Fen, a cynical retrieval specialist, breaks Cal out of Ravencrest, it sets off a chain of events that will shake Hollowmere to its foundations. Hunted by the Aetheric Police and the Church's enforcers, Cal must navigate the city's shadowed districts with only his forbidden Record and a stranger whose motives remain unclear.
But the deeper Cal digs into the conspiracy, the more he realizes the horror isn't just what the city has done—it's what the city is still planning to do.
How far would you go to save people the world has already forgotten?
"The Hollow Clock" is a dark steampunk tale of body horror, corporate theocracy, and one man's fight to give voice to the silenced. Perfect for fans of China Miéville, V.E. Schwab, and dark Victorian gothic fiction with teeth.
Keane's work favors precision over spectacle, tension over exposition, and rewards readers who pay attention to what is left unsaid. The novel unfolds at the intersection of politics, technology, and personal consequence—places where decisions are made long before they are visible.
"The Hollow Clock" is available now.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elias Keane writes fiction that explores power, ambition, and the quiet machinery behind public life. Known for morally complex characters, Keane's work often unfolds at the intersection of politics, technology, and personal consequence—places where decisions are made long before they are visible.
Publishing under a pen name by design, Keane allows the work to stand apart from the author and speak on its own terms. The novels favor precision over spectacle, tension over exposition, and reward readers who pay attention to what is left unsaid.
BOOK DETAILS
Title: The Hollow Clock
Author: Elias Keane
Genre: Dark Steampunk, Gothic Fiction, Body Horror, Dystopian
Key Themes: Power, sacrifice, corporate theocracy, consciousness, class divide
Setting: Victorian-inspired steampunk metropolis of Hollowmere
Comparable Authors: China Miéville, V.E. Schwab
Perfect For: Fans of dark Victorian gothic fiction, morally complex characters, and speculative fiction with political depth
For more information, media inquiries, or review copies, please contact:
Elias Keane
Email: imodius@hotmail.co.uk
Website: www.eliaskeane.com
X/Twitter: @eliaskeane2002
Elias Keane
CraveBooks
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