There’s to be a novel based on the new RUSH album.

Like the album this will be called Clockwork Angels, and is to be written by sci fi author Kevin J. Anderson. This is what he says about the project on his Facebook page:

“Most of you are aware of my long-standing friendship with Neil Peart, the drummer and lyricist from the legendary rock band Rush, as well as how much Rush has influenced my work. My first novel, Resurrection, Inc., was closely inspired by the Rush album Grace Under Pressure, and I can point to dozens of other novels and stories that bear a clear Rush influence.

“For more than 20 years, Neil and I have wanted to collaborate on something MAJOR, a way we could tie together our imaginations, and at last that’s happening.

“I’m writing the novelization of Rush’s forthcoming album, Clockwork Angels, their first new CD in five years. Imagine if someone had written the novel of The Wall, Tommy, or Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band when those classic albums were released. For Rush fans, Clockwork Angels is that project.

“I worked together with Neil to flesh out the epic story told over the course of the music, as well as the artist Hugh Syme, whose paintings fill the CD booklet. In a young man’s quest to follow his dreams, he is caught between the grandiose forces of order and chaos. He travels across a lavish and colourful world of steampunk and alchemy, with lost cities, pirates, anarchists, exotic carnivals, and a rigid Watchmaker who imposes precision on every aspect of daily life.

“To whet your appetite, Rush released the first two tracks, Caravan and BU2B. Listen to those songs to get an idea of the story’s beginning.

“I’m writing the chapters now, incorporating the lyrics into the narrative, and having a fantastic time. More details to come, but for now-to quote a line from Caravan: ‘I can’t stop thinking big’.”