Clockwork Lives

Clockwork Lives by Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart

The second book in the Clockwork series is a collection of short stories framed in the story of a woman gathering stories. She can get a drop of blood to help get the "true" story from people. She travels around to hear the stories of others. Some are of important people. While, others are of ordinary or those low in status. There is the story of the pickpocket who didn't want to murder like his father. There is the explorer who eventually stopped exploring and instead became a storyteller.

The Watchmaker does not want to share his stories. His "autobiography" is the primary book available in most book stores. It is regularly updated with his details. After she tries to get his true story, he chases her out and gives her the book. She tosses it in the sea and goes to collect more stories.

The stories provide a variety of different looks at the life of people. Many could live in any "normal" world, while some are tightly tied to the Steam Punk world of the book.